CHALLENGES:
We have received several replies to our Tommy Hill Challenge. 
Wayne Morris called to say his father, Norman owned a Tommy Hill hydro called THUMPER, 110-S. I have found some 1954 race results that list Al Slinker as the driver of the 110-S.

Thanks to Bob Foley’s help we have been able to compile this list of Tommy Hill built hulls. (*designates: the three hulls known to still exist).

 LY-BEE, 11-A  Tommy Hill owner/driver (set 135 class 1- mile record at 80.178 mph in 1945). 
*HOT STUFF, A-90 Peter Sloan owner, Bob Lueckenhoff driver. 
*TIME FLIES A-? Ken Muscatel owner. 
 JACK OF HARTS, A-21, Peter Sloan owner/driver. 
*EIGHT BEAT, S-134 Don Sea owner/driver. 
 CALIFORNIA KID 50-N Lon Graditi owner, George Mattucci driver. 
 LITTLE IODINE, 34-A Jack Terrett owner/driver. 
 MISS SAN FRANCISCO, 15-F ? owner/driver. 
 HI BALL, 16-F owners Porte Alameda and Peter Ritchie. 
 SKIM BEE, 14-N Manuel Quintel owner/driver. 
 DING HOW II, 31-A Hart Chan owner/driver.

We have received two more replies concerning the old Pacific One Design Hydroplane (PODH) rules. Long time California racer, Ken Murphy, said his first race boat was a PODH that he built in 1948 from a kit. The plans were drawn by Al Boyle. The kit cost $400 and came from Connecticut. Ken said the plans called for plywood skins but used oak for the stringers and frames. The hull weighed 150 pounds more than the ones built by Fred Wickens. Ken recalled how difficult it was to get the plywood to bend to shape and come together at the bow. He raced his boat, LIL PHY'L , O-28 until 1953 then sold it to get into the 136 cu in class. He raced against the fast Wickens built hulls of Marion Beaver's LIL BEAVER and Doc Novotny's CHERUB, among others. He laughed when he said, “whenever the CHERUB showed up to race, the other PODH owners would say they would be racing for second place that day”. Ken said the planked hulls where popular (and easier to build) but plywood was allowed. He ran the "stock" aluminum heads on his V8-60. 

Racer, Dan Doidge, now running in the Crackerbox class, forwards this information from his father, Tom. Tom started his boat racing in 1961 in a PODH named LIL REBEL in which he won APBA's US1 that same year.  In his 1960 rule book it said nothing about mahogany planking, so that rule must have been dropped before that. His boat had a plywood bottom with mahogany sides and deck. As he recalls, most of the boats had plywood bottoms and the last new boat built was all plywood. In 1962, in an effort to save the class, they switched to an alternate 265 Chevy using the 280 hydro engine rules. They raced with these rules for three more years with five boats running (four with the Chevys and one with a V8 60).  In 1964 the class died off when one of the owners decided to quit racing by chopping the sponsons off his boat so he couldn't race it any more.  As far as he knows the aluminum heads were never approved for the V8 60 engine.

Thanks to all for the great feedback to our challenges, this adds much needed information for our boat racing history. We would like to hear from more readers with boat racing history questions for our Challenge section. 
 

Bill John III Report 
My trek down to Fort Lauderdale to visit my Mom and sister went well. It was good to see my old stomping grounds, but like they say, you can’t go back. Anyway, we are having way too much fun up here in beautiful Wolfeboro.

And now that we are back in the shop after a summer of fun on our APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit, please join us at the shop for our Saturday Morning Gatherings. The coffee and donuts are usually ready by 9:00, and this week you can checkout a Jersey Speed Skiff and a very special Dick Sooy 280 vintage hydroplane, and participate in our monthly planning meeting for next summer’s NH Vintage Race Boat Regatta. It takes well over 100 volunteers and lots of sponsors to put on an APBA sanctioned vintage event of this size, with over 60 vintage race boats and 3 full days, so please consider joining us and all the fun. We will also be showing the latest Buffalo DVD sent to us by Rich DeGlopper tomorrow morning , very well done with lots of action and great sound.

Here is the link for our latest updates – NH Vintage Race Boat Regatta 2007 http://www.vintageraceboatshop.com/NHVintageRegatta2007.htm
And Rick Shannon is working hard to bring our beloved APBA vintage race boats to Syracuse to run with the APBA/CBF 5 and 2.5 litre race boats. The dates will be June 15-17th. Open testing and lots of water time on Friday, then APBA racing and vintage heats all day long on Saturday and Sunday. Here is the link for our latest updates and all he APBA vintage events we are planning on attending in 2007: http://www.vintageraceboatshop.com/APBAVintageCircuit.htm
 

ON A SAD NOTE:
Fred Bryson, who owned and drove the Pop Schroeder built 280 hydro, Sea Duce II, E-112 during the 1965 racing season, passed away in early December.
Godspeed, Fred.

Another great hydroplane designer and builder has left us.

Wilton T. "Will" Farmer Sr., 90, of Richmond, Virginia passed away Monday, December 11, 2006. He is survived by his wife, Elva Mae; his son, Wilton T. "Will" Farmer Jr. and wife, Donna; two grandsons, one great-grandson and his beloved dog, Cha-Cha. Farmer built hydroplanes set many APBA records and held National Championships over a 30 year period. All Farmer hulls were built in the garage on the family property. In 2000, Will Sr. received the American Power Boat Association's highest honor, being elected to the Honor Squadron. Mr. Farmer was a 70 year member of the Richmond Musicians Union. He helped establish Farmer Machine Company in 1978 and served as vice president until the time of his death. Will and Elva were married for a wonderful 68 years at the time of his death. Cards can be sent to: 
Mrs. Will Farmer Sr. 8415 Franconia Road 
Richmond, VA 23127
Godspeed, Will Sr. 
 
 

BOB SILVA’S WEST COAST REPORT:
The Crackerbox runabouts celebrate their 60th anniversary as an APBA class, in 2007. The Crackerbox Speed Boat Club was only one- year -old when they applied to be an official APBA sanctioned class, in 1947. The 15 ft. 6 in flatbottom hulls were originally powered by 260 cubic inch Ford flathead sixes and Mercury flathead V8’s. A straight-a-way record in 1947 was set by Wally Albright Jr. in SHADOW, 16-P at 53.855 mph, on the Salton Sea. While, many inboard classes required a riding mechanic years ago, the Crackerbox class is one of the few that still require two aboard. Over the past 60 years the hull length requirement has remained but the prop was moved farther aft with the engine moved as close to the cockpit as possible. Although fiberglass has replaced the wood hull, the current 3-time National Champion, Steve Tustison’s , HOT WIRE, P-74, is a 40 year-old wooden hull, designed by the late Fred Wickens. The “Crackers” are now allowed 314 cubic inch OHV V-8’s with Ford and Chevy engines the most popular. Today, the Crackerbox record stands at 106.93 mph, held by Rick Wimer in GLORY BOUND III, set at Parker, AZ. in 1995.

VINTAGE HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH Long Beach Marine Stadium, 1969, and driver Dick Powell has his “foot to the wood” while riding mechanic Scott Sibson holds tight.  The Patterson built TUMMY GUMMER, 33-P, owned by Bill Sibson, ran a 265 cu.in. Chevy with Weber carbs and was the 1972 APBA Crackerbox National Champion, with driver Danny Mang.  The Crackerbox class celebrates 60 years as an APBA sanctioned class, in 2007.  (Photo by Hal Loomis).   ©2007 Bob Silva & Bill John III