Unlimeted Cool Jet Powered 1962 Buehler Turbo-Craft
Jet Power fun!
The good folks at Marine Services Unlimited of course went all the way on today’s featured insane 1962 Buehler Turbo Craft for fellow Woody Boater Rick S. There is something magical about any boat that’s beautifully restored, especially when its a very rare and cool boat. It’s even better when you have the chops to go all the way on the restoration, and Rick and the Unlimited gang floored it. If you are not familier with Buehlers Boats. You are not alone. Yes James Bonds gal pal Domino had a cool black one. We saw the boat in a story we did back in the summer from up in Algonac, which featured Classic plastic this year. The Buehler won big! So not only is the boat a bad ass, it’s also a big winner.
Jet power
Killer interior and color. Who called the cops? Ya need to park on the other side of the street
Topless
Top up
Here is the note that fellow Woody Boater Tim Lukasavitz regarding some history on the boat.
Very nice original style engine ready to go!
The Turbo Craft was originally purchased by Mr. Sheldon Sayles of White Bear Lake, Minnesota back in 1963. Attached is the Bill of Sales for your reference.
Bill of sale!
In 1967 it was sold to Mr. Dale Montgomery. At some point between the first and second owners some damaged had happened to both the Bow and the Engine. The second owner (Mr. Dale Montgomery) had the repairs completed and used the boat to take his 8 kids skiing throughout the summers. One of the daughters of Mr. Montgomery (Donna) recalls her Dad and Mom taking them on the St. Croix once per year (it was her ”favorite day of the summer”, according to her). She said….”I used to sit on the bow with my legs dangling over the bow and only the running lights stopping me from falling over the front. It was probably dangerous when dad increased his speed, but I loved going over the bumps and looking down at the water.” She also stated…”I also remember waterskiing behind the WALL of a wake that it threw compared to our previous boat…..”. “Everyone was so impressed by the fact that it didn’t have a prop, and I remember when Randy (her brother) took it through shallow water on the St. Croix where a bunch of people were stuck!”.
Jet Power
Very well detailed restoration
Ready to go
If you want to see more CLICK here to the Unlimited Marine Website.. Lots of pictures of the restoration and a bunch of great guys.
If you want to read more about Buehler Turbo Crafts, there is of course a website.. CLICK HERE
Bond, James Bond and Domino! Before she retired and started delivering Pizzas!
And last but not least, some cool pictures of James Bond and Domino with there Turbo Craft.. Yes, there is a site for that as well. CLICK HERE
Turbo Smurf boat! Waaaayyy cool! (No relation to Floyd) Hinkly Yachts thought they were cool, hats off to all hours on the engineering slide rule to that one! The big dials on the dash RPM and the other(?), a hot rodder dream come true. How many strainers to filter the incoming water to the engine?
Wish I had never sold my ’71 Bolero…Had a blast with it while I had it….. http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,267,00.html
What kind of complete idiot would own a 1962 jet boat? Oh wait…never mind!
Great looking restoration! Turbocrafts have long been viewed as desirable among the classic glass crowd and for good reasons. It is nice to see that appreciation spreading to a wider classic boat audience.
Great looking restoration by Marine Services Unlimited. Gotta love these early 60’s Buehler Turbocrafts!
I get that it is rare and thus desirable, and I do like the idea that its a jet, bet still looks a little cloroxy for my taste. I’ll take a pass.
I have a Buehler jet set up, all parts, in the warehouse. I always wondered what it came out of. Now I know. If someone needs a set up, it is here in Idaho. The owner told me he ran the boat up the rivers. Fiberglass finally wore out.
It is the exact set up as this boat. Including the motor. Thanks for the education.
Send me an email at mfine@m-fine.com
Send me an email at mfine (at) m-fine.com as I am always looking for a spare jet unit and parts.
ive seen this boat in person, very nice restoration MSU did some extra work that you would not even know wasn’t original to the boat. i thought i read the buelers (sp?) were used as pickup boats to recover airmen from downed aircraft also used as fire boats on the water because of the jet drive….
Ya! Jets make good fire boats.
The guys at Marine Services did the restoration of my ’65 Century Resorter and I saw this Buehler in person as well. That boat was sooo cool. Nice job guys!! Great work as always.
Not to take away from today’s feature boat, but to provide additional history to the Buehler applications, if anyone can access the Facebook page for the Century Boat Club, a little scrolling will provide pictures of a ’62 Century Resorter 17 equipped with a Buehler unit. Current pictures show the interior and bilge layout of the propulsion unit. It should be an interesting boat when finished. Century – by the way – did not hit a “home run” with this combination.
Buehler also sold 50 jets to Chris Craft which they put into the 1962 ski boat hull to make the Ski-Jet that I have.
Chris Craft didn’t hit it out of the park either.
You can read about another Buehler designed by Virgil Exner (designer of the Dodge Charger) in my book, What’s In Your Boat House? Amazing Stories of Nautical Archeology!
Marine Services Unlimited did a great job on this one. They built the custom swim platform on this one and really hit it out of the park! I am hoping they bring this one to Tavares in March!
Jackie Kennedy had one of these and the Secret Service used them as well as they followed the Kennedys are Hyannisport.
I am in the process of finishing a 1961 that was boathouse kept here in Iowa. I think that they like to burn a little bit of fuel!
I have fond memories of one of the first Buehlers. I was in the 6th or 7th grade, and we lived on Belleville Lake west of Detroit. One of our neighbors had a home made plywood inboard and he would take me out in it all the time. One evening a friend of his comes over with a new fangled JET boat, and we all went out ripping up and down the lake. One thing lead to another, an a couple of more hot boats joined in . As it got dark, Someone suggested we play “hide n seek”. Now Belleville Lake is a 7 mile long dammed up river, so a lot of twists and turns. Long story, short, we could never find the jet boat, cause he would run up the bank under weeping willow trees and we would never see him. As we all passed, shinning our flood lights, they would push the Buehler back in the water and take off the other way… It left a big impression on a 14 year old, on what a new fangled JET BOAT COULD DO!
Really Nice Restoration!!
If you follow the history of Buehler, they were very well ahead of their time with some of the designs. They made a center console version the the Jet 35 hull picture above and integrated swim steps into the jet units beginning in 1962. Virgil Exner was hired in the mid 60’s to design the line up and was very forward thinking.
Check out the opening credits of Surfside Six, a detective show in the early 60’s that took place in Miami. A Jet 35 comes right at the camera and does a full throttle spin!
Their Colorado River run in 1960 was an incredible feat and was accompanied by Jon Hamilton, who helped develop the propulsion system for running the shallow creeks of New Zealand. This was written up in National Geograhic in the April 1962 issue. There is a lot of history there!
If this blue boat and Matts orange boat were to have babies is that where jet skis come from?
Buehler?
Buehler?
Buehler?
Awesome restoration, BTW.
Love the lines on that boat.
Testing, Testing!
New comment page no Math!
Hark !…First my local paper is not delivered and now I go to Woody Boater and find Monday’s story about the jet boat…but no Tuesday update….My day is ruined
Since my first test comment became the lead picture for this story on the home page. I have to try a second time!
Still no Math!
Is this your math teacher?? 😀 I like it!!
First picture stayed there.
Matt must be messing with me?
No comment post count is showing up on the home page. I really have to click on each story to see if there are new comments from 5 minutes ago?
I’m guessing Matt is still ironing out some bugs……
This is getting funnier as it goes along.
I have been informed that Matt is not messing with me, as a matter of fact he can not even find his own new site. Probably all that bad karma around Washington DC.
my grandfather in 1961 purchased a 1961 Jet 35 new. It is the same color as this restoration but has faded with time. boat has not been in the water in four years however I start the engine every year. Water gets in the oil when it runs. I wonder what the cost of that restoration. $$$$$$$$$$