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Stab-n-Steer
11-14-2001, 04:58 PM
Sometimes we have a difficult time explaining our passions to others that just don't have a clue (like my wife!). People don't seem to understand that a life long interest just doesn't just go away. Such is the case with my love of boats, especially V-Drives. I am sure many of you share the same feelings...
I distinctly remember the first time I experienced a V-Drive. I was about 6 years old (1961?), my dad and I were zipping along Lake Berressa in his home built Glen-L with a 50 horse Johnson. All of a sudden I hear this incredible high-pitched whine coming from behind us. I turned to look and this beautiful red boat with a wood deck roared past us like we were tied to a tree. I said, "Dad! What was that?!" He said, "Son, that was a V-DRIVE!" Man, the chills ran up my back like I couldn't believe. From that day on, whenever I heard that beautiful whine and low roar, I would run to the shore to catch a glimpse of those incredible boats.
About a year later, my dad built his first V-Drive - an all wood 18 ft. Stevens. It had a 392 Hemi with six 97's on it. I'll never forget my first ride in it, which was also my first ride in any V-Drive. The V-Drive was direct with no in and out, so you had to start it in gear. The motor was loading up with all those carbs and it stalled a few times... About the third try dad gased it pretty good and she lit. The boat shot straight out of the water, came back down, took a set and away we went. I thought I was shot out of a cannon! My dad slowed down and asked me if it scared me. My eyes where as big as saucers, poop was in my pants! All I could do was shake my head but it was the best scare of my life...
Every month in the Classic V-Drive Newsletter they feature a couple of boats. Last month they featured a 1964 Hallet with a blown Hemi in it owned by Tom Yeager of Arizona. He had a quote I would like to share...
"When I stand on the throttle it takes my mind off work and makes me appreciate being alive".
Now if that doesn't sum it up I don't know what does!
Randy

old rigger
11-14-2001, 07:02 PM
Stabber,
Great, great story. Could read stuff like that all day long.
While I've never owned a V-drive, most of my Dads buddies did when I was growing up. Lots of good memories.
Some time in the mid'60's we were eating dinner at the resturant at Havasu Springs. My buddies and I were farting around after dinner doing whatever, and my dad came and got me to go and see something. We went through the resturant and down to the dock. The boat that he showed me burned an image in my brain that is still there today. It was a wood deck Stevens, running a SBC and an early (at the time it wasn't too old)Vette fuel injection unit. It had through the transom log manifolds and all white seats. Stood there with him for what seem like an hour, with him pointing out the details to me. Never met the owner and never got to see it run, but to me, it was the nicest boat I have ever seen.
[This message has been edited by old rigger (edited November 16, 2001).]

058
11-14-2001, 08:18 PM
S&S, I know how you feel when there is nobody around to listen when you need to talk boats. My wife will listen but I know she would rather be talking about something else. My first experence with a V-drive was the Oakland-Alameda esturary about 1962, A friend of the family pulled up to the dock in a new Stevens powered by a 389 Pontiac tri-power, Damn that thing was georgous and it sounded better than it looked, that was my first and lasting impression of V-drives. I was 12 years old at the time and it was another 10 years before I got to accually own one. Ironicly[sp] it was a 62 Stevens [not the same boat] with a 331 Chrysler Hemi with 4 Strombergs inline and a Halibrand V-drive, noisest bastard I've ever heard. Bought it from a family that lived at Clear Lake. Kept that boat for about 15 years.

Infomaniac
11-14-2001, 09:42 PM
Stab-n-Steer:
That is an awesome quote !
I feel the same way.
Sometimes I appreciate being alive after lifting off the throttle.
I use my boat to maintain my sanity. My wife understands this is how I keep my mind off of work. She sometimes does not understand how doing something as insane as a 130 MPH lake boat pass keeps me sane.
I do not have a first v-drive experience to share but I guarantee my son will have many recollections to share when he is grown. It will be interesting to ask him in a few years what his earliest v-drive memory is.
Going to the lake has been our family day activity for about ten years now. Every Sunday during the Oklahoma boating season. We have evolved into owning two boats. The "Red" boat is the family boat and the "Blue" boat is the lake rocket.
If we want to get away from the girls for a while, all we have to say is "we are taking the Blue Boat to the lake"

okeliminator
11-14-2001, 10:06 PM
Hey V-Drives; Hope know one minds me jumping forums. Love the stories!! Even though I own a jet, I have to say I’ll be the first person to drool over a bad ass V-Drive! Have always wanted to ride in one let alone drive one.
P.S. Infomaniac where do you boat? I’m planning to make a few long distance runs next year, maybe up your way.

Infomaniac
11-14-2001, 10:34 PM
okeliminator:
I was wondering about the significance of the "OK" in your username.
We go to "The Island" on Ft.Gibson lake on the weekends. It has been a drag boat sanctuary for many years.
The best time is Keystone lake on Thursday evenings. There has been a dragboat gathering there every Thurs evening for 15 or 20 years.
Everyone meets up at about 5:00 PM. The majority of them are jet boat guys but some evenings there have been up to 5 blown injected hydro's show up. It is too cool.
Send me an e-mail, I will be glad to take you for a ride. Normally the offer to ride ratio is fairly low. Not many takers.

pgf127rt
11-15-2001, 04:34 AM
Okie,& info, Do you all go to the races at Choteau, when I was still active in PGF, I loved that place, the fans up there were the greatest, most enthusiastic bunch of people we ever came across in all of our years in drag boat racing, they even had golf cart races on Friday nite, one golf cart had a SBC mounted in the rear, they got wild up there.
In case you did go there in 97, I was the PGF who went thru the lights at 122 on the right hand side & lost to mike martin in the finals.

Infomaniac
11-15-2001, 06:39 AM
pgf127:
Choteau is just about 3 miles up the river from The Island. A lot of the locals that race at Choteau hang out there.
I was there in 97, runner up is a good finish.
I think that was the year before Kyle Walker crashed the Spirit of Texas right in front of where my wife and I were sitting.

Stab-n-Steer
11-15-2001, 07:10 AM
[QUOTE]Originally posted by old rigger:
[B]Stabber,
Great, great story. Could read stuff like that all day long.
Thanks Old Rig, your story about the Tahiti made me think about the "good 'ol days"... It sounds like you had a special bond with your dad as I did with my dad about boats... My dad passed away 6 years ago (only 64!) and the memories are very special to me at this point in my life. I can only hope that someday my son will remember our boating times with the same fondness...
Randy

Stab-n-Steer
11-15-2001, 08:03 AM
058,
My dad's Stevens had a very short life. He built it to do some weekend drag racing. Remember when they ran boats in the "ditch" next to Fremont Dragstrip? Anyway, my dad and my uncle were giving it a shake down run prior to taking it to Fremont. We lived in Vallejo at the time and they were running it on the Napa River in front of Mare Island shipyard. The boat ran probably 85-90 mph, which for 1963 was pretty fast. They were wide open and apparently hit something and the boat broke in half causing a catastrophic wreck. My dad's friends and I were in another boat and when we got to them it looked like a plane crash scene. Shit was everywhere - the bow was floating upside down, seats, splinters of wood, etc. My dad was floating face down, my uncle was not in sight... Fortunately, he was "suspended" a few feet below the surface and they finally found him and hauled him in. Neither one was breathing but one of my dad's buddies had military first aid experience and got them both revived. They were lucky, dad ended up with about 20 stitches in his forehead and my uncle didn't have a scratch on him. He did however, get the living shit scared out of him and has not been back in a boat to this day!
That was enough for my mom and my dad's drag boat days were over. A few years later he found the Biesemeyer and convinced my mom it would be only a "family boat". This is the boat I am restoring today. Lots of good old memories in that old girl. All of us kids, neighbors, cousins, etc.,learned to ski behind that old boat...
Randy

old rigger
11-15-2001, 08:07 AM
Staber,
Yeah, we were pretty tight. He died almost 3 years ago fron a ****in' heart attack. He'd just turned 63. Wierd thing is, I still go to grab the phone to give him a call, just to shoot the bull. Guess that will never go away.
I feel the same as you with my kids. 100%.

old rigger
11-15-2001, 08:39 AM
Staber,
Jesus, what a wreck. Sounds like they were both pretty lucky. Scary stuff for a kid to watch.
My folks and Aunt & Uncle had a little trailer at Bullhead and we use to set up our stuff across the river where there were some beaches, which is now Laughlin. Once, about'65, my dad wad pulling my mom skiing, my aunt was observing, and my uncle was on the beach with me and my 2 cousins. As my dad turned the boat into the little cove to drop my mom off, the pully on the steering system (the old cable and pully type) broke and the steering failed. I was playing right at the waters edge on the beach when the boat hit be and sent me flying. It didn't hit me dead on but back about two feet from the point of the bow, that's probably what saved me. Rather than just mow me down, dad said he was doing about 45 having just stabbed the throttle a little to drop off mom, the boat hit me in the left hip and sent me in the air 20 or so feet. Never knew what hit me. The funnest part of the whole thing was my aunt, observing. She didn't realize there was a problem and all of a sudden the ride is getting pretty rough in the boat and then bushs are wizzing by her as she was still facing the skier. Dad was out of the boat before it came to a stop, about 40 feet on the beach in the bushs,to get to me and my mom watched the whole thing from her ski. It cracked my hip, but the thing I remember most was my grape sized balls (hey, I was only 9) swelled up to the size of tennis balls. I was black and blue over the whole center section of my body. Pretty much ruined that river trip.
I didn't realize that the Beezer you were restoring was the same boat that you grew up with . That is really nice. You have to post some pics. Hope you have been taking pics of the entire process.........

Stab-n-Steer
11-15-2001, 10:02 AM
Old Rig,
Very funny story! Sorry about your gonads! Yeah, the Beezer is pretty special to me and I have documented the restoration with pictures but I only have a few with a digital and they’re not very good. I'll see what I can find and try to post a few...
Not to drone on but I have a couple more stories about the Beezer... One, I saw my first set of real life naked breasts in that boat! They belonged to a well-endowed friend of my mom's (probably in her early 30's at the time - nice body). The Beezer rode incredibly rough and we we're in the delta somewhere and she had a bikini on. I was around twelve and was totally preoccupied with watching those puppies bounce around with every wake we crossed. All of a sudden, we hit a very big wake and the string that tied around her neck broke or came lose and BAM! There they were! They were beautiful! We took several more bounces before she could find the strings and try to cover up. She just looked at me and smirked. I had the biggest shit-eating grin the rest of the weekend!
Randy

058
11-15-2001, 06:54 PM
Good storys indeed! Some scary, some funny and all entertaining. S&S, I do remember Fremont "ditch". My friend who owned "No Sence" briefly has some video tape of some circle races at Fremont [circa 60-61] perhaps we can do some video trading here. I'll ask him if he would be interested in reproducing them. Oldrigger, Any luck with you neighbor getting that tape reproduced?

okeliminator
11-15-2001, 07:26 PM
Info, Damn that sounds like a deal!! Got your info, ha ha. Will get in touch with you when better whether comes around.
PGF127; never made it to Choteau, always make the one at OKC (Lake Overholser) it’s only 1 mile from home. In the past they have even had Hydroplane Races but that was years ago.

Stab-n-Steer
11-15-2001, 07:45 PM
058,
John Canfield and his wife are coming over for dinner Sunday night and we are going to watch Tom Patterson's old Crackerbox videos. Apparently his son took a bunch of old 8mm tape and had it compiled on a VHS tape. It's mostly from the late 40's through the 50's. Can't wait. It would be cool to trade videos with others. I am hoping to copy the Patterson tape...
Randy
Ps. Ask Skip about John Canfield...

pgf127rt
11-15-2001, 08:14 PM
Okie, I won the progas dash at overholster in 97 with250 pounds of weight in the boat to make IHBA weight, still have the 2500.00 hot check I got from the IHBA DIV. 2, I won that race over Mike Martin with a 0.0000 rt, & info, that was 99 when Kyle crashed, in 98 I was the #1 qualifier and won the race on a rainout, my 38' trailer had three 4 wheel drives hooked to it to get it out of the pasture. I will never forget that rain out, but I still love Choteau.
[This message has been edited by pgf127rt (edited November 15, 2001).]

pgf127rt
11-15-2001, 08:24 PM
My first affair with a flat was in 63, a friend whom I raced dirt modifieds with aquired a flatbottom and installed one of his 327's in it, we were skiing at Lake Waco, and having a good old time when my buddy decided to stand on it and give us a good ride, well he blew the flexplate thru the bottom of the boat and while we were sinking with the motor part the last thing I saw was how stupid he looked holding the slowly sinking steering wheel while still sitting in the seat, no one got hurt but it was really funny after we got over the shock.

okeliminator
11-15-2001, 08:31 PM
Hey PGF127 sounds like you and M.M. had a good rivalry going. You wrote (hot check) no shit!! I'd be pissed!sure you were. '97 huh I might have some pics, see if I can find them.

Stab-n-Steer
11-16-2001, 06:00 AM
pgf127rt,
The first time my dad let me drive his v-drive by myself I was 16 I think... My buddies and I went skiing and then we cruised by a popular beach to check out the girls. Well, we were so involved tring to impress the girls we weren't paying attention and the ski rope got wound up in the prop shaft. It distroyed the rubber hose between the strut and the packing, water came pouring in and she sunk right in front of the beach. So much for impressing the girls! For the rest of the summer I was known as the submarine captian.
Ah, boat stories... We all have 'em.
Randy

hottrodder
11-16-2001, 07:39 AM
Sorry to interupt here guys, but the video thing got my attention. A few years ago when I was a member of the Classic V-drive club they had a deal with Mike Nordskog. He had recently ported all of his Dads old 8mm endurance stuff over to VHS and was selling an 8 or 9 tape set plus individuals. I go the whole set. No sound though just picture and it's marginal in some cases but still fun to watch. Footage from the Parker Enduro of various years (mid 60's), testing seesions, Lake Berryesa, etc... I don't have the equipment to copy but I'll make these available to anyone who does and wants them.

058
11-16-2001, 08:42 AM
Randy, I have heard Skip mention John's name several times but it didn't mean anything to me then, just another name from someone else's past. Good racing storys but when you can't put a face to the name or you weren't there it kinda looses something. I think John is the fellow Skip built the engines for "No Sense" and crewed when they raced. Let me know how "Dinner and a Movie" went, Bob [Damn smiliey face, forgot to change it]
[This message has been edited by 058 (edited November 16, 2001).]

058
11-16-2001, 08:50 AM
Hottrodder, How about a video lending library? It would be so cool to get all this old footage on a series of tapes properly edited and put in seperate catagorys and in cronolagoical [sp] order. I would esp. love to see the Berryessa footage, this is where I do most of my boating, Bob

old rigger
11-16-2001, 09:58 AM
I think that the footage my neighbor has might be the same as hottrodder has. There is a lot of Nordskog stuff in there.
By the way, this neighbor just finished building a 21 vector v-drive that is ****ing unbelievable. I wouldn't even want to guess what he has in it.$$$$$$$$$$$ When he brings it home from the river (Needles) I will take some shots of it, and e-mail them to one of you guys who've figured out how to post the things.
Stabber,
you HAVE to copy the Patterson tape!!!!!
What ever it takes.
Look for Patterson's "Hot Cinders" 2-P . That's the one that had the adjustable prop shaft.
[This message has been edited by old rigger (edited November 16, 2001).]

Stab-n-Steer
11-16-2001, 10:02 AM
Hottrodder,
I would pay any mailing/shipping costs so I can copy them. Let me know.
Randy

Costello
11-16-2001, 01:23 PM
I guess my V-Drive affair began somewhere about the time I was 7 years old. The family had a Southwind 18' jet with a 460 Ford. One of my parents friends had an old Hallet BGF that he occasionally raced. One time we went to Havasu with them and all weekend I begged him for a ride in his rig.(Probably sounded like a broken record!!) About the second or third day he obliged and took me for the ride of my life. I think by about 95 mph as the boat was still pulling hard I began tapping on his leg next to me to slow down. I would have done it sooner but I was afraid to let go of my death grip on the seat. I guess at that point he felt he was off the hook so he turned it around and we parked it. I rode in it again several times after that. That first ride has left an indeliable impression on my mind; a little scary but yet enticing. Finally about 6 years ago at 27, I purchased my first v-drive and began another chapter of my own experiences with my boats.

Stab-n-Steer
11-16-2001, 04:24 PM
Old Rig,
I remember "Hot Cinders" well. That boat was run in the sixties. I'm not sure if it will be on this tape but I hope so. What a concept! It worked pretty well too other than after awhile he couldn't get anybody to ride with him - Too much work! Going into the turn - crank the prop down, coming out of the turn - crank the prop up - and that was only one corner. I think they finally made a rule to outlaw such devices. Now riders do what they are supposed to do - Hang on!
Randy

Stab-n-Steer
11-16-2001, 04:44 PM
Costello,
Great story. I've always been a flatty kind of guy but a friend of mine had a Sanger PF with a narly 468 in it. I think that was the only time I've ever asked anyone to slow down... If my math is correct you would be 33 (who said old boaters are stupid!). What a pup! I'm glad to see a young man like yourself into v-drives and boat racing rather that those jet skis or "Personal Water Crafts" or whatever they call those those annoying polluting things. Personal Water Craft? Sounds like a name some Human Resource Person came up with.
Anyway, keep me updated with the latest and greatest news in Dragboats. I appreciate your knowledge.
Randy

old rigger
11-16-2001, 05:23 PM
Staber,
I have a Speed and Spray Mag that did a feature on Hot Cinders when they first started running that adjustable propshaft. It was March 1956. I was 1 month old. At that time they had just set a new cracker record at 81.4. Broke the old one by 6 or 7.

Stab-n-Steer
11-16-2001, 06:56 PM
Old Rig,
I had no idea that boat dated back that far! I remember seeing it at Oakland in the 60's as a kid but maybe by that time the "adjustment" was gone... Anyway, I can't wait to view the tape. Will give a full report Monday.
Randy

Costello
11-17-2001, 08:10 AM
Stab n Steer, I turned 33 at the World Finals. It's a wierd deal, I find myself wanting to follow the things my parents did when I was a kid, like hot boats and such. A re-creation of their 65 Catalina Ventura with the 421 tri-power is also somewhere on the back burner. Strange stuff, I still have trouble sorting it all out, but I suppose I'm a dinosaur and should have lived before my time. Hank Williams Jr. sings a song called "Dinosaur" (Habits Old & New album, I bought it when I was 11!)that I can relate to.

hottrodder
11-17-2001, 08:44 AM
Stab-n-Steer (Cool screen name by the way): Thanks for offering to pick-up the shipping and handling but not necessary. Passing stuff like this along and promoting the history of Hot Boating is done out of our love for the sport. Here's the footage that is in my 8 tape total.
'64 Parker 9 Hr.
'65 Miami 9 Hr.
'65 Salton Sea 500
'66 Eugene Oregon 4 Hr. Enduro
'66 Salton Sea 500
'66 Parker 9 Hr.
'66 Miami 250 & 9 Hr.
'67 Orange Bowl Regatta
'67 Parker 9 Hr.
'68 Parker 9 Hr.
'69 Havasu Outboard Championship
'69 Parker 9 Hr.
'69 Long Beach Marine Stadium
'70 Parker 9 Hr.
'71 Parker 9 Hr.
'73 Elsinore 500
Guess I lied about the Berryesa coverage. Must have just been wishful thinking.
I also have the '95 & '99 Catalina ski race. Let me know if you just want one particular tape our the whole set.

old rigger
11-17-2001, 09:17 AM
Hottrodder,
Jesus!!!
What a collection.
See you at the swap tomorow.

Stab-n-Steer
11-17-2001, 10:44 AM
Hottrodder,
You are the man! That is a very generous offer. Maybe you can send me a 2-3 at a time starting with the earliest. I will return them immediately. I will e-mail you my address... In the return package I'll throw in a few that I have.
I got the "Stab-n-Steer" handle when I went to Sprint Car School. My friend, Jimmy Sills, runs a sprint car driving school in Marysville, CA. My buddies and I go usually once a year. The cars are full blown World of Outlaw winged sprinters 410 CI, 735 hp (saw the dyno sheets) burning alcohol. I've been at least 5 times... It's probably the most fun that I've ever had with my clothes on!
Randy

old rigger
11-17-2001, 08:02 PM
Hottrodder,
My neighbor brought over those tapes of his (there are two) and they are marked;
#1 1965 & 1966 Salton Sea 500
Eugene, Or. 1966 4hours.
#5 1969 Long Beach Marine Stadium.
I wonder if these are out of the same collection as what you have? Are yours markes the same?

72 superlite
11-17-2001, 10:41 PM
Hi, My name is Rick, I live in Tacoma Wa, and I too have Fiberglass Poisoning. My dad raced the drags up here in the northwest in the 60's and 70's, with a couple of trips down to Ca. He ran An Olympic Craft with a blown hemi, then a Marlin with the Hemi until it blew and was swapped out for a 427 chev with Hilborn injection, then a series of Sangers, a flat deck flat, a '72 superlite bubbledeck 1" runnerbottom, and now that same 427 sits in a '76 superlite Sanger Drag Hydro. I was lucky enough to find and buy the '72 runnerbottom from the 3rd or 4th owner since dad sold it. It's being restored know. I think it's a pretty rare piece. I'm told that the bottom was outlawed in '72 by the ndba. Dad had it finished anyhow as the races up here were not ndba races. It has mahogany floors and an unusual strut, fin combo. The entire prop shaft is enclosed from the shaft log to the prop. Not sure how many of these struts were made. The boat was laid up with a recess for the strut to fit into. I posted some pics at http://community.webshots.com/user/superlite72 Check them out. I have some old 8mm film tranfered to vhs of 60 and 70's races from the NW as well as Perris'69 and Long Beach early 70's. Also have some old pics and Sanger broshures that I'd be happy to share. Would like to trade the video for someone elses. The film is all home movies and some of it was pretty washed out, and a little is double exposed, but most of it is pretty good. 058 has seen it and he enjoyed it. Oh yeah dad also has a '64 Howard Centerdeck Flatbottom with a 427 Ford Sideoiler, and a 21' Cheyenne Mini Cruiser with a twin turbo 427 chev.

superdave013
11-17-2001, 10:56 PM
72 superlight, welcome to the board! That was a kick ass frist post! Someone e-mailed me pic of a boat with the same set-up as that a long time ago. Was it you? I think it was someone frome the AzDon site. Anyway keep us up to date on your progress.
Oh, hope you don't mind but I just had to post that pic of the bottom of your boat!
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/011/3B/Y2/Z8/gy12532.jpg

superdave013
11-17-2001, 11:25 PM
72 superlite, It was you! I found the pics you sent me. I gotta say the bottom of that boat is different!
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/037/7U/cw/H5/hF86185.jpg
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/010/S2/Vr/dU/hR44297.jpg
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/037/7U/cw/H5/hI62941.jpg

058
11-18-2001, 11:59 AM
Rick, Its about time you posted something. LOL

Sangerboy
11-18-2001, 07:54 PM
Hey guys, great bunch of posts. I could read these kinds of stories for hours. I can't remember my first ride but I also was indoctrinated into the V-drive culture by my father. The ride that really infected me with the "fever" was about 1974 when I was 15. I was at Lake Havasu with a youth group and had a mutual friend with Don Ermshar. At that time he was running an 18'6" Sanger drag runner called "Illusion" ( at 15 the airbrushed mural of a topless genie on the deck of the boat made almost as much of an impression as the ride itself) powered by a Hampton blown, Hilborn Injected 427 Chevy with zoomies. Man what a ride! Even today coming up on 30 years later I can close my eyes and instantly hear the motor and feal the air rushing past. What a great addiction.

DetroitJim
11-18-2001, 08:13 PM
My first encounter with hot boats was by being a Pontiac freak in the mid 70's. Detroit was heaven for a gearhead kid back then.(Still is.) A local man raced a Hilborn injected Ram Air 5 tunnel port in a flatbottom. He knew people in Pontiac Engineering and much of the Ram 5 stuff went out the back door and into his boat. The races were at Holloway Reservoir up near Flint, Michigan. That was a big race back in the day. I'll scan some old photos and post them. There is a 455 Pontiac in my garage left over from then, and I just might put it in my Sanger some day. Kind of completing the circle 25 years later.
Jim

boatguy222
11-18-2001, 09:58 PM
I believe that bottom peice is called a shaft shroud. I saw one on an BAF called THE MUDHEN, It was also a Sanger. I have also seen a simlar peice on a Biesemeyer, in the the late 70's, ss-222 called the Preditor, later It also ran as a K-boat here in the northwest.

hottrodder
11-19-2001, 07:11 AM
old rigger: The meet was cool. Only problem was the '37 didn't show and I didn't know how to look for you. Next time well need a backup plan. Sorry http://www.freakygamers.com/smilies/s/cwm/cwm/crap.gif . I showed with a friend around 7:30 in a black '40 Tudor Sedan with red steelies. He lives near by and I asked if he wanted to go. I drove the '37 to his house and he had his '40 out in the driveway. He had just put on a radiator shroud and a new fuel pump and wanted to do a little shake down. Not knowing what the parking/crowd would be like we opted for one car. Did you see anything you couldn't do without. I really liked the '36 with the white hardtop. I wonder how the property owner feels about all the extraneous fluids left in the parking lot by the rat mobiles?
S-n-S: Did you send your email already? I quickly checked my 'public' email account this morning and as usual deleted anything I didn't immediately recognize. I fear I may have accidently deleted yours http://www.freakygamers.com/smilies/s/cwm/cwm/eek5.gif .

Stab-n-Steer
11-19-2001, 07:40 AM
Hottrodder,
I will e-mail you today with my address. I watched the Patterson family tape last night and it was awesome. Mainly Crackerboxs but also many other inboard and hydroplane classes form 's 50's and early 60's. Locations include Long Beach, Sacramento River, Salton Sea and a bunch from Lake Washington. The lake Washington shots include some really cool Unlimited footage of boats like Slo-motion, Miss Thriftway,etc.
I'm having the tape copied this week...
Randy

pgf127rt
11-19-2001, 06:17 PM
Sanger boy, I am 62 years old and been messing with boats as long as I can remember, but I have to agree with you i could spend all my time reading these stories, great job guy's.
Superdave, what do you think the turbelence at the prop would be with that big old strut, could be why they outlawed them, seems to me that the faster you went the more bad water you would have, probably would result in kicking the tail loose and then its that baaaad video that redding ahd where the guy does a 360 over the front of the boat, I have stretched my arms a lot trying to claw my way back in the seat when the tail kicked out and she submarined the nose, and all I could think of was OH NO THE BAD VIDEO, y'all have fun.

superdave013
11-19-2001, 07:35 PM
You would never see a strut like that on one of my boats for sure. It would cause a huge amount of drag too. But hey, he likes it and that's all that matters.
Speaking of drag and turblance. I just learned that some of the Super Stock roundy rounders are running 7/8" prop shafts! Damn that's small. I guess they know limit of them and with the restrictions on the engines in that class they can get away with it.

Stab-n-Steer
11-19-2001, 07:37 PM
Costello,
We are on the same page. My parents had a '63 Pontiac Catalina with a 389. Too funny! This is the car that I drove to high school since my '57 Chevy was reserved for the weekends. (had 4.56 gears - gas mileage sucked!) That car was huge! We could fit 5 guys in the truck going into the drive inn. It was a pretty funny sight - me, all alone driving into the drive inn with the trunk dragging, head lights pointing in the air. The drive inn guy would say "how many?" I would say "Just one, I'm meeting my friends inside". Usually about his time one of the guys in the trunk would cut a nasty 'ol fart and they all would start cracking up. I would have to turn up the 8 track to muffle their laughter.
Randy

Costello
11-19-2001, 08:12 PM
Stab, they just had a 63 Catalina on the cover of NATIONAL DRAGSTER a few weeks ago. It was a sharp looking bracket boat...I mean car!!

72 superlite
11-19-2001, 10:26 PM
It wasn't the strut that was outlawed, it was the runner bottom, It was too big for its time. The other manufacturers complained about it(thats my understanding of what happened). I too heard that there may have been one on the mudhen boat, as well as a couple of circle boats up here in the NW. This makes sense as the builder of the struts was up here. As for turbulence, I don't know, I talked to the builder and he said that engineers told him that this piece would clean up the water going around the shaft, fins and strut. This is all just what I was told. What I know is that the boat ran 120+ in 1974 with an injected 427. In my first post I left a boat out, we also have a 60 something Sanger wooddeck, that needs a new deck,a family project. Thanks 058. I've tried to add more pictures to the address on my other post, If you see them, you'll see a stack of brand new sanger flats coming home to Puget Sound Dragboat Specialties(my dads business at the time here in Tacoma) he was a dealer for Sanger.

hottrodder
11-20-2001, 07:40 AM
S-n-S: My two earliest tapes, 64-65 Parker 9 Hour and 65-66 Salton Sea 500 are on the way.

Stab-n-Steer
11-20-2001, 09:37 AM
Originally posted by hottrodder:
S-n-S: My two earliest tapes, 64-65 Parker 9 Hour and 65-66 Salton Sea 500 are on the way.
HR,
Like I said, you are the man. Thank you! I made some copies of the Patterson video and one's got your name on it. When I return your SS 500 tapes I'll send that along. It's pretty cool...
Randy

Sangerboy
11-21-2001, 05:17 AM
Superdave, I'm going to the races at Parker this weekend so I'll check out those 7/8" propshafts. pgf- I also wondered how the prop "saw" the water behind that strut. I'm going to look at the pictures again to see if the trailing edge of the web was tapered. In my earlier post I mentioned how my father passed this "fever" on to me, he was stricken with the Belmont strain. I guess I contracted some of that variant also as I'm restoring a 1965 Belmont for a friend of mine who lives in Sonora. Then waiting in line is my dad's 1960 Belmont, originally powered by a centrifugal McCulloch supercharged 430 Lincoln. Talk about a torque monster. My holy grail would be to find the allison powered Belmont Purple People Eater that drag raced in the early 60's.

superdave013
11-21-2001, 05:53 AM
Sangerboy, I'll be out there too. We need to figure out a way to find each other.

Stab-n-Steer
11-21-2001, 08:29 AM
Sangerboy,
Wow, the Purple People Eater. Man does that boat bring back memories! I remember that boat well. I wonder if anyone out there has any old pictures or articles of PPE? Two years ago in Long Beach I saw the Hot Rod Magazine sponsered Rayson Craft that was Allison powered. Someone had found the boat and restored it like it was in the 60's. It was beautiful... They just don't build crazy boats like that anymore.
Randy

hottrodder
11-21-2001, 10:42 AM
SD013, Sangerboy: I'll be in Blythe Friday and I'm gonna try and make it to Parker for at least a few hours on Saturady. Maybe this time I'll wear a name tag and look for you guys around LeE ss13's pits. I'll probably have my 3 year old boy with me.

superdave013
11-21-2001, 11:05 AM
LeEss13 can't make it! I think I will wear my v-drive regatta t shirt on saturday so maybe you can find me that way.

boatguy222
11-21-2001, 08:27 PM
Dave
My Dad is going at least on Saturday (He winters in Havasu) I you see a red s-10 pu with Oregon plates, thats him, He will be the only 65 year old guy with a Schiada Racing t-shirt on. His name is Larry
If any of the Bergrons he may be hanging around them, He and Phil have known each other for a very long time.
Have a good time
Marc

Sangerboy
11-22-2001, 02:46 PM
Superdave, S&S, and Hottrodder- I'm planning on being there all weekend I want to watch the kilos on Friday morning. I'll be wearing either my Ken's Automotive T-shirt or one of my Ratfink shirts. I drive a white F-350 duallie with a shell. It might have my beat up old Sanger bubbledeck behind it as I've got a new prop to test. Look for me.
Greg

Stab-n-Steer
11-28-2001, 08:55 AM
Old Rig,
I have copied the Patterson tape if you would like to see it. e-mail me your address and I will mail it to you.
rkirkham@home.com
Randy

old rigger
11-29-2001, 10:11 AM
Stabber,
I e-mailed the info. Thank you. Can't wait to see the tape...............