Valley Speedboat Association 1962

VSA and the USA merged shortly after this Shearpin was printed...The new club was called SCOA (Southern California Outboard Association)...

I might have a set of chrome reverse wheels to trade for those 3 boats!!:D

My dad bought me my '53 Chevy for $200, I paid $110 for Tijuana Tuck-n-Roll upholstery (Ernie Dawe and I went to TJ with his C Hydro on top my '53. We had a cockpit cover made for his May Craft....for $20)....

I bought reversed chrome wheels from Vel's Tire Shop in Long Beach, Larry Edmission sold me four for $150 a steal at the time...My old man about had a stroke when he found out I had $260 in "UP GRADES" in a $200 car...

Vel's you know went on to become Vel's-Parnelli Jones Firestone. Vel and Parnelli sponsored a few Indy cars together......Larry Edmission ran Curt's Wheel in Tire in Bellflower for another 50 years. Larry helped Gary Densham get started in CAR DRAG RACING...

Ron, this really brings back memories with the names. You see the locations of the racers and wonder how racing declined here in Los Angeles. Thanks for posting. Really enjoyed reading. You saved even more stuff than Wayne!

I have an older sister, but we have never been close. Judy Hill was like a big sister to me from the day I met her. She died of cancer more than 20 years ago, but reading the old Shearpin caused me to laugh about many things...Judy Hill is the one who got Jimbo started in Boat racing. Jimbo had sold his motorcycle for $25 and he had an old Kean Craft AU andhe came and said he wanted to try BOAT RACING and whated to know how much is cost. Judy asked him how much he had....$25 bucks was perfect she said...

The Brawley Race write up was quit funny to me, I wasn't listed a D Runabout winner. I caught the measles that weekend and we turned around and went home. My dad offered my brother my D Runabout...He answered, "Are you kidding??? Ron has won 18 straight races and you want me to drive HIS boat???" I think by 1977 I had won 56 straight D Runabout races...

Anyway....a 36 named Rinso Blue...a dish washing soap??? Those Wetmore brother were a "CRACK UP"..

Russ and Judy had a Rolls once....Not a Rolls Royce and Rolls Could Hardly....It would roll down one hill, but with the trailer on, it could HARDLY make it up the next hill...Russ called that Plymouth a "ROLLS"....a Rolls Could hardly...

I plan to sponsor a Brawley race this fall....Going to run Cracker Boxes, Stocks, Mods and several classes of Classic Outboards...I
Ernie, Bunker and I visited Brawely not long ago, 1/4 mile square lake, now....

So, GEODAVID.....what happened to boat racing in the Los Angeles area...Well, Pop Colllins, Doc Collins, Bob Martin, Bob Davidson....Russ Hill, Russ Hill, Jr, Ted May, Ronnie Hill, Jimbo..George Ishii either died or moved on to other things. Times changed....boats got faster...people got hurt and killed.......things changed!!!

I love reading those old club and racing association newsletters. I especially like it when they put individual heat positions along with overall finishing places. For instance in the Needles B hydro event, which has always been one of the most hotly contested classes anywhere in the country, I wondered who got anxious and drew the others over. And what did Russ do to earn a dsq? To me it's just fun to look at individual heat finishes and think what kind of battles were going on out there.

Alan....You have been to my Dad's old house, but not mine. If you can remember how to get here, my place is just off the fourth turn and the approach to the starting clock. Go by Ron's house and check out his pile of stuff, then come by mine, and after that you can be the judge of who the biggest pack rat of boat racing stuff is between the two of us. Danny Pigott is coming on strong too, but then there's Pete DeLackner whose got a pile of stuff but doesn't have a computer. Thanks to BRF a lot of articles and publications are bringing tons of memories back.

Wayne, if you notice, Russ Hill had a 4th in the first heat, and he only beat JIMBO.......which in those days.......Jimbo was pretty much a back marker...often a way back marker....and with my dad not being there to "BITCH" at my brother's driving, Russ probably figured he'd be better off jumping the gun and winning the heat, than go home and have to listen to our FATHER question him on why he ONLY beat Jimbo....A Jumped Gun is easier to explain than ONLY beating Jimbo...

Keep in mind, Jimbo didn't start becoming a "STAR" until he bought his 1964 Sid Craft....this Shearpin was 1962. Jimbo was still in his stage of tearing the hell out of anything he got his hands on!!!!! We frequently feared for Jimbo's safety in those early days!!! (He was such a LOON!!!).

We all liked him, but we worried for him as he didn't seem to LEARN for past mistrakes!!!!

Geodavid, I might be heading to Texas to buy a wax machine...Maybe, we could visit Pete DeLackner and Wayne....If pete ever got a computer he could out do Wayne and me with stories and pictures...I'd love to hear Pete's stories about winning the 1964 36 Runabout Nationals......He was NOT POPULAR for that win........