mrhorsepower1

Any one know where the KAAMA Scarab is?

bouyhunter

and how many were there??

I imagine Top Banana will chime in shortly.

Charlie??

offshoredrillin

now that would be something to see restored, that paint job alone is probably one of the most recognizable ever...

Lofty

Don't know where they all are. My brother owned one of them for about 5 years back in the late 80's. I have some pics of that boat from back then...I'll have to go look for them. The boat's still in the Bay Area from what I hear but the last time I saw it it was in pretty sad shape.

Lucididee

I know at one point OSO member Bulldog had one of them.

I'm pretty sure it's a Larry Smith. And i think it was Kaama II

Top Banana

Yes, Bulldog has one of them. We need to get a listing going of these old boats and their location...something like this KAAMA boat is too good to be lost out there somewhere, especially when Lucidee can restore it and race it again, when we start the open ocean race series in HORBA.

What do you think Betty??

Too Old

Interesting thread as are all of them in this particular forum.

Looking at the picture of Betty Cook sitting on the back of the bolster makes me wonder just what happened to offshore racing? There just doesn't seem to be very identifiable "characters" in offshore these days. Much less colorful than in the past.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

The following is from the Motorsports Hall of Fame:

Betty Cook is widely regarded as having been one of the most successful off shore boat racers of all time having won two UIM World Championships and three APBA National Championships. Ms. Cook won her first race in 1974 driving the Mongoose, a second-hand 32 foot offshore boat. After purchasing a new 38 foot Scarab named Kaama, she won numerous races, including the 193 mile Bushmills Grand Prix at a speed of 73.3 mph. In 1978, she became the first woman to complete, in one day, the 580 mile run down the Gulf of California from San Felipe to La Paz. Averaging just over 50 mph, she completed the race in 12 hours and 45 minutes in a 29 foot Scarab hull. A world and national champion driver who could hold her own on any race course in the world, Betty was inducted into the prestigious APBA Hall of Champions in the years 1977, 1978, and 1981 and became a member of the APBA Honor Squadron in 1993. She retired from active competition in 1982 and passed away on December 23, 1990 at the age of 67.

ScottB

[QUOTELooking at the picture of Betty Cook sitting on the back of the bolster makes me wonder just what happened to offshore racing? There just doesn't seem to be very identifiable "characters" in offshore these days[/QUOTE]]
Betty Cook is an icon in the hisotry of offshore racing,I was a big fan and even have an autographed picture, but don't count us newbies out yet.
We have many plans for the future of the sport. I believe some things will happen shortly to help elevate it to the next level

Bulldog

Betty had 3 V bottom raceboats named KAAMA- 1 cig and 2 Scarabs. the Scarabs are nearly identical with some minor differences that I have found.

#1 was a cig formerly known as Dante's Inferno

#2 was the first Larry Smith - it has KAAMA II engraved on the console visible in some pictures I have.

#3 is the boat I have- and the boat that Betty Cook is sitting in in that particular picture.

Good news is the boat was substantially original and has never been butchered. The nose was repaired, and correctly done courtesy of Craig Archer. I have new fuel tanks, fresh 540 tall decks and the #3's have been refreshed by Speedmasters inc. The boat is sitting on the original trailer too. Some nights I stand behind the wheel and hear the sounds of distant thunder...

I am doing a very meticulous restoration - "I'm on a mission from God". I work on it during my spare time, although that has been scarce after hurricane Katrina. Ratman's boat is nearly identical from what I can see.

Bulldog aka The Atomic Dog

ducktail

Hello, I would like to ask Top Banana and those who were closer to Betty Cook whether she talked about the impact on her body caused by the jumps and hits down on the water. I realised that many racers or owners of go-fasts have a body shape which egalizes the hits on the skeleton when the boat leaps over a wave because they are not as slim as Mrs. Cook. The impact on the cervical vertebra might be enormous if a neck is as slim as that of B.Cook - probably the strong neck and body shape of some racers was an advantage concerning this aspect or do they also have long term damages at those bones which get the most pressure in a hit down?
What did Mrs.Cook say about that? I dont think the question is too personal, probably she would have explained that in an interview plus camera...