Tinker Collinge: Boat Racer

[Ron Hill]

See it is hard for me to write about someone when they are next to me, because, I can't make up "FACTS"..

So, I started to say Tinker was an OUTBOARD RACER, then he corrected me and said, "Hell I racerd inboards, in fact, I was a 'Factory Glastron' driver.....in both inboards and tunnel boats...

All we have today, is Tinker driving Molly Ballou's Ron Jones hydro...

Here are some pictures of Tinker racing against Gary Ferguson's Jack Oxley prepared Chryslers...

As Tinker points out....Ferguson was lighter, Chrysler's were modified....But, in truth, these guys had some great racing and, as then and now, they made us proud to be outboard racers...

[Ron Hill]

Well, it is a good thing Tinker is here helping me, or my "Facts" would be all WRONG. I had read where Tinker was driving for Glastron Boat Company, in the 1969 Enduro Program, and I thought the boat was number 74 an inboard.

As it turns out, Tinker Collinge drove the ORIGINAL wood Molinari, that Glastron/Carlson used as the "plug" for the 21 footer, twin. Bob Hammond, then President of Glastron co-drove with Tinker...

ADD: Note the names in the 1969 Program: Nick Barron, owner of Hallett Boats.......

Last Add: Tinker says this Glastron Inboard never ran the Enduro. Picture is from the San Diego 250 about 1968. That was Tinker's first ride for Glastron.

[Ron Hill]

Here is Tinker driving a GLASS Molinari, AKA Glastron/Carlson. Same picture as the wood boat, 1969, except this time he's giving Leo Wildman the finger (They were good friends, as most of us were with Leo...)...

[Ron Hill]

Boat 33 is Scotti, winner, but the Mercs were in the hunt both days (8 hours of racing)...

The driver behind them looks like Ted May...

[Ron Hill]

Seems Tinker was to drive this boat for Mercury....But Bill Petty had blown his boat over the week before the race. So, Mercury loaned Bill Tinker's boat... Seems Saturday, Bill "Forgot" to change drivers at the pit stop. So, on Sunday Tinker drove, and he "Forgot" to change drivers at the stop too...

They finished 8th overall....

Glastron/Molinari, Mercury "Factory" boat.

[Ron Hill]

Bob Hammond wanted Tinker to drive at Parker...

[Ron Hill]

Number 56, a REAL GLASTRON at Parker 1967. Tinker doesn't recall, but I think this 17 foot Glastron, is much like the boat that Hank Bowman will killed in in the 9 Hour of Miami. Hank was killed with his own boat after being tossed out of his boat and the boat having no kill switches ran over him. Hank's death caused the rule change that required kill switches in all race boats. It also signed the end of the LeMans starts at Parker, as all drivers were required to be in their boats, with kill switrched hooped up, before the flag dropped.

I have first hand knowledge of driving a 17 foot Glastron, and staying in the boat AIN'T easy...

Tinker's boat had a 427 Ford....

Tinker also finished 13th overall at the Salton Sea 500, after being out for an hour and half...(It rained and stormed on Sunday, (6 to 7 foot swells on the SEA)...(Well, that is what Tinker says anyway...His co-driver wouldn't get in the boat at the pit stop, but odds are, Tinker wouldn't have let him in anyway...)...MIikey Thompson was racing a twin engine Carlson inboard and sank on the first day...picture is in Hot Boat magazine somewhere!!!)....

Bottom picture is the San Diego 250...1967.

[Ron Hill]

The 1971 Parker Enduro was an interesting year. Mercury had about ten boats, all single engine Molinari tunnels.. Bill Seebold told me about this year...Here is what I remeber Billy says..."I was testing on Wednesday, minding my own business and blew over, big time. I was limping around hurting like hell and about two hours into the race Sunday, Gary Garrecht comes over and says,'Get your jacket on, I need you to drive'. Billy tried not to get his jacket on, but decide he's just take a ride..." He added, "Hell I made a bout two laps ablew over again. When I got home I called gary and quit..but gary wouldn't let him..."

Between Billy Don Pruitt falling off the OMC truck...or being run over by the OMC truck and breaking his arm, and Bill Sirois (Blew over on the second lap and was in th hospital in Phoenix)...Mercury was short handed...is why Gary made Billy drive...

Here is Tinker driving along minding his own business, then blowing over...When, I post pictures of propellers in the Virtual Museum, I'll explain reason fro all thes eblow overs...

US OMC driver finsih 1,2, 3...as I recall the best lap time I had was an 8 minute and 32 second lap and I was second..... Hmm... ADd my 8:32 may not have been until 1973 with a Freddy Hauenstein motor...

Mary West's article re the Enduro..

[Ron Hill]

Here is Tinker is a Carlson, with a wood deck and a 44 with Hubbell "HORNS"... Tunnel in the front, flat at the back...This is when COBRA took over for WOA....

Where are all the houses at Havasu???

ADD: Jim Gregory is driving, and Tinker is holding the choke down as the choke spring had broken. Thanksgiving weekend....Lake havasu..

[Ron Hill]

Firsat picture, Mission Bay, Tinker is co-Driving (Actually, CO-PILOT)with Bob Ogle, twin Mark 58's with Quickies on a decked over Power Cat....Unlimited Class...

Second and Third, Tinker and his younger brother, Don Collinge, at Mission Bay, first FIRST PLACe. Allen Boat designed by Tinker and Jim Johnson of Oceanside built by Harvey Allen who built ski boats...

Fourth picture, is Tinker running Darags at Lake Ming, a C Hydro witrh a 44 Merc, gas, 77 MPH in a quarter mile...Tinker designed this hydro as a "LAY DOWN" but at 6'1" and 190 pounds, his *** needed to be in the back to GO!!!!

[Ron Hill]

Boat was designed for one driver. COBRA was going to do away with the Co-Pilot rule, but rumors of insurance rates going up...

What was happening, common knowledge, was that Co-Pilot was the one who always got hurt...

But they stayed with the two in the boat rule, because as I've said before, "It is more fun with two in the boat..."

So Tinker "Invented" the number plate, because COBRA said they couldn't read his numbers...but his number plate fell off...

[Ron Hill]

DP which was 44 Cube Mercury stock flat on the trnasom, no mods, center deck, driver had to ride in the front seat.

Havasu Thanksgiving weekend, notice the tree where still in the lake..

Burt Benjiman was driving, Tinker riding...

[Ron Hill]

Leo Wildman pictures...

Keith Ward driving, Tinker Co-Driving....A Lee Harris Inferno, 65 HP Class.. Stock...

Class was EM or E Modified...

[Ron Hill]

In 1963, Tinker had Doug Westbrook, of Regatta fame, build him this 14 foot hydro. Tinker had bought two Turbineek Reaction thrust ROCKET motors. One was ROCKET motor on a Go Kart had gone 132 MPH in a quarter and Tinker thought two would "Light this 14 footer up"...But NDBA and APBA wouldn't let him run it anywhere because of safety reason. So, he put a transom on it and a 100 HP Merc with a Quickie and ran 97 MPH quarter mile...

Leo B. Wildman photo...

[Ron Hill]

707 is Jack Oxley's boat, with Tinker driving. Tinker talked to Jack, last week, he's getting up there in age, but Tinker says, "Sounds like he's doing ok."...

Gary Ferguson usualy drove for Jack, but he'd gone on a Drag Racing Tour with Hayden Profit (of Garden Grove). So, Jack asked Tinker to drive at Havasu, 1966 or 67... The trim thw two hydralice jacks, with no indicator. When you wanted the nose up, you pumped the jacks...When you wanted it down, you turn the valves a bleed her down a little...

I always told those guys that that trim would never catch on...I guess, I was wrong....

[Skoontz]

Tinkers rocket go cart was in Speed and/or Hot Rod magazine, I remember reading about at the boathouse. His photo was the foreground with Art Arfons "Green Monster" Bonneville rocket car in back.

[Ron Hill]

The Go Kart in Hot Rod wasn't Tinkers...He just bought the same rockets...and FYI, the guy you talked to, on my cell for thirty minutes, yesterday, was Tinker Collinge...

[Skoontz]

that was then.... All I remember when I was a kid was how cool that thing looked!

[oldalkydriver]

Hap Sharp from Midland Texas was the first I knew of to use a boat engine in a go kart. I remember it was on the bottom rack of his trailer when he arrived for a race at De Anza Cove in San Diego. I believe it was '52 or '53. To make a long story short, Hap stuck around for a week or so. Him and my dad were always in the shop until Godly hours. Then the following Saturday, we went to Hour Glass race way.

Out came this thing they called a go-kart. It had to PR's. One to each rear wheel. Dad and Toprahanian cranked them off and then put the cart on the ground. Man could that thing fly! Hap made a few 'Hot Laps' and then something they hadn't planed on happened. The right engine 'stuck'. Hap couldn't do anything except turn left. One big circle until he could stop it. I looked over at my dad, and he and Toprahanian were rolling all over the grass, laughing. Probably one of the funniest things I had witnessed in my first 8 years of life.