Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 38

Thread: Tiki / Hawaiian Connection?

  1. #11
    Ralph Brunt

  2. #12
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    1,863
    Yes, mine was a Tiki that went out of Tahiti just before Schuster left. Year 1975.
    ? that doesn't add up.

  3. #13
    *BN*
    This will better make sense.....My dad knew Schuster before he went to Tahiti, so he knew him fairly well.
    In 1971 my dad bought a boat from Schuster. It was a boat he saw at the boat show "Tropicana" was the hull name. My dad had talked to the dealer that was located somewhere around LAX, then talked to Schuster about it, and Schuster made the deal for my dad. This Tropicana was built on Haliday Street in Santa Ana, and we don't recall who really owned the mold.
    The hull was a high side V-Bottom hull powered by a 455 olds and BERKELEY. The boat name was "Big Surprise" because he would run it on the strip and race anything he could find........after the race the other driver would most of the time pull my dad over and ask "what the hell was in that thing." When they were told and olds well.......BIG SURPRISE.
    In 1974 my dad made the deal with Schuster to make the boat pictured above. The deal was made while Schuster was still working at Tahiti but was built at another location.

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    1,863
    trust me, schuster was gone by '74.
    The entire Tiki/Hawaiian boats thing was back door, so there's no surprise there. The company was built on materials stolen from Tahiti, which dick had sold long before.
    Heads rolled, and prison terms were handed out because of it.
    There were no boats built at Tahiti that had anything to do with Tiki. Those were being built under the wire in the old tahiti buildings that dick still owned (where competitive trailers is today) not at the Tahiti building in Cerritos.

  5. #15
    *BN*
    Everything there is spot on to our knowledge also, but we recall making the deal in 74 and delivery 75. The hull id had 75 on it also. But who knows now my memory and my dads are fading by daily so he could have left already and we have forgotten dates.
    BTW: My dad sold to MANY of the boat builders back in the late 60 - 70's. All plumbing parts even though our company sells industrial, pipe valves and fittings.

  6. #16
    El Prosecutor
    rwyyattb and *BN*, thanks for posting your pics. My boat apparently has some beautiful little sisters.
    Old Rigger, keep talking! I feel like I just discovered an outlaw in my family tree, and want to hear more. Great stuff guys!

  7. #17
    *BN*
    , I feel like I just discovered an outlaw in my family tree, and want to hear more. Great stuff guys!
    EL P,
    Don't think this might be the only outlaw, in that era there were MANY!

  8. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    1,863
    Everything there is spot on to our knowledge also, but we recall making the deal in 74 and delivery 75. The hull id had 75 on it also. But who knows now my memory and my dads are fading by daily so he could have left already and we have forgotten dates.
    BTW: My dad sold to MANY of the boat builders back in the late 60 - 70's. All plumbing parts even though our company sells industrial, pipe valves and fittings.
    BN, apples and oranges. Doesn't mean a whole lot now. lol
    Hey, if your dad was a saleman to the shop, the he for sure knew my dad, he was not only a rigger but at Hawaiian he was the GM on the riggers side of the street. He ordered all the parts. See if your dad remembers Dick Turner.
    Pushing the date back on a boat was not uncommon at all, it gave the buyer a sense of greater re-sale value, and happened at every shop I worked at. Joe Blow buys a boat in Oct. when the boating season is over (when you should buy a boat) and as a deal sweetener the date on the transom would read a few months later, into the next year, making it a newer year model.
    el prosecutor,
    bn is right. The biz was/is full of shady guys.
    Some went to prison.
    Some should have gone to prison.
    Some were building boats (VERY popular boats) that were a front for dealing coke.
    Some guys were shipping coke laminated in the sub floors of their boats.
    Some had contracts taken on their life.
    Some should have never been allowed to touch a boat.
    The list is long and colorful to say the least.
    And some were the salt of the earth, simply the best guys on the planet to work for. I got lucky once or twice with these guys too, along with plenty of the others.

  9. #19
    spectratoad
    I have a 77 Spectra but I love listening to the stories of the guys who helped build the boats of this era. Lots of good history and info to learn and hear.
    Some guys were shipping coke laminated in the sub floors of their boats.
    Did Spectra have any of these rumors. I may have to rip my floor up now to see what is under there.

  10. #20
    DelawareDave
    I'll let ya'll know if I find anything under mine when I tear the floor up

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Big Thanks to Tiki God
    By Mr. Crusader 83 in forum Jet Boats
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 11-20-2007, 01:05 PM
  2. Tiki...
    By Jbb in forum Sandbar
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 08-27-2007, 03:00 PM
  3. Tiki God
    By clownpuncher in forum Jet Boats
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-21-2007, 12:40 AM
  4. Replies: 17
    Last Post: 04-08-2007, 12:57 PM
  5. Anybody need a TIKI HUT ????
    By scarabrick2 in forum Sandbar
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-02-2007, 11:42 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •