From Southern California, Harlan Orrin reports he is currently restoring a former Crackerbox of Art Fields called, ORANGE CRATE P-6 for Ken Bewick. Fields paid a visit to Harlan’s boat shop and brought along his scrapbooks for scanning. The scrapbooks included photos of Field’s LEMON CRATE, P-40 and his Rayson-Craft Marathon boat. Harlan reports he has rebuilt the frames, replaced the chines and sheers and installed new sides, along with a new bottom. He is currently working on a new deck for the P-6, which was featured on Powerboat magazine’s August 1969 cover. 
 

BOB SILVA’S WEST COAST REPORT:
Two Region 11 Owners Building Gold Cup replicas.
Scott Courts of Pleasanton, California commissioned Steve Blacer to build a replica of the Ventnor, MY SIN, G-13. The original MY SIN was owned by mattress heir, Zalmon Simmons Jr.. Designed by Adolph and Arno Apel she was a stretched-out version of the Gold Cup class 1-Mile record holder (84 mph) JUNO, owned by Jack Rutherford. Powered by a Miller V-16, the two-seater won her first APBA Gold Cup in 1939. She was a DNF in the 1940 Gold Cup event, but easily won 1941 Gold Cup, being the only entry to make it to the starting line when Horace Dodge’s MISS SYNDICATE became a DNS. Following World War II, Simmons sold MY SIN to big band leader Guy Lombardo. Lombardo had the boat converted to a single-seater and renamed her TEMPO VI.  After raising the Gold Cup class 1-Mile record to 113 mph, Lombardo drove TEMPO VI to defeat 16 other entries in the 1946 Gold Cup. Lombardo later removed the Miller V-16 engine and installed the popular Allison V-12. The original Ventnor hull was restored in the late 1990s by Joe Frauenheim and has seen action on the vintage race boat circuit.
Scott Courts, who loved the classic looks of the old MY SIN two-seater, decided he would like a slightly shorter version, allowing the hydro to be more easily towed to vintage events.. The boat will be 20 feet long rather than the original 24 feet, but all other aspects of it are to be made to scale. The MY SIN replica is being built in Steve Balcer’s Detroit shop. Scott is thrilled with the quality of Balcer's work, and said he feels lucky to have found someone with such skill and experience. Scott added, it’s really more about art rather than the appearance of simple woodwork. Many of the joints are all hand fitted, tight and everything is where it needs to be for all the right reasons. Steve still has to put the second layer of African mahogany on the deck and across the dash. Thanks to Tom Bentley, the V-drive is ready. The gas tanks and all gauges are installed. The oversized tachometer started as an old steam locomotive gauge. A mechanical tach was then adapted through careful machining and creative silk screening. Scott thanks Peter Kreissle, Jim Hawver, Keith Brayer, Mark Mason, and James Banke for their help. Since the use of a very rare V-16 Miller was not practical, Scott had Bob Mischo build a 502 cubic inch Chevy for the project. It puts out 530 hp at 5700 rpm and 570 bhp at redline. These figures are very similar to those of the V-16 Miller.

In Auburn, California Ken Murphy and his step-son Michael Mefford are building a scaled down replica of the famed Ted Jones designed, Anchor Jensen built, SLO-MO-SHUN IV. The SLO-MO IV stunned the race boat world when she was driven to a new world’s water speed record of 160.323 mph by owner Stanley S. Sayres in 1950. The 28.6 foot Allison powered hydro went on to win APBA’s Gold Cup in 1950, 52 and 53. She was the first West Coast boat in history to win the Gold Cup, and the first to turn a 100 mph lap in competition. In 1952 she broke her own 1-Mile record with a speed of 178.497 mph. The boat was badly wrecked and driver Joe Taggart critically injured in a 1956 Gold Cup crash in Detroit. The hull was rebuilt by Jensen in 1959 and later, restored to running order by the Hydroplane and Race Boat Museum in Seattle.

Following a trip to Seattle and viewing the restore SLO-MO IV, Ken and Michael decided to build a smaller version of the famous hydro. Ken was familiar with the sister hull, SLO-MO-SHUN V, having campaigned her in the 1960s as BERRYESSA BELLE, out of Sacramento. They have built a smaller 18.6 foot version while referring to scale plans of the original SLO-MO IV. At first they wanted the hull to be 18 feet in length but the shortened dimensions gave the boat an odd look, so an extra 6 inches was added to the overall length. Putting in 16 hour days on the project, the hull is now ready for decking. A turbocharged Volvo marine engine, along with its running gear, will allow for neutral and reverse in the two-seater. 
It will be quite a treat for spectators and veteran racers alike to see the Ventnor designed MY SIN of Scott Court’s and the Jones designed SLO-MO-SHUN IV of Murphy and Mefford running side by side at future West Coast vintage events.
 

VINTAGE HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH The classic lines of a Ventnor hydro are apparent in this shot of Scott Court’s replica, MY SIN, G-13. Steve Balcer is building the copy of the 1939 and ‘41 Gold Cup winner. Power will be from a Bob Mischo built 502 cubic inch Chevrolet.  The hull is 4 feet shorter than the original, but other aspects of the hydro will be built to scale.   ©2008 Bob Silva & Bill John III