Updated: 12/5/2018 (6 years ago)

Originally Posted: 12/5/2018

Total Views: 1,225

I was 21 years old in 1982 when I inquired about a red boat I noticed had remained covered at my Miami Lakes apartment complex. Under the cover was a recently repainted 1965 Correct Craft Tahoe (#1813), minus the original 4-gauge instrument cluster and windshield. In place were two large Airguide speedometers. The trapped humidity and sun had taken its toll on the classic steering wheel, other plated items, and vinyl. At the time my waterskiing was limited to bumming rides and renting boats from the Coast Guard base where I was stationed as an aircraft electrician. If this boat was for sale I was very interested.

I received good and bad news from the owner; the trailer was a pile of rust, the windshield was thrown out, it needed engine work, but for $1200 I could have his boat! My [only] thought was "I need this boat because waterskiing could become a daily event, and there was no way I could afford anything similar." I convinced one of my Coast Guard coworkers to split the price and it was done.

We borrowed a trailer and removed the years of heavy buildup on the bottom. Back in the water it went. Our boat idled a bit rough, burned oil, yet it ran about 43-44 mph, and easily pulled two skiers. For several years we loved and hated the boat. It had problems with the distributor points burning, ran hot at idle, and we needed to adjust the noisy lifters often. The high temperature was due to broken rubber pieces from an old water pump impeller blocking exhaust cooling cavities. We should have replaced the entire distributor then, but continued to polish points on a regular basis. After all, we had to ski!

During a heavy tropical storm it partially sank in the apartment boat slip. After re-float and lake removal we dug out all the useless water soaked foam from under the floor boards. Wow, what a mass of useless weight! The Correct Craft brochure said the foam was for added flotation... LOL, yeah, only if you let it sink and the foam is not saturated! We opened the engine for water removal and found that a broken spark plug piece had been gouging the cylinder wall for some time. Hence the oil and performance issues. We cleaned it up and slapped it back together, figuring repairs had to wait for a non-ski period (ok, that never happens in Miami). I later purchased the whole boat and new trailer from my partner.

I replaced the seats and recovered the side panels. I haven't seen another 16' CC with white pleated panels. When I removed the vinyl there weren't any old staple holes to indicate something else like other Tahoe's was there before. Interestingly, the TH1813 hull serial number was imprinted on the back. I added two new Airguide speedometers, a new tachometer, a barometer, and a stainless steel plate to cover the OEM dash holes. I wanted to mimic the period.

In 1988 we visited the Orlando manufacturing facility. "Woody" dug up old hand-written build papers. He noted there were likely less than 50 boats outfitted as Tahoe's / Mustang SS'. When the 289 engine was introduced in the Tahoe package the name eventually ped for Mustang SS. The center console, instrument cluster, red/while colors (Tahoe's), and split glass windshield (with wings) are primary identifiers for these boats. Woody verified our $4290.00 Tahoe was finished on 02/10/1965. Wow! That was the cost of a new corvette. I'm not certain as to whether or not our Tahoe had the prototype 289, however, the fact that the forward motor mounts sit on carved wooden wedges makes me think it is possible.

In 1989 I moved to North Carolina. I found a 1986 Mustang GT that had an engine fire and purchased the 302 H.O. I found out it wasn't an easy/exact replacement. With a little bit of reengineering and a near fire event, all was well. The deck plates and support ribs were cracked and rotted. The longitudinal stringers were slightly damaged. The ski pole thwart (cross member) was also rotted. I repaired/replaced it all with better materials. The ski pole is sturdy thanks to a salvaged metal assembly from a 1980's ski boat.

Mid-summer 1990 we were on the water! The awesome 302 H.O. pushed the speed slightly beyond the 50 mph indication. No oil was burning, a first in ten years! We were on the Pasquotank river nearly every summer weekend. In 1993 I was transferred to NYC. We kept the Tahoe garaged in NC.

In 1994 I located a 1964 American Skier (#1443) for sale that had a 289 engine and many other components from a 1966 CC Mustang, including the coveted OEM glass windshield. It also had a custom teak platform, which I left on the boat. It's easy to figure out what happened next! After swapping and salvaging, the windshield-less American Skier found a happy customer for less than half the price.

We returned to NC in 1997. In 2006 the aluminum timing cover corroded internally and developed a water leak into the bilge. It was noticed while we were skiing, yikes, we were taking on water! The more I pushed the throttle the faster water was flowing in. We crawled home and let the bilge pump do it's thing.

In 2007 we moved to Greenville, South Carolina where the Tahoe is today. My current job moved us to Virginia in 2011, making it difficult to keep the boat operational. I plan to complete a total restoration of the hull and an engine rebuild before the 2019 ski season ends. I wouldn't mind acquiring an original steering wheel (same as the 1965-66 CC Wildcat), however, although very retro, it was a bit large in circumference for the 16 foot boat. I recently replaced the yellowing barometer with a matching Airguide 8-day clock I won at auction. I have a new (painted) bezel for the steering assembly that I will get chrome plated one day. That's the last not-so-appealing item needing attention.

Our oldest grandchild is three years old. Consequently, the static Tahoe needs to get busy keeping them fit and having fun so they don't veer toward video games! It's been too many years since she's been used. No more excuses... ;-)