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Ron Hill Family: Hill Marine and Signature Propellers
Here is my dad, 1945, I was a year old. It was a Rockholt, Evinrude, Six Stud motor, called a 60-42, serial number 0041. They only made 50 of these six studs, The cylinders were made of mostly nickle, which helped them stay straight, and that was one reason they were fast.
My dad had sold this engine, about the time I was born, and he was supposed to go in the Army. He had it sold for $250. All night before the guy was to pick up the motor, my dad didn't sleep. Next morning, he told my mom he wasn't selling the motor. She said, "She never asked him to sell it." I was born a week later.
My dad was to go in the Army, he'd sold his car and boarded up the cabin, at Lake Elsinore, and quit his job...Sunday before he was to report, President, Roosevelt said, "The war was changing and married men, with children, over 40 would not need to report effective immediately."
My dad was listening to the radio, coming home from Elsinore, in his '37 Plymouth....when he heard Roosevelt speak!!!
This picture hung in my grandmother's house until she died. The blacked out part had said, "Love, Your Son".
My dad got the boat racing bug in 1935 and never lost it....He died in 1997. He had the "BUG" for 62 years!!!
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My Brother Won The Hearst in 1949
There were 32 A Hydros, my brother started last in the first heat and worked his way to the front, in five laps. My dad chewed his butt between heats to get a better start, but he started last again, and again passed 31 boats. The Boat was a Fillinger, the name was Pumper. As the Johnson KR motors, or at least some parts, were also Fire Fighting Pumpers used in the BIG WAR...You know, the one we won!!! My dad had bought some Pumpers surplus after the war. They made my brother's A out of a Pumper. They did get a "FACTORY" block...
Once, my brother was testing at Long Beach, he was watching the speedometer and hit a wave, in this Fillinger, he flew up in the air and his butt went through the cloth deck. My dad got mad as hell at him, which is something he did in those days,..and he then helped a guy make a "Lie Detector" for speedometers....It was basically a check valve in the line, and it would hold your fastest speed, no need to look at the speedometer, you could look where you were going. Though a great idea, my brother still managed to blow his Swift Hydro over because he could not believe he was going 70 and he watched the speedo until the deck hit him in the face...His face went right through the plywood deck. When they pulled the boat in, the speedo still said, "70."
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Cambridge, Maryland, 1956
Russ Hill, Sr. and Ronnie Hill, August 12, 1956 Stock Outboard Nationals, Cambridge, Maryland...Photo by Hank Bowman.
I finished third to Dean Chenowith and Billy Schumaker....Don Pontius was 4th...
The badge did say Ronnie Hill.....
Jimbo please note: The K on the SPARK HANDLE is for a KG-4, NOT KG-7...
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AU Trophy Dash Speedboat Rodeo 1955
3-C, Bobby Willard from Oildale, California, leads Ronnie Hill and Gene Bettis is AU Trophy Dash...
Oh, I remember now, as I see Bobby Willard is leading, fastest guys started last.....and we only ran three laps....Hard to come from last to first, I never did!!!!
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More Lake Los Angeles, Speedboat Rodeo...
Here Lee Morehouse (Back to us)..is holding my brother as he starts his KG-9 powered, Swift hydro...A C, D, F, X Hydro....as they were called...
Lee may have built more than 50 Morehouse runabouts, he had been an artist for Walt Disney, and on every boat bottom he'd draw Mickey Mouse before he put the glass on!!!!
The Morehouse Family, Lee, Ibby and Danny were great supporters of Boat Racing both with CASH, and hard work at the races...Not to mention the boats Lee built and repaired for little or no money!!!
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Our Last Evinrude C Service
The Old Man (My dad) is showing off the block to his LAST C Service...He built her up and didn't know about some new rods...the old rod cut that sucker in two......
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My Cousin, John Heggenburger...
I have some relatives still racing in Seattle...John Peters is some kind of a relative...John Heggenburger is my cousin...he raced D Hyro, 20SS and 25 for a long time...He strat out in JU ina Larry Castineto JU that I bought for him...This is Robin Mayer next to John.....Robin was a hell of a racer and should be listed in women racers...Dave Mayer is the last ALKIE RACER in Region 12...He's been to DePue for the last two years.
Funny how many lives I have crossed paths with in boat racing.....
This race was at Lake Weist, both KID JACKETS were CUSTOM Laura Hill jackets...My mom made just about everyone's jackets...
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Jimbo and Me, Thanksgiving 2005
Bunker took thess pictures of Jimbo and me, Thanksgiving, 2005, ...That Jimbo is getting fat....Hard to believe he's six months younger than me!!!