I need help identifying a vintage Shovelnose Hydro

[Steve Schooler]

Thank you in advance to any of you that can help identify what the manufacture & age of this very nice built shovelnose hydro. I'm a airplane guy, and ended up with this beauty in a estate sale. All planes....and this! It's 39 1/2" long, with a 17 1/2" beam. It's powered by a Picco .45. The finish on this boat is just flawless. Not a scratch or a chip on it......and a mirror finish! It looks like the motor has run, but not for long, and I don't believe it has ever been in the water. The boat is fiberglass from top to bottom. I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks again,

Steve

 

[Steve Schooler]

More pics

 

[BullDogRacing]

Thank you in advance to any of you that can help identify what the manufacture & age of this very nice built shovelnose hydro. I'm a airplane guy, and ended up with this beauty in a estate sale. All planes....and this! It's 39 1/2" long, with a 17 1/2" beam. It's powered by a Picco .45. The finish on this boat is just flawless. Not a scratch or a chip on it......and a mirror finish! It looks like the motor has run, but not for long, and I don't believe it has ever been in the water. The boat is fiberglass from top to bottom. I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks again,

Steve

Gaday Mate

I think she's a MTO sport 40 hydro but the first version before my style version 2.

Here are some picks of the new one i have that i was going to build if you look they are alomost the same like the

air traps behind the sponsons are the same

the deck's the same

Where the cowl's go on the deck is the same. i have seen pick's of your boat on here before with the guy wanting a spare cowl .Brad

 

[Dasboatman]

"Gaday Mate

I think she's a MTO sport 40 hydro"

Hey Steve,

I agree with Brad - appears to be an MTO/K&H hull. The hull was known as K&H in Southern California before Doug DeWitte bought molds and renamed them Made To Order (MTO). I can't get your thumbnails to enlarge to see bottom details. Here's a pic of Justin Hill's 3rd Place hull at the 2010 NAMBA Nats. I don't know the dimensions of the hull, but it surely looks like yours - there were rear cab and cab forward versions. The hulls are very fast, but the hulls are narrow. Doug did a lot of work with both the Scale and SP42 round nose hulls with turn fins allowing his St. Regis to be very Stout!!! CHEERS !!! Bob

P.S. Just got the thumbnails to download, noticed the K&H Marine on afterplane, 3 piece case P-45 on exhaust throttle - - I'm thinking the boat came from Southern California (San Diego), and was built in the mid to late '80s. About confirms it is a K&H ( ? & Hockenberry) - Maybe Don Maher will chime in. CHEERS !!! Bob

 

[Steve Schooler]

"Gaday Mate

I think she's a MTO sport 40 hydro"

Hey Steve,

I agree with Brad - appears to be an MTO/K&H hull. The hull was known as K&H in Southern California before Doug DeWitte bought molds and renamed them Made To Order (MTO). I can't get your thumbnails to enlarge to see bottom details. Here's a pic of Justin Hill's 3rd Place hull at the 2010 NAMBA Nats. I don't know the dimensions of the hull, but it surely looks like yours - there were rear cab and cab forward versions. The hulls are very fast, but the hulls are narrow. Doug did a lot of work with both the Scale and SP42 round nose hulls with turn fins allowing his St. Regis to be very Stout!!! CHEERS !!! Bob

P.S. Just got the thumbnails to download, noticed the K&H Marine on afterplane, 3 piece case P-45 on exhaust throttle - - I'm thinking the boat came from Southern California (San Diego), and was built in the mid to late '80s. About confirms it is a K&H ( ? & Hockenberry) - Maybe Don Maher will chime in. CHEERS !!! Bob

Hi, Bob

From the picture you attached, it looks like you may have solved my mystery. I emailed a guy here in Orange County, So. Cal that owns a business call: K&H Marine. He said he's owned the business (full sized boats) for 40 years, but had never seen or heard of this boat......but he now wants me to sell it to him! So if there was a K&H company making model boat hulls.....I would have to say that it must be the one. The K&H Marine, and the U-190 are clear coated or gel coated over, so the're there to stay. Was there ever a full sized boat made in this configuration? I'm not a model boater (not for years now) what class is U-190? Is MTO still in business?

Many thanks for your help. A gentleman by the name of Glenn Quarles, at RC Universe turned me on to this site. If I browse through this place any longer.........I'm gonna get the itch to launch this boat!!!

Thanks again, Bob

Steve

 

[Roy Munoz]

That hull is a Kotch and Hockberry Hull..I have one that I bought back in 85 from them..They sold the molds to MTO..I belive they from the San Diego area..

 

[shoboat]

Steve,

Where do you live? CA?

I had a friend with a boat very similar.

Thanks,

Mark Sholund

Traverse City, Michigan

 

[Steve Schooler]

Steve,

Where do you live? CA?

I had a friend with a boat very similar.

Thanks,

Mark Sholund

Traverse City, Michigan

Hi, Mark

I live in Cypress 90630 about 10 miles North of Disneyland Ph 714-614-2890

 

[Steve Schooler]

That hull is a Kotch and Hockberry Hull..I have one that I bought back in 85 from them..They sold the molds to MTO..I belive they from the San Diego area..

Is MTO still in business?

Steve

 

[Dasboatman]

" ..... what class is U-190? Is MTO still in business?"

Hey Steve,

You are more than welcome. "Old Age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Skill"

Your hull would run in Sport 40 Hydroplane Division 2.

MTO sold out to Doug DeWitte (MTO). Last I heard Mark Williamson had the MTO hull molds, but that was from rumor central.

"Kotch and Hockberry" - - Thanks Roy. Will try to update my old memory banks. I thought I was going to have to ask Chuck McGaughy.

Your hull appears to be in very good shape and well built. You have a Classic there - period correct. I would guess that it's probably Imron or PPG clear coat over the U-190 and the rest of the hull.

Seems to me that Mike Schlindler has a mold for the MTO 60 hull - may be worth posing the 40 MTO question for Mike's comments. CHEERS !!! Bob

 

[SayMikey]

" ..... what class is U-190? Is MTO still in business?"

Hey Steve,

You are more than welcome. "Old Age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Skill"

Your hull would run in Sport 40 Hydroplane Division 2.

MTO sold out to Doug DeWitte (MTO). Last I heard Mark Williamson had the MTO hull molds, but that was from rumor central.

"Kotch and Hockberry" - - Thanks Roy. Will try to update my old memory banks. I thought I was going to have to ask Chuck McGaughy.

Your hull appears to be in very good shape and well built. You have a Classic there - period correct. I would guess that it's probably Imron or PPG clear coat over the U-190 and the rest of the hull.

Seems to me that Mike Schlindler has a mold for the MTO 60 hull - may be worth posing the 40 MTO question for Mike's comments. CHEERS !!! Bob

Looks like a MTO to me,far as I know the guy who owned the MTO boats quit making them.... I have molds to make both scale boats and cowls. I do own a sport 40 boat and have not ran it yet,but will have it ready when the ice melts.......id finish this story but will stop short here

 

[glenng]

" ..... what class is U-190? Is MTO still in business?"

Hey Steve,

You are more than welcome. "Old Age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Skill"

Your hull would run in Sport 40 Hydroplane Division 2.

MTO sold out to Doug DeWitte (MTO). Last I heard Mark Williamson had the MTO hull molds, but that was from rumor central.

"Kotch and Hockberry" - - Thanks Roy. Will try to update my old memory banks. I thought I was going to have to ask Chuck McGaughy.

Your hull appears to be in very good shape and well built. You have a Classic there - period correct. I would guess that it's probably Imron or PPG clear coat over the U-190 and the rest of the hull.

Seems to me that Mike Schlindler has a mold for the MTO 60 hull - may be worth posing the 40 MTO question for Mike's comments. CHEERS !!! Bob

Mike does have the molds for the 60 size hull. Phil Thomas sells a sport 40 very similar to the MTO(see avitar). The one weakness of the MTO's was the square edges where the cowling fits on- great place for cracks to start. A little file work with a 1/8" round jewelers file would probably keep cracks from starting.

Glenn

 

[Roy Munoz]

All of the Kotch and Hockberry hull were model after the Thrifway Too and had a ride serface on the out side edges of the sponsons . as your has..After the molds were sold changes were made and recovery pads were added and the hull was also changed to a convenchnal hull.The ride serface were also changed and made flat..The K hull had problems in the turns at full speed and would do an inside roll till we added recovery pads..I still have mine and it just strong as when I bought it in 85..I think it was made of carbon fiber.. I also don't know what happen to MTO. Had heard that there were having problems in trying to get some one to lay up the hulls..But not Sure..

 

[DON MAHER]

Roy is correct, that is a "K&H" or Kotch & Hockenberry hull out of San Diego.

Doug Dewitt bought and then "updated" all three of the molds. That being the sport 20,40 & 60/scale. Last I heard Mark Williamson still had the molds, but was not making or selling any of them. Why I don't know because they are all very very fast hulls.

Don

 

[Steve Schooler]

Roy is correct, that is a "K&H" or Kotch & Hockenberry hull out of San Diego.

Doug Dewitt bought and then "updated" all three of the molds. That being the sport 20,40 & 60/scale. Last I heard Mark Williamson still had the molds, but was not making or selling any of them. Why I don't know because they are all very very fast hulls.

Don

Wow, Guys. You all have been very helpfull. As I said in the begining, I purchased this in a estate sale, so the history on the gentleman that built it is nowhere to be found. My understanding is ththat he was a builder/modeler (mostly airplanes_, that removed himself from basicly all hobbies for some time, only to resurge again before his death. He must have built this in the 80's, and it has sat, unused, since. BTW, when I showed up to purchase the estate sale of what I was told was just airplanes, equipment & some r/c car stuff, this boat was just lying on the floor, with no mention of it before, and the son-in-law selling everything said "you have to take everything.....yes....including that boat"!

Bummer....Huh!

Steve

 

[Roy Munoz]

Wish I could find one of those deals..

 

[Steve Schooler]

Wish I could find one of those deals..

Sorry..............he said I...had to take it!

Steve

 

[Ray Sametz]

Just for hah hah's, pull out the pipe insulation and with a flashlight and mirror check the underside of the deck for any labels??

 

[Steve Schooler]

Just for hah hah's, pull out the pipe insulation and with a flashlight and mirror check the underside of the deck for any labels??

Hi, Ray

I probed like a dentist with the mirror & flashlight, and all I found was that I had a cavity! I didn't see any markings, anywhere.

I will say that after looking at the "internals" I now know that this boat has never been run, or touched the lake. It's as spotless on the inside as the outside!

 

[Dasboatman]

Hey Steve,

The first K&H hull I saw was Nitro Buzz' U-29 Shanty I Scale boat in 1987. Here's a pic of Buzz and boat at '89 NAMBA Nats - Camarillo, CA. Black mail material on right side - Hint: He had a Parco's O-Ring Miss back then and was 20+ years younger. Who be that mustached wonder??? CHEERS !!! Bob