Geogre, I have a race program from a race at Waycross Ga.. I'am not sure what year but it had to be 55/57 I will try to find it an send you a copy.
Geogre, I have a race program from a race at Waycross Ga.. I'am not sure what year but it had to be 55/57 I will try to find it an send you a copy.
That would be great Danny!
How is your wife doing?
Regards,
Geo
Been a while since I posted some of my memory's on BRF. So they don't match up with my thread back when I last posted.
But wanted to let everyone know I'm still "kick'n" and having FUN going FAST with my Mk55H and Sid D Hydro on a regular
basis, down here in Florida. I'll be at Winter Have (Lake Shipp) in October for the Fla Chapter of AOMCI's national event.
I was recently cursing around the internet and came across this history of Pop Willis and his racing runabouts. So I decided to post the Willis CRR,CSR story, along with comments from my memory's of that time period when my Dad raced a Willis runabout in CRR
http://woodenboatassociation.com/willisboatworks.html
Beautiful Boats!!! Cosmically they were beautiful! The smooth lines and Mahogany planking did the trick. The same was true for Neil, Fillinger, Mischey and others. My dad raced Willis runabouts in the early '50's.
But the Willis runabouts did not have the speed needed after De Silva brothers runabouts were discovered in the eastern part of the US. The DeSilva's were around 3 to 4 mph faster than the heavier Willis mahogany planked runabouts. The Willis CRR/CSR boats were around 200lbs. The DeSilva's were around 150lbs. And the Willis runabouts had another issue that I remember observing when watching my Dad race his Willis in CRR races. If the water was "choppy" enough the Willis would "trim" out. But if the water was smooth then it would "porpoise". That was a speed killer.
The DeSilva's could "trim" out in any water conditions.
DeSilva boats ruled on the west coast well before eastern drivers discovered them.
Bill Tenny and Bud Wiget, among other drivers, showed us easterner's the extra speed of the DeSilva's during the Citrus Circuit Florida winter races starting around '54. Bud Wiget knew all about the the DeSilvas as he had recently moved to Fla from Calif.
George
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