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Originally Posted by phughes69
(Post 4801826)
What does a 9 meter LS share in common with a Wellcraft Scarab 300? Is it the same running surface?
a few of these raceboats in 1975 and cut the licensing deal with Wellcraft in 1975. He sent the tooling over to them and they started making their Scarab 300 in the beginning of 1976. Wellcraft paid Larry royalties and the 300's hull was identical to Larry's 9 Meter. The design is pretty much a constant 24-degree deadrise hull and slightly reverse sheer. Wellcraft produced this hull all the way until 2001 as their then 302 Scarab Sport center console. The evolving use of exotic materials and construction techniques in Larry's boats is imho what makes his boats so fascinating. The ever chase to accomplish better performing lighter and stiffer hulls is what made his company so unique. Now he was spoiled in the sense that his West Coast customers were almost all beyond imagination wealthy and didn't care much about cost. Just materials like Kevlar49, Nomex, vinylester resins, epoxies, and eventually vacuum-bagged balsa-cored boats were not for the regular racing guys. These boats were simply scary expensive. Few offshore racing fans realize how extremely well off Paul and Betty Cook were for example. Their company Raychem Corp. was a very profitable Fortune 500 company, as a matter of fact it still lives on as Johnson Controls, Medtronic, and TE Connectivity. Total annual revenue $70 Billion Dollars. Mr. Paul M. Cook passed away last year. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...fad6924317.jpg Photo courtesy of H.O.R.B.A. |
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The Hansen family, from the SF Bay Area bought Larry's hull number 4 or 5 and was racing it one season before selling it to my friend Steve in 1976, who bought it after the Hansen's had an interior built for the cabin by Larry. The Hanson's wanted more of a leisure day/fishing boat layout and bunks only in a smaller cabin. Larry called it the Scarab 9 Meter Countach or just Countach Project. Though the boat was a 1976, it might have sold quickly recently, as a 1980! In good shape, still in the Bay Area, for $19k, and seemed to be in good shape. Same 2nd owner for 25 plus years, but I wasn't able to reach him by phone.
Here's an article about it in Powerboat Magazine 1976. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...689805a409.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b0e1c351e2.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...49e8c952c8.jpg |
Another 1976 Team Scarab 9 Meter. Did not race either, but include it here for the sake of history.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...efbd4e64fb.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f441984b54.jpg |
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The other day at the library...
Ed Justice (Justice Bros), Bob Long (Wellcraft Marine), Michael Reagan & Larry Smith at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. "Great Day!", greeted Michael Reagan, and included a reflection photo of himself and the Team Scarab 38 race boat that Larry built him in 1982.
Old press photo, from 1982, added by myself. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...694d404157.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...12cbd03d2b.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...48ba5a3188.jpg |
Originally Posted by h2oboater
(Post 2643949)
Reliableone here on OSO has added this Scarab to his fleet. It has been mostly a poker run boat, but it ran in a few races years ago. She was at the our LSC old school reunion last June.
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Originally Posted by 1983ScarabIII
(Post 4824911)
These pics are at Watermark restaurant. May have been called Beach Grill then.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ba0ffd8a82.jpg |
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