Marcelle Bellville

[MN1]

Ron,
I have an inboard hydro that may have built by Marcelle Bellville or Dale VanWierengen. Can you help me find out if it was?
http://hometown.aol.com/mnelson685/page1.html
Thanks,
Mark Nelson

[Ron Hill]

I talked to Marcel, about six months ago....but can't seem to find his numbers...Seems like a man named Roy Conklin gave me the phone number as they live in the same town of Newport Ritchey, Florida...

[MN1]

I also have information that it could be 1 of 5 prototype Karelson inboard hydros. But since I don't know anything about Inboards or any Inboard people it's been tuff for me to find out who made it. I do know it was made on the west coast and maybe in the mid to late 80s, but that's it.
I posted this same question at Vintage Hydroplanes and only got some of these tips, no firm answers. So, I was hoping you could help. Any phone numbers or contacts would be helpful.
Thanks,
Mark

[capnzee]

Post a picture and I bet I can tell you if "the frenchman" built it! If not I know someone who will Capnzee

[STEVE SCHLECT]

I owned a prototype 145 karelson hydro in the mid 70's, it was a Dave karelson, not his brother Ed however, post a picture, I'll know if it a Karelson or not.

[MN1]

Top Views of Hydro

[MN1]

Rear of Hydro

[MN1]

Top View again

[MN1]

Top View other side. Any ideas who built this hull?
Mark

[capnzee]

The boat pictured does not look like a Marcel Belleville design. Marcel almost always used hydraulic steering. His sponsons were usually about 3 to 4 inches deep and his prop shaft generally ran out the lower part of the transom rather than out the bottom like most hydros. Marcell's boats were a "take-off" from his outboard hydros and they ran quite well. He even built an unlimited which was around 30 feet long, powered by 8 mercury V-6's. It looked just like all the rest of his boats. I believe that a lot of the Karelsons were built along the outboard lines and that would be Dave Karelson's design. Ed Karelson designs were generally along the standard inboard designs. Of the three, I would GUESS Dave Karelson, but only guess. Capnzee

[Jeff Lytle]

Never saw a left sponson quite like that before.........Any better pics of it? say, from the side?

Did you try the VIntage Hydroplanes (http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com) website?? Somehow, I think I remember it there, but cannot be sure. Give them a try, they're friendly there, but it's quite a trick posting pics.

Good luck..............Give us progress reports please on the maker, and the construction when you get her done and in the water.

[Roy Conklin]

I talked to Marcel, about six months ago....but can't seem to find his numbers...Seems like a man named Roy Conklin gave me the phone number as they live in the same town of Newport Ritchey, Florida...

Marcel's # is 727 848 0590.


Marcel moved to New Port Richey, Fl about 13 years ago. We met at a boat race years ago. one day he called me from Calf and asked me about My town of New Port Richey. I invited him to come visit and stay with me and take a look around and he did. He then bought some property and built a house. While building the house he lived at my house. I was running 350 CCH at the time and he went to all the races with me. After completion of the home, His wife Juanita and his daughter Nancy joined him. Oe day he called me up and said he needed a hand unloading a trailor. I went over to his house and there was a 45 foot semi from Arcadia trucking parked in front of his house. That trailor had his entire machine shop, wood working machines, tools galore, parts and etc,etc,etc. It took 3 days to unload that truck.

One more interesting note about the house that Marcel built. this was no small undetaking. The house was located in a private airport. Upon entering into the area, there was a sighn that told you airplanes have the rightaway on the streets. Anyway, Marcel proceeded to build this house by himself it was about 2,500 Sq Ft. Then it had a hanger and work shop that was about another 5,000 Sq Ft. One day while he was building it a builder stopped by to say hello. he asked Marcel how many homes he had built, Marcel quickly answered that he had never built a home before. the builder told him to expet many, many red tags. Marcel built that home by himself, I mean by himself all the labor was done by him. He never recieved a red tag through out the entire construction. I asked him , how did you manage not to get one red tag? He said that he read the INSTRUCTIONS. can you imagine the intelligence and the talent it would take to do that.

There are many more amazing stories about Marcel and the things he has made and invented.

I have taken a job as a boat captain on a private yacht and had to move to Fort Lauderdale, Fl. Marcel and I still talk about once a month. He an his wife flew down here in his plane about 6 or 7 months ago. I took them out for a boaat ride, they had a great time. t

Just got back from the 2005 PRO nationals. I am partners with Small Brothers race team. We won the UIM O-175 World Champiomships. We were told this hasn't been done in this class in the USA since 1929. Tim Small drove a great race. He took 1st in the first 3 heats. Therefore he didnot have to go out for the 4th heat since we already had 1200 points.

Roy Conklin
F-7

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Great stories. Looking forward to hearing more about Marcel. I think it was from him that we bought a dyno back around 69 or 70. We should have hired him to tell us how to use it. Man, that thing walked us all over a hillside.

Guy had sent me an E mail a couple of months ago about some photos from San Antonio or Winona. I still haven't caught up, but here is one from San Antonio. More stories, please.

[Roy Conklin]

Hi Wayne,

That is a very interesting picture of a Pugh boat. I bought that boat from Gary at a race in Acworth Georgia. That boat is the very first hydro that Gary built. The boat was light, turned great but was flimsy, it didn't stay together. However, it proved that Gary had the talent to build hydros.

More about Marcel. Where Marcel lived was a sort of uppty area. Every christmas a familily up the street from him had a very large Christmas display outside their home. Animations, billions of lights, music, etc. This would bring hundreds of cars down Marcels street and block the street for the locals. This went on for 2 or 3 years. Marcel got fed up with fighting the traffic every year. He appealed the the people with the display to hire some people to control the traffic. They refused,this was a private gated community. Marcel felt that he had a right to free access to his property,without the problem of fighting all the traffic. Since it was a gated community with a private road he thought he would stop traffic from entering. He litterly stopped traffic at the gate and wouldn't let them proceed unless they were residents. They had him on the local TV station and called him the Grinch of New Port Richey. The guy has big ones when he thinks he is right. I thought it was really funny myself.
Recently I got an emai from Marcel. It was a picture of him on a Harley motorcycle. he told me he had bought a Harley Sportster. The picture was great. Marcel was sitting on his bike. He had on all his leathers, and a black leather hat. Sticking out from under the hat and hanging down about 2 feet, was long white hair. He was wearing a wig, what a great pic. I would send that pic but it is at my home comp and I am on the boat.

Anyway good to hear from you Wayne, I am in Norfolk, VA for the summer, will return to Ft Lauderrdale in mid Nov. If you get this way give me a call and I'll give you a tour of the yacht.

Roy Conklin F-7
954-816-5146

[Ron Hill]

Marcel just sent me these, I assume he wanted me to post them for him...

Thanks Marcel....Also known as "Clarence"...why I don't know...

Wish he'd send some of his REAL racing pictures...