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 S-136, S-146, S-185, 45-S Tony Lamontia  The beautiful red conventional hydroplane was built by Rich Hallett in the 1950s and originally raced by Wally Roland (Havre de Grace, MD) Tony Lamontia bought the hydro from Wally around 1960. Drivers used to be allowed to ride the hull while the boat was on the crane, as shown here in New Martinsville, WV. I’m surprised my dad did that as he was scared of heights and there was quite a drop off from the pits down to the Ohio River. Note that the boat has original Hallett cowls in this photo. That's Willard Wilson’s first boat, the S-145 is in the background. I think it was still the Lil’ Barb at that point.  Phil Kunz took this photo from the bridge in Charleston, WV. It is the best photo ever of Tony in the Hallett. It had to be 1963 or before because the number was still S-136 instead of S-146. Note the splashes: you can clearly see the sponsons walking. The boat was powered by a Ford V8-60 and Tony would see 75-80 mph in competition.   Three Hallett built hydros in this pit photograph. Center is S-136 Andiamo driven by Tony Lamontia. One of his competitors, S-4 Vagabond is another Hallett hull driven by Ed Barko. The Vagabond has the original cowlings and varnished wood. The other Hallett in this photo is the Firebird E-42. My dad’s boat was painted with Interlux red that he sold at the boat store, Parma Marine. The flat white fenders were great for my mom as she used to watch all the races standing on those.  Here the Andiamo looks barely seaworthy. I got a ride in it once at that speed. My dad wore an old Gentex jacket and it never got wet to my knowledge. The helmet was from the Air Force, from WWII or the Korean war. Tony was a B-17 pilot during WWII.  After a year with the Hallett cowlings, Tony bought a Jones conventional cowl, maybe from Ron Sr. The boat looked a lot more sleek, and good for my brother, my sister, and I - as the old cowlings became our fort in the basement. I wish I could get my hands on a Jones 135 conventional cowling. I still have the steering wheel, the prop shaft, and the Keller speedometer from the original boat (after it sank). I could rebuild it.  E Corse, Michigan 1964  Tony leads down the front straight in 145s at Ecorse, Michigan on the Detroit River in 1964.    Tony’s pit crew at Charleston WV. From left, a very young Ken Wright, unknown, Bill Halen, and Casey Penza.  Tony wanted some color and painted the candy stripes. The barber-pole look was to continue on the Jones hydro later.  New Martinsville, West Virginia 1962 The characteristic V8-60 exhausts came through the side of the Hallett hull that featured drop sponsons. In a V8-60, the center two cylinder exhaust ports were joined at the header into one pipe; thus, three per side, even on a V-8.  Tony won a lot of races on the Sciota river in Columbus. This one is 1963.  Columbus 1964  October 1959. About to go out on the first inboard hydroplane heat Tony had ever driven. Casey Penza standing far left. Bill Halen on the deck fueling.  The cowls were simple when Tony bought the boat. White and red.  This is from New Martinsville. It could be 1964 or 1965. Many boats of that era ran without cowlings, but Tony always had his on the boat. Most 136’s had the Ford V8-60 power, but the Ford Falcon was just around the corner and the class would be renamed 145s. Fairly rough water that day. The early hull number S-136 was highly sought after as it was the 136 cu. in. inboard hydro class when the Ford Flathead ruled the class. Then the class was renamed 145 cu. in. inboard hydro class to accommodate the displacement of the Ford Falcon engine. The Hallet cowls were replaced by Jones cowls in the early 1960s. The number changed to S-146 in about 1964 when Tony delayed in getting his APBA application in on time. The boat was sold in 1966 and the owner docked it and it sank of course. The hull was rediscovered in awful condition in the early 1980s. A sad end to a beautiful hydro. Mark Lamontia still has the prop shaft, the Keller speedometer, and the cast aluminum steering wheel. outboards  This is 1949, paddling into the Washington Bridge after the Albany to New York 136 mile marathon! Tony told me he was “one tired boy.” This was the most exhausting race he had run.  Tony won the B-Stock outboard hydroplane nationals in 1953 in Syracuse, NY. Winning a Nationals in those days was quite an accomplishment as there were nearly 1000 registered drivers in B Stock Hydroplane alone. There were a lot of names there that you would recognize – Stew Sill, Dean Chenowith, Dick O'Dea, Jon Culver, Bob Switzer, Jerry Waldman...just to name a few.  Tony Lamontia, 1953 B-Stock Hydro National Champion driving his Swift “A/B” hydro “Andiamo,” powered by a Mercury KG-7H.  The Akron Boat Racing club had quite a year in 1953. Shown here are Tony Lamontia, Jack Force, and Ron Musson, all champions. Ron was a good friend of Tony and Jack and was in my mom and dad’s wedding party. This photo can also be found in "Dragon Days: The story of Miss Bardahl and the 1960s kids who loved hydroplanes", the fine book by Jon Osterberg.   Tony raced B-stock outboard hydros. These are his two hulls in 1954, the year following his Nationals win in 1953 in a KG-7H and a Swift “A-B”. The hull on the left is a Swift Big Bee. The hull was rediscovered by Dick Tyndall, Mechanicsburg, VA and still exists. The hull on the right is the Charlton, destined for disaster.  Tony got a new Charlton B-stock hydro in 1954, the year after he won the Nationals. This is at the Regionals in Monroe, Michigan (the only championship he never won) in 1954. With one lap to go, he stuffed it, broke the boat in half. He wasn’t hurt too bad, as he can be seen standing behind the boat in shorts.  S-185  The Hallet lives on! Tony added a section from the Hallet cowling on S-146 to the S-185 Jones. He cut the fiberglass part surrounding the Hallet instrument panel, turned it around in reverse, and faired it into the area behind the driver’s seat on the S-185 Jones. This wrapped it right around to blend with the windscreen and picked up some mph too.  Earlier photos like this of the Andiamo show a flat section behind the driver.   At the 1986 Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, My dad told me this was the best start he had ever made and he hit the line at full bore.  Kankakee, Illinois in 1983 at the start. Bobby Newman in S-49 Superhook, and Rick Albright in S-46 Lucy Baby are studying the clock. Tony Lamontia in S-185 Andiamo has his foot to the wood.  What was the origin of the barber pole stripes? Not my favorite story. Tony asked me for a paint design for Andiamo S-185. On a vacation in Key Largo, Florida, I spent evening after evening drawing and coloring boat liveries (I still have them all). I finally came up with one that is CLOSE to what you see above. Close, except the checkerboard design at the back of the rear cowling was supposed to go all the way to the front. Tony had a small shop and taped off the blue diagonal checkerboard and painted those first. Then he got lazy and said “Forget it. I’m not doing that for the entire cowling.” He took some 3-inch masking tape and did the whole side in blue barber pole. Ahhhhh! (Postscript: It has grown on me over the years, but I still think it would have been cool to see the blue checkerboard).  1982 Nationals in Tonawanda, New York. Tony has his brand new driver’s suit on. Mark looks on.  Nationals at St. Pete, 1983 if I recall correctly. That is me adjusting the valves on the 2L Ford Pinto motor. My dad and mom (Jeanne) are there. Jeanne met Tony in 1954 when he was racing outboards, so she came upon it honestly. I think she drove the boat once at a Dayton test day. According to Tony, she started the boat, idled out in a circle and came right back. Never touched the throttle.  The Nationals at St. Pete 1983 Jeanne always held the boat.  About ready to go out for the first heat at the 1983 Nationals at St. Pete. What is with the Red Baron WWI fighter patch? Tony flew Belancas for years and had disc hub caps covering the wheels. I painted one hub cap to be Snoopy and the other hub cap to be the Red Baron.  The Nationals at St. Pete 1983 Tony and Willard (S-145) had quite a race.  1983 Inboard Nationals, first heat, St. Pete Tony Lamontia, S-185 Andiamo out in front. I always think it is cool to be able to see beneath the right sponson with the boat in a turn.  Tony Lamontia in S-185 Andiamo, on the backstretch side-by-side with Mark Tate. The boat always runs light. Jeff Corrigan, who raced S-185 as the Wonderful Sensation, (between the time he got it from Tony and sold it back to me), told me that when he was at the end of the straight, he would say to himself “Come on turn, hurry up!”  New Martinsville 1984  This is Ypsilanti, MI 1986. One of the only photos of me (Mark Lamontia) racing against my dad. It has Bobby Newman, S-45- Superhook, Mark Lamontia S-54 Highgain, Greg Barker in the brown Tor-Gre or Rewinder (I think) boat, and Tony Lamontia in S-185 Andiamo.  1986 Inboard Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. Tony won the first heat and came in second overall. History & Achievements of this stock (S) class hydroplane that was built by Ron Jones in 1971
  TODAY  The Jones was skillfully restored in 2016 by John Jenkins to new condition. The frames, stringers, hardware, and cowls are original. All the skins are new.  Andiamo S-185 got back in the water in 2022 at New Martinsville. Mark Lamontia now is the caretaker of Tony’s boat. The boat runs fast! Jeff Corrigan (who ran the boat as Wonderful Sensation S-185) also drove.  Andiamo entering the pit turn at May’s Landing at the vintage event in September 2022. © Mark Lamontia Back to the boats |