Welllllll, that’s your final clue there above, which pretty much gives it away. Since Rich Arnold correctly guessed the answer after clue #2 (Rich, you is the super sleuth!), I’ll quote him here:
Okay….I was a little leary of bitting on the first presentation, but now that I have had a little better look I will take a shot at this. I am guessing that it is 1973 TR10 Bassmaster Classic edition Ranger. I believe the top competitors were able to keep the boats they used so they are very rare: 26 made as you stated. If this is not a 1973 model it could be anywhere from a 1974 to 1976 model. The hull design changed after 1976 I think.
Yep. Actually, maybe the mystery here is who owns this boat, how did he get it and what the heck was I doing there? All will be revealed….
Mo’
And who won the ’73 Classic? Where was it held? I’ll save you the Google.
Arkansas’ Rayo Breckenridge won with 52-08 (how many fish?), beat some guy named Billy Dance by almost 4 pounds. At Clarks Hill.
Other legends in the field included smallie pioneer Billy Westmoreland, a “John” Morris whom I assume is now the zillionaire retailer, tackle pioneer Tom Mann, a new guy named Roland something, Hall of Famer Ricky Green, first Classic winner Bobby Murray, first B.A.S.S. member Don Butler and Stan Sloan, who got an “aggravating” rep if you know what I mean.
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Dwain
November 4, 2011 at 8:46 pm
That’s the year I was born
Flip 'N' Pitch
November 5, 2011 at 12:05 am
Was this a pilot episode for “American Bass Pickers”?!?! 😉
Rich Arnold
November 7, 2011 at 2:31 pm
COOL !!! He caught 27 fish in that Classic! He might not have made it to the weigh in if Roland Martin hadn’t stopped and gave him a ride to the weigh in when his boat wouldn’t start. Hard to believe the last place angler, Wendell Mann only caught one fish. I am sure there is a good story behind who owns it and what you were doing there. I am betting it was up North (snow on the tire was a dead give away).
Joey Breckenridge
July 2, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Rich, you are correct. My Dad, Rayo Breckenridge, had his Johnson motor quit on him, almost costing him the BMC. We didn’t get to keep the boat, but the winner did win a boat, so we did get one. It just so happened that Dad and Forrest were good friends…actually Ranger was my Dad’s first full time sponsor when his show started in January of 1974 so we always had at least 2 of the newest boats in our back yard. It made for a fun time growing up….Dad taught me so much about boating, by the time I was 16 I was taking the boats to the lake with my friends to ski and have fun. Great memories….