imported_Dj1
Recruit
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2006
- Messages
- 1
Well, I've just stumbled across this site by accident when I put Winner Wildcat into google to find out how many of these boats
were still around in the UK. I had 2 Wildcats , the first was the older , perhaps about 1973 powered by an inboard Volvo 130 hp.
I remember the day we towed it up to Windermere and we set about cleaning it from top to bottom, it was the day of 'Live Aid' , 13 th July 1985 at Wembley and Philadelphea, bcease we managed to tune in to the shows on the boats pretty decent strereo ! This boat had a brown deck and cream/beige hull, 2 swivel front seats and a 'wrap round' back seat, easily seated 6 people. I had this boat for a couple of years , it had some mechanical problems of course ! .....we all know the definition of a boat.... " a depression in the water which is lined with fibreglass into which money is poured "!! It had its leg off a few times and a new cylinder head, nothing too minor ! But it recovered and I loved it, so it got a superb deck re spray. The tired looking flat brown deck became a gleaming laquered brown metallic and the hull given a proper good buffing and waxing, it looked brilliant, all its chrome bits and wood rails really stood out like new. We had some fantastic times on the lake at weekends and in holidays, the boat was totally in its element, a classic looking style even back in 1985 it just looked so much 'cooler' than other new boats at the time. It was my version of a Riva Aquarama ! albeit smaller, slower and about £250,000 cheaper ! However it was always just that bit under powered, srtuggling sometimes to pull two mono skiers up in head wind with 4 people on board ! !
At this time there were quite a few Winners about in the north west of England, lots of them used on Windermere as ski ing was aloud on all areas of the lake, there were Cobras,Wlidcats, Barronettes, moored and trailed to the lake. But the Wlidcat was the boat to have even holding their own against Mastercrafts and Supra ski boats for safety and stability. I sold the first one for £2750.00 in 1986 and bought the second for £4750.00 in the same year. This one was a beast by comparison , though not the biggest engine available it was still a 5 ltr Chevy 200 hp/mercruiser. The whole boat was immaculate ( called it 'Billy Whizz' ) in two tone cream / beige, walk through opening windshield (more rake than the earlier model) magnolia seats, 2 plush fontseats that could be reversed to face rear one large full width rear bench seat that led to the large paddad engine cover.
All woodwork was in showroom condition inc the ski platform.
This sounded fantastic, the gurgling V8 just growled and had a sort of muffled 'bark' under the water as you tweeked the throttle !
It performed spectacularly well all the time, on booting the gas it would virtually stand up then gradually drop down to level as it charged away rock steady and gently power trimmed to plane perfectly up to 50 mph ! We had just the best times on this boat,
over another couple of years, and shared great times with family and freinds ski-ing, swimming, boarding, and all the larking about that just happens, mullti-towing was not a problem !
Windermere was a great leisure boating lake back then , however now a ten mph speed limit over the entire lake has killed a whole 'scene' and associated busnesses with it . I sold the V8 in late 1988 for £4000 to help pay for our wedding ! I look back now and wish I still had it ( still married ,of course) , I really miss the fun we had in such a great boat especially when I see glass-flat water!
I'll dig out some photos if I can find some and post them here. Thanks to your site for prompting my memories of a classic boat. J.
were still around in the UK. I had 2 Wildcats , the first was the older , perhaps about 1973 powered by an inboard Volvo 130 hp.
I remember the day we towed it up to Windermere and we set about cleaning it from top to bottom, it was the day of 'Live Aid' , 13 th July 1985 at Wembley and Philadelphea, bcease we managed to tune in to the shows on the boats pretty decent strereo ! This boat had a brown deck and cream/beige hull, 2 swivel front seats and a 'wrap round' back seat, easily seated 6 people. I had this boat for a couple of years , it had some mechanical problems of course ! .....we all know the definition of a boat.... " a depression in the water which is lined with fibreglass into which money is poured "!! It had its leg off a few times and a new cylinder head, nothing too minor ! But it recovered and I loved it, so it got a superb deck re spray. The tired looking flat brown deck became a gleaming laquered brown metallic and the hull given a proper good buffing and waxing, it looked brilliant, all its chrome bits and wood rails really stood out like new. We had some fantastic times on the lake at weekends and in holidays, the boat was totally in its element, a classic looking style even back in 1985 it just looked so much 'cooler' than other new boats at the time. It was my version of a Riva Aquarama ! albeit smaller, slower and about £250,000 cheaper ! However it was always just that bit under powered, srtuggling sometimes to pull two mono skiers up in head wind with 4 people on board ! !
At this time there were quite a few Winners about in the north west of England, lots of them used on Windermere as ski ing was aloud on all areas of the lake, there were Cobras,Wlidcats, Barronettes, moored and trailed to the lake. But the Wlidcat was the boat to have even holding their own against Mastercrafts and Supra ski boats for safety and stability. I sold the first one for £2750.00 in 1986 and bought the second for £4750.00 in the same year. This one was a beast by comparison , though not the biggest engine available it was still a 5 ltr Chevy 200 hp/mercruiser. The whole boat was immaculate ( called it 'Billy Whizz' ) in two tone cream / beige, walk through opening windshield (more rake than the earlier model) magnolia seats, 2 plush fontseats that could be reversed to face rear one large full width rear bench seat that led to the large paddad engine cover.
All woodwork was in showroom condition inc the ski platform.
This sounded fantastic, the gurgling V8 just growled and had a sort of muffled 'bark' under the water as you tweeked the throttle !
It performed spectacularly well all the time, on booting the gas it would virtually stand up then gradually drop down to level as it charged away rock steady and gently power trimmed to plane perfectly up to 50 mph ! We had just the best times on this boat,
over another couple of years, and shared great times with family and freinds ski-ing, swimming, boarding, and all the larking about that just happens, mullti-towing was not a problem !
Windermere was a great leisure boating lake back then , however now a ten mph speed limit over the entire lake has killed a whole 'scene' and associated busnesses with it . I sold the V8 in late 1988 for £4000 to help pay for our wedding ! I look back now and wish I still had it ( still married ,of course) , I really miss the fun we had in such a great boat especially when I see glass-flat water!
I'll dig out some photos if I can find some and post them here. Thanks to your site for prompting my memories of a classic boat. J.
