Joe Swift

[Mark75H]

I can't find my master notes about Joe Swift right now, but I'll start with what I can remember from memory.

Swift was involved in wood working or furniture manufactoring back in the 1950's. One of the main products was clothespins ... the company logo was actually a clothespin.

In the late 1950's Joe got connected with Carl Kiekhaefer and made a deal to build boats and supply them to every Merc dealer .... making every Merc dealer a Swift race boat dealer. This deal made Swift the most popular race boat in the US, probably the world back in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I can't find my notes on it right now, but the total number of boats was something like 5,000. There were other boats that were faster, but Swift outright dominated racing by shear numbers in that time.

In the late 1960's Joe took over PR for Mercury racing and was once again at the forefront of outboard racing.

Its a start any way .... I'll try to find the exact and correct details.

[Tomtall]

OK - Lets post some Swift hulls here to go with Joes background.

This one I'm posting belonged to Ronald Liethas of Wis.. Pic was taken in 1992 after restoration of his "Big Bee". Nice,Very Nice!:)

[Ron Hill]

My brother went in the Army in 1952, and as Oldalkyraces said, he thought he went to Korea...Well, Russ was to go to Korea, but went to Germany instead... Seems the Army wanted him to run an IBM machine...Whatever that was in those days...My brother said he'd sleep on it and when it quit shaking, he'd add more cards...

My brother spent a lifetime in the computer business because of the ARMY.

When he was in the Army, my dad bought my brother a new Swift hydro...Nailed together, by god...A C-D-F-X Hydro...2 feet longer than a Neal..or something...My dad sand bagged a Mark 40 and A KG-9 for my brother. I wasn't old enough to race, yet, and didn't have a boat... Everyday, when I went into my dad's gargage (Shop) I'd look at that Swith, sitting on its side in a wooden crate...White Kainer steering wheel...Don't seem to recall a throttle...but I'd kind stick my head between the crate boards and pretend I was driving that damn thing...Then my dad would yell at me, "Not to tangle the steering" and come in here and start doing something...and don't pull the disappearance act."

That went on for about 9 months...When Jr. go home, I had me a Terrill AU and I was "RACING" every weekend behind Seaboard or over at Bixby Slough...waiting for my brother to come home so I could watch HIM drive that Swift....It was quite a thrill, considering the first time he put on his Six Stud racing C, he fell out of the damn boat...Big splash...(If you don't take the wheel and throttle with you, you fell out, you know)...

This picture is Lake Mead, fall of 1955, about a month after the Stock Nationals at Devil's Lake...

When I was racing for OMC, Joe Swift and I became good friends, though Joe worked for Mercury. Joe was easy to like. (Besides, I told him everything I knew...no secrets here.....YOU KNOW!!!!).. He had a great sense of humor.....Joe was always very humble, considering I always thought of him as a GIANT in BOAT RACING HISTORY!!!!

[BBaron]

http://my pictures Tried to send a pic. of my Big D Swift didn't work?

[Tomtall]

This boat was resently found in a warehouse that was to be demolished. It is now for sale on E-Bay at this link. Sure looks like a "Swift" hydro to me. Any input on this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vintage-3-Point-Hydroplane-Wooden-Boat_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26434QQihZ003QQite mZ130085894354QQrdZ1

[Bob Valachovic]

There are Swift Hydroplanes at the Antique Boat Museum at Clayton New York in the Outboard section. One is brand new and never seen water.
Bob

[Tomtall]

Bob - I heard about that. Looks like they have some great stuff on display over in Clayton. Skip Haggerman has a pic from there on his web site showing a very nice restored "Neal" hydro. It looks like there are several swifts parked around it. The link to that pic is
http://www.infoblvd.net/sah/outboard9.html

[Tim Chance]

The hydro on e-bay doesn't look like an old c/d Swift to me. The cowl doesn't seem long enough and the transom doesn't seem right. Considering the part of the country it's in it could by an R. Alan Smith boat.

[Tomtall]

Thanks Tim. :)

[russhill]

Are we talking about Joe because he died or what???

Dead or alive, I'll still say I liked Joe Swift. During the time I had a Swift C-D-F-X hydro, and subsequently a Big-Bee, I never met Joe.

In later years, after he joined Kiekaefer and got active in Offshore and I was active in Offshore, I met him. I really liked him. He was/is a gentleman. I took him to the airport on numerous occasions when he visited Southern California.

We had dinner together numerous times and generally hung out together. We’d talk Offshore, stock outboard hydros, etc. etc. His hydros made a significant impact on stock racing.

If Ron gets around to his Hall of Fame, Joe already has my vote.

[Ron Hill]

Thought about this ad, today...I think this is Burt Ross...Burt Ross was Jack Leek's brother-in-law....

[Mike R. Cole]

Joe Swift had diabetes and eventually had both his legs amputated. He continued to work for Mercury Marine as their PR man moved from Florida to Wisconsin where is later died.

Joe's former wife Jewel Swift (who worked in the factory and actually water tested the hydroplanes is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

Joe and Jewel Swift are my Godparents.

[ezryder]

Thought about this ad, today...I think this is Burt Ross...Burt Ross was Jack Leek's brother-in-law....

Hi Ron,
That is Tommy Hagood in the Swift. The Hagood Brothers owned a
Mercury Dealership in Orlando, Fla.
I hung out there in my youth. They built my stockers for me.

Tommy won the BSH championship, I believe, in 1952 using a Swift
A/B Hydro.
George Taylor

[Mike R. Cole]

A couple of weeks ago Joe Swift's son, James A. Swift 55yrs, died of cancer in th Orlando Fl area..

Jewel Swift, Joe's ex-wife during the Swift Hydroplane production years, is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

[Mike R. Cole]

Jack Leek worked for Outboard Marine Corp. during the (60's) years that my father, Richard C. Cole, was designing boats for them.

[1-D 1-US]

I beleive the early boats were made of 3 ply fir plywood...my father bought me 1 for my birthday [not fir] I think in 54'...I never could drive a damn swift..kept stuffing the damn things in. As I remember I never did race it ...think I sold it to Racer Allen. he was a little funny even back then.
Dion:D

[ezryder]

A couple of weeks ago Joe Swift's son, James A. Swift 55yrs, died of cancer in th Orlando Fl area..

Jewel Swift, Joe's ex-wife during the Swift Hydroplane production years, is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the update on James. I met him for the first time at the
Tavaries Vintage Boat Show back in March. He never mentioned he
had cancer.
I'm really sorry to hear of his passing -- RIP Jimmie!!

I'm from Orlando also, but moved to Lady Lake 12 years ago. I'm retired. I was a boat racer in my youth. My dad was too. And I knew
Joe Swift. And drove his boats also. He had a shop in Mount Dora.

I have a fir plywood Swift A/B hydro in my collection. All his early
A/B's and C/D's were built with Fir. Later he added ocumae construction.

Regards,
George

[ezryder]

I beleive the early boats were made of 3 ply fir plywood...my father bought me 1 for my birthday [not fir] I think in 54'...I never could drive a damn swift..kept stuffing the damn things in. As I remember I never did race it ...think I sold it to Racer Allen. he was a little funny even back then.
Dion:D

Hi Dion,
Yes, they were! In '54 your got occumae!

He He --- You could "stuff" em, and "blow" em over too. I did both
quite a few times. But I was "young and foolish"!! I only understood
one throttle position --- WFO!!!! hehe!!
George

[Tim Chance]

I had two different Swift Hydros. I don't know what the A/B boat with the flat cowl was made of, but I think the decks on my Big Bee were made out of Birch.

[ezryder]

I had two different Swift Hydros. I don't know what the A/B boat with the flat cowl was made of, but I think the decks on my Big Bee were made out of Birch.

Hi Tim,
By the time Joe was building the Big Bee, Atomic A and D model, all were constructed with ocumae to the best of my knowledge.
The A/B and C/D models were offered in fir and ocumae.
The first A/B's were only built with fir. That's what my boat was.
But my friend, Archie Golson, bought an ocumae version in '54.
Geo

[Mike R. Cole]

I know several that have restored Swift hydros. I have previously brought Jewel Swift to the Mont Dora Classic Boat Show, but, within the last year of two she fell and broke her hip on two different occasions and cannot attend anymore.

I will probably attend the upcoming show in Travares this year without Jewel.

Dad also designed the Yellow Jacket boats made back in the 50's out of molded wood. They became quite famous when TV Cowboy Roy Rogers became part owner of the company.

Mike R. Cole

[ezryder]

I know several that have restored Swift hydros. I have previously brought Jewel Swift to the Mont Dora Classic Boat Show, but, within the last year of two she fell and broke her hip on two different occasions and cannot attend anymore.

I will probably attend the upcoming show in Travares this year without Jewel.

Dad also designed the Yellow Jacket boats made back in the 50's out of molded wood. They became quite famous when TV Cowboy Roy Rogers became part owner of the company.

Mike R. Cole

Hi Mike,
Tell me more about yourself, if you would.
And convey my blessings to Jewel. I doubt that she remembers me because I was just a young teen back then.
But she may remember my father, Byrne Taylor. He bought Joe's race boats and motors, and his trailer in 1948. I was just 8 years old then.
My dad started me racing in M hydro in '48. By '52 I was old enough to race stockers, so my Dad bought me a Swift A/B hydro and a KG7H

I was involved in boat racing well into the 60's. I'm guessing we have a lot in common.
I'm wondering about your "godfather" comment??
Regards,
George

[Mike R. Cole]

Dad was born in London England, went to South Africa in about 1935, and then came to the States in 1947. He had a passion for boat design, and, without any formal schooling other than high school, he stared designing small outboard boats while in Africa. He first job in the States was in Minnesota where he help fix boats for a company there, but, he disliked the cold weather. While waiting to come into the States they lived in Canada for awhile and it was there that dad designed the hull that eventually became the very successful Yellow Jacket boat. Dad moved to Florida in 1950 when he met Woody Woodson and they started Thunderbird boat company in about 1956, building some of the first fiberglass boats in Florida. Thunderbird went bankrupt in 1960, was purchased by Alliance Machine Company out of Ohio (a big crane company) and dad designed for them through about 1969 when the company was bought by Fuqua. Most of the Thunderbird employees moved to Sarasota where they joined Wellcraft Marine. Dad designed the Airslot line of boats for them which became very successful. He also designed for others including OMC, Donzi, Coronet boats of Denmark, the US Coast Guard and other companies. During the early years in Florida dad met Joe Swift and I think sold him some of the Yellow Jacket boat hulls for production boats out of the Swift WoodCraft company in Mount Dora. Joe and Jewel agreed to be our Godparents (myself and my brother - who later died of cancer). In 1960 dad was involved in a bad head-on car accident with two OMC executives while driving to Naples. The driver of dad's car (Ray Nelson) was killed in that accident. Joe and Jewel got divorced and I lost touch until I was researching Swift hydros a few years ago on the internet and found her photo in an article about the Mount Dora boat show. I took her to several shows or about 3-4 years until she broke her hip and could not longer attend. Joe Swift worked as a PR man for Mercury for many years and eventually moved back to Wisconsin where he later died.

[ezryder]

Hi Mike,
Your comments are of great interest to me.
In my mind's eye, I remember seeing some of those Yellow Jacket
boats at Joe's shop. Of course I had no idea your Dad was involved.
I thought Joe was producing them.
I only remember them as being molded, not conventional construction.
I was aware that Joe built pleasure boats also, but my visit's to his shop
were mostly limited to the racing production line.

In the early 50's we did a lot of our alky testing on lake Ola, right close to Joe's shop. We lived on a lake, but testing the alky's there was out of the question due to the noise. I even got hassled testing my stockers from time to time.

Do you remember the name Bill Chritchfield? He built Scat Craft boats in the early fifties.
Then he began building fiberglass boats and changed the name to
Critchfield boats.

When I was 12 years old I would go over across our lake to where
Bill lived. I watched him build a hydro in his landlord's chicken coop.
Later my dad invited him to build some race boats at our place. We
had a race shop down at the lake and plenty of room to build boats.
End result is that I learned how to build my own boats and also helped
Bill make the decision to quit his job and start building boats full time.

Over the years I built a number of racing boats. Both runabouts and
hydros. Some were dogs but some were very successful!
In the early 60's I built OPC custom racing hulls for Bill's customers.

Great times!!!!!!!

In my collection I currently have a restored Mk20H. A restored KG&H and a Mk20H "popper" restoration project currently going on.
I also have my original Champion Hot Rod I've kept all these years.
And I have a Wilson runabout that I've kept since I won 3 class
championships with it in 1956.
And recently acquired a Swift
A/B Hydro just like my dad bought me.


If you want to read more about my past just type in <ezryder> in the forum search engine. It will take you to my musings.
I've been adding more of my Dad and my racing history as I have the
time. I think you'll find it interesting.

Regards,
George (ezryder)

[Mike R. Cole]

There is a lot of history between the Swift family and Mr. Richard Cole when it come to boats and racing.

Hydro designer Ted Jones met Jewel Swift years later and took a liking to her and wanted to marry her. But, Jewel had poor experiences in her own marriage to Joe and did not take Ted up on the offer. Jewel told me this story herself.

The Yellow Jacket hulls were cold molded in an autoclave which was the same process they used during WWll to build the British Mosquito bomber which was all wood. In fact the Yellow Jackets were produced in Canada in the same factory where they had previously produced the Mosquito bomber.

I would like to see your Swift Hydro and meet with you sometime. I live down in Plantation Fl. 954-424-1238.

Mike R. Cole

[Mike R. Cole]

I have a friend that lives up in Lady Lake. He owns a trailer up there and use to ride with me as a reserve Police Officer when I was a Sergeant. I am now a Lieutenant with the Miami Springs Police Department and working on my 30th year and thinking about retirement.

[Danny Pigott]

This is my 1956 Swift Big Bee. The pic's are not good. I think you could put a motor on it an run it today. It is still in good shape other than that ugly paint job.

[ezryder]

Hi Danny,
Kool! Looks to be in good shape except the paint job.
Looks as though you could just do up the paint and your set to go.

My A/B is solid wood wise. And could just be put in the water and off you go. But I decided I want to re do the paint job first. I've already restored the hardware.
It was licensed in the late 80's. I'm not 100 % sure, but it appears that it was redone inside and out with epoxy.
The deck has a long rip in the canvas deck. So I have to re do that.
Then epoxy paint on the top deck will make it ready.
The bottom is in good shape as it is. Only thing I don't like is someone
stained the fir plywood a dark color before epoxying it. But I can live with that cuz the surface is good.
The interior combing, floorboards, and dashboard are in original
varnish finish that is still good!

If you missed my pictures, they are posted on thread #45 (or close to that number) on my Racing history pages.
Geo

[BoatingBuddy]

Hi Mates,

Looking for a photo of a Swift Atomic A from 1957-58 My boat was yellow and # G 53 would like to show my son and grand son.

Thanks Those days were great..

[ezryder]

Hi Boating Buddy,
Danny's "Big Bee" pictures he posted is almost exactly the same appearance as the Atomic A boat. Not a lot of difference. Just a bit longer.
The Atomic A was a bit lighter also, due to it being a bit shorter.
EZ

[Ron Hill]

My brother had a Big Bee Swift, that we later sold to Jimbo McConnell. Ron Loomis had anAtomic "A" about the same time...As I recall th cowing on the ATOMIC "A" was longer than the Big Bee....

I ran my brother's Big Bee in A Stock and made th fastest time in A Hydro at the 1957 Western Divisional Championships... Boat had almost the same dementions..I took th bottom fin off and ran full links air traps...

[Danny Pigott]

If i remember right in SEBA most all Hydro's around 56/57 had full airtraps some of the Swift's had thin steel airtraps added behind the short wood ones that Swift;s came with.The steel traps were about 1 inch deep at back of the boat. Around this time they also went to sponson fins, I have a Papsts(sp) Hydro of that time that has them on it i will try to take a pic. Some people made full steel traps like Ron said an replaced the wood ones

[ezryder]

You are correct Ron. The Atomic A hydro had a longer cowling than the Big Bee. And the "Big Dee" had one that was even longer.

Also, Danny, your spot on! We started running full length air traps around 57. But we were running sponson fins almost two years before that.
By the way, eliminating the center fin and going to the sponson fin
added around 2 to 3 mph. And better cornering to boot!
It also made it a lot more likely that you could "flood out" anyone that
was trying to sneak up inside of you just before you turned in.

EZ

[Ron Hill]

I went to Worchester, Massachusetts, for the Stock Nationals in 1957.The first part of the week was like California, clear blue sky and all. About Friday it started raining and rained like hell.

Everybody turned their boats over to keep the rain out.....Between eating BAR-B-Q beef sandwiches and trying to stay dry, I cruised the pits.

I noticed all the hydros had no bottom fin and one inch aluminum angles added to their air traps..."FULL LENGTH AIR TRAPS". And all had sponson fins.

I came home and told my brother what my dad and I had seen. So, we decided to take the bottom fin off his Thompson Hydro, add full length air traps. We made the sponson fin out of his bottom fin by cutting half the mounting to the fin off and sharpening it. We went and tested and my borther picked up 8 MPH and could turn better....That was with his D Stock on it.

We decided to had for Handford for an Alky race. We got to Handford late, but they gave my brother permission to take one lap before driver's meeting. Russ had never had his Racing C on the Thompson with this set up....Russ roared around the course like he was on a rail, throwing water off the sponson fin, which no one had ever seen, like he was an Unlimited Hydro.

At driver's meeting, Henry Wagner said he would not allow "CRAZY" drive like he's just seen. Russ beat the fire out of those guys that day...Henry was always our friend, before and after....But those full length 1 inch aluminum air traps changed boat racing in California forever.

I went home and started working on the Big Bee Swift! (As I had wrecked it pretty good.....at Long Beach with single bouy turns)....I never ran the Big Bee in Alky A Hydro after Long Beach....

[ezryder]

The first place we tried using sponson fins was racing with the SEBA
circuit. They had a lot of very tight courses to navigate. Walt Blankenstein suggested that we should try the sponson fins.
I have no way to know it we were the first to try the sponson fins, but I know that I had never seen them the first time I tried them.
Same goes for the full length air traps. We made ours out of stainless
steel that Walt bend for us in his brake.

The net result of these two advancements were quite amazing. I'm thinking that taken togather they probably increased our speed by at least three or four mph, not to mention how much better we got through those tight turns.

EZ

[rumleyfips]

A bit late, but I just read this thread today and it stirred a memory.

As soon as I turned 16 in 1964 and started driving I got interested in boat racing. There were 5 wildcat races within a 30 mile radius and I bought an old Carolina alky hydro Z58 through a note on a grocery store bulliten board. A friend's family had a cottage on Newboro Lake, Ontario and the guy next door told us he had an old reaceboat under the cottage and we could use it whenever we wanted. It was a moulded plywood roundchine runaboat with a KG4H and Kamic wheel.

I ran the boat alongside an ASH from Newboro Lake , Indian, Clear to the locks at Chaffeys on the Rideau canal and back day after day until the bottom gave way. Moulded plywood boats were known for having a rot problem. I tried to buy the stuff but he said just put it back under the cottage. I wonder if it's still there. Ron you would have liked the motor, 44 block and all matching numbers.

I always thought the boat was a Paceship but Mike's story made me think it could have been a Yellow Jacket. A bit of Googling showed both were Canadian boats and both sold hulls with no transoms or decks. Some were completed as racing boats ( including Morehouse if the web is right). Paceship, Yellow Jacket and Morehouse were all pretty much the same.
It turns out I have more connection to these boats. A good racing buddy had relations who built moulded hulls in Mahone Bay , Nova Scotia ( about 2 1/2 hours from us now) before moving to Smith Falls , Ontario to build fiberglass boats. The last time I was there they were building boats for the US Coast Guard. My father flew Mosquitos a couple of times in the 40's. I drove one of these boat , I met people who built them and my father flew the airplane that inspired them.

For anyone who thinks composites are new, Google de Havilland Mosquito. A mococoque plywood aircraft built with balsa core plywood, using phenolic resin adhesive, clamped with rubber vacuum bags and baked in an autoclave; all in the 1940's. The machinery got from Winnegeg to Mahone Bay through Brigader Roy, exRCAF, the factory was run by Theakson and Richard Coledesigned for them before moving to Toronto ( Yellow Jacket ) and then onto the US.

Sorry to be a bit rambly but it was a long tome ago.

John McManus

[Ron Hill]

In '66 when I started driving for OMC, I was "BLOWN AWAY" by the the concept that I could get paid (Not real money but expenses) for driving a race boat.

As time went along I met Joe Swift. Of course, I asked him ifhe had anything to do with "SWIFT" BOATS". For those of you who now me, I'm seldom without words, but meeting "JOE SWIFT" in person, I was speechless.

A couple of years later (Joe worked for Mercury) as Joe and I had become friends, we got to talking politics. He said, "You know, Ron, I was reading a government survey about boats, and I learned that all boats over 50 feet that were trailerable were made of CEMENT!!!

I said, "CEMENT"??? Joe said, "Imagine, you are BAR-B-Qing some steaks and some guy for the government calls and asks you if you have a 50 foot trailerable boat. You say, 'SURE'. Then he asked what it is made out of. You say, 'Cement'."




Joe said every boat in this GOVERNMENT STUDY that was over 50 feet and trailerable (HOW MANY 50 footers are trailerable???) are made of cement.

Joe said, "I'm sure this guy Bar-B-Qing steaks says, "Yes, my boat is made of cement..." then, hangs up...

Joe was a great guy, very funny, seemed much younger than his age!

The OUTBOARD WARS were interesting years!