NOTES:
Bill Wright of Thornhill Ontario (Toronto) Canada contacted us to say he has a 1974 Karelson 280 hydro he’d like to part with. “Bill has owned the hull since 1985 and had begun an engine conversion (from a 273 Plymouth to a 305 Chevy). The boat has a new bottom and a brand new custom built tilt- trailer. The brief history Bill has on the hull is that it ran out of Florida under the name GOO DER and the racing number may have been E-8. Bill can be reached at 905-881-4939 or e-mail: wrightsenginerebuilding@yahoo.ca

Steve Compton reports that Peter Orton, the chief engine guru for the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, used an opportunity during the Museums "Apple Cup" at Lake Chelan on October 2nd to propose to his girlfriend, Susan Echoles. While giving Susan a ride in the 1960 MISS BURIEN, Peter stopped after two laps and popped the question.  The two patrol boats had been given the heads up, and were ready with cameras to record this wonderful event.  Susan was taken by total surprise but gave a resounding "YES"! No wedding date has been set.

VINTAGE RACERS REDISCOVERED: VINTAGE TRIVIA: 
Randy Wold, owner of the famed 135/150 hydro CUMON BABY II, 15-A recently acquired documents of the late designer/builder Frank Neely through Neely’s son, Will. The information revealed facts about the 1-Mile record set by CUMON BABY, 15-A. A certificate showed that driver Duane Allen established a new 135 record of 101.254 mph at Fish Springs, Salton Sea, California on October 19, 1953. While reading through the documents Randy was surprised to discover that the 15-A he owned was NOT the same boat that set the record in ‘53. There were two CUMON BABYS. The ’53 record setter had been sold to S.F.(Frank)Steed of Tyler, Texas and renamed TEX, A-6. The confusion stemmed from the fact that most newspaper articles commonly referred to the CUMON BABY II as the ’53 record setter. But, an August 22, 1958 El Monte Herald newspaper article cleared-up that up. It mentioned the original 1951 built CUMON BABY setting the 1-Mile record in ’53 and the boat being sold to a Texan in 1955. It then referred to Neely who, incorporating many of the best features from the original hull, immediately built CUMON BABY II in 1955. This is the boat Wold purchased from Wayne Thompson; the 15-A which won 5 National Championships and set APBA Competition and Kilo records. 

CHALLENGES: 
We’d like to hear from readers who may know, “What became of the TEX, A-6 and Texan, Frank Steed”.

Do any of our readers remember the “Rockholt” designed hydroplanes? The little information we have shows that Rockholt built outboard hulls and also were popular in the 135 and 225 inboard classes during the 1940’s. An illustration of a bright yellow Rockholt hydro, 2-F was featured on the cover of an April 1946 Popular Mechanics magazine. We’d appreciate hearing from our readers with any facts they might have on this design. 

EVENTS:
APBA Annual Meeting: . . . Atlanta GA....Jan. 27-29, 2005 

REPORTS:
Harlan Orrin Jr. was recently in touch with Russ Raymond, owner of the wildest E Racing Runabout of all time, DONALD DUCK. Raymond has restored the boat twice since buying it in 1970 and has renamed it QUICK QUACK. Harlan reports that the Mandella hull is now powered by a small block Chevy instead of the original 1953 fuel-injected Dodge Red Ram. The experimental twin counter-rotating prop drive that threw a huge roostertail (or ducktail) has been replaced with the proven V-Drive setup.
 
 

VINTAGE HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH: The brand new CUMON BABY II, 15-A as it looked in October of 1955 at a race in Sacramento CA. The 135 ci hydro was designed and built by Frank Neely and incorporated many of the best design features from his original CUMON BABY which set a 1-Mile record of 101.254 mph in 1953. The new 15-A went on to capture four APBA National Championships running a modified Ford Flathead V8-60. A modified Falcon-6 was installed after the boat was sold to Wayne Thompson who won a 5th Nationals title and set 150 ci class Competition and Kilo records. The boat is now owned by Randy Wold of Spanaway WA.     ©2004 Bob Silva & Bill John III