The December 2016 issue, is now online @ www.unlimitednewsjournal. net/December_2016.
In the December issue is part one of a great conversation with Detroit’s Mark Weber, done by Craig Fjarlie. Neat story on the early days of the Weber Family.
BLACK MAGIC
Hey Folks – I r’cd the following below from Chris who just acquired this beautiful hydro. It is always great to read about another hydro that survived just enough to be restored. Interesting that it appears to have water-cooled headers running on-board. Perhaps a cool lake racer in it’s last version, but what was it before that?
If anybody can help Chris out with history, please post here or click on Chris’s name below and send him an email.
Hello, Vintage Hydroplanes
My name is Chris Sztuke and I have recently purchased the hydroplane called Black Magic. My plans are to restore the boat, however I know very little about the boat. The lady I purchased the boat from new very little about it as her husband passed away and the paper work and any information on the boat was lost in a fire. I would be very interested in any information I could get to help in the restoration and to understand the history of the boat.
I am located in Southern Ontario near Belleville. I know the boat has been in this area for the last 25 years.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Chris Sztuke
Editor notation: History found – Ross McCracken and Bob Abbott both responded that this is the former Miss Maple Leaf II.
Bill Ireland was former owner / driver.
Looking for Justa Pest
Does anybody know anything about boat Justa Pest.
Ive tried a number of times to contact Bill McTague in attempt to determine status of the boat. I cannot get a good phone # or email . I’ve been trying for over a year / perhaps they are all gone.
Thank-you for whatever info you can provide.
Looking for 95-S
Hello, I’m trying to find an S class boat or anything on it, that my dad raced and owned in Seattle from 1958-1960.
Ford Flathead V8. His name is Ted Van Decar. Here’s a few pics, not the greatest but all I have.
Thank you
Callaway Van Decar
Mahogany & Merlot 2016
Many thanks to Alan Ganger (1st two pics) and Calvin Sallee for the great photography!
Check out 659 more pics on Chris Denslow’s Digital Roostertail’s Facebook page.
Miss Moonshine
Hi
I live in New Zealand and I am building a replica vintage hydro from the Alter Ego plans.
This is my 3rd boat building project and I have a website showing details and progress (actually just a good way to ensure I take photos as I go – which I didn’t do enough of on the first 2 projects) and thought that this site and stuff may be of interest to your website visitors. The link is www.bootlegger.co.nz
I would really love to find an original type rudder setup for the boat and maybe one of you may have one lying in the corner of their shed – well you never know. I do have a cast transom bracket and quadrant – Glenwood marine – and could have a rudder bracket and blade made but a genuine one would be the one to have. Please send me an email if you can help me out.
Regards,
Greg Roy
Editor’s Note: I highly recommend that you surf through Roy’s website (link above). He is a very talented builder (great air brush work as well). One other item I would like to point out — Neat that Roy is framing his latest boat build in Kauri. If you are not familiar with this wood, worth reading up on it.
I work at a wood shop and I’ve seen the “old-growth” Kauri wood. Not talking about wood that’s been around since just BC…we’re talking 50k+ years old trees that fell into the great peat swamps during prehistoric times in NZ. These prehistoric bogs are usually farm fields or ranch lands today. They dig them out and sell them. They are available in the US at a facility in Ashland, Wisconsin. (http://www.ancientwood.com/). Also – Google “Kauri” images on the wood species and you see some of the most impressive beautiful slabs (huge chunks) of wood ever.
Anyways Greg replied back with more info on the woods available in NZ:,
“Yes we still can get the odd bit of Kauri milled here. They exported all the best logs a couple of hundred years ago, dumped or left the stumps and those are now being pulled from the ground for all sorts of uses. The Kauri is protected as such but they allow some land owners a certain number to be cut each year. The other great native timber used in boat building in NZ is Kahikatea, and this is a bit more readily available and I will use this for the deck battens if needed. We also can get Fijian Kauri which is a nice wood”.
Madison Vintage Thunder
PRESS RELEASE – Upcoming Sports Event
(For Immediate Release)
R. Harsin, 9-5-2016
Announcing the first annual “Madison Vintage Thunder” – hydroplanes in Madison, Indiana.
Dave Johnson wanted to honor two special friends that passed away recently and so he assembled a few vintage hydroplane owners forming a club called “5ToThe5”. This group will put on the first annual “Madison Vintage Thunder”. With support of the Madison community as part of the state bicentenial celebration (followed one week later with the Madison Chatauqua of the Arts), the group obtained the A.P.B.A. sanctioning necessary to sponsor vintage hydroplanes on the Ohio River. The event sponsors are expecting between 30 to 50 hydroplanes to provide spectators with hours of hydroplane action on the water.
Honored at this event will be former Vintage Class Owner-Driver Billy Cousins, owner of the “River Rat” hydroplane. Billy Cousins started his hydroplane racing career in the late 50’s driving a hydroplane owned by Marion Cooper, the first driver of the Miss Madison in 1961. Billy had a long career in both limited hydroplanes and auto racing before his retirement. Several years later, Dave Johnson managed to talk Billy to come out of retirement and bring his “River Rat” out onto the water again to the delight of many spectators. Billy lost his battle recently with cancer but his “River Rat” hydroplane will be on display in Madison. The other driver honored at this event will be the former unlimited “Miss Madison” driver Jon Peddie, who also recently lost his battle with cancer. Jon drove two different Miss Madison hulls as well as having a long career in auto racing.
Everyone is invited to Madison, Indiana on both Saturday and Sunday, September 17th and 18th. Admission is FREE to the public (donations will be accepted). For additional information: http://www.5tothe5.com or https://www.facebook.com/5tothe5vintagehydros/ or by calling 812-571-0330
