The Thunderboats 1964

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Since there was no official unlimited section, I just put this here. This is an article by Eileen Crimmin that appeared in the National Boat Racing Yearbook 1964. I will only post the first two pages for now. It will be interesting to see if the BRF members can guess the names of all the boats that fit the tail fins. Some are easy, but there may be a few tricky ones. I will post the two following pages with complete boat photos after the guessing.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I don't know what happened to the second page, so here goes again.

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
Here ya go...

1. Bardahl
2. Gail 5
3. Would be Florida Miss (maverick hull ) but actually did not race in '63
4. Exide
5. Notre Dame
6. Tempo
7. Triftway
8. $ Bill
9. Eagle Electric
10. Tempest.


Thanks for the brain tease :) :) :)
Carl

[Master Oil Racing Team]

When I posted this, I knew that one of you Washington guys would know the answers. Congrats Carl, you got all but number 3. I won't post the rest of the pages until you or someone else either guesses right or proves it was a trick question. The boat may have changed names????, but it Did race in 1963. The accompanying caption stated that it was the most powerful boat in 1963 with a double blower.

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
o.k. how about fascination 2, Gilliam owner, Miller driver (U-77)
one race only HARRAHS TAHOE TROPHY, Lk Tahoe, State line Nv.
no points scored at the race.
Carl

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Nope!:)

[Skoontz]

You sure Bardahl was not the one with the checkered tail, Carl? My daughter was going to have me paint her boat like Bardahl and fell in love with 1960 Thriftway, so, after I get done digging a drainage trench in the morning, we are striping the boat....

[carl lewis]

the only year Bardahl had checkers were '68-'69
Carl
P.S. still working on #3

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The Bardahl guy with the trenchcoat was unmistakeable. That roostertail and the black & white ads of Miss Bardahl was the very first spark that ignited my interest in boat racing. There were certain TV programs that the Bardahl advertisement was on and I was always there to watch Ron Musson pump all that water into the air.:)

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
even though this doesn't make sense
perhaps the story written by Eileen might not be correct if she listed #3 as the Tahoe Miss. Because the tail pic is of the second Maverick hull built in 1959 after the first one burned up. according to everything I can find on line, all of my old stuff and at the Hydroplane and race boat museum today honestly states that that hull did not race in 1963. it did run as the Tahoe Miss in '62 and then Budweiser in '64 and yes, it did run a two stage Allison, and later on with a supercharger/ turbo/blower combo something or another.

Soooooo.... if I'm still off base here best to give me a little more hints.

P.S. the museum did have that article there, but I chose not to look for it as then all the fun would be for not.

Carl

[Skoontz]

Was the Tahoe Miss one of the last the Ventnor Boats Works of of Jersey had built???

[carl lewis]

mainly Jones and Stadhacher (sp) what hull(s) are you referring to?

Carl

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I've got to hand it to you Carl. She listed number 3 as Tahoe Miss. You were so right on with the others that I suspected there might be something a little haywire. The boat is U-11. All the other photos were side views and you could see all or parts of the name. Number 3 is a 3/4 head on view. You can't see a name, only the number. The article states that it finished and overall 3rd in 1963. I'll post the other pages after I get back from church.

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
OK I know this is just trivia hydro crap that most people don't care about,
However.....

the 1963 Tahoe Miss (2) is listed as a boat designed by Ted Jones and built by
Bill Newman

The U-11 was the 2nd Maverick built and designed in 1959 by Ted Jones.
The original # was U-00

Ran as Miss Reno in 1961 U-00
Tahoe Miss (1) in 1962 U-11
Budweiser (1) in 1964 U-12

What ever happened to the 2nd Tahoe Miss is still a mystery to me but I'll keep digging.
Carl

[Dr. Thunder]

Carl ... where and when did the Maverick stablemate Shanty come into the picture?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Had an interesting day today Carl and didn't get to post the rest of the Eileen Crimmin article yet, but I don't think what you post is uninteresting trivia. There is a picture in that article of Bernie Little with astronaut Gordon Cooper and a couple of others that went for a ride in Tempo. According to the article is was built for big band leader Guy Lambardo.

I can remember when I was a kid we went to the Buccaneer Days Festival in Corpus Christi where the Blue Angels are a featured event. That four seat unlimited was there. There was only one right? It may be my memory (probably), but I always thought it was Miss Budweiser. I have to really dig down to remember, but I was thinking it was around 1964. It was one of the reasons I got into racing. I still remember standing there looking at it and wanting to ride in it. I thought about it all the way home and for a long time after that.

[carl lewis]

Carl ... where and when did the Maverick stablemate Shanty come into the picture?

Neil,
The Shanty 1 was built in 1956 designed by Ted Jones but built by Les Staudacher, that year 'she" won the Seafair race in Seattle and the Harmsworth Trophy race as well, but her life was short lived as she crashed in D.C in '57 and was destroyed

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
I hope your day was interesting in a good way...

The 4 seater is quite a story and I need to make supper for the kids but will try to post it later tonight for you.
Carl

PS Howard does say to say Hi (and a few other fun words in good fun) as well as Penny wishing you all the best.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Thanks Carl, Yes it was interesting in a good way. I may get a break with some of my songs.

Looking forward to the 4 seater info. I can't remember exactly the time frame because my Mom died about then and I was kind of in a cloud for awhile. Boat racing helped bring me back down.

P.S. What are you cooking?

[carl lewis]

Thanks Carl, Yes it was interesting in a good way. I may get a break with some of my songs.

Looking forward to the 4 seater info. I can't remember exactly the time frame because my Mom died about then and I was kind of in a cloud for awhile. Boat racing helped bring me back down.

P.S. What are you cooking?

Wayne, so being a Seattle boy I have to ask what type of music are you relaxing to?, you know us upper west coast people have quite a varied music variety. Though the Allman bros. and Wayne Toups have always kick *** in my books,( and Neil is wondering what the heck I'm talking about) I remember Ishii and I used to hang out and listen to whatever was on the radio in Bakersfield, and speaking about the munchieees..............

Supper tonight was ( keep in mind this is Washington and not South East Texas)....
Fresh hand made spinach & mozzarella ravioli combined with chicken breasts sliced and grilled, and then combined with pesto sauce, fresh garlic and Parmesan.
Damn near sounds like a Rachael Ray show here......

Dont ask, did this cooking gig for fun and good $$ to pay for entries fees "back in the day" and now my kids get to sample dad's cooking ( as well as the other 20 or so 'friends' who show up at the races".

Carl

[carl lewis]

Wayne,
Just thought about something here,

I remember back when I was a few years younger than you and the first time I saw you and your dad was in Winona Mn. say circa 1975, Joe Rome was with you too..
You guys had a kick *** pro racing team of really fast Konigs.I remember Larry Latta was pitted a bit south of us on the left with all those loopers and somewhere in some box that I cant find were the pics of Thurs day testing, I still remember Jerry and Dan kirts going down the back stretch 'twards turn two, by the Holiday Inn, and that little area where that tree was, one blew over big time in a 500 or 700 hydro. I spent the whole weekend focusing on that spot.
If memory is still correct here there was a heat that you did not make it out in and lost the nationals because of it ( I think it was 75 or maybe 76) but I remember Joe being really bummed out about that.

The next year '76 the Crumley family somehow made it from Calif. ( ok Ron you can give some input here) and old Bill let the kid run the 500.

well I figured you were in the first turn as well as George Armstrong, Kirts, and the rest of the fast guys. Crumley's had some of Sandy Demmond's or Jim McKeans stuff and really had no idea how fast that Konig would go on a good old Beyers hydro, well the kid made it to the first pin and somewhere I still have some slides of him way up past the trees as the lane went away and the good old boys showed him it was not exactly like a M-hydro heat in Bakersfield. that was the same year Alan Ishii got screwed before the start in 250 H. Alan, didn't make much sense for the rest of that day, but when he came around at the keg party at the school or where ever in the hell we were that night, he sure was pissed!!!!!!!!!!!

This should be on another thread , sorry Ron but it was on my mind...

Carl

PS Ron I found some really good pics of you at Bakersfield winning CR and 35ssR but kyle is "way to busy to up load them for me" perhaps you should call him and 'tell' him to help out the old man........

[Master Oil Racing Team]

From where we were pitted Carl, that spot on the water was more or less in line with Sugar Loaf in the background on the other side. I was up front and so hunched down at that spot in one heat of 1100 hydro that the loop on my Gentex jacket slipped over the throttle when the pipes were up. I overshot the turn trying to get loose.:eek: :D

On the 700 nationals where I didn't make it out---That is part of the Amazing Story from 1976. You can see the sequence of pics as friends pulled me back into the pits and Bill Kurps tried to get the Konig fired off then the 1 minute gun fired.

As far as music---anytime I see the Allman Brothers on my satellite radio I stop. But I never heard of Wayne Toups. I like the deep tracks on the satellite. It has those classical rock songs that you only get if you listen to your favorite albums. Probably some of the same stuff you and Alan had cranked up in Bakersfield.

Now the munchies. It's not all beans, tacos, BBQ and chili down here.;) What you made sounds very tasty---AND--includes meat;) Debbie and my next door neighbor got into Rachael Ray so now we have certain special knives and pans. Oh well...we get lots of new meals.:)

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Here are the next two pages. In better light this morning I can make out Tahoe Miss on number three, but that doesn't mean it was taken during 1963. The picture in the next set to post shows a Tahoe Miss with a totally different paint scheme. ???

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Oops!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

The final two pages of The National Boat Racing Yearbook 1964. This has the photo with passengers in the 4 seater.

[Dr. Thunder]

Uh ... Carl
<snip> ...and Neil is wondering what the heck I'm talking about)
If it doesn't have "doo-wop" somewhere in the lyrics ... you're right!

Supper tonight was ( keep in mind this is Washington and not South East Texas)....
Fresh hand made spinach & mozzarella ravioli combined with chicken breasts sliced and grilled, and then combined with pesto sauce, fresh garlic and Parmesan.

... and your wine selection would be ...

Carl

[carl lewis]

Neil,
I don't like a lot of whites any more so it would have been a nice merlot...

Wayne,
I totally forgot about Sugerloaf.... oh my.....

any way kinda busy tonight, laundry... haircuts wrestling pics at school ect..

Wayne Toups is a CD I heard when I was in Lafayette La. a few years go and the guy kicks *** if you like cajin music.

Havn"t forgot about the 4 seater so I will post that later.

AND I honestly dont have a good chili recipe so maybe you and debbie can help me out here. ( and maybe this should be on the "pepper" board)

P S was at some old OPC race way back years ago in the south , when they still had outdoor bands for the spectators in the evenings and Wayne guess who played???? Marshall Tucker Band............... way cool!!!!

and yes I guesss it was in 700 H I was with Dick Rautenberg, he was running Jerry walins stuff( 350 1100H) and that was a class were not competing in so that is why I did take notice of you "having " a bad heat
Carl

[smittythewelder]

As I understand it, you have a '64 yearbook describing the '63 season, right? in either case, the boat pictured under "Final Standings" as the '63 Tahoe Miss was put there by mistake. That is the second Maverick hull. Farther down the page is a good photo of the actual '63 Tahoe Miss, built new for Bill Harrah maybe Ted Jones' last U-boat?) painted orange with cream trim, Seafair winner that year. It was heavy and didn't ride or turn particularly well, so Harrah ordered another new Tahoe Miss for '64 from Staudacher, called "The Grey Ghost" by sportswriters, and winner of a lot of races that year. The Tahoe Miss crew did some interesting experiments to get more power from their Allisons, which in the usual stock form didn't have the blower capacity to run with the Rolls Merlins (although this varied with engine model). For a while, they had a huge turbocharger (off a P-38, maybe) mounted ahead of the engine, and when the boat went by you could see part of the turbo housing giving off a faint orange glow! In a later experiment, they drove a big centrifugal blower with an aluminum Buick V-8; working aft, you had the Buick with its own set of straight pipes, the the blower, then the Allison with its set of pipes. Wonder if the driver was on oxygen, what with all those exhaust fumes going past him! Later on the Harrahs team picked up some Rolls Griffins. Must have been a fun team to work for, if you were a real gear-head.

-another Seattle kid