Richard R. Walburn: The Great Boat Race

[Ron Hill]

I got large envelope the other day and in it was a book....a gift. This book has been the greatest gift that I can recall. Thanks, Richard. Richard mentions "Possible mistakes".....There are always mistakes, but this book has stuff I never knew about.....I've read it, re-read it and re-read it, and showed it to everyone....

I hope Richard doesn't mind, but I'm going post several pictures and copy parts of his book...There is stuff in his book that needs to be in BRF's encyclopedia..

Thanks, a million Richard for writing the book.......Let me add, you seem to be carrying a little guilt about waving to Jack Maypole.....I was running second in the Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago Marathon. I had never been to Milwaukee via boat and really had no idea where the turn would be. I hadn't worried because I figured I'd follow someone...wheel the helicopter was following the lead boat and I was about a half mile behind. I saw people waving from a large boat, and I'd remembered from the driver's meeting they said a "TURN BOAT" not a turn bouy...I slowed and saw a kid wave and point, I made the corner, and never looked back...I won the Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago race......

[Ron Hill]

Name Questions...

<HR style="COLOR: #000000; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Been reading The Great Boat Race by Richard R. Walbrun:

I need to know some names:


1. Who is D. Hansen, Menasha, Wisconsin, Centtury Boat, Johnson Motor, boat number DO-2....Andy hansen's dad??? What does D. stand for???

2. S. Rinker, Nobelesville, IN

http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8451&highlight=great+boat+race

3. G. Forcier..Skip's dad??? Skip's real name?

4. J. Schaub, Oak Park, IL....


ADD:

John Czaplewski D-2 class in the 1953 Great Boat Race...

[Skoontz]

Ron:

#6 on the list. Our name is Schwab, as in Charles Schwab, and, that's dad.

You have an F Schaub from Oak Park Illinois. Good chance we knew him, dad was from Elmhurst, which is 15 minutes from Oak Park, and my uncle was from Oak Park, but no relation. There is I believe a Norm Schaub over at Hydro Racer. Dad raced in some marathon they had in Lake Geneva called the Lake Geneva Regatta, 1957 in a Sid powered by a 20H.

'49 was the year he graduated from school, so, he could have run, but I'm thinking not.

[Tim Weber]

Ron,

My Grandpa ran that race 9 times and finished it 4 times if memory serves me. After the 9th race he decided that " marathons were for dummies".

One story he had was the following. I don't know the year but one marathon it was incredibly rough. He was going througn Lake Butte de Morts. It's french for hill of dead. Anyway, this is a fairly shallow lake as are the other lakes on the chain. The waves were so large that when he went down one side of a wave and up the next the lower unit and prop was hitting the bottom. When he made it in he looked at his gear case and the skeg was polished sort of from all the mud.

Another year he was in 4th place and dumped within sight of the finish line.

He told me that the prizes were pretty significant for the winners. First place was a new motor in the class you ran from Mercury. I'm sure there was cash too but I don't know about that. I do remember we had a set of tools that we used for years that he had won and a stop watch.

If you see a pic of D-10-W in a Switzer or Sid thats' Bill Leutner.

Tim

[capnzee]

I had a friend who has passed away a number of years ago in a plane crash, but he always talked about winning the Winnebago marathon race. His name was Joe Schulte. He raced a C class run-a-bout with round chines powered by a Merc 30H. I'm not sure if he ever really won the race or not, but he was sure proud of the fact that he raced in it. Joe was a fantastic racer not only in the runabout class but also in his "C" Sidson Hydro. He also raced a 145 cu. in. hydro called "Yaller Dawg", an early Jones hydro. He loved the "kneel-downs", he even knelt in his inboard and used a Keller hand throttle to go fast. The faster he went, the farther he leaned out over the nose of that Jones hydro, and Joe had the nose to do it with. Joe introduced me to Ron Hill, Ted May and Bill Boyes. Bill became my room mate, built 2 boats for me and later became my "best man". A friend of Joe Schulte, God bless his soul ! :) Rod

[Ron Hill]

Here is what was printed about Joe Schulte....

[Ron Hill]

Bill was quite a racer....

[capnzee]

As I said, Joe Schulte was a great racer and should have been very proud of his 1st place in that round chined Rinker. He was a tough man to beat in any class he raced. Thanks for the official results confirming his win. :) Rod