Words & Photos: Chadly Johnson
Dean Moon and Mooneyes Speed Shop were responsible for building some of the most beautiful race and show cars in history. Less commonly known is how they used all of their creations, from Dean’s daily driven deuce roadster to their Bonneville speed chasers as testing platforms for their speed equipment. The mentality of testing new technologies on their personal vehicles resulted in every Moon based project being an ultra sanitary build, complimented with cutting edge speed components.
In the mid 1960s Dean decided he wanted to go boating, and set out to build a boat for personal use as well as to showcase and test Moon’s expansion into the marine market. The end result was the creation of the beauty you see before you, known as Moonshine. The overall hull is crafted from glass and mahogany, measuring 17’3”. Nestled between the engine stringers is one of Dean’s favorite engine platforms, a 300 hp 327 Chevy that was treated to a moderate Moon make over. Moonshine was used as a test platform for many of Moon’s components, including all of their camshafts, to test if there was an overlap in automotive and marine platforms. Just to give you some idea of top end capabilities, Moonshine recorded speeds in the low 70 mph with Moon’s mildest flat tappet cam.
Besides the long list of internal mods, the 327 was treated to a host of functional and beauty enhancing components such as chrome plated aluminum No-Name valve covers and Edelbrock water cooled exhaust manifolds. Straddling the engine is a pair of Moon marine extruded aluminum fuel cells that add strong race appeal. Fuel is delivered from the tanks through a single Holley 4bl perched on a polished Edelbrock intake with a secondary set-up consisting of four 48 mm Weber carbs on a Moon manifold. Throttle motion is transferred by a Moon hydraulic throttle kit attached to a Moon foot pedal controlling power from the 327 into a Borg-Warner Velvet drive transmission. A Halibrand adaptor supports the big tranny that feeds power through a Halibrand supplied V-drive with a 12 degree box, running at 11% overdrive which turns a 12” Stannus 3 blade prop.
Though Moonshine abounds in beauty and speed, it does lack in one unusual area…there’s no charging system. In Dean’s opinion, the cost and hassle of replacing regulators/generators throughout the boating season was just not worth it. His solution was to use the battery for starting, and allow the Joe Hunt magneto to handle the spark from there. A toggle switch was installed to power the dual fuel gauges, allowing the gas level to be checked at any time without the constant drain of battery power. This system allowed a single charging of the battery to last an entire weekend of boating.
Tying everything together is deep black tuck-n-roll Naugahyde, stitched from scratch by Don’s Trim Shop in Norwalk, CA. It covers the continuous front bench seat with a semi-bucket for the driver. Very unique and small observer seats were installed to primarily hold Dean’s young children, but due to an expandable design they adjust to allow for full sized passengers as well.
Many years after Dean’s enjoyment of the iconic speed boat, Mark Moriarity spotted Moonshine on E-bay. Mark contacted his friend Ralph Whitworth and informed him of the rarity of Dean Moon items, suggesting that it would be a great piece for his museum collection, so Moonshine was purchased. Prior to arriving at the museum Ralph spotted a piece he had to have in Mark’s collection, so a trade was struck that included Moonshine. Since acquiring the iconic speed boat Mark has enjoyed tearing up local lakes on calm summer afternoons. The boat still performs flawlessly and stands out amongst its modern counterparts as a true classic. As with all of Mark’s vehicles, Moonshine is assured of a high level of preservation and respect at the hands of its new care taker. Mark truly understands what a rare and amazing piece of hot rodding history the Moon boat is, but does not allow it to be a dust collector - and isn’t that what it's all about?