Reply With QuoteI will take a book.
Brent
Here's the deal. Who wants a Large hard bound coffee table sized book with tons of photos and historical information from racing info to family ski boat production to the weird one off boats and prototypes?
Second, how many of you guys out there have a wealth of knowledge on the racing at Long Beach or Marine Staduim in Florida as well as racing throughout the US? I'm sure a ton of you do, but we need to compile it in a quality book before its lost. I'm talking about photos, and rare interesting accounts of racing action. Also, just basically some history on how Rayson-Craft, Sanger, Kindsvator, Eliminator, Stevens, Hondo, Cole, Mako, Beismeyer, Miller, the Casale Engineering foundry and on and on got their start. Maybe do "where are they now stories" on these boats and people alike.
My point is, we all have a ton of old Hot Boats and Powerboats from the sixties, but never dig them out. (the wife refuses to have them in the living room, right) I think a great compilation of these in a NEW book with some new info would be great. Bob Speltz did a great job in his books on the Chris Crafts, Garwoods, Centurys, Hafercrafts and Hackercrafts.......I think we should compile one on these older flatbottom, hydro, and tunnel designs.
I had Bob Clark's son call me last night on a motor he needed for a rail dragster. Somehow we started talking boats. His dad ran "California Shaker" in the seventies and went on and on about racing at Long Beach. And after talking to Chuck Taylor about restoring my old "Hydro Phobia" with a 392 Hemi and hearing all of his stories.......I realized if we don't record some of this great information soon, it will be gone forever.
Please post if you would be interested in helping on a project like this.
UPDATE: please post a couple old photos if you have them with your comments. Thanks. This will show the variety of interest, and hopefully add a little fuel to the fire!!!!! Nostalgic family ski boats and race boats are both welcome!!!!!!
I will take a book.
Brent
I'll take one for sure.
Thanks, spread the word. I just talked to a gentleman restoring "Proud Mary" for the woman who originally owned and drove the boat to a 206mph record in Tulsa. She did the research, found the boat and bought it back and is having it professionally restored!!! She dropped the boat off with boxes of photos. This is the stuff we should cherish and preserve in a quality book format!!! She has been invited to "Crackle Fest" in CA in Oct.05. It's the FIRST boat ever invited to this Nostalgic Nitro drag event. That will land a couple pages in the "NEW" book!! Please submit ideas and lets make this thing happen together!!!!! Thanks.
I'm in for one
If your looking, please post a quick vote. "THUMBS UP" if you like the idea. We need to create the FEEDBACK to make this happen! If we have enough interest we can start to compile the photos and articles. Vote.
I would love a book. I would do what I could to help.
My Dad raced boats at marine stadium in the 50's and then moved to the bay area and started Whaley and Minegar Custom Boats (later Don Minegar Custome boats) He was also one of the founders of the San Jose Boat and Ski club. They started racing as a club with all the stockers. This was the start of todays SS class. APBA called my dad and wanted to know what they could do to attract all these ski boats to the races. He built and sold Aqua Craft, Whickens, Stevens, Kindsvater's and later Sangers and Rayson Crafts.
My family lives in Idaho, and my folks are alive and well here with plenty of stories. My bother owns a Rayson Craft and I have a Nordskog. Tell me how we can help? Can we have an e-mail address were we just post different stories?
I'm having a site built right now DEDICATED to this book project. If you submit information you will be included in the book AND be a part of this project's HISTORICAL VALUE. The more we receive then we can organize the information and photos by subject and develop chapters of the book. We can also establish a time frame for publishing it, to make sure that nobody's stories are left out. At the tail end of the book we can conduct some phone interviews with a few of the "LIVING LEGENDS" and get their take how the sport progressed through the 60's 70's and 80's and then do a section on "Who's Who" today. I think it can have a little something for everyone and be a real show piece-not some dusty old things that will be lost in the sale someday!!! I can not stess more to dig out those old black and white photos and start scanning them now. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you can get Billy out of his paint booth long enough, he knows a little............bit. Opps, gotta include circle racers also. Count me in!
Obsolutely!! The Circle Guys Play A Huge Part Of The Development.
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