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How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:02 pm
by zappaddles
Having owned a Kevlar Blue Hole Sunburst 1 for a few years I was under the impression there were only 13 of these boats made in Kevlar and only as a special order for Steve Scarboroughs' racing team.

Just last week I bought a brand new old-stock (1987 model) never been in the water, never been outfitted and always stored inside Kevlar Sunburst 1. The lay-up on this boat is more refined than on the "racing" hull and judging from the serial numbers only 46 hulls seperate one from the other.

Here's the question(s): How many of these boats were made in Kevlar? Does anyone know of others out there?

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:21 am
by ezwater
When at NOC long ago, I saw one and was told about what you heard, that one had to ask through the racing folks.

If yours has a little different layup, can you tell if they used an outside layer of glass to cut the fuzzing?

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:03 am
by zappaddles
ezwater, Both boats appear to have come out of the same mold. I can say with certainty there is no fglass on the race boat and likely isn't on the "new" boat. The lay-up on the race boat wasn't done with near the amount of care as the other boat. The new boat has the typical reinforcing bands that run from gunnel to gunnell in the lay-up whereas the race boat has none.

I'll post pictures when I get back in town.

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 4:36 pm
by madmike
I have encountered three, and know where 2 are....

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:49 pm
by Paddle Power
Do you know how to read blue hole serial #s?

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 10:52 pm
by kaz
While I worked at Lincoln canoes in '87 and '88, we built approx 6 of these Sunbursts for Bluehole. Not sure if any were made after I left.

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:22 pm
by goldencanoe
I believe that I have one of these boats. I believe that the boat is the prototype to what became the Bluehole Sunburst. I purchased it from Bob Lantz. It is a Kevlar vacuum bagged hull with a foam core in the bottom of the hull. My understanding is that it is 6 inches longer than what became the Bluehole Sunburst. It has the Waterline name on its side. When I got the boat, the outwales were rotten and needed to be replaced.

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:33 am
by tennOC
The Waterline boat was most likely a Seeker which was the original design by Fritz Orr. Could be raced solo or tandem. Steve Scarborough may have been involved in the design as well. I know he and Annie raced tandem in one. The Seeker went on to become the Sunburst. I first saw this canoe at the Mulberry races in '83.

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:13 pm
by zappaddles
The hull serial number is TBH16548H887. Other than "the blue hole" (TBH) and the last 2 digits signifying it was made in 1987 I'm don't know about reading the serial numbers. Help is appreciated.

Re: How many Kevlar Sunbursts were made?

Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:35 am
by 2opnboat1
The rest of the numbers pretty much dont mean anything.