Some rigs from the past in Region 10, photos by Hugh Entrop and Bob Carver

[zul8tr]

Racers having fun 60's and 70's:
(1) Marchetti with one of those top heavy engines,
(2) Spaghetti junction,
(3) Ready for take off,
(4) 4cyl mated with megaphones and tuned pipes how did that work out?
(5) The other side of Pic (4)

More here:
http://outboardracing.com/racers.htm

Below Smitty explains the names and details of the photos

[smittythewelder]

1) Mister Rucker, showing the Reg. 10 guys something new about F Hydro, maybe 1967.

2) Jimmy Hallum, assisted by Russ Rotzler, looking for signs of life in a Lucas mag. Mid-'60s.

3) Ron Anderson, maybe 1966, in a new Karelsen that I think he had just bought with Lee Sutter. The boat later set up to prop-ride set two or three kilo records.

4) Rotzler's second-wildest D Merc, exceeded only by the one with his home-brew fuel injection. Russ built these mind-blowers in the early-'60s. Hard to see, but there were valves in the exhaust header section, cockpit operated to switch between megaphones and bounce-pipes. Russ had to get out of racing about this time, and couldn't proceed with development. Hallum and Anderson also had valves on Anzanis during the decade.

[Ron Hill]

I actually liked racing with Bill Jack Rucker, Sr. He'd often joke, "That the lake wasn't big enough for me to pass him." But, he never, ever came close to dirty driving me, or anyone else for that matter.

In 1967, I drove for Harry Bartolomei at DePue. We ran every class. They did not run F Runabouts, because that was still considered a "WEST COAST" class.

Harry had a pretty decent Quincy MODIFIED 75-H on a Konig gearcase. In March, 1967, I raced Harry's 13'6 DeSilva in F Racing Runabout, Rucker and Fuchlin both had Lon Stevens motors, and both had lots of speed on me. But they blew up without finishing a head.

I managed to finish both heats, upping me first heat's record.

When we got to DePue, Harry told me, "Ron, squeeze the throttle easy until the RPM's come up, on the 75-H or your blow the gearcase." I got a very good start, and Billy Jack pasted about like this picture. I ran second but not a close second.

In the second heat, I said to myself, "The only way I can win, is if Rucker breaks down. So, don't push the start." Well, Rucker got a great start, as usual and was running away with it. I caught Waldman in the bottom turn for 2nd/3rd on the last lap. I was on the inside of Jerry, and I didn't wait for the RPM's to come up, I just squeezed it. I blew by Waldman so fast, he turned his head around to look at his motor as he thought he broke a timing belt.

Next year, Jerry had a 75-H (In 1967 he had a 44 Quincy Looper.)

Bill died at a pretty young age, something to do with spraying epoxy paint, I heard.

Bill Jack Rucker, Sr. APBA National Champion, 1967.

I got to watch Collin Rucker, Bill, Sr.'s great grandson race his first race at Cullaby, Oregon, about 7-8 years ago!

[Tuneafish]

Ron, one of my Canadian customers sent me a VHS of Hugh Entrop setting a record on Havasu . It looks like "super 8" into video, no sound as I remember . (1962?)

They ran down by the dam, and it's in black and white.

I've watched it a number of times, if you would like to have it, let me know . G

[smittythewelder]

Rucker's boat seemed so looong, when he showed up with it at Yelm. We used to wonder if Nick Marchetti really had just one design, an A Stock Hydro, and merely added a couple of inches per class to the afterplane length (length aft of the sponsons) for each hydro class up through the stockers and then the alkys . . . .


Take a look at the third photo, Ron Anderson with the Karelsen (in an uncharacteristic nose-high attitude). That rig provided a memorable scene on the record course at Yelm one year. Maybe '67 with the boat, "Haywire," set up to prop-ride, he tried to run it on the 1 2/3 mile oval. Ron made a late start, but throwing a roostertail like the Slo-Mo running against the old step-hydros, Ron had roared past almost the whole pack as he cranked into the big first turn. He later said he was running 96mph in the straights; can you imagine, in 1967?!! Anyway, the poor little boat, with its top-heavy B Anzani (and 45% go-juice) perched way up in the air over the surfacing lower-unit, was doing a fast oscillation as Ron came screaming through the corner and everybody on the beach stared in amazement. He flew past the only other boat left (Stu Lowe, IIRC), and it looked like he might get away with it, but about 2/3 of the way around the turn the whole rig did the quickest triple outside snap-roll you ever saw. Ron took a ride to the hospital, only banged-up as it happily turned-out.

[1100r]

Many years ago I was at Bill Ruckers place working on my 1100 motor. Bill took me to a storage place and inside was his dad's 6 cylender merc. John Medland was a part of the crew prior to going to drag cars.

[Ron Hill]

Ron, one of my Canadian customers sent me a VHS of Hugh Entrop setting a record on Havasu . It looks like "super 8" into video, no sound as I remember . (1962?)

They ran down by the dam, and it's in black and white.

I've watched it a number of times, if you would like to have it, let me know . G

A lot of old pictures, if you look for them are on You Tube. Havasu Springs, before you could get there from Havasu City, was pretty deserted. Well, actually, the whole area didn't have many people. We'd test with OMC the whole month of February, and the only boats on the water would be us. The main reason for the 9 Hour was to bring people to town to spend money!

[smittythewelder]

It appears to me that in general the old guys tend to congregate on this site, where Hydroracer.net tends to have more of the younger Stock/Mod racers. Those guys frequently start threads asking each other what changes they might make to the classes and/or the engines and equipment in order to attract new fans and thus new participants to outboard racing. A current good example of this discussion is, "The Silly Season," --pav225.

As an early Boomer (b. 1946), I have always thought that the sound of hot-rodded piston engines was not merely a side-effect of racing, but an essential part of the experience. I wanted to offer this idea to the discussion above, which I did in a separate thread, "The importance of the SOUNDS." I'm telling you old coots this because I have a hunch that a few of you might want to add your own 2 cents to that thread (and of course I'm guessing you'll mostly agree with me, LOL).

Here's a clip from that Hydroracer thread: http://hydroracer.net/forums/forum/main/general-hydroplane-runabout-discussion/460187-the-importance-of-the-good-sounds

(Quoting myself) "Well, I'm glad I lived when I did (growing up riding propeller airliners with four 2500hp radial engines, oh yeah!). I'm glad to have grown up in a generation (early Boomers) that could easily find a worn-out but mechanically-simple old car for twenty five bucks and slowly learn all the systems while getting the thing semi-road-worthy, all the time counting the days to when we'd turn sixteen. Nowdays we hear that more and more of today's teens aren't much interested in getting their licenses. Wow, what a change! The way things appear to be going in modern life, in a decade or two, outboard racing will feature robotic drivers, running silent electric boats. And while these noiseless rigs can be tested anywhere, anytime, what's left of the sport will be an utterly unnoticed pastime of a tiny little in-crowd of owners and their families, . . . and nobody else will bother to come watch . . . . Does this sound like just the usual cranky and boring pessimism of the elderly? Fine, welcome to the new age, the new age of socially approved QUIET." (end Quote)