VINTAGE RACERS REDISCOVERED:
As a result of an ad in the Propeller, Bruce Tracey of  Holland, MI has purchased a vintage hydroplane. The history of this boat is unclear. Bruce needs our help to identify this Region 1 (Maine & New Hampshire) boat. It certainly appears to be a Lauterbach style hydro with a Lauterbach custom trailer. It is quite possibly a 280 from the early sixties. Although painted on the trailer is the number F-86, it might well be E-86. To me, the boat looks too small to be an F-boat or 266. Some of you East Coasters may remember this vintage racing hull. We are looking for your input. Contact Bruce at 800-253-9000.

CHALLENGES:
Guntersville’s Place in Boat Racing History. Butch Wood, working with the Guntersville Museum, is looking for 1955, 1957 and 1959 Guntersville Regatta Inboard National Championship Programs and/or any information concerning these races such as magazine articles, etc. The Museum also needs film footage and documentation desperately for this display. Any type of old home movies or otherwise of 1950’s inboard hydroplane racing that is converted or suitable for conversion to VCR tape. He will be more than happy to reimburse anyone for their time, effort and expense incurred. You can reach Butch at (256)-582-3643 in the evenings.
 Butch passed on additional information regarding our 1998 June Hot Boat Miss Peg, F-90. In the 1960 December “PowerBoat” Magazine there is an article covering the Inboard Nationals held at Cape Coral, FL. Listed as the Gun-Shy owners were Claude Barracliff and Dan Jefferies of Metairie, LA and driver Ennie Argence of New Orleans. Butch’s question is “Would Ron Jones be old enough and experienced enough to have constructed “F-90” in 1959? Answer: Yes.

Steve Russell responded by E-Mail to our September Challenge. He tells us that the Good Vibrations presently owned by Ken Branamen is a Watson Lewis hull. Watson built a few 225’s and the old 5 Litre boats. His shop was in Annapolis, Maryland. Watson has past on now.

BOB SILVA’S WEST COAST REPORT:
In my West Coast report for Clayton ‘98 I left out Bill DeGlopper’s 850 hydro, a West Coast hull. The 1979 cabover was designed by Don Kelson’s Modern Pattern Company out of Seattle. Kelson built over 50 hydros and DeGlopper’s is one of the most successful. The boat was originally raced by Jack Sellers and his son, of St. Petersburg, FL, as Y-43 High Upkeep. The hull was then traded to Steven David in exchange for a 1928 Model A Ford. David used the racing number Y-3 and renamed the boat Century 21 Special. It went on to win over 40 races with David at the controls and set a Kilo record in 1982 of 102.263 mph. This became the standing record for the 850’s when the class was retired.
 After passing through several more owners, the hydro was purchased by DeGlopper. He plans to restore the boat to its record-holding paint scheme and installing an Imp engine.
 The Fred Wickens designed 280 originally raced by Montana’s Dr. Deloit Wolfe has a new owner. Harlan Orrin of Fallbrook, CA purchased the 1965 hull from owner/driver Billy Williams with plans to restore it to its E-70 Agitator configuration. The Agitator was raced in the late 60’s from Seattle to Lake Tahoe by Dr. Wolfe and even made an appearance at the 1968 Orange Bowl where it placed third against 32 other 280’s. 
Editors Note:
We lived in Florida during the late sixties time frame and went to all the races, especially the Orange Bowl Regatta and the Southland Sweepstakes. The only Wickens 280 to my memory that came from the Montana area was the Hey Jude. Which was owned by Don and Jude Woods of Missoula, Montana. The Hey Jude blew it’s motor up at the Miami Race. They did win the St. Petersburg’s Southland Sweepstakes 280 hydro race with over 40 competitors in the class. I remember this because he used an engine purchased from me that I had under my workbench. This motor originally belonged to Virgil Elder’s and came out of his Miss St. Petersburg.

BOB MOORE’S EAST COAST REPORT:
“V Boats”...Never heard of them. Probably not, “V Boats”...Not an APBA class. Wrong!!!
 In 1974, Dick Sooy drew up a proposal for a new stock class of hydros utilizing the Toyota engine. His proposal was to develop this new class that would thereby eliminate the old, established, stock Crosley powered 44 cu. in. Hydro class (letter designation “T”). The Toyota engine would allow new comers to enter the sport with a relatively inexpensive, yet dependable engine that would at the same time produce a moderate and safe speed for the beginner.
 Although the proposal was well received and approved by the APBA and the IRC; a small, vocal group of 44 hydro owners objected and petitioned the IRC to let them run in 1975. After much discussion, the IRC and the 44 owners reached an agreement whereby both classes would race in 1975: 1.)The new class, the 72 cu. in. hydros (letter designation ‘T”) and 2.)The 900 class (letter designation “V”). In the agreement, the 44 hydro owners and the IRC agreed that whatever class was more successful, would remain. The other class would be abolished. The ‘V” class fielded only a handful of boats and ran at only a few Region 3 races. The 72’s on the other hand were very successful. Thus the 900 class, letter designation “V”, abided by the agreement and ceased to exist after the 1975 season.
 Today thanks to Dick Sooy’s vision, the 72’s are still around. Now known as the 1.5 Litre class. Letter designation “Z”.
 Speaking of Dick Sooy and his visions. Dick was also responsible in part for the formation of the 136 cu.in. hydros, now known as the 2.5 Litre hydros; the 280 cu.in. hydros, now know as the 5 Litre hydros; and the stock 7 Litre hydros, now known as the GNH hydros.

VINTAGE HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH:
Stan Sayres’ 1948 Slo-mo-shun III, F-27. This 266 cu.in. hydroplane was designed by Ted Jones and built by Anchor Jensen of Seattle, WA. The original power plant was a 6 cylinder Lycoming 175 engine. In 1949 the boat was repowered with a Clay Smith Flat Head Mercury V-8 Engine, 255 cubic inches. She was christened in the fall of 1948. In early November of 1949, the Slo-mo-shun III went thru the mile at 96 mph, turning 6,200 rpm and using a 13” x 21 1/2” Hi-Johnson propeller. The III’s second owner, Al D’Eath, held the boat from 1951 till the late eighties. The boat is still in existence and resides in Seattle.

©1998 Tom D'Eath