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Leo B. Wildman Photographer
Jim Buckhorn gave me his personal collection of Leo B. Wildman photos. Leo lived in Garden Grove and took many pictures. His wife was always at his side helping him and keeping him organized.
The last time I really remember seeing him was 1967 when he took Ted May's and my pictures for our passports. But there were trees in the background, so we had to get regular pictures...
I'm going to call Chuck Rear and see if we can get together, as Jim and I can't remember most of these pictures....
This was WOA Racing at its best...
All classes had two in the boat, as everyone knows, it is more fun with two in the boat...
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XX PowerC Cat and Doc Robbins
Twin Merc 44's on a Power Cat... The runbaout is Doc Robbins, "Coming at you". A "Flying Scott"...
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WOA: Boat Racing At Its Best
Truth is, Western Outboard Association's racing was really quite COOl. They weren't APBA or OPC, they were RACING OUTBOARDS and were proud of it.
In high school, my best friend was Rus Edmission, (Rus raced DX, with his brother Larry, in WOA) and in metal shop we built lots of things...Rus built a power trim from a hydralic jack. I told him this was a DUMB idea as things like trailer hitches were better. Well we built a trailer hitch for my 1953 Chevy, and the power trim for his DX and we also built a cross bow that shot welding rod...The damn thing went off and we shot a welding rod through the roof of the metal shop...
Rus went on to build Barbie some houses, Putt Putts and Hot Wheels, when he worked for Mattel...
I guess Power Trim was a good idea...Maybe, WOA had a good idea, stock production motors, with two in the boat...as everyone knows, it is more fun with two in the boat...
ADD; If you haven't noticed, these guys ARE RACING!!!!
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DeSilva Had a Pickle Fork in 1954
Ted May, Joe Moore, Bill Knoch, John Craven and myself were at Bixby Slough, March 1954, when the DeSilva Boys brought out a "NEW" Hydro for Lowell Haberman...It was a "PICKLE FORK" with both pickles connected ith a 1 X 2 piece of wood...The boat had so much lift, that it kept doing "Wheel Stands", not blowing over, but we gave the boat the NICKNAME of "The Flying Sling Shot", because, from a distance, when the bow went up, it looked like a GIANT Sling Shot.
My dad took a ride in it, a announced that is was a "DUMB DESIGN" as he came back soaked and said he hit a wave and the water came right down between the "Pickle Forks', though they weren't called that then...and he thought he migh drown...
Ralph designed them, there were several. Not sure they ever won a race...But I had seen a Swith with a "PICKLE" fork front end, in a Speed and Spray magazine years earlier...
So, this wasn't the first "Pickel fork" ever...But, like my dad inventing water skiing on Lake Elsinore...He had never heard of water skiing before he built a ski...these guys may have designed this themselves, without any knowledge of anyone else's design...
More pictures from Leo B. Wildman...
Scanning lessons $100 per hour
Let me know I can teach anything to anyone including a Hill (though it may mean a little duct tape to get the lesson started :-))
Glad to see you got the scanner working
Joe . i am glad to see you got the scanner working. Post more pictures of your Dad. He was a great boat racer .
PrettyMuch Guess, Lake Casitas
Lake Casitas
Lake Casitas is an man-made lake in the Los Padres National Forest of Ventura County, California, created by the construction of Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles before it joins the Ventura River. Wikipedia
Area: 1.719 sq miles (4.452 kmē)
Surface elevation: 338' (103 m)
Length: 3.293 miles (5.3 km)
Width: 1.864 miles (3 km)
Outflow location: Coyote Creek
Islands: Main Island
WOA and COBRA raced there for years. AS population pressure grew, the "RANGERS" got "PISSY" that us boat racers touched their water. Early 1960's.
The last few races there were APBA events!
