T2x

"I see a red door and I want to paint it black"

---- M. Jagger.....1967

Magicfloat

"Where black is the color and none is the number" Bob Dylan,1963

Ruben Bermudez

"I have a feeling that the main issue will have to do with the lack of a full width transom for stability"

Urethane foam poured liberally will stiffen just about anything.

SteveDavid

DLG,

FYI, Unlimited Hydroplanes still use pulleys, cables and steering quadrants. No power assist of any nature is allowed.

T2X, do you recall when "Wild" Bill Beakbane rolled his Switzer Wing at the Marine Stadium, west turn? Lord knows how many ping pong balls were scattered over the race course. Apparently "Wild" Bill used them as flotation

T2x, you're still irrelevant. Will you be joing us at the annual gathering of irrelevants at that little Mexican restaurant in Corpus Christi for the holidays

A little personal bit on BIll Sirois. In 1969 we had a local class racing at the Miami Marine Stadium and some other Florida venues referred to as funny boats. Ultimately became short lived APBA class known as Inboard Pleasure Craft. In 1969 I was docked at the stadium during an OPC event with my funny boat. A 69 18' Donzi, #B-57 (B class was 350 CI and under). This red head fellow driving a Pontiac Gran Prix comes down to the dock to ask some questions about the class.

About 2 months later he shows up in an S-18 hull with one of his and Doug Janisch's 350 CI Scorpions with a Merc Speedmaster outdrive. Not only cleans our clocks, but just about laps the entire field within 4 laps. Those so beaten included Harry and Gene Schoell in their new 19' Seabird Stiletto design, Boat was named Beep-Beep running a 426 Hemi, Roy and John Harmon of Bilt Rite manufacturing, makers of the seating for Donzi, magnum etc. in that era, George Auriemma of Holman Moody in Miami, The late Pete Van Kirk and Bill Preston in another Seabird Stiletto, the late Ed Bradfield in a 15' Checkmate converted to inboard V drive with a 289 Holman Moody, and me, 15 years old with a perpetual hard**, well never mind, I was pretty excited to be racing with these guys

As you say T2x, what the heck do we know, there were only 120 or so boats for a local race back then. The last year of the Roaring 100 (Miami to Key Largo on Saturday and back on Sunday), there were something like 150 boats leaving Miami Yacht Club for the start................ I digress, we're antiques

Best to Darren,

Steve

T2x

Steve:

Here's one back at ya. It's 1969 and I'm driving a single engine(16') Molinari with a "Stacker" at a race in Virginia. A guy pulls up with a brand new twin engine (20') Glastron Molinari sporting the latest Mercury Twisters on the transom. The boat has a unique Red and white Metalflake paint job.....and is towed by a matching Corvette.................which is definitely struggling to launch the boat etc......... He's a bit of a show off and talks incessantly.

The buzz in the pits is, basically, who is this character?....and does his daddy know how he's wasting the family's money?........ The boat runs.....okay.....nothing special....but looks terrific.

That was the day I first met Reggie Fountain.

What goes around....................

T2x

P.S. I keep telling you I'm the Obsolete twin.......You're the Irrelevant one........ and, you got the dimples.

That information regarding the cable steering systems in unlimiteds explains a lot about your offshore driving technique.............

BROWNIE

You know who has or had one of those? Gene Lanham. Gene takes such beautiful care of his stuff, that it is probably still brand new. I'll try to find him. He is in Colorado, somewhere. Also, you can't forget the old "Flying Dutchman", Jan Schoonover. I will look forward to a ride.

T2x

Brownie:

I prefer you refer to me by my nickname "X".

Renowned Wing driver, Jan Schoonover, from Lima Ohio, produced a line of "Dutchman" boats. They were basically modified Schultz/Magnum tunnels and were available in 16 and 18 foot versions back in the late 60's early 70's. Peter Hledin's early full tunnel (non picklefork) hulls looked a LOT like them.... I'll have to ask Peter about that, one day.

Another guy you may remember is Bill Petty, from nearby Wapakoneta, Ohio who made his bones in a twin Merc powered Jones Tunnel hull. Bill later made a similar hull to the Dutchman in aluminum called the "PettyCraft"............. The problem with that design was a tendency to stuff and one pitch poled in a race in Euclid, killing the driver as it re-entered upside down and backwards. Bill ultimately drove single engine Moilinari's on the Merc Factory team......... He was great in rough water.

In those days Ohio was the home of a large percentage of the hot shoes in OPC: Jon Culver, Cliff Reif, "Handsome"John Keller, Stanton Stauffer, Tom Stickle, Schoonover, Petty, The Downards, Bill Combs, etc, etc...................... It always annoyed me that Long Island and New Jersey were separated from Ohio by the entire length of Pennsylvania which had few races and/or racers...................... Oh! those late Sunday nights on the Pennsy Pike....towing the "wreckage" home

T2x

BROWNIE

"x", I hung out with Keller a little bit in those days, and he was fun! He drove a JJ or UU Dorsett or Duo Craft in OPC. He also raced a 24' Glastron Around Long Island one year. I recall him going through the side when it swapped ends. Ohio-wise, don't forget the Walthers. A couple of replies ago, you mentioned the old 9-Hour. Remember Jim Black and Bob Hammond leading the first few laps in a 17' Glastron with a 427 Interceptor?

T2x

Brownie:

I remember that Glastron well, it was based at K&K for the Around Long Island Marathon in 1965. When you compared it to Holocaust it looked somehow underpowered.

Those races were amazing, all of this big time power came from places like Florida and California and inevitably some guy in an outboard Eltro from Islip, wound up in front. Probably had a lot to do with knowing where you were going.

I remember you and Bobby Rautbord dancing a jig at the Laguardia Hilton post race banquet while Odell Lewis stood on the sidelines watching. He was wearing a blue suit and tie.....with no shoes or socks........

I also clearly remember Ken Kalibat, rest his soul, and Don Aronow, ditto, squaring off at the pre race driver's meeting at Guy Lombardo's over some minor starting procedure. Both of those guys were big, and I can tell you from experience that Ken was the strongest human being I've ever seen....with the possible exception of his old man, Pete. Regardless, thank God clearer heads prevailed or they would have had a fight that mere mortals could not have broken up.

The following year I co-drove a single engine outboard Eltro in the race, chaperoning a 77 year old gentleman, who raced well into his 80's. After our inevitable engine failure, (let's just say his throttle arm wasn't on a par with Saccenti's).........His somewhat senile radio'd attempts to explain our predicament to the Coast Guard leave me in stitches to this day.

" Race Boat in distress what is your number?"............
Reply.............." Area code 201-..........."

Ultimately he and his wife drove away and left me without transportation, dealing with the Coast Guard at a launching ramp in Long Beach...... unfortunately, forgetting that he wasn't alone in the boat......

I repeat...you can't make this stuff up.

Those were the days my friend............................


T2x


P.S. It was a Dorsett................. "Dorsett Tiger One"......of Four fielded by the factory.

SteveDavid

T2x,

My obsolete twin, you are right, again,,,,,,,,,,,, I'm irrelevant. I cannot help but ponder what term would best define the person whom we give credit for our current dismal existence. If only we posessed their vision, imagine what we might have done