007 stamped in my strut

[Flat freak]

Sometime around 1995 I bought this 71 Hondo. The guy I bought it from told me it was one of Caselli’s old boats. While politely listening to him I was thinking “yea sure, yea right”. So to make a super long story short, I drug the boat home to start a years long full restoration project. While climbing around and underneath it I spotted the 007 stamped in the strut and and the peddle assembly had a Caselli sticker still on it. I have to admit the strut got me curious, so if anyone has some info that might identify it I would love to hear it.

 

[Flat freak]

Kinda hard to see , but the first photo is the number stamped in the strut

 

[dave29]

I know Casseli manufactured parts for boats. Just don't know if they were all marked with 007.

 

[Flat freak]

I’ve been told there were 10 flat bottoms with these stamped struts. Just curious if anybody has some direct knowledge .

 

[Boat Anchor]

Sometime around 1995 I bought this 71 Hondo. The guy I bought it from told me it was one of Caselli’s old boats. While politely listening to him I was thinking “yea sure, yea right”. So to make a super long story short, I drug the boat home to start a years long full restoration project. While climbing around and underneath it I spotted the 007 stamped in the strut and and the peddle assembly had a Caselli sticker still on it. I have to admit the strut got me curious, so if anyone has some info that might identify it I would love to hear it.

Back in the late sixties early seventies Caselli's shop (Ray's Welding) was just across the alley from Hondo's shop on Gladstone in Sylmar Ca. Ray supplied the underwater hardware (struts, fins, rudders, shaft logs, up/down pedals) to Hondo to be used in the production of their ski and race hulls. As you have exhibited in your photo, the upper rear edge of the web of a Caselli produced welded steel strut was stamped 007 (The number on Ray's 007 Panic Mouse BFF) to identify it as a Caselli produced strut. The Caselli produced up/down pedals were typically identified with a Caselli Marine Products sticker/decal on the down pedal shaft, as shown in your photo.

 

[dryhoze1]

Nice boat & nice strut. But certainly more than 10 were built by Ray.
‘There are 2 in just this thread alone

The Rebuild of Bill Kuhns #62 Blown Gas Flat Porky Pig

Here are a few Shots of the rebuild of Bill Kuhns # 62 Porky Pig Hondo Rigging by James Brendel Assy. By Tim Goodwin at Jimmy Mobley's shop AKA OUTA PLACE RACING !

www.riverdavesplace.com

 

[Flat freak]

Hopefully there’s an old timer out there with true knowledge. So he can tell us “I know he stamped them all” or “ I know he stamped em for his boats” it’s no big deal, but it would be cool to know.

 

[Boat Anchor]

Hopefully there’s an old timer out there with true knowledge. So he can tell us “I know he stamped them all” or “ I know he stamped em for his boats” it’s no big deal, but it would be cool to know.

Ray stamped them all. All the ones he supplied for Hondo and everyone else he stamped 007 in the upper rear portion of the web of the strut. 007 was his so called trade mark. The strut used on the restoration of 007 Panic Mouse dose not have 007 stamped in it's web.

 

[Flat freak]

Thank you for the information. Would you happen to know if Ray had a black boat with the three gold scallops on the deck in 1971 ? The guy I bought it from told me Ray damaged it at Bakersfield and they had to pull it up on the grass because it was sinking.

 

[MOUZER]

ive had/sold hondo flats and had/sold struts with 007 stamped on them

 

[Flat freak]

Mouzer, thanks for your input. I just bought your T tank from Stu for my current build. I really enjoy rebuilding these boats, so talking with Stu was a joy. Man what a wealth of knowledge/experience he has . I told him he was lucky I live 150 miles away or he would have to ban me from his shop so he could get his work done.

 

[MOUZER]

Mouzer, thanks for your input. I just bought your T tank from Stu for my current build. I really enjoy rebuilding these boats, so talking with Stu was a joy. Man what a wealth of knowledge/experience he has . I told him he was lucky I live 150 miles away or he would have to ban me from his shop so he could get his work done.

before i moved on the lake i lived 10 min from stu pretty much stopped by everyday and helped out also worked on my boats there sanding and painting he is a great friend he would even call me in the morn and say if your coming by today bring me carls jr famous star burger and a large coke

 

[Flat freak]

before i moved on the lake i lived 10 min from stu pretty much stopped by everyday and helped out also worked on my boats there sanding and painting he is a great friend he would even call me in the morn and say if your coming by today bring me carls jr famous star burger and a large coke

I had to drive down to LA Friday to pick up an 8-71 so I was able to swing by his shop & BS for a little while. Glad to learn about Carls Jr. ,now I know how to butter him up when I buy his B boat

 

[MOUZER]

couple of his b boat projects where mine samanthas daytona and barron sprint and the revenge

 

[ElAzul]

I was partners with the latter Hondo boats in Merced mid 2000's I had a treasure box full of Ray's hardware and race stuff amongst other's shoved in a corner in the shop that walked away. A few other goodies not really seen by the public like the Apache OB. The bow to the right of the pic is the OG Desperado flat that some should remember. Sorry to thread jack

 

[Dana757]

Both of my Hondo’s had 007 stamped struts. A 73 and a 74.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

 

[Clank123]

View attachment 1189392

As stated in the above posts and shown in the ad, Caselli had a nice aftermarket business going based on his success on the racecourse. Because of that I’ve seen DiMarcos, a few Litchfields and a Cole with 007 struts and Caselli up/down pedals.
When we were restoring the Panic Mouse pictured in the Ad, one of the cool things was refurbishing the parts that Ray had fabricated himself.
Along with the strut, as mentioned no 007 stamp, the up/down pedal(undoubtedly the first one he built) was made completely out of an old 1” prop shaft. All bent and welded by him and keyed onto a set of gears in a bearing plate. One of the original key ways was still in the shaft behind one of the pedals. The assy had never been out of the boat since it was built. It took everything I knew(heat, lubricants, candle wax and 3 different hammers) to do to get it apart! But it was cool knowing that except for Ray, I was the only person ever to have my hands on it.
When I put it back together, I just hit it with a little scotch brite to maintain the patina.
I thought Ray would appreciate that!

As for your boat being one of his…it’s possible. But would be hard to prove.
When he retired the boat I restored in 1971, he crashed the next boat, a flatbottom, the first race out at Long Beach. The boat was hurt but not ruined so it was fixed and sold. He then got one of the first “trick bottom” hulls from Hondo.
I did notice the V Drive braces in your boat are identical in design to the Panic Mouse we did. Not that that design was exclusive to Caselli…but it is an interesting similarity for sure. Who knows???
Enjoy your Hondo…she’s a beauty!
Dave

 

[Flat freak]

As stated in the above posts and shown in the ad, Caselli had a nice aftermarket business going based on his success on the racecourse. Because of that I’ve seen DiMarcos, a few Litchfields and a Cole with 007 struts and Caselli up/down pedals.
When we were restoring the Panic Mouse pictured in the Ad, one of the cool things was refurbishing the parts that Ray had fabricated himself.
Along with the strut, as mentioned no 007 stamp, the up/down pedal(undoubtedly the first one he built) was made completely out of an old 1” prop shaft. All bent and welded by him and keyed onto a set of gears in a bearing plate. One of the original key ways was still in the shaft behind one of the pedals. The assy had never been out of the boat since it was built. It took everything I knew(heat, lubricants, candle wax and 3 different hammers) to do to get it apart! But it was cool knowing that except for Ray, I was the only person ever to have my hands on it.
When I put it back together, I just hit it with a little scotch brite to maintain the patina.
I thought Ray would appreciate that!

As for your boat being one of his…it’s possible. But would be hard to prove.
When he retired the boat I restored in 1971, he crashed the next boat, a flatbottom, the first race out at Long Beach. The boat was hurt but not ruined so it was fixed and sold. He then got one of the first “trick bottom” hulls from Hondo.
I did notice the V Drive braces in your boat are identical in design to the Panic Mouse we did. Not that that design was exclusive to Caselli…but it is an interesting similarity for sure. Who knows???
Enjoy your Hondo…she’s a beauty!
Dave

Thank you Dave for your input. I do enjoy it, it’s a bit of a handful compared to my runner bottom. I’ve put a few bite marks in my seat if you know what I mean but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

[Clank123]

Back in the late sixties early seventies Caselli's shop (Ray's Welding) was just across the alley from Hondo's shop on Gladstone in Sylmar Ca. Ray supplied the underwater hardware (struts, fins, rudders, shaft logs, up/down pedals) to Hondo to be used in the production of their ski and race hulls. As you have exhibited in your photo, the upper rear edge of the web of a Caselli produced welded steel strut was stamped 007 (The number on Ray's 007 Panic Mouse BFF) to identify it as a Caselli produced strut. The Caselli produced up/down pedals were typically identified with a Caselli Marine Products sticker/decal on the down pedal shaft, as shown in your photo.

When I did the Panic Mouse, there were a couple of Ray’s Welding Service stickers on the boat.
One was on the pillow block backing plate and I think the other was on the driveline guard.
I was able to remove the one on the transom intact.
Here’s a shot of the original and the replacement.

 

[Gone_Flat]

before i moved on the lake i lived 10 min from stu pretty much stopped by everyday and helped out also worked on my boats there sanding and painting he is a great friend he would even call me in the morn and say if your coming by today bring me carls jr famous star burger and a large coke

Mouzer would this be the stu from norco marine ?? If so i bought one of his scoops for my project . dude

 

[Wheeler]

he crashed the next boat, a flatbottom, the first race out at Long Beach. The boat was hurt but not ruined so it was fixed and sold. He then got one of the first “trick bottom” hulls from Hondo.

Dave

I remember that day well. Chine to the right chine to the left then over he went. ...or it could been the other way around. anyway, it happened in front of me.

 

[MOUZER]

Mouzer would this be the stu from norco marine ?? If so i bought one of his scoops for my project . dude

thats my buddy