Ok, so it is winter (sorta) and being highly distractible, I have recently ended up derailed from the more important boat projects at hand. I need to resolve this obsession so I can return to being a productive garage troll.
I saw these thru-transom exhaust ports on a 1959 Belmont and I think they are just BAD ASS. I want a set on my Belmont.
From what I have found out, these were a one-off cast in red brass for Smitty Weeks of Belmont Boats here in Fresno. They are marked "Lindell #3" and fit 3.5 inch hose.
ANYBODY WANT TO PART WITH A SET?
Smitty and several of the other boat companies out of Fresno used Lindell for their casting. Smitty had some of his parts numbered like that #3. My driveline safety guards are marked Belmont Boats Fresno #6 and I have seen a v-drive support marked #4 but I cant see numbers on the underwater gear that is marked Lindell Fresno. Im not sure if Sanger, Fresno, Kindsvater or others who used Lindell had their stuff stamped or numbered like that as well. Of more interest to me, I dont know if Lindell made this style of exhaust ports for any other boat makers; I have only seen them on 3 Belmonts so far.
Lindell is long gone and after some checking around town, nobody believes the castings survived.
Ive asked around a few shops: Belmont Marine doesnt have any; Fiberglass Unlimited doesnt have any; John at Unlimited Marine went thru piles of old catalogs and couldn't find anything like them; Ron at Edge Performance Marine didn't have any; Carl at Sierra Boat Company up north searched their storage and catalogs but no luck so far.
Ive talked to a few very helpful guys who have them but and wont part them. Sangerboy went all out and checked into having his cast in aluminum for me but that turned out to be cost-prohibitive. Carl called back after he found a set that the owner wont part with. He is still looking into getting them cast in red brass but Im afraid he will get the same kind of estimate that Sangerboy got (4 figures!http://www.hotboat.com/frm/images/sm...pb/schreck.gif).
A bunch of guys have suggested cutting down or machining the typical sets still available to end up with something close without the teardrop. This may be what I end up having to do but I thought I would throw it out here first.
Got any in that pile out back? Know anyone with a rotting transom around that might still have the ports in it? Know anywhere else to look? Know any other options that are close?
Long shot, I know, but I figure I gotta ask.
