…from Rocky Mullen. Photo by Sean Mullen.
making a carbon fiber hydro
UPDATE ON THE TWO PIECE CARBON FIBER MOLD.
Today was lifting the carbon fiber mold off the mule (or donor hydro).The first two photos are before we lifted it off and the remaining photos are after it was broken free. The plan was to lift it far enough to temporarily place carton between the mold and the hull (tomorrow we will actually lift off the mold and place it on a cart we built. The reason for the delay is because the Spokesman Review was going to come over tomorrow to an article, but that has been moved to Monday. We will go ahead and take it off tomorrow and start cleaning up the hydro and mold. We used two cherry pickers and a fork lift to pry off the mold. About 9 air ports were molded into the mold to help free it from the hydro and those same air ports will be used to free the production part. The only casualty today was me, when the rear cherry picker I was counter balancing, kicked out from under the boat – scared me a wee bit.
Bob Bolam
N-22 Vintage Hydroplane Team
Day 2, UPDATE ON THE TWO PIECE CARBON FIBER MOLD REMOVAL. At 9 AM we reconvened at NIC Composite School to continue removing the mold from the master. We three UNWISE men (Murdo, his son and myself) lifted it with the forklift and moved it away. That went fine, then we rolled the wood temporary cart under the mold. All’s well.. until the wooden cart decided to brake while on was on top of the mold removing the straps… OOPS !! I got back off the mold and we lifted the mold up far enough to get the cart out. Then I proceeded to fix it and make it stronger… Lowered it again and this time everything worked as PLANNED… Murdo, Holly and her son started removing all the aluminum foil. That aluminum foil worked great to protect the hydro and actually did make it easier to pull the two apart. Murdo started pressure washing both the hydro and the mold. The process to get the hydro ready to be put back on the trailer and returned to her owner begins. But I over heard the mold saying, “I’m Free, I’m Free, I’m really Free.
Bob Bolam
N-22 Vintage Hydroplane Team
Arrrgghhhh………..Buccaneer
Gleason Racing Photography
John Leach’s 280 vintage hydro BUCCANEER being put through the turn by his son David, at Black Lake, Olympia, WA 2013
Ford Cammer —- in a boat.
In my opinion – prettiest photo I have ever seen of a FORD SOHC 427. That boat is a 1964 Sanger owned by John Vermeesch (who worked on the Ford motor development team).
Oh….and you can’t just tow this boat with just any car. You’ll need a woodie station wagon.
© F. Peirce Williams – Quake at the Lake 2010.
This photo and other great Mr. Williams photographs are available for purchase.
The 2014 Raceboat Regatta held at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY.
Clayton as viewed from a drone copter
1970’s wooden hydroplane replica completely unscathed
Even as flames from the massive Carlton Complex fire came dangerously close to his home, Dale Burnison ignored warnings to evacuate.
Raising a Gar Wood
Look what I found (after six years of searching for it)….
1934 Garwood Speedster Replica.
83′ of water/56 degrees/1′ visibility.
Built by Tom Lang and Mark Weinberger
Sunk: September 2003 at the antique boat show in Charlotte, NC.
Recovered: July 9, 2014, high noon by Jeff Buckley
Location: Lake Norman, NC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DXKQ-NQBCaI
…or play a photo slideshow on Capt.’s photobucket link…play it in reverse, if possible.