Everyone is a few yrs off on who was first. Although Levi did a lot, a whole lot with experiments and engineering (unlike a lot of what is out there today) even he was not the first.

There is the 1929 Chris Craft Sedan Limousine 27 "Tuxedo" boat which was a wooden boat made with fixed surfacing drives and rudders before anyone had ever (that we know of) thought of it before. I saw this boat in Tahoe at the antique boat show. Amazing! Then Alfa Romero had the same basic setup on an old Race Boat that is on the cover of this 1973’ book. Best guess the boat was in the 40’s.

The Arena was built before the first Arneson Drive in 1977. The Scarab was commissioned in 1976 which was after the Arena. Both later were retrofitted with the Arnesons.

There is a saying in boating. Everything OLD is NEW again. I can look in a history book and find research on things that are being introduced today as new. :)

Oh! The riots about who invented first something it's an old story.
times ago I wanted to devote a new thread on who had invented first the sterns drives. Surely it was not Wynne that however it was the first one to patent the idea.
Before him there was the Italian engineer Cattaneo in the first of thirties.
But then someone is jumped out affirming that in the twenties in the States there had been Evinrude or something of the kind.
Cattaneo didn't probably know nothing of Evinrude (or who for him) as Wynne he didn't know about Cattaneo.
As probably Levi didn't know about Chris Craft and Arneson of Levi.
And however Wynne brought improvements in comparison to Cattaneo because his sterns drives were with trim as Arneson and Buzzi choosing two different ways- they have improved the idea of Levi making the surfaces drives winning units.
Then we make worth to all of them.

Photo ref
 

Don`t know if we are getting our wires crossed `Rik`,but your pic on the cover of Du Cane`s book is `Dart`,and I was thinking more of the first surface drive for `Offshore`.

What year is that boat? I never saw the name "Dart" on it. Everyone talks like this tuff is new and we all know nothing is new.

BTW, the OAR is the first surface drive that I know of. I guess the Vikings or Egyptians? wins that one.

No way, Phoneicans for sure! :D

However meanwhile before it would need to show what is wanted to affirm.
I don't for instance see photo of the transmissions of that Chris Craft....
And then it would need to know better what it happens in the rest of the world and not only within the sacred borders of the States.

Dart
 

Post 160 states `Dart` was 1971.There is quite a bit of write up on it in Levi`s books.The 1973 pic ref was when it raced but it was designed in 71.Black Tornado knows exactly what we are comparing like for like,and could open the floodgates on it if he had the time.It`s a surface drive arrangement for offshore raceboats we are comparing,not ragboats with human power??????

:drink:

Are you guys talking about the same "Bittersweet" that flipped over bow over stern and killed the crew. I think Bob Shafer was the mechanic...


Could you guys be off a hull # or two due to the original boat being destroyed and a new similar hull was constructed for "Burn Baby Burn"? I don't know for sure if the "Bittersweet" that I am thinking of was destroyed or not when it flipped, but I do know that one named Bittersweet did infact flip over.

The [Bittersweet, Burn Baby Burn] Cig was owned by Frank Szykula & the late Bob Schaeffer was the engine builder. The Cig was raced only a few times by Frank without incident. This is how she looked at the impound yard in the Detroit area before she left for Ohio in the early 80's. My Ohio friends say she is still there waiting to be restored.