Merc 20H conversion year?

[Andrew 4CE]

What year did the popper conversion come out? These were added to motors and not sold on a motor correct?

Thanks!

[Andrew 4CE]

Thanks! Answer of 1959 was PM to me.

[russhill]

1959 sounds right, but it was a sad day in the history of stock outboard racing.
Now, I didn't really like the Hot Rods and I was a pretty big Mercury fan. The stock Mercury 20H was getting beat regularly by the cheezy little Hot Rods so Mercury put out a midyear hop up kit--Tuned pipes, longer skeg and under drive gear ratio. And maybe a different carburetor.
The legal implications were questionable. The Stock Outboard Racing Commission had a lot more people (like everybody) than the Hot Rod representation (like none), so the hop up kit was approved immediately, in mid year and the 20Hs again prevailed.
This whole deal really hurt stock racing. First it showed that Mercury would prevail—no outside competition. Although the vast majority of the B racers were Mercury, a lot of them resented the whole deal and didn’t make the conversion—and quit racing. And finally, the loud noise from the tuned pipe toilet bowl kept all of stock racing off of many bodies of water.
Finally, note that I never raced B. I had a Hot Rod once, took it to a race and couldn’t get it started, so I sold it. I didn’t really like Champions.

[Heliarc]

1959 sounds right, but it was a sad day in the history of stock outboard racing.
Now, I didn't really like the Hot Rods and I was a pretty big Mercury fan. The stock Mercury 20H was getting beat regularly by the cheezy little Hot Rods so Mercury put out a midyear hop up kit--Tuned pipes, longer skeg and under drive gear ratio. And maybe a different carburetor.
The legal implications were questionable. The Stock Outboard Racing Commission had a lot more people (like everybody) than the Hot Rod representation (like none), so the hop up kit was approved immediately, in mid year and the 20Hs again prevailed.
This whole deal really hurt stock racing. First it showed that Mercury would prevail—no outside competition. Although the vast majority of the B racers were Mercury, a lot of them resented the whole deal and didn’t make the conversion—and quit racing. And finally, the loud noise from the tuned pipe toilet bowl kept all of stock racing off of many bodies of water.
Finally, note that I never raced B. I had a Hot Rod once, took it to a race and couldn’t get it started, so I sold it. I didn’t really like Champions.

I do not believe that the tuned exhaust was necessary. It was overkill in my view. The KA-7A and the 16:21 gears would have been enough to make the 20H competitive against the Hot Rod. Then again, I do not think that Mercury had "competitive" in mind.

[Mark75H]

Yes, it is ironic that by the time Merc got these pieces into production and approved, Hot Rod was out of business.


The tuned exhaust came out of frustration at Merc over the original tower being a power robber. On powerhead dyno runs the 20H was equal to or more powerful than the Hot Rod ... Strang had a propshaft adapter rigged up to check power as run on the water and it showed the original the Hot Rod tower was fairly neutral, but the 20H mid tower dramatically reduced power.

The original plan was to just make a new 20H tower that didn't kill power. A number of tries were made ... unsuccessfully. Instead of continuing to find a neutral tower configuration, in frustration, Kiekhaefer gave the order to develop the toilet bowl.


Merc made 4,000 20H's between '54 and '56. There were many unsold 20H's at dealers into the early 1960's. It is possible that a few of these got converted before they were sold, but it was not the general practice to do so ... most of the 20H's were already sold and being raced before they were converted.

The conversion kits remained available from Merc up to about 1970.

[Trident]

Jon Walters has a photo of the 1959 Neosho, WI BU race... that was the first time the 20H's with the conversion kits were raced. Jon won that race on a wide Sid copy, a Broas Craft. If memory serves, he still had 1:1 gears.

When I converted my 20H for 1960, my first season of racing, I ran 1:1 at first, as I couldn't afford the gears AND new props! 16:21 was better, once I got there.

Jon, any chance you could post thay photo and fill in the background info?

Jerry

[Mainer]

1959 sounds right, but it was a sad day in the history of stock outboard racing.
Now, I didn't really like the Hot Rods and I was a pretty big Mercury fan. The stock Mercury 20H was getting beat regularly by the cheezy little Hot Rods so Mercury put out a midyear hop up kit--Tuned pipes, longer skeg and under drive gear ratio. And maybe a different carburetor.
The legal implications were questionable. The Stock Outboard Racing Commission had a lot more people (like everybody) than the Hot Rod representation (like none), so the hop up kit was approved immediately, in mid year and the 20Hs again prevailed.
This whole deal really hurt stock racing. First it showed that Mercury would prevail—no outside competition. Although the vast majority of the B racers were Mercury, a lot of them resented the whole deal and didn’t make the conversion—and quit racing. And finally, the loud noise from the tuned pipe toilet bowl kept all of stock racing off of many bodies of water.
Finally, note that I never raced B. I had a Hot Rod once, took it to a race and couldn’t get it started, so I sold it. I didn’t really like Champions.
I think my dad,Bob O'Connor said he got his kit in 1960, he was the second one to get it here in the north east, Bill Allen was the first.

[champhotrod]

Also remember that Champion had the about 15 cuber "A" engine designed by this time.
They had built 3 engines at the factory. Chances are this engine would easily run with a KG4
racer. What do think Carl would have done if they built these and they were approved???

Cooper

[Dave_E71]

Andrew,

In my case, it's 2010.....

I have the conversion kit in the shop and I'm picking up an unconverted 20H next week (and hopefully a SidCraft to run it on :eek:)

Dave

[Andrew 4CE]

Haha, cool. Bring it up to Canada and race it some time!

[Tim Chance]

Also remember that Champion had the about 15 cuber "A" engine designed by this time.
They had built 3 engines at the factory. Chances are this engine would easily run with a KG4
racer. What do think Carl would have done if they built these and they were approved???

Cooper

In the late 50's or early 60's I drove an alcohol burning A Hot Rod in A runabout once at a race in Minnesota. I think it belonged to Larry Rogers, a Champion engineer. It was competitive with an alky Quincy/Merc, but not with an Anzani or Konig. This might have been one of those three engines.

[Trident]

Also remember that Champion had the about 15 cuber "A" engine designed by this time.
They had built 3 engines at the factory. Chances are this engine would easily run with a KG4
racer. What do think Carl would have done if they built these and they were approved???

Cooper

I'm guessing E. C. would have put the Murdock St. Muffler on the Mk 15 and we'd have the 'Annoying A's' to go with the 'Buzzing B's'... Yes, I know, Willard would have called them 'Awesome A's'.

Kinda like some of the pumper A's we saw done up like that for A Mod, years later.

Jerry

[A/B Speedliner]

In 1959 either while still in high school or just after graduating I assembled the first full conversion kit sold out of the Mercury Secaucus NJ distribution center. My brother was in the Air Force at that time so I put the engine together for him. I remember having to scrape the inside of the foot to fit the larger gears. The conversion did add a lot to the power the engine produced.

I currently have one of the first 25 conversions assembled by Quincy Welding. The engine has the original Mercury serial number and the Quincy serial number FY20. It is my understanding Mercury sent the first 254 kits to Quincy for evaluation. If anyone is interested I can post pictures of the engine. It still has the white fuel lines as originaly supplied by Mercury.

David

[Dave_E71]

Haha, cool. Bring it up to Canada and race it some time!
Heck no!
We redecked a D Sid last year and when I got in the thing it scared the poop out of me. It felt like there was a lot of the boat missing, like everything from the deck up.... I had forgotten how short the cockpit sides are :eek:

Dave

[Trident]

In 1959 either while still in high school or just after graduating I assembled the first full conversion kit sold out of the Mercury Secaucus NJ distribution center. My brother was in the Air Force at that time so I put the engine together for him. I remember having to scrape the inside of the foot to fit the larger gears. The conversion did add a lot to the power the engine produced.

I currently have one of the first 25 conversions assembled by Quincy Welding. The engine has the original Mercury serial number and the Quincy serial number FY20. It is my understanding Mercury sent the first 254 kits to Quincy for evaluation. If anyone is interested I can post pictures of the engine. It still has the white fuel lines as originaly supplied by Mercury.

David

Yup, white (ish) fuel lines...

Many 20H's, after being converted and making more power, would break the crankshaft soon after. The crank would break right above the top counterweight, below the bearing. That corner where the bearing surface met the machined flange of the counterweight was a pretty sharp corner. Can you say 'stress raiser'? The replacement cranks had a radius in that corner. No more problem.

I still have my original 20H crank, broken, sitting on a shelf in my office... sort of an anti-trophy. Dunno why I keep stuff like that...

787436 was my first 20H. Kids are amazed that geezers can remember serial numbers of motors from 50 years ago... what they don't know is that you had to put that number on every entry blank. How could you not remember it?

Jerry

[jon66w]

Jon Walters has a photo of the 1959 Neosho, WI BU race... that was the first time the 20H's with the conversion kits were raced. Jon won that race on a wide Sid copy, a Broas Craft. If memory serves, he still had 1:1 gears.

When I converted my 20H for 1960, my first season of racing, I ran 1:1 at first, as I couldn't afford the gears AND new props! 16:21 was better, once I got there.

Jon, any chance you could post thay photo and fill in the background info?

Jerry

I started getting interested in boat racing when I was around 12 years old in 1951. My neighbor on our lake in Wisconsin got a used Speedliner Marathon DU and a KG9 with standard lower unit for his son. He and I spent a lot of days to see what kind of speed we could get out of it. I think we saw 39 mph once on the speedometer. I was hooked on speed. I also, started working on my father to build a kit BU with me as he was an industrial arts teacher with a complete workshop at his disposal. Unfortunately, neither of my parents had any interest in boating. I started working at odd jobs and allowance until I finally had half the price of a Champion BU kit boat. My father agreed and we built it, finishing it late in the summer of 1952. I only had a 5 HP Johnson and a 12 foot Alumacraft so we rented a Merc KE7 for a weekend which I used with tiller steering. The next year I worked at a grocery store after school and weekends and came up with one half the price of a new Mark 20H which my father matched. Nate Walters (no relation) of Hahn & Walters Mercury Dealership in Milwaukee arranged for me to pickup and pay by cash a new Mark 20H at the Mercury Distribution Warehouse in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Total cost $320 – Remembered this and serial number, #788770.

I was 15 with no driver’s license or car so I just spent the summer of 1953 running around the lake learning to handle the boat in a variety of water conditions which proved invaluable in later years. I also got the Roloff’s, who lived on the same lake, interested in boat racing and Willard built his Son, Carl, an Airborne, and a 20 H, so we used to run together on the lake. Willard went on to be a long term Referee in APBA and Carl had success in the Winnebago Marathon winning it once and I think he got a couple 2d’s or 3rd’s. Later, with a modified Foo-Ling, he became very competitive in closed course as well.
In 1954, with my 1940 Ford, sleeping bag, and a boat trailer made from an old Ford rear axle and crudely welded frame, I was off to the races. From then through 1958 I attended every race in Region 7, most were within 100 miles, those were the days. I got some thirds but unfortunately the hand built Hot Rods had entered the scene. I could beat most of them but the super ones, factory altered so they stayed together, could out accelerate me out of the turns with their geared lower unit vs. my 1:1. This was front page news in the Milwaukee Journal sports page as the editor, Don Olsen, took an interest in boat racing and published many articles by Carl Stippich, who was fighting APBA on the approval of these hand built, non-stock motors with the Alroc coating to cover up the factory hand machining.
I ,meanwhile, continued to race my Champion kit BU boat further hindering my attempts to compete on our narrow Wisconsin river courses but not understanding that the Champion was designed to flat turn which we had very few of. We used a very large Sid Craft fin on the boat’s center line and grinding off the “lip” where bottom met chine, making it worse. See the first picture. It was taken on the Milwaukee lake front in about 1955. Yes, we raced on Lake Michigan and the boat was a real handful in the turns.
I was racing on a shoe string and was kept in the sport by the kindness of Nate Walters, Carl Stippich, who gave me Okume plywood to replace sides and deck with 1/8 inch ply to take off weight – I was up to 165 pounds, and he cut a “shingle” for the bottom complete with “lips”, as he had on his Stippich SeaJays. Bill Luetner, Lee and Sam Erdman, who let me join their "Flipper Racing" Team, Sterling Helm, Director of Research at Mercury’s Cedarburg plant and the father of my good friend, Mike, Harold Berghauer, and many others. This was especially appreciated in the fall of 1957 when I started by first year of college and my father died.
In 1959, Kiekhaefer had it with the Hot Rod so Charlie Strang asked Edgar Rose to come up with an internally tuned stack that would bolt to the 20H power head and added a better Tillotson carb and a geared foot to boot. As I understand it, the first three prototypes were given to Jerry Waldman and Bob Hering for testing, I think only on “B” hydros. The next six were given to Hahn and Walters and Nate, to my rescue again, gave me one at his cost. Deny Berghauer and I put together our “converted 20H’s” in the basement of Harold Berghauer’s Arctic Refrigeration Shop. This was the week of the first race of the season, May of 1959 at Neosho, Wisconsin – no time to test. Dick Engler had just bought a Broas Craft AB, (Sid bathtub copy), from Dick Wikelund to run his “A” on. He offered it to me for this race as it was a faster boat with a Hot Rod on it than my Champion. It also turned much better. We just put the converted 20H on boat with my setup, took one of the only two props I owned. I don’t remember if it was my stock OJ “Long Ear” or my Kaminc that Carl Stippich had modified for me several times on his “famous” trailer hitch ball. I was still running 1:1 as I couldn’t afford the new foot which was an additional $100.
Off we went in the first heat. I could tell I was going much faster than the top speed I got before of 49 mph. Also, the acceleration was unbelievable, even with 1:1. We later determined that top speed had increased to about 54 mph! The second picture shows one of the starts. On First Row, I was in 112W; “Wild Bill” Krause was in a Rinker, 55W; and Charlie Erdman in a Sid Craft Hornet, 19W; all with converted 20 H’s. Others were Dick Van De Plash, Homemade, Hot Rod,131W; Hugo Obermayer, Rinker, Hot Rod, 125W; Bob Grunska, Airborne, Hot Rod, 219W; Jack Schmitzer, Broas Craft, Hot Rod, 116W. I won both heats, 800 points, Erdman second with 600 points and Van De Plash, third. See third picture of a rather poor copy of news clipping. There are a lot of famous names on this clipping and I think Bob Hering’s victory in B stock Hydro was also the first for the converted 20 H. Charlie was faster in a straight line but had trouble in the turns with the tricky handling of the Hornet and a problem that was to bother several in the future of the Tillotson “burbling” in the turns until Harold Berghauer solved it, I think by drilling an additional relief hole in the carb body. I got the ceremonial “dunking” for my first win by my friends, Keith Stippich, Mike Helm, Dick Engler, Deny Berghauer and others. I remembered Edgar was inspector and gave Charlie and me a superficial look but made it tough on Van De Plash and his Hot Rod, “Vintage Edgar”. My most prized racing memento arrived in the mail a few days later, the second picture below, which was taken by Charlie Strang, who with Edgar Rose and Carl Kiekhaefer, attended the first BU race in the country where the “converted Mercs” beat the hated Hot Rods. They loved that first row in the picture.
I didn’t realize at the time that this was the end of “The Age of Innocence” in Stock Outboard racing. No longer could a father and son build a boat, go to an engine dealer and buy a stock engine and prop off the shelf, and go racing and be competitive. This is why Carl Stippich fought so hard to ban this Hot Rod as his, Keith’s and Carole’s roots had begun in the Soap Box Derby. He wanted to preserve that feeling in Stock Outboard racing. Maybe we should go back to this venue for the newcomers and have multiple winners and family dynasties have to go to Mod the next year. I bet Stock outboard would attract alot more Mod the next year. I bet Stock outboard would attract alot more newcomers then we get now.
The next race had several Hot Rod drivers, such as Ron Hedlund and Jack Schmitzer, acquire converted 20H’s with geared feet which enabled them to use their good Hot Rod props. Ron also managed to get his Rinker/Hedlund hull to prop ride, tucked under?, and was going 60 so I was back to occasional thirds. I’m sure Stover Hire did the same. Dick Engler decided to get a converted 20H and also a Hot Rod that was reworked at the Evinrude Factory by his Father and decided to run this in addition to his “A”on his Broas Craft for 1960. I had one made for me by Dick Broas but he made it a little different and it never handled like the 112W. I did manage to qualify for the 1960 Beloit Nationals on a fluke but was outclassed by the Hedlunds, Hires, and Maloofs of the world. I quit in 1961 as I graduated from college and had to get a real job. I got the bug again in 1970 at the Beloit Nationals and started again with Erv Julien racing DSR and DSH. Quit again in 1978 as too little water time and too many classes. I started again in 2005 with DeSilva/Yamato CSR rig that I bought from Tim Weber, Bill Luetner’s Grandson. It feels strange to make contact here in Georgia and be racing again against Tim when I was racing against his Grandfather in the 70’s. Now that I’m 71, when I quit this time it will be for good! (I think).

[jon66w]

I had trouble posting the pix, here goes again.

[A/B Speedliner]

That is a great story, glad you posted it for all of us to share. Us old timers have a lot of memories.
David Van Weele, 69 yrs

[Mark75H]

The prototype toilet bowl was tested elsewhere. These were the first production toilet bowls.

Whether or not any Hot Rods were blueprinted, they still had to be within spec ... Edgar & Charlie saw to that and were 2 of the tightest inspectors ever.

Many racers continued to have success with the Carter N and some even set speed records with Carters well after the Tillotson came out.

[Ron Hill]

My dad got Ernie Dawe a "KIT" in time for the 1959 Nationals in Seattle. Ernie has like no test time, but managed to qualify #i in BU. I thin k, and there might be wrong, but Ernie was running a Merlyn Culver Michigan that my brother had bought for his D Hydro.

Ernie's dad, Ruben, told Enrie to "WATCH THE GUYS ON THE STARTS" as Ernie had really out smarted the guys in the qualifiers. Green Lake in Seattle was pretty big, in the finals Ernie didn't do well....In his Frank Zorkan build (from plans) Foo Ling Hall Kelly BU...

I often wonder how many racers got started from Hal Kelly plans.

I went to Beloit, Wisconsin in 1960 and 1970....two great memories...I was fastest DU in 1960 and won the Pat Ryan Trophy for fastest time, and in 1970 I won the Nationals....

ADD:

Carl Stippich was right, race what everyone can buy....that is what built Stock Outboard Racing....

Last Add:

Bill Leutner, bought my 1974 National Champion DU and Tim Weber learned to drive a boat witha KG-4 on it...

I want to hear some Carter Carb stories, of course, I have my own!

[Trident]

I'd agree with Sam that some had great success with the Carter N, even after the introduction of the KA7A. The key was to have a good Carter (and many were not) and to use the fuel conversion kit fuel pump. Eliminate the pressure system...

One of the best at making Carters work well, was Ron Thomas, perrenial BU hot dog and outstanding 20H motor builder.

I ran both KA7A and Carter N from time to time, but I hated having to reset the float constantly in the Carter. We were not allowed, then, to reinforce that float tab, and the pounding of a BU would bend it.

Jerry

[Ron Hill]

In Worchester, Mass, 1957, they had the DU Mennan (After Shave Lotion company) Marathon, for all DU marathon winners. Everett Baggs had won the Blythe Marathon and Davve Hart had won the Needles Marathon. They got $200 or such for gas money to drive from California to Massachsetts, plus the change to win $1,000 prize money. My dad paid Dave Hart to take my AU back and my dad flew.

Dave and Everett ran DEAD LAST! We few Californians (Dan Schwarzenbach, me, my dad and the Baggs and the Harts...). My dad flew home after the race, and by the time eveyone was back in California he'd figured out why these two were so SLOW. With the motors riding in the trailer tio Mass, the floats beat themselves to death.


It was about this time that my dad started "Lapping" the needles and seat himself. You many years he had adjusted the "AIR" reed stops on the 20-H, as there was not measurement on that stop, so he lowered them...

He also discovered that Carter made a neoprem seat for the Carter carb, something he fould in several motors, during inspection, over the years.

We always ran the tops on "BACKWARD" on the KA-7A carbs, so if they over flowed in rough water, the fuel would blow past the carbs, rather that suck back in the carbs.

[Mini Max]

Picture and patent.

My teenage buddy got a racing KG-4 after the seller moved up to one of the conversion 20-H's. some 40 + years ago. Hearing that howl the first time was memorable. That green tank Merc (painted black) resides in the garage at my Mom's cottage now.

[jeff55vDSH]

I love reading all these stories of yesteryear. Thanks everyone for taking the time to share them. I sometimes feel like I was born 20 years too late. I was just starting out in boat racing back in 1976.
APBA Stock Outboard has sure changed from back in those days.
I wonder if anyone would have bought a brand new 20-H Merc if they knew their rig would be restricted in order to allow 20+ year old motors that were no longer in production to remain competitive? My how times have changed.

[smittythewelder]

Interesting to hear the guys that raced unconverted 20H's and Champs in the '50s saying that the thumper conversion was a mistake. From my perspective, seeing my first (all-Stock) outboard race in '64, I thought the converted 20H's were phenomenally cool-sounding and cool-looking, and could hardly wait to get mine. Had all the classes been quiet, cowled, and basically ordinary-looking outboards, I think I might have ignored them and concentrated on Inboards, which made noises like real racing machinery should. And if all outboard racing had been done with regular production motors with gearshifts and standard towerhousings like the old 36 Class, which some here have advocated, guys like me would not have bothered to look at another outboard race. I'm not saying this to be argumentative, just to point out another perspective. I bet that a lot of guys were turned on to outboard racing specifically because of the badass rap and crackle of the B Stockers' open pipes.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

After hearing the open exhaust of the Johnson SR's, KR's, and PR's, and then shortly thereafter the open exhaust sound of the two and four cylinder merc's in NOA Modified and Alky racing in the fifty's when I first started, compared to the sound of the first stock motors I heard along the same time, I would not agree more.

I probably would not have stayed interested with the motors "all closed up" as the stockers were in that time frame when I first attended some boat races in the early and mid fifties.

Several groups of folks would have probably been happier if things had not worked out that way though. One ex and one present wife, both of whom had to and to this day have to put up with "Huh", and "what did you say"?, and my neighbors when I lived in a quadplex on a main boulevard in Little Rock in the same time frame, when I used to run my modified 30H in a 55 gallon barrel with a test prop and open "Sycnrotone" exhaust. That baby would really make the windows rattle in the neighborhood while being run WOT under a roofed over carport on a cement slab with probably 200 folks living within a 100 yard radius.

Never had a problem with anyone. They were either all deaf also, or liked the sound as much as I.