1958 Brendella

[Craig]

Posted some pic's and stories from a friends Dad who was tearing up the lakes long before a lot of us :D
1958 Brendella (http://www.justanothertoy.com/donniedad.htm)

[jlnorthrup122]

Good to see some oldschool on there!! but don't get me started on oldschool!! I got shot dated back to before the 1920s!:p :cool: :cool:

[bigerich]

Sweet boat and pics. Must have been a rough ride to and from Catalina in that little boat. The tow rig in one of the pics looks pretty sweet too, 59-60 El Camino??

[Outnumbered]

101 MPH in that little ride with a 283ci motor? Is that a mis-print? Pretty crazy if that's a real number.:eek:
OL

[v-drive]

Those are so cool. I've talked about my father in law and his start at that same time. We went through their pictures but unfortunately the camera they had at that time was not that good and the pictures have faded badly. His boat was a rilecraft
does anyone remember those.:D v-drive

[HavasuDreamin']

Nice boat and a great post............but I would have to say those guys were nuts for running a 16' flatbottom to Catalina. :eek:

[Back To Havasu]

Those pics were especially fun for me to see. I raced outboard versions of the Brendella boats for the factory team in that era. The boats weren't painted; they were fiberglass over phillipine mahogany, with painted trim. They were manufactured one at a time in Lawndale California, by a family named Fragoso. When built, they were shipped to the Sepulveda Boat Dock boat dealer in the San Fernando Valley. That dealer was owned by Irv and Peggy Ann Brendel, who named the boats Brendella, and later founded Hondo Boats. A reference is made to returning the boat for repairs to Mandella. That would surprise me as Mandella was a completely separate company, built in a different So. Cal. city, and owned by Louis Brummet. I have old racing pics of my Brendella race boats, and if I ever figure out this scanner, I shall post them. ;)

[v-drive]

Originally posted by HavasuDreamin'
Nice boat and a great post............but I would have to say those guys were nuts for running a 16' flatbottom to Catalina. :eek:
My dad and I used to launch his fishing boat out of 2nd street landing and would often see a group of guys doing the catalina run. There would always be that early morning fog and that's what bothers me..... :D v-drive

[Back To Havasu]

I had a friend who used to take his 15' boat with a 60hp Merc to Catalina from Long Beach often. In the late 50s-early 60s, the boats that raced to Catalina and back sometimes were only 13' long with twin outboards. Seems incredible, but performance boats then were quite tiny by today's standards.:eek:

[v-drive]

BTH, Did you know Mike Shannon or Harold Halstead?
:cool: v-drive

[Back To Havasu]

I remember the names. We raced Western Outboard Association and Pacific Lagoon races for Brendella Boats. Our big guns then were Jack Ward, Jack Oxley, Bob Kies, Danny Snead, Johnny Eygabroad, Earl Palmer, and an occasional visit from Merc Superstar of the day, Chuck Mersereau.;)