damon howatt "triumph" bow

[boofhead]

i was given this bow by a friend. it has no string so i was after some information - possibly string length or brace height.  is it possible to tell how old the bow is. it has the following on the limb
55# at 28" MAS 6173 AMO 62"  TRIUMPH. the bow seems to be in good condition without any damage/cracks.  are they a good bow and was it an entry level bow or a competition bow. also was it meant for hunting or target.  sorry for all the questions as i usually shoot compound and only have a couple of new recurves.(one mongolian and one korean) any information is greatly appreciated.

[d. ward]

String length would be orderd for a 62" bow which will be a few inches shorter then the actual 62".The Triumph was a 1960's up to around 1971 or 2 somewhere in there.Thats really a good shooting bow and with a draw weight of 55# I would say it would more likely have been used for hunting.It was also a mid range priced bow.Do you have a couple picture you cab load ? bowdoc

[Howattman]

The Triumph was made from the mid-1970's until 1985.  Riser was maple with a double accent stripe of shedua.  They were very nice, modestly prices bows and good shooters.  From the serial number you list, yours is a 1976 model.

Howattman

[d. ward]

sorry guy's I may have been looking at a Howatt Rocket on the dates rather then the Triumph ??? bowdoc

[PAPALAPIN]

I am surprised to see a triumph with that high a draw weight.  I am no "Howattologist" but I have always considered the Triumph as a mid priced target bow, rather than a hunter.  Never had one, passed up bidding on several times.  Even in the used market they seem to be available at a decent price.  I do have two 50# Monterey's which are excellent shooters; being that the Monterey's are also considered as Tareget bows.  Of cours they are just Howatt Hunters with exotic risers.

Howattman - I would be curious to know how you date it with such certainty.  Is there a magic formula for dating Howatts by SN, or do you have additional information?  Seeing you are from Washington State, do you have any connections with Walla Walla?

[Howattman]

No, it's pretty straightforward Papalapin.  Serial numbers for mid-60's and newer Howatts begin with the last digit of the year of manufacture.  Example: a 1977 bow would be numbered 7XXX.  As I said, the Triumph was made from the early 1970s to 1985, so serial number 6173 is a 1976 model.  Where it gets more difficult is when you're dealing with a model (such as the Howatt Hunter) that was made for multiple decades.  In that case, you have to know your model years....and I do.

I have no connection with the Howatt Plant in Yakima, or the Martin Headquarters in Walla Walla.  I'm just an enthusiastic collector and Howatt historian.

Mike

[PAPALAPIN]

KQQL - We need to keep you around.

That is good information to know.  Again, I am not to old to learn something new every day.  I wish all bow manufactures had done like an AMO serial numbering system.  That  way we could hit the right age on all of them.  If they had just used the last two digits of the year, we would not have to worry about a rollover but once a century.

Somebody posted something the other day about another brand that used the last digit of the year as their last digit of the SN.  Don't remember the brand though.

Now  I want to get home and check the serial numbers on all of my Howatt's.