THE MAN IN BLUE

This Schiada was faded and worn out when Justin Bender’s dad acquired it; years later, it had become a piece of junk. Now Bender is a law-enforcement officer—and he’s made this bad boy good again.

Like many of his hot-boating brethren, Justin Bender’s story begins at a local lake—in this case, Lake Nacimiento, located midway between Los Angeles and San Jose. Bender credits his dad John, owner of a 21' Connolly, for getting him addicted to speed. The younger Bender was about 6 when his father did some favors for a businessman-neighbor, who offered a Schiada V-drive that was sitting aside his house as part of the deal.

“We went over there and checked it out,” Bender recalls. “I was still just a kid, but I remember that the weeds in this guy’s backyard were so high that I couldn’t see the boat. My dad had to pick me up as we walked through the yard. It was unbelievable.” But there was definitely a 1969 Schiada flatbottom there, and Bender’s father accepted the neglected boat as payment. The elder Bender looked at his son and said: “Hey kid, when you grew up, this is your project boat.” And it sat on the side of our house for 20 more years.”

At least it wasn’t mouldering in the grass. It was sitting on a trailer parked on the concrete, but it was outside, unprotected, and becoming more weather-beaten with each passing year. [Text continues on page 77]

After many years of waiting to accumulate the time and money necessary to transform the Schiada, Justin Bender officially launched his restoration project in 2013. As you can see from these photos, the hull was in pretty rough shape. At the time, the dash sported a single gauge— a tachometer. That was about to change.

Above: The boat, now stripped of its seats, V-drive, etc., still displays the rigging for the original rudder. Below left: Here’s the original Schiada emblem, which would later be completely rechromed. Below: The restoration officially begins, as it takes up residence at Mel’s Custom Boats in Santa Fe Springs, CA. (Company owner Mel Ruiz has since retired.) Now the real work begins!

Once at Mel’s, the boat was flipped over and the bottom was thoroughly blueprinted. Meanwhile, all-new stringers were fabricated and a new balsa-wood floor was constructed. The transom was also re-done, and a new kickboard was made underneath the front of the boat.

Above: The Schiada’s new balsa-wood floor. Above right: Mel Ruiz uses a straight-edge to demonstrate that the boat’s bottom was no longer straight. Ruiz made repairs to the boat’s bottom and floor. Rigger Captain Dan built new seat bases for the interior, while Ruiz fabricated all-new fiberglass bucket seats for the boat.

Above and left: Ruiz has now completely re-gelcoated the Schiada. The hull is starting to really take shape at this point. Next up will be applying new graphics, rerigging and repowering.

Above: The blue, green and orange colors that appear on the boat are all gelcoat. The floor and sidewalls of the boat have been gelcoated as well. Right: The re-rigging process includes installing new gauges (there are now a total of six gauges, including one to the left of the wheel). Seats, hardware, V-drive and engine are all installed. Bottom right: Pin striper James “Van” Vanarsdall applies the CF registration number.

Above: Bender’s boat attends the Classic Schiada Regatta, held on the Colorado River in Parker, AZ. Below and opposite: The boat is photographed at Speedboat Magazine’s swimsuit shoot on May 12 at Lake Elsinore.

“I remember the gelcoat being so bad that if you touched it, the paint would come off in your hand,” Bender says. “But finally, I got a career and got some money, so it was time to start putting this thing together.”

That was eight years ago. By that time, Bender was a police officer living in Orange County, and he knew that the project ahead was going to be one that would take a large number of new components and an overwhelming amount of TLC. Everything, from the rigging to the gelcoat, is new. “I actually had to redo the kick panel and the transom. We flipped the boat over and cut out sections of the fiberglass that was de-laminating from the floor. Then I had to actually redo the floor of the boat and install new stringers. Then I re-rigged everything—running gear, gauges, stainless steel cav plates. Everything’s new.”

A new engine was assembled from a short block into a 565 big-block Chevy; the setup features a Jessel valvetrain, USA Supercharger, dual Holley Dominator 1050s, Dooley oil pan, Clay Smith solid roller cam, Clay Smith large mechanical six-port fuel pump, K&N fuel filters, oil filters and intake filter for the scoop. Andy Casale rebuilt the V-drive with 29 gears. Bender doesn’t know the exact top speed of the boat, but guesses it’s in the 100+ mph range. The boat’s engine makes 815 hp.

Looking at the back of the restored Schiada, you’ll see Pak Rat Racing emblazoned on the transom. That’s the name of the Bender family’s racing team since the 1960s—they used to compete in the National Hot Rod Association’s Super Gas/Comp class. The emblem is the perfect way to pay tribute to their years of auto racing.

Bender gives special thanks to his wife Rocio and his two sons, Jackson and Jameson (“This is our boat together”), as well as the team at his father’s company, Diamond Liners of Santa Fe Springs, CA, who did the machining. He also gives a special mention to legendary engine builder Amos Satterlee and drag boat racers Danny Cannon and Chuck Davis, who helped with the build and who inspired Justin to finish the project; all three have since passed away.

Bender uses the boat at Lake Nacimiento and on the Colorado River in Parker, AZ.