My Boat... '73 Bonito 26'

[beached]

I picked up a 'new to me' boat last winter and hadn't shared any pictures...

'73 Bonito 26', designed by Dick Lema thru Pearson in RI, before he went to Rampage... Modified with a '90 Merc 454, Bravo III Duo-prop, hardtop, larger windshield and extended cabin sides.

She's got a huge flare and is a wide, stable platform for inshore fishing and drifting with an 11' beam amidships. She's great so far and I love fishing her...
'non-spark' problem I posted earlier was found to be a simple short in my wiring harness and I appreciated your input.

Beached

[carom]

nice looking rig....looks solid as a tank!...good luck with her!

[POON MAN]

very nice , you can see the Rampage lines from the hull

How does she ride in chop ???

[flatbottom]

now that boat has some nice lines. How does she ride. Congrats man ! I never would of believed an old boat could come to life and look so good. Nice restore work.

[beached]

Thanks guys...
She actually rides pretty solid in the sloppy stuff... definitely not a 'speeding bullet' wave splitter, so you can't run full out into head on 3-4's... but the 'carolina style' sharp entry angle and heavy weight keep her surprisingly solid thru the wave.
I've still got to put some more time in to tune-her-in to and get her just right... my rpms are not getting up high enough at full throttle, so possibly re-pitch necessary... optimal outdrive and trim tab angles still needs to be figured out for different conditions... add rocket launchers, more rod holders, etc.

[makomyday]

Great looking boat ,love those classic lines . jose

[tolmaz]

Boat looks solid..whats it weigh?

[beached]

I was told that it was approx 6500 lbs, but I'm sure she's holding some water in her under deck insulation... I plan on opening the deck to check it out and remove during the off season.
I fell in love with her 'carolina style' hull lines with the huge flare.
Thanks guys.