Switzer Wing

[Ron Hill]

We plan to have interview with famous drivers of past and present... I found this Kitson ad...



See More Wings and Switzer Wings here: http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2301

[Ron Hill]

1964 Switzer, picture from Ted March!!!

[Ron Hill]

The rev limiters caused many spins in Galveston. Jimmy's Switzer spun in front of a four
Jimmy Merten's Galveston.....The Boat's name was Wet and Wild...
<HR style="COLOR: #72a5d8" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->I've lost track where I told the story about this accident, but finally found the picture.

Jimmy spun in front of this BIG FOUR ENGINE CHRYSLER, and the Chrysler hit him head on, and flew, I'd say fifty feet in the air, while in the air, the engines passed the boat , and when she hit, it was engine's first....the mother never slowed down, just went out of sight under the water like a rock....

Merten's was knocked out and was hanging in the water with an arm draggin and one motor still running... Luckily, no one was hurt bad...but, if you look closely, you can see where FOUR gearcases went right up, over and through this Switzer Wing...

The Galveston 250 Speed Classic, 1969...spring, I think. engined Chrysler rig...this is what the wing looked like after the wreck.

[Ted March]

Still the best of the best
and certainly one of the most beautiful.

1963 wooden Star owned by Ed Sprigman.

1965 NOA Staightaway record holder - Unlimited III Single Engine - 81.081 - 1000 Speedmaster with stacks - Knoxville TN.

1965 APBA SI Kilo record holder - 70.57 - 1000 club foot - Norristown, Pa.

1968 APBA SH Kilo record holder - 72.53 - 800 DR Speedmaster - Toano, VA.

Ted March has attached this image:


Last edited by Ted March on 08-04-2004 at 06:43 AM

[Powercat]

1960 Switzer 80hp Merc DR

[Mark75H]

Look how extra long the deck is and how far back the driver sits! :)

[Ron Hill]

Hey, Mark 75-H, Ted's and my goal is to interview Bobby Switzer...maybe, his brother too... (Dave Switzer).... I feel the long deck had a ton of lift designed into it....and in those days big boat, most anyway, were still thinking like I still think, and that was FLAT BOTTOMS to carry the weight....

The BIG WINGS had FLAT PADS....on both sides of the tunnel...

This is Kenny Kitson and me in my Snapper... We ran very close to each other for the first hour or so...(Kenny won), but what I'm showing is the how different the styles of the two boats were... Scotti finished second, overall I think, with a SINGLE MOLINARI.....the hand writing was on the wall about designs of the future...

Enjoyed drving the wings, but you had to plan ahead for a turn...by plan ahead, I mean like start turning about 200 yards from the corner..the V hull turn like a RINKER runabout!!!

[march3stv]

This one actually turned on one sponson oposed sliding around the corners as most of them did...

[Ron Hill]

The gun had fired.. Ted May was boat 80... Ron Hill was boat 70...The boats were waxed and damp in the morning, walking on them to get to your seat wasn't easy!!! You can see my big butt in the white tee shirt! Ted is on the wing section crawling to the cockpit...

[Ron Hill]

The last picture number 80, was Ted May at the 1967 Parker Endruo. Ted was the first day leader of Havasu in 1966, but the first day was only two hours. On the second day, (Four hours of racing) after two hours the gearcases came loose and caused the driveshafts to break. 1966 was early in OMC's Racing effort, and this was the frist race with these new Charlie Strang gearcases. The gearcases had been installed with a gasket between the gearcase and the midsection. When the gasket got hot, it burned away enough to allow the gearcase (S) to come loose...After Havasu, 1966, we never ran a gasket between the gearcase and the midsection..

At Havasu, 1967, Ted ran the same wing and was doing well, when a hole opeed up in the center wing section and the boat went down.... Well, not really, both pickle forks were in the air, and when I came by Ted was sitting between the two forks, watching the race... He never got wet, when the patrol boat picked him up he was dry.

OMC sold the wing to Bobby Massey or gave it to him thinking it wasn't worth repairing. California glassmen and Bobby fixed it and by Parker 1968, Bob won the outboard Division at Parker. He wasn't the fastest, but it was a 9 Hour Race.

In the 1969 Parker Enduro, Bobby blew a Triple Jones over backwards and had serious injuries. I saw the accident, he didn't really blow it over, it started to blow over and stalled out, cork screwing and throwing Bobby through the side of the Jones cockpit.


Bobby recoverd in time for the 1969 Havasu Classic, but blew his new Molinari twin over, testing for Havasu, at Lake Elsinore and was killed. Bobby was a fine guy...

Here is a picture of his Switzer number T 40 (T for twin)..

[Ron Hill]

After OMC sold Ted May's Switzer to Bobby Massey they were hard pressed to find another wing, as most of the old Switzers were tied up with Mercury and the NEW WING wasn't out yet...

So how OMC got a hold of "The Black Coffin" of J. Ernest Threlkeld... a teacher like me, only he was a band teacher...

During the month of February, OMC test for Parker at Havasu Spring at a plce called George Savards... George was a pain, but he had a nice bar, restaurant, and motel...

I was testing my DeSilva wing...actually, Ray Nydalh was doing all the testing.

We could see 98 one evening and Ray didn't want o quite until he saw a hundred.... Finally, as the sun was sitting and he had no fuel, with the wing all the way down, below the pads at the transom, he saw a hundred...

Thinking about the name "BLACK COFFIN", I went home and bought a fire proof suit...I didn't bill OMC because I didn't want them to know how much I'd paid...

Erine and Ted ran this wing at Parker to 8th place...First 99.9 cubic inch OMC, I had two Evinrudes, they had two Johnsons... Looks like Ernie at the wheel, as Ted always ran a bright orange helmet.....

[Ron Hill]

This Switzer Wing, I think was made of wood. as you can see the wing section of the outside of the two pods... Bill Olney was a Cop from Montebello, California. Rudy Raymos told me he was later killed in an ET blow over, but I don't recall that as a fact.

Glen Schaid, who drove with Bill, builds trailers in Lake Havasu City, Arizona...Don't know the name of the company, but would bet the name Enduro is mentioned. in the companies name.....

[B VALACHOVIC]

In this months Powerboat magazine is a couple of photos of the Miss Diablo 3 Switzer Wing. With no test time we could not get the boat to run in the water at this event. After a # of changes to the engines and help from Lynn and Harold Sinberger, the boat will be at A.P.BA. vintage and historic events for 2005 season with Kenny Kitson and myself.The open stacks should be on the boat by then as we could only locate one side inner and outer mounting plate for them and are having the other side made now.I can't beleive how difficult it was locating some of the old parts for this rig. Bob

[Ted March]

Knew Ernie well. Met him and John Dipetra at the Orange Bowl in 1965.

I was with Erniie a the kilos in Norristown, PA when he did a 270 with the wing. 360 might have been OK but 270 wasn't. Went in nose first.. he had a stirrup like control with which he controlled then wing. When it hit, his body went forwad but the foot didn't. Was wedged in the stirrup. He ended up with a pretty mangled leg. I followed the ambulance that took him to the hospital in Mongomeryville, PA and checked him in. Have always wondered where the OMC guru's were when we were going to the hospital.

He also had a very successful careeer runing a single engine OMC V4 powered tunnel boat built by Alan Stinson in the NOA.

[B VALACHOVIC]

The Miss Diablo 3 as she is today. This is the same boat as in the photo with the Snapper of Ron hill at Havasu that is in this post. Bob

[Miss BK]

Oh my, I want to see that Miss Diablo run. Last time I saw her run I was only eight!!


Here is a picture my brother took of the 1970 Havasu Classic. Out of 20 or so he took, it's the only wing picture we have.

[march3stv]

GL-20 and GL-21

Ed Tweed - red 1981 - Bobby's local test driver
Tom Harrod - white/green - 1981

[Miss BK]

Note the triple motors on that boat.

I was told there weren't ever any triple motor Wings. So maybe this is a copy???

Also notice that this slide is in color - a rare thing in 1970. That's because my brother had just returned from Vietnam/Thailand, where he bought a ton of Nikon equipment before retuning back from active duty. He tested it out at Havasu that year and then gave me all the slides. Way cool :)

[Mark75H]

There were 2 triple engine Wings

Go here and read what Robert Switzer has to say:

Jeff Bowman's Switzer Wing page (http://members.cox.net/jbowman3/switzerwing.html)

[Miss BK]

Cool Sam! Thanks.

So ..what do you think? Is that tan one a real wing or not?


Also -- Ron is right! Glenn Schaid owns Enduro Motor Sports Trailers.
Located at 1969 Commander Drive Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
(928) 855-7888

Glenn spent eon's as an official at Parker. I'll bet he'd be on board to help restart that tradition.

Ron - did you know it was Glenn who was responsible for me meeting Brad? He was the first Mirage dealer in Arizona, and that's who I bought my Tom Cat from. But I had never met Brad - just raced against him. When Brad came out to AZ with a new boat for the Hot Boat Magazine test, Glenn let Brad work on the boat at his shop.....then Glenn invited me to come down to hang out. ;) It was a set up. Brad and I have been together ever since. :D

About 3 years ago, we went up to Bob Switzers shop by invitation to see his new creation. Brad and Bob spent hours going over what and where to tweak. It was awesome to see these two boat crafters compare notes and discuss various construction techniques, personal boat building opinions and the laws of hydrodynamics. I took a lot of pictures of that meeting - in my opinion, it was a historic event.

[Ron Hill]

From the 1969 Havasu Program...

[march3stv]

One more Star...

[B VALACHOVIC]

The Miss Diablo 3 wing also ran 3 engines for kilo records. That was one of the ways we knew what boat this one was by the screw holes in the rear deck for the center transom mounting.Kenny Kitson said that when they were going to run the 3 engine setup that they wanted to place a 10 hp engine in the center knowing that the 6 cyl 3 engine setup was slower than the 2 but the powers to be said to Kenny this would not be ethical and would not allow it.The boat did set a kilo record with the 3 6 cyl engines but was slower than with the two. Bob

[B VALACHOVIC]

This is from the Champion Spark plug ad that says what those records were. If anyone has seen the ad it shows the Miss Diablo 6 in the photo.The Miss Diablo 3 was the boat that set the records and won the World Championship the other boat some how got its picture in the ad. Bob

[B VALACHOVIC]

Rear of boat at the Clayton event. Part of the reason the boat would not run was the exhaust. We have now instaled a pair of Super B P tower housings and had to cut openings in the housings to releive the exhaust at start up.Upon asking some old time racers they said it was always a problem with the stock tower housings and the 1 to 1 speedmasters. Bob

[B VALACHOVIC]

This is the Miss Diablo 3 With Kenny Kitson at Michigan in 1969. Bob

[B VALACHOVIC]

This boat survives today because M.R. KIEKHAEFER gave the boat to Kenny. After the boats outlived their use ,the factory usually broke them up for scrap. Kenny Kitson was employed by the Kiekhaefer Corporation as a factory driver and marine tech at the time and always had the best equipment. This is the lightest Switzer fiberglass & balsa Wing that was produced.Paul Allison from Allison Craft Boats reworked the bottom of this Wing for Kenny and helped make the boat the multiple record holder and race winner that it is. The boat will be running at vintage and historic A.P.B.A events next year .

[Ron Hill]

This is from the 1968 Havasu Program...

Bill Cooper's family owned Copper Lumber Company. He dated Keye Ralhs, of Ralphs Markets (Big California Chain).. but for Havasu 1968, his date was Faye Dunaway, she'd just made the movie Bonnie and Clyde...

Bill was one of a kind, passed away with cancer...not longer after this race....

[Mark75H]

Ron and Bob, can you guys list all the names of drivers of Switzer Wings over the years?

[B VALACHOVIC]

Thats a lot of drivers,given the marathon races thease boats ran and co drivers that were involved. I will post the few off the top of my head and others can add more names if they like. Ken Kitson, Jan Schoonover ,Dale Bunch, Bob Massy, Boots Spellman, Lennie Todd, Dave Craig, Ed Steuart, Bill Olney, Jimmy Mertin sr, Ernest Threlkeld, Johnnie Sanders, Dave Switzer, Bob Switzer. There are many more Bob

[Ron Hill]

Ted May is the only one on your list that I can't think of!!!

One thing they all had in common, when those wings leaped of the corners and headed dow the 6 1/2 straightaway, when both engines popped out of the water, at the same time, NO ONE lifted their foot...Pre rev limiters, those suckers would hit some hig RPM's bewfore they reentered the water...

Outboard Bob, seeing your "STACKS" brought back memories of St. Marys, Ohio, I'm going to say June of 1970. We had raced in Galveston, my Twin Ron Jones was plenty fast, but I had the engines so high in the tunnel, that the motors kept getting hot....can't recall who won. But in Single engine, Jimbo McConnell just ran all over Mercury. Oh, I remember now, because, while the Single engines were racing. the twins and triples were lining up. The fans went so crazy over Jimmy Merten's triple they know the fence down to get closer to the boat....Most didn't watch the Single engine run....

Jim Mertens won easy, but I was thinking, if I had two motors like Jimbo's maybe, I could run that triple...

After the race, I went looking for Charlie Strang's mother, I knew how to get things done at OMC. While I was looking, I ran into Charlie and Gary Garbrecht (Mercury's Racing Director). They were talking about running only single engines the next year. I almost "Crapped" my drawers.... Here, today, we had two races... A Single engine Race and a Twin and Triple engine race...

The spectators either slept during the Single Engine race or watched the Twind and Triples "STAGE"... To me, this Galveston Race was an eye opener.... Spectators LOVED the BIG BOATS and could careless about the LITTLE boats. GAry and Charlie agreed right there to run singles....I walked away shaking my head, vowing to quit BOAT RACING AGAIN!!!

Got home from Texas, talked to Jack Leek, he said they weren't going to St. Mary's, Ohio and they didn't have any extra motors... My wife worked for TWA, so I told her to get me a FREE tiket to OHIO and I told my dad and mom to take the boat, that WE were going to St. Mary's.

We got to St. Mary's and EVERYONE else was there too...Jack said, "Make sure you send me your expenses....". Jack and OMC were always good about paying expenses, not salaries, but gas, food and lodging...which was COOl, coming from a background of always paying our own bills...

I'd seen these pipes in Galveston, but in my BRAIN I thought the water going in was to make them COAST GUARD LEGAL.... I was a 5th grade teacher, not a rocket scientist...

As the Singles start, I watch figuring Jimbo is WHUMP UP on the Mercs again... Pace boat start, three Mercs are leading and it is hard to tell who the are. In those days the "HIGH RIDER" Molinari's rode so high in the bow you could see the whole bottom and the prop coming at you, but not who was driving. I just figured Jimbo go a bad start, which would have been very unusual for him...

Anyway, three single Molly's come at us, the bows get higher and higher and higher, finally, two of them at the same time take off over backwards. The center guys, I think Tom Stickle, saves his, but Bobby Herring and someone else just go sky high...

Later, I find that when you hit the water on the pipes you got a sudden boost of power...and whaa la, over backwards went two Molinari's like popcorn..

Soon, Renato start making what we called the LOW RIDER, then ran flater and would not get over 4 foot rollers like the High Riders did..

OMC ran all Singles at Havasu, but Mercury brought a few twins along, just to win overall... You know how deals work...don't you...

Cool picts Outboard Bob... When I finish my Boston natioanls 1963, you'll need to read it!1

[Ron Hill]

This is a DeSilva Wing... Red with black and white checks... The checks were painted by Capnzee and my dad. This was the first outboard to ever lead the Parker 9 Hour Enduro.

Freddy Hauenstein and I drove her, Mac McConnell and my dad owned it together...

Actually, I think Capnzee and my dad built the cowling for this DeSilva wing , too..

She had "Full length air traps", even on the sponson, like the Berghauer's Sid Crafts...(The had wood rails on he sponson...)...like the round sponon SId's of Bob Oakner's...

We got $200 lap money...broke a crank when Freddy was driving...wasn't his fault, it was used too much when it was new!!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

I recall when they quit campaigning the multiple engines. As usual the engine companies had a lot of say (almost all of it) of what ran.This is the same time that M.R. Kiekhaefer left Mercury . Had he been able to stay I beleive this would not have happened and the big boats would have been a different story. That De Silva Wing you drove looks pretty neat, the V4 engines at that time were powerfull for their size, (deceiveing almost). Those pipes I show in the photo for the inline 6's have the water injection that when you started off you would give her the water and in the turns coming out then again the water. There is not a lot of back pressure at lower rpms and the engines would bog without this. Bob

[peterse90]

Thats a lot of drivers,given the marathon races thease boats ran and co drivers that were involved. I will post the few off the top of my head and others can add more names if they like. Ken Kitson, Jan Schoonover ,Dale Bunch, Bob Massy, Boots Spellman, Lennie Todd, Dave Craig, Ed Steuart, Bill Olney, Jimmy Mertin sr, Ernest Threlkeld, Johnnie Sanders, Dave Switzer, Bob Switzer. There are many more Bob

Here's 2 more;
Eddie Doyatt and Spencer Dunn - both Canadians.
I think Spencer only drove one race in a Switzer; 1972 Canadian National Championships, Cherry Beach, Toronto. Went into first corner sideways, Andre Savard went right over top with one lower unit passing right over Spencer's cockpit. Spencer's arm was cut pretty bad, and I think it scratched his helmet.
Don't know where Spencer got this boat from for the last race of the season, his twin Johnson powered Shultz was damaged, but I remember it was painted yellow.

[peterse90]

Here's a picture of Eddie Doyyat driving Thunderball with what looks to be stock 1250's. He ran what we called UU class. This picture was taken in 1972.
The boat in the foreground is Sid Goddard in what was listed as a Godboat...I thought only Jimbo drove Godboats?
I bet Jimbo remembers Sid and Jimbo's old picle-fork Scotti that Sid blew apart in Peterborough.

[peterse90]

Here's a picture of Eddie Doyyat driving Thunderball with what looks to be stock 1250's. He ran what we called UU class. This picture was taken in 1972.
The boat in the foreground is Sid Goddard in what was listed as a Godboat...I thought only Jimbo drove Godboats?
I bet Jimbo remembers Sid and Jimbo's old picle-fork Scotti that Sid blew apart in Peterborough.

I should know better. Jimbo's were Goat Boats.
The above Godboat was an old Shultze that Sid Goddard repaired himself and therefore named it a Godboat.
I have posted pictures of Jimbo's Goat Boats under Jimbo - Wizard of OZ.

[texflagg]

I raced in Galveston tx, in a fiberglass Switzer Wing it was a turquoise color 108T number fast boat turns not so good.
I have a video of the race the boat did not have power trim which would have made it more competitive.
Also ran the boat in a lake Abilene Texas or Lubbock Texas I think the lake was called Buffalo. I had trim set out,more so it would term better in less spinouts. Seems like Ken Kitson was there. Or at least his boat? I will try to you tube the race in Galveston tx.
William(TEX) Flagg

[Mark75H]

That would be fantastic! I'm looking forward to it!