Hustler boats

**Maclu24** · 02-22-2005, 12:59 PM

I was coming home from Balto. and stopped along rt.50 and looked at a white hulled o/b hull with the name of Hustler . Is there a manufactured name ? It was about 16-16.5 long , many half-ass changes,but with dual cable steering and merc controls. the bottom was almost flat, from the road I thought it would be a inboard, but it had old jack plate with remote pump. The hull had strakes ,looked late 60's early 70's is this any thing? thanks Mac

**T2x** · 02-22-2005, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Maclu24

I was coming home from Balto. and stopped along rt.50 and looked at a white hulled o/b hull with the name of Hustler . Is there a manufactured name ? It was about 16-16.5 long , many half-ass changes,but with dual cable steering and merc controls. the bottom was almost flat, from the road I thought it would be a inboard, but it had old jack plate with remote pump. The hull had strakes ,looked late 60's early 70's is this any thing? thanks Mac

The "original" Hustlers were OPC vee bottoms and were built in the Midwest(I'm thinking Illinois). They usually had metalflake decks although I remember some in solid colors. Boats ran well in races but were not as good in the rough as Eltros and Sidewinders and were outrun in the calm by Allies and Streams.......they were sort of in the CHeckmate niche......

T2x

**WARLOCK** · 02-24-2005, 07:07 AM

If these are the same Hustlers. They were built by Jim Umbarger in Mchenry Il. in the late 60's and seventies. I used to work for Jim and my dad just talked to him the other day. If you need more info, give him a call, he loves talking about his old boats. 815-385-4848 or ask for Jim Jr. later, Dave

**Dukeofchippewa** · 02-24-2005, 07:19 AM

I had two Hustlers, a V and a Tunnel. Pics in my gallery if you want to see them.

**Ryan140** · 02-24-2005, 12:41 PM

was the boat white top with a black bottom? Ive seen that one before. About 10 years ago there was one in southern md with a big omc that would run mid to high 80s. It looked like it was being pulled by a string at top speed. There should be thread I started from about 3 years ago that tells a lot about the hull. Let me see if I can find it.

**T2x** · 02-25-2005, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by OLEGATOR

If this is the Umbarger built boat, it was a very good running boat. In 1968 Stan Stauffer won the National Championship in both FI and FJ using the same boat with diferent engines.

Wasn't that a Sabre hull that Stanton used?

T2x

**Dukeofchippewa** · 02-26-2005, 07:43 AM

Here's a pic of Umbarger & hustler.

**4-MULA-V** · 02-26-2005, 11:54 AM

Great boats, I owned a 14 footer in the late 60s early 70s whit hull Metalflake red deck. In the late 70s I bought a used 16 footer with white hull and metalflake blue deck and put a brand new Evinrude 140ss 0n it. Very nice running boats both of them. I have a Hustler glass tunnel the deck looks the same as the v-bottom, havent had it in the water yet, need to find a engine for it.

**T2x** · 02-27-2005, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by OLEGATOR

One of the reasons I knew Stan was running a Hustler. I drove a Sabre against him in the FI class. A short story about the 68 nats. Jeff Titus and I were running SI that year with Merc1000BP's. Stan and Tom Stickle were running FJ with Merc1250BP's. When we arrived in Miami it was decided Jeff and Stan would swap their engines and Tom and I would do the same. That way all four of us could two classes. As it turned out Stan won both FI and FJ, Jeff won SI and I won SJ and set records in both SI and SJ.

I remember Stauffer winning The 67 Hudson River Marathon with a Checkmate FJ......and then switching to a Sabre Hull for the following year... Maybe there was a Hustler too....... and I forgot about it.... not unusual. We were fiddling with Eltros at the time and racing mostly East Coast and mostly marathons.

T2x

**Dave S** · 02-27-2005, 07:03 PM

Hey T2X, did they race a Eltro with backing from Roaringhams bar on Merrick road? Thats what I was lead to belive. My boss had 3 Eltros he got from Sonny Werner when Sonny traded up to better boats. I have one boat and my old boss still has the other.

**T2x** · 02-27-2005, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Dave S

Hey T2X, did they race a Eltro with backing from Roaringhams bar on Merrick road? Thats what I was lead to belive. My boss had 3 Eltros he got from Sonny Werner when Sonny traded up to better boats. I have one boat and my old boss still has the other.

Sonny Werner raced a single Eltro FJ boat called "Fatback J. Roaringham".... I always thought he named the boat after himself....

Later I heard the bar story........

Does your boss have a big 18 footer? George Linder and I raced that in separate seasons ....... '67 and '68...and I understand that Sonny wound up with it.

T2x

**T2x** · 02-27-2005, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by Dave S

when Sonny traded up to better boats.

Allisons and Hydrostreams werehardly "better boats"..... no disrespect....but the only reason Sonny changed to those hulls was Eltros were no longer produced. No other vee hull ever gave you so much rough water handling and dominance...with good calm water speed.

T2x

**Maclu24** · 03-08-2005, 12:32 PM

White boat with black bottom is on lot also , I could not tell what it was. Guy wants 1800 for either one with trailer. Hustler looks fast sitting on trailer but it would be a labor of love ; like I'm doing with my Gt-150. Mac