Since this past Saturday I have so many things tucked in my memory banks I can already hear the phone ringing from Phil Spruit saying ”O.k. Al, I appreciate you writing articles but aren’t you going a bit overboard?!”  True to my restoration efforts and true to my passion for hydroplanes, here comes another one whether you like it or not.  This is not a polished story or a flashy one filled with pictures.  At this point I don’t think it should be.  Heck, I don’t think I’m even going to spell check it.  Here it is, the experience of my first time piloting a 3-point hydroplane….something I have looked forward to doing since I was 10 years old. 

First and foremost you have to consider the time and effort that has been put in getting to the point of actually making the first ‘fly-by’.  I will now attempt to recap in great  detail what I have done to this point.  JUST KIDDING - that will probably come out this winter and rival a copy of ‘War and Peace’.

So lets pick it up as we are pushing the ‘Agitator’ towards the crane.

I’m standing there running through the countless things that are going through my head.  Show Lisa how to undo the double release hooks that are on my lifting straps, make sure I remember to put a little gas in the carburetor before it goes up on the crane and then up pops a very familiar face.  It is the face of Phil Kunz.  He takes the time to remind me, ”Hey - you got wet sponsons…….make sure you idle out for ten seconds before you gas it…….you have to give them time to drain……then get on her and she’ll pop right up”.  Seems simple huh?  But the act of Phil taking the time to tell me this is what I really remember.  Isn’t it always easy to notice somebody who is passionate about something?  It has always been that way for me.  At this point I was all ears.

So here comes the crane ball hook coming down and then up goes the ‘Agitator’.  Now honestly, does anyone else who has built or restored one of these hulls not think this is the MOST terrifying thing they have ever seen?  It is the equivalent of grabbing your entire set of expensive fine china and then sprinting down the stairs.  You know it could probably be done without incident but you would hate to have a front row seat to such an event.  I felt a little easier when I started hearing ‘Hey - that looks like my coffee table’ and ‘WOW look at Al’s bottom’ with just the slightest hint of sarcasm.  The hull settled in the water and I watched the wet sponsons fill up with a feeling of great anxiety.  I hoped all the water going in was just in the sponsons!  Now I have to admit, I thought a 1950’s era Lloyd hydroplane looked good out of the water but I’ll tell you there is nothing like seeing it floating.  I can’t wait to get the pictures and I’m sure there will be a call for more web space once I get a hold of them!

So now in typical fashion Lisa was by my side in waders nonetheless and trying to figure out how to spin the hull around and get me in the right direction.  It was at this point when I noticed a very curious thing.  I was not nervous at all.  And I have a very good reason for it.  As Lisa spun me around I was facing the shore and I looked up on the bank.  I saw tons of faces and I recognized almost every one.  What a great feeling that was.  There was my Mom and Dad who made the trek down that morning to see their son doing something he has talked about non-stop for the past two years.  There were two good friends of mine that I have known for years……Wally and Ed….who also made the trek down that morning.  There was Ted Williams and Ron Snyder both former owners of my hull.  I saw Phil Kunz pointing ‘that famous lens’ right at me and thought…..gee….I hope I don’t look like at dork at this point.  There was my good hydro buddy Joe Johnson who despite not feeling that great treked his whole family down for the event.  Bill Fisk, Jack Hines…….and all the fantastic people I have met the past couple of years.  I almost felt like you could have pulled me out and I could have went home a satisfied man.

WHAT?!  Wait a minute! Are you kidding me?!  Lets get the show on the road!  But as Ted has told me ”Racing is all about hurry up and wait”.  This time was no exception.

When I heard somebody say “Alan you are clear to go” that was it for me.  Lisa spun me around, I hit the starter and she fired right up.  Ten seconds I waited and I could literally feel the boat getting lighter.  At about 15 seconds I was thinking ”Hey…am I on plane?”  The thought barely left my head when it looked like the front end lurched up at least six feet.  Probably only an inch or two in actuality but then I felt this wooooooosh and the back end jumped up and there you have it.  I was on plane.  Now I would like to say my motor was in tip top shape and the old Agitator and I just tore up the course.  In actuality, I didn’t do any work on it before Dayton (it was still in ‘as found’ condition) but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try and turn a few laps.  The first lap was crazy.  The main thought I had was ‘So - this is what it is like huh?!’  The boat slides around the turn in an interesting way.  I stayed to the outside as the man in charge told me to and entered the back straightaway.  The engine was still running and that was more than I could ask for.  At this point it was just pure luck.  I came on to the main straightaway and pushed the pedal down as far as it would go to see how much I had but unfortunately that was about it.  Just cruising speed.  Maybe 50mph or so.  I look back at it and I think it was a stroke of luck because it gave me time to really focus on what I was doing.  I reached over each side to feel the exhaust water….it was warm.  I noticed the nearly two gallons of water that filled my race suit as I walked out to my boat sitting in the hull bottom as I entered the back straightaway.  I undid the transom release levers and the water quickly disappeared under my seat.  I got to the end of the straightaway and then closed them back up.  I looked down and saw no more water and thought ‘Huh…they worked just perfect’.  On one pass of the front straightaway I noticed some guys on shore and the thought cracks me up even now.  They were waving their hats like I was leading Picket's charge at Gettysburg!  I just wish I could have had a little more in the motor but that will be for the next adventure.  A few times I looked over my shoulder to see Carl Wilson and Hal Laduc go thundering into a turn just 20 yards along side of me.  I thought to myself that anyone seeing a site like this would never forget it.  I now can see why all of the former drivers I have watched through the years made this a lifelong passion.  So I took an extra lap over the 5 laps they said we should take and when I saw the black flag come out I kinda smiled.  I pulled in and slowed down and noticed you can actually feel the boat come off plane.  It is similar to sinking in a hole and gave you the feeling like you just pulled the plug on a magic carpet ride.  I turned off the switch and coasted up to Lisa waiting for me and asked her ‘How did I do’?  She said something really funny.  “HEY - you looked really cute out there!”  Now if I was not committed to getting to my engine work before the next event I’d say now I’d hardly have the Agitator back in the shop before the engine comes out for a complete overhaul!  I walked on shore and thanked Phil Kunz for taking the time to give me last minute advice and that was it.  Just some quick thoughts of my experience.  I restored a vintage hydroplane sending not a single piece outside of my shop to have any work done.  I trailered the whole rig down.  I got in the water.  I turned 6 laps and came in under power.  I couldn’t ask for any more than that.  Of course I use ‘I’ in the aforementioned sentences but full well know there are too many people to list who helped me pull this off. 

I sat on shore and was already thinking about the TON of tweaks I have to make in the next couple of weeks when up walks Bill Fisk with a sly grin on his face.  He says ‘Great job out there Al’ and shakes my hand.  As I pull my hand back I notice there is something in it….a patch……in the shape of the classic ‘national champion shield’ it reads ’APBA - Driver’.  Enough said……….

Alan Radue
Driver - E-173 Agitator
APBA Vintage Class 

©2002
Click here to read the restoration & history of Agitator