Dateline Boats.

[James_D]

I am looking for any information on Dateline Speedboats, when made and what types, anything, thank you JBD

 

[Nautorius]

Made throughout the 1980's. They came in a range which included standard Inboard (2.4 litre) that was a very fast boat, The same inboard with a Jet drive and an outboard version (less popular and may have been special order early on). They were well built with a shallow V hull which made it fast but had a tendency to bounce in big waves. The interior fittings were the best of their time (for British speedboats) with proper bucket seats and shapped rear bench. They were a premium brand of British boat and therefore cost more than Fletchers. You sat low in them and they had a low wrap around windscreen. They were quite beamy as well and another british brand Picton copied their design (or bought their moulds). Overall good Lake and estuary boats, the Inboard was a great Ski Boat and they really shifted...

Paul

 

[jfm]

Agree everything N'torius says. Their biggest selling model was the Bikini

 

[Nautorius]

That is the one, the Bikini!

My brain went momentarily blank,

thanks

Paul

 

[James_D]

Many thanks indeed Nautorius I have tried for about 4 months to come with anything on them without success! I bought one for its pleasing lines last August, It has been unaltered since made very basic and really appealed to me, there are several scratches under hull which I will repair, seats are the buckets and although the stiching is coming away they are not cut or burst but are to be recovered in their original cream/white, yes it is very wide beam, this one is fitted with 40hp size which I think plenty power, I still would like to know which model this one is it's about 14.5ft, Iv'e seen pictures of Bikini and Bounty but this one is neither, has wrap around screen, has Dateline name on it and was originally sold by Rhyl Marina, any ideas where I could find the various names of them, would anyone be able to identify this boat as I could send a picture? many thanks for help, JBD

 

[DPH]

My God Dateline takes me back to 1976-78. My Dad used to work for the Brittish Embassay in Oman and we were part of a club that ran a Dateline amongst others. I was only 8 at the time but sounds very much as you described although theirs ran with a 140HP Mecury on the back.

 

[tetleys]

my first boat was a dateline bikini powered by 3litre ford essex engine. bought it with a pal of mine in our late teens about 20 years ago and used to make to the trip up to windermere most weekends from manchester. a great torquey ski boat and great fun being able to do the jet boat 360 spins. takes me back !

 

[jfm]

Post a pic James.

Some models (I think bounty and bikine came in ourboard and sterndrive. I think 14.5foot is a smaller model. 40hp might be light, powerwise.

Rhyl Marine was a big dealer in Datelines and other similar stuff, based in Rhyl of course. They were a merc dealer too. We (my parents, I was a kid at the time) bought a new Merc90 in-line6 off them in 1981. I remeber driving down to collect it, was an awesome engine in those days! No idea if they are still in business but they were a good crowd back then

Good luck anyway

 

[James_D]

Thanks all for replying and information, I used Windermere back in 1959/1960s with a sailing dinghy and 1.5 see-bee outboard aged 10yrs, not many rules and regulations in those days! I remember all those wooden speedboats, when I viewed boats for sale I thought most were overpowered with little freeboard and because I will be in myself I considered 40hp enough, just waiting for decent weather, JBD

 

[GARYBONE]

Got a dateline bounty 18ft with a omc v6 3.8 cobra inboard, anybody know anything about them ?? And where can I buy the belts/pulleys from ?

 

[LancashireFastRabbit]

I am looking for any information on Dateline Speedboats, when made and what types, anything, thank you JBD

Dateline boats were made in Burnley by a chap called Phil Smedley. I bought two Dateline Bikinis off him around 1990 for ski-ing on Lake Windermere and had many hours of fun with them and family. The company though it had been around for many years at that time suffered competition from American imports (bayliner especially) who could basically sell boats cheaper than Phil could make them. Phil became a client of mine and we tried to redesign the Bikini and reduce production costs (for example building just white shell boats and personalising with different coloured striping) but it was really too late and Phil went out of business. Last I heard of him (many years ago) he was running a boat trip company/watersports facility on a beach in Spain.

 

[spannerman]

Weren’t they a later version of Driver speedboats? My first boat was a Driver 440 with a Merc 115 straight six ‘Tower of Power’ it went like stink and I taught many friends to waterski behind that as the holeshot was fantastic. It was called Sudden Impact from the film, after 3 gearboxes I replaced it with new Yamaha 130, I eventually traded it to the marine place in Taunton for a new Yamaha 235 for my new ski boat.

 

[magnus_men]

I have a Dateline Suva that currently has 40hp 2stroke (1980's)on her which is very good with just myself and one other. However I need a bit more power for when I have more on-board. This is the problem, does anyone know the weight rating or transom load rating for a dateline suva? I was hoping to put a 60hp on her but fear it may be too much. Any information would be brilliant, there is nothing online or on the boat