As to T2x's humility, he has a lot to be humble about. Where....? Miami Marine Stadium after he just broke the s**t out of a Switzer wing.

T2x, Got any pictures from the late 60's showing the twin engine boats with tall Mercs with 6 trumpet exhaust pipes blasting out the back? I remember watching one of those races out in Colorado in somewhere around 1966. Awesome sounding.

Shazaam!!!!!!


T2x

Tower 'O' Power:eek: :eek: :eek: :D

For the record...a lot of these pictures are coming out of the contributers at the Screamandfly website........

T2x

Which was first the Shadow 21 or the Challenger 21? Both gerat boats and tons of fun especially one I was in with a twin turbo BBC, 65 at 3200rpm and 1?? at 6000 Thanks, Ironman.

Challenger was the first and original, then came the shadow T2x, lived it, he can post the real story.
The Challenger above ran mid 90's when I got it with twins, a lot of fun but not a great day to day boat.

RT

First came the Challenger 21..in 1976.. The boat , designed by George Linder won an array of awards and is still , arguably, (Brownie has had a number of contenders for that title as well) the best example of vee design and construction to date. The design was a very clever advancement of the wooden Eltro vee hulls made by ex Raveau employees John Ives, and Bob D'argagnon in Islip, Long Island and raced by, among others, George and I in the 60's. In 1979 Challenger Boat Co. (owned by George and two partners)..closed down. At the time there were two sets of molds for the 21 foot hull at the plant in Long Island . Image boat Co. (a New Jersey company I was a partner in ) bought one set and continued to build those Challengers that George Linder had on order..and there were many. Due to an oversight John Coen of Superboat got the other set at auction ( We didn't know they existed until too late). The 21 Superboat followed ( a nice, fast, good handling boat...but without the custom hardware, custom vinyl, teak work, and full monocoque balsa core construction.)....John also had in his possession molds for the only fibreglass hull Eltro had ever built...... That is the 16 foot Superboat that you may have seen as an open cockpit fishing boat.

After seeing the Superboat, George and I decided to distance ourselves from it through a redesign of the Challenger deck, adding a molded in Windscreen, and an insert of the hull mold at the transom..... giving the boat a built in "Back Porch"... an 8" overhang. This design which we called the Shadow 21 seemed to handle a bit better and was a smidgen faster. That boat was the first to carry the "Team Shadow" logo..... The construction standards were identical to the original Challenger and the weights were basically the same.

At about this time we conducted a series of tests on stepped bottoms using both I/O and outboard hulls......... and after proving again that Vees had speed and handling limitations, we combined my tunnel boat experience, George's monohull design and engineering expertise, and our combined years of rough water marathon racing experience ....to create the Shadow Cat.

In an interesting twist of fate........ The original Shadow 21 molds were recently purchased by a Long Islander, Wes Werner, whose father, Sonny, raced Eltros...with George and I back in the day.
I guess the circle is unbroken.


T2x

Thats neat! Thanks for sharing T2x.:)

Firewalker,
Do you know the 21 Challenger named "Uncle Guthrie"? It was on Lake Muskoka back in the 80's.

Thanks, T2x that is great info

Yes, great info :)

Keep it coming.

T2X,
There's a boat i see every day from the train on my way to work. I've never gotten a good look at it, but it looks to be about 21', outboard, brown, and when the train goes slow enough, i swear it says shadow on it. Hard to see in the summer with all the weeds grown up around it. Its behind a fence at the police station in Long branch, nj. One of these days ill get a closer look. I think it has the single grab cable down the middle of the bow. did your Shadow 21s come equipped with this??

Yep.

And now for some more good stuff!!!!.

or.......

or..............

Nah.......this is too obsolete......


I mean c'mon....with all of the "advancements" we see out there in Factory 1 and 2........ This old museum piece can't show me much.

Oh well....it is Gordo's birthday after all and this foto was taken 4 years before he was born...... at 120 mph...with 2 100 hp outboards.

I give you ........ Miss Skyway.

T2x

The following may be "The Greatest High Performance boating story ever told".............


"The Day I Flew a Boat" by: Robert Switzer

It all began with a phone call, (person to person) to me, Bob Switzer, from Carl Kiekhaefer, President of Mercury Marine. The date was July 17th, 1962. The meat of the call was a request for Switzer Craft to build a boat for twin Mercury 100 H.P. outboards that would exceed 100 M.P.H. on water.

The call was impressive. Imagine ... out of hundreds of boat builders, we were called to do this project. We immediately began designing our first effort based on the pattern of the Switzer Hydro Cat (commonly referred to as the "Switzer Wing"). In 1961, the Switzer (U4) wing was a major breakthrough in the twin engine Stock Outboard Pleasure Craft Class U. (Unlimited engines but required to be a minimum of 15 feet in length.) The first Switzer Wing was built in 9 days, just prior to the Winnebago Outboard pleasure craft event, where the Switzer Craft Wing finished first overall, and the next two classes were also won by other Switzer models. The U4 was the first Cat to exceed 80 M.P.H. with only a pair of 76 cu. in. 80 H.P. Outboards. (see below)

Our first new design developed to meet Mr. Kiekhaefer's request was not a complete success. At speeds of over 85 M.P.H. the bow had a tendency to kite or "bow up" (a feared maneuver of every driver).

In late August, we tried a new hull concept, mounting the engines mid-ship in a hull much like the Hickman Sea Sled. It featured square simple lines and a shovel nose. We hoped that the engines forward could control any bow lift tendencies. Much to our regret the trial runs showed that the thrust of the propellers forward and under the hull clamped the back of the boat to the water and drag was too much for our twin 80 H.P. Mercury's to overcome in the initial plane off.

Time was slipping away, the leaves were turning into their fall colors and we estimated approximately five weeks of open water to test on the Fox River near our plant. A decision had to be made... Do we call Mr. Kiekhaefer and postpone the project until spring, or do we keep going "right up to the wire" as the saying goes. The decision was made! Keep going!

My brother, Dave Switzer was the designer in charge of the construction phase of this project. He knew that now the pressure was on to design and build that 100 M.P.H. boat in minimum time. Russell "Pop" Switzer, a pioneer in light aircraft and sea planes since World War I, injected some new ideas he had long thought were necessary to control a boat at flying speeds. Dave welcomed these new ideas and also accepted a weight distribution change that I had recommended. We also concentrated on making a cleaner air-flow version of his original U-4. Several days later the materials were flying into shape and the U-6 hull was finished in record time. With time running out fast it was rigged for the first test runs.

The time was now! We proceeded to the test area on Nov. 29th, 1962, only to find that there was a 1/4" of ice on the river, stopping all progress. The weather reports promised warmer weather for the next day. All was held in readiness. November 30, temperature 45° -Sky clear -water open and calm. Time, 10:00 A.M. we launched the U-106. I got into the enclosed plexiglass cockpit (much like the capsule boats of today) , checked out all instruments, fired up engine #1, check, #2, check, water pressure and cooling systems OK, tachometer reading steady, fuel pressure normal, closed the aircraft type canopy over the cockpit, bring the engines to warm up speed and taxi to position for a wide open run.

Now, increasing speed to 50 mph -60-70 -80 and now at the speed range where the previous design started to kite I used the foot throttle over-ride and steering with my left hand, I put my right hand on "Pop" Switzer's stabilizing control lever which operated the elevon (wing tail flap) controlling the last 2 feet of the center section between the twin hulls. At 85 M.P.H. the bow lifted slightly off the horizon - too high for safety, I pushed the lever forward to position 1 ( of 4) and the horizon line returned to normal. Now, at 90 M.P.H. a slight bow lift again, lever to position #2, now the bow was normal in good trim again. Suddenly, at this moment many things seemed to occur. While my 17 pitch (Record props from Switzerland) were turning almost 6,000 R.P.M. my neck snapped back, the Hull lifted off the water about 2-4 inches ... no vibrations from water contact. I felt like I was in a sea plane just after lift off of the water. The R.P.M.'s suddenly dropped back to approximately 5,000, and at the same time the speed increased to the shrill sound of the two engines harmonically balanced. I glanced down at the Keller calibrated speedometer, reading 96-97 -98-99 -100 with those 76 cu. in. 80 H.P. direct reversing engines revving at nearly 7,000 R.P.M. I knew we had just what Mr. Kiekhaefer asked for. Now, almost tranquil from the experience of "The Day I Flew a Boat" with a full boundary layer of air between the hull and the water and seeing houses go by like a picket fence. I realized that the straight away water was fast running out. So, deceleration of the U-6 was started with the same caution used in increasing the speed. The stabilizer control was returned to various positions as the speed was reduced. When the boat speed was between 80 and 85 there was a loud sound and vibration from the hull re-entering the water almost like driving from the highway to a washboard gravel country road. Taxiing to the launching site where all the Switzer Craft crew were on hand for the verdict I could hear all the questions. How did it handle? How fast did it go? What was it like? .....And, you know the answers.

The Hull was then returned to the factory for final preparations to be delivered to Mr. Kiekhaefer at Lake X where she was fitted with a pair of 99 cu. in. 100 H.P. engines with stacks and double pinion speedmasters. She went on to reach speeds in excess of 120 M.P.H. This same hull driven by both Johnny Bakos and Dave Craig startled many of the onlookers and the Helicopter pilots that could not keep up with her to allow the photographers to film her, as she won the Gold Coast Marathon from Miami to Palm Beach and return on the inland coastal waters, with a record average speed of 81.78 M.P.H. that may still stand today!

Now then....... back to our original programming..... The PBS presentation........ Stepped Vee hulls---- The Color of money..........

T2x :p :p :p :p

...and a few statistics.......from Mr. Switzer

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words" but may I point out a few facts.

1. This Hull with driver and minimum fuel for speed runs weighed in at 1- TON. Yes.. 2,000 lb..!

2. We had no power trim in those days, we just tried various tilt pin settings and that was where you ran.

3. After my first few runs at Lake X, a few weeks after "The Day I flew a Boat" we were having trouble getting enough water to keep the engines from overheating, so, we actually had to LOWER the engines approx. 2" because as you can see, the "Switzer Wing" likes to fly approx. 3 - 5" off at the transom and 6 - 8" above water at the front sponson (just 8' ahead of the transom.)

4. We pioneered the enclosed capsule almost 40 years ago.

5. And finally, you can't imagine the feeling when this boat leaves the water. There is no sensation that your still in a boat. But rather in a airplane just over the runway to fast to touch down, until you decelerate below 85 mph.

"What a Thrill I'll never forget it!"

There is really nothing truly new under the sun....just different ad campaigns...... or "Old wine...in new bottles"...... but this boat... was, indeed, .........very special.

T2x............. explaining why he is not orgasmic over new Donzi's

Now that was way cool T2x

Which molds did D. Litwin end up with that he had stored in Manasquan? He had a 21 Vee and I believe he may even had bought the 30 cat molds?

Sutphil,
Sure I know Uncle Guthrie, it was owned by Monte Black, tan and blue, suade interior, aerated bottom, twin 2.4 mercs 85mph, and the sister to mine.

RT

When we saw that thing coming, we just got out of it's way.

Is that boat still around?

Sutphil are you on Muskoka?

RT

Firewalker,
I pm'd you.

I have no idea.......... There is a set of cat molds that, according to Elbie, are in storage........

There is also a 21' Stern Drive deck mold I can't account for.

T2x...... But it's all junk anyhow.

I was told from a less than reliable source that Rally Sport got the stern drive mold.
Ya never know there are a lot of Challenger molds around :)

RT

You couldn't have....it was designed and built in 1960.....

Reggie and the Fiore's didn't "invent" steps until much later!

;)


But it may have a break in the running surfaces.....:p

T2x

This thread is begging for some of Too Old's pictures.......

How about Audacity as a student of the mystical arts of engineering?

T2x

Very good stuff there T2x, a few years ago we were in a friends shop, he has a 84 chris cat, and were discussing how advanced the design was for that era compared to today, it is still one of my favorite boats.

As advanced as the Shadows and Chris Cats were for their time...... They were designed and built 20 years after the Switzer.
I know I can speak for George Linder, as well as myself in stating that we are both still in awe of what The Switzers accomplished. We had the first outboard offshore cat (Shadow).......and our design ran in the low 80's on its maiden voyage with two 3.4/300 hp O/B motors. That was considered "revolutionary" because the other hulls of that time(vee monohulls) couldn't get out of the 60's with same power....... and most of the other hulls tested suffered broken transoms from the power and weight of those motors. Later on the twin 2.4 engine Shadows competed with (and beat) the triple 2.4 engine vees...... (more speed....33% less power)...in all water conditions , thereby forever raising the speed and performance bar, and we are proud of that. But that , IMHO, does not equal the near mythic achievement that the "Wing" represented. What the Switzer team did in a matter of a few months back in the 60's.........echoes throughout the world to this day.

T2x

T2x,
I am sure that it was truely amazing for the time unfortunately a little before my time, i do remember seeing a boat in wyandotte, michigan at a ramp that was simular, tunnel design with twin 100
in-line twister motors, ( i believe race set up, they had quickie lower units) the boat ran 80+. cool stuff need more pics. thankx.

What are theese then?

"You couldn't have....it was designed and built in 1960.....

Reggie and the Fiore's didn't "invent" steps until much later!" T2x :D

Oops I should'nt have used that picture, someone will see the vent hole and and "Invent" something else new :eureka: