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Class: |
225
cu. in. modified hydro |
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Builder: |
Ron
Jones, Sr. (first honeycomb 225 class hull) |
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| Built: | 1976 | |
| Engine: | Chevrolet 350 | |
| Owner & Driver: | Kester Hamilton | |
| Location: | Ottawa, Ontario | |
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History
Ron Jones Sr & John Woods were best friends. John Woods hailed form St Louis, MO and was a billionaire stock broker. Thus, he named all his boats Speculation. Ron built John a new boat each year for 4 or 5 years as Woods strove to beat the Goodie Wagon and Country Boy. In 1972 Woods was National Champion in the 225 class. Mike Endres bought that boat, renamed it Third Generation, N-23 and was a consistent winner running it as a 360 on the Canadian circuit.
This boat was stored over 25 years in Jones shop as Woods
lost interest in hydros . Eventually Woods sent it to Florida where Glenn
Koutny drove it for John. Later the wing was removed and the boat was shipped
back to Seattle. Ron had Steve Reynolds drive it in races out West. Over
the years Ron also used it as a research and development hull. The sponsons
were updated by Ron at some point. In 1995 Woods reclaimed the boat, removed
the Ed Morgan 215 Buick engine and installed a new Chevy. He then drove it
in St Louis in a few 'Race for the Cure' celebrity events, John died in a
motorcycle accident on his farm on his 69th birthday & the boat was willed
to his good friend Arlie Appler. Arlie sold it to Bill DeGlopper in December
2011 as he is having Lauterbach build him a new vintage 2 seater. Bill sold it to Kester Hamilton. Letter to Bill DeGlopper from Ron Jones, Sr. Dear Bill: I am so happy to learn of you purchase of John Woods' Speculation. I was always very appreciative of John and his interest in hydros, and it is not well known that I also built him a 20' outboard tunnel boat, which he himself raced when marathon racing was in vogue. He did well with my 225's, and he had four of them, the last one which is now in your possession. I would like to give you some information about the boat. It was built of aluminum honeycomb panels, which I had found to be extremely light, yet exceptionally strong. Possibly due to my abiding concern for safety, the boat was a little over the weight limit, yet I felt it would be safe for John. The first hydroplane of any class ever built of aluminum honeycomb was the unlimited "Pay 'n' Pak", built for Dave Heerensperger. The 225 you now own was the first 225 to be built from that same material. As to dimensions and features on the boat:
As you are aware, John only raced the boat for a short time, and did have Glen Koutney race it for him also. The boat was built with a horizontal stabilizer on the transom, as I was so concerned with blowovers. I was aware of the bit of extra drag caused by the wing, plus the weight of the assembly but was hoping it would be more stable than without one. I understand Glen removed the wing when he had the boat. The original mounting brackets were through the dec, and if not there now someone may have added new decking in the area. Later on John had the boat sent out to our shop and requested that we race it for him as we were able. We did race it a bit and had Steve Reynolds driving it. We kept it at our facility for a number of years and then John sent for it saying he wanted to put a small block Chev in it, and use it for a pleasure boat, plus letting his friends drive it. I did not hear from John after he took the boat back and I was totally unaware of his tragic accident later on. Again I am so pleased you have the boat, and I can tell from your communications you are in love with it as we were. If you find you need something for the boat, please let me know and I will try to get it for you. Best wishes for a lot of fun and much success with a great old hydroplane. Ron Jones Sr. January 13, 2012 |
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