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Thread: Outboard Class A Engines.....history

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    Default Outboard Class A Engines.....history

    Those who have raced in the 50's might know these answers.... I have a "collection" of new and old racing engines. It hasn't gone without notice that MOST of these engines are "A Class" engines! I need some blanks filled in as to the history of the "A class" outboard engines- specifically the most competitive engine model of each year (Nationals winner, records etc.) In STOCK Outboard racing, the engine of choice was the one that was approved ie- KG4H, OMC A....

    To start this process:
    1928 & 1929 Lockwood ACE
    Caille (Model ?) ???
    1930-195?) Johnson KR (post war could add Hubbell/ Johnson KR
    1957-? Konig (Model ?)
    195?-? Anzani (Model ?)
    19?? Jones/O'Dea Modified KG4?
    19?? Quincy deflecter (Model ?)
    19?? Harrison (Anzani type)
    19?? Quincy Looper (Model)
    198? Konig (Model FA)?
    198? Konig (Model ?) four cylinder
    198? Harrison/ Yamaha (250cc)
    198? Yamato RA-1 piston port
    198? Yamato RA-1 first reed valve
    199? Konig (Model ?) 2 cylinder with rotax clyinders
    1992- 1998 Yamato RA-1 (92RA-1)second reed valve version
    1997-present Rossi (Model ?)

    There could be some interesting stories here... There were special adaptations or modifications that set one persons engine above another like the Hallum/ Anzani. Dan Kirts had a VERY competitive Konig/Rotax engine where the rest just weren't quite there.... Some engines resurfaced after we though that they were obsolite. In the case of the earlier Harrison engines, they were patterned off the Anzani. Different brand engines might have dominated the runabout class while another dominated the hydro class. Bring out your ideas and recollections. I am focusing in on the BEST engines of each year... Then maybe your vote for the best engine of the decade!

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    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    Peter, the only Caille A class motor I've found info on was the 1931-32 Model 35.

    It claimed 13.91 ci and 12 hp

    I have conflicting info on whether it weighed 52 pounds or 43 pounds

    Doubtful if the 35 was truely competitive if anyone showed up with a KR.

    OMC did not produce any KR's after 1937, but it certainly continued to dominate racing until the KG4's were being converted by Quincy and Hubbell

    The model name of the early Konig A was "HRA"

    The model name of the early Anzani was "SOR A"

    I think the Harrisons were only made in 66 and 67 when they ran out of spare Anzani cranks (one of the few pieces they did not make themselves).
    Last edited by Mark75H; 02-16-2005 at 06:45 AM.
    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


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    Default Outboard Class A engines...

    Thanks Sam.

    The "hot Caille racers" were B class and C class engines I guess. I didn't know if they had a fast class A engine too.... The caille engines were pretty slick with the "sometimes" dual carburetors and tractor lowerunit.

    The original KR was an opposed engine ('28) which I didn't know about until I saw that photo you had put in this section. Then they produced the alternate firing KR that was able to make the Lockwood ACE obsolite.
    It wasn't long before every "factory" race engine had to be extensively modified in order to be truly competitive.

    This summer I saw a 60's vintage Harrison B engine in the Clayton Museum.

    Of course later on there were occasionally special "one-of-a-kind" racing engines that dominated for a period of time. One that comes to mind was Mitch Meyer's piston port Yamato RA with reedvalves from a motorcycle welded in place. The next year, Yamato offered it's first reed valve version engine.
    Last edited by Peter Crowley; 02-16-2005 at 09:42 AM.

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    Default Class A racers....

    Eventually, this question will force me to get all of my old rule books out and go through the records. This will give me a vague manufacturer's name, but not the model engine or anything that might be special about that particular engine. Perhaps some of the old Propeller magazines will provide me with more information.
    I remember seeing Jane Smith run when I was young. She was probably at a Connecticut race.... she had a Quincy engine.
    Another image that comes to mind is the famous photograph of Bill Tenney. The photo showed the back of his cover-alls. He had a Mercury patch and above it was embriodered the words that said something like- I will never run a "Mercury Outboards". Bill was one of the last Champion racers to still use the Johnson KR engine.
    In 1980, when I went to the Camden, N.C. race with my ASR (KG4H) to try to win the Waldman Award that year. I remember being pitted near Malcolm Harden. I remembered his equipment and the shear speed of his 250ccH. It was "truly impressive".
    Skip Barbari had an FA Konig on his Yale 250ccH when he won the World Championships in the late 70's.
    Of course having mentioned the Waldman Award, Gerry Waldman was impressive with his Quincy engines.
    Last edited by Peter Crowley; 02-18-2005 at 12:41 PM.

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    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    Kiekhaefer was giving away cover-alls that said "Move up to Kiekhaefer Mercury" Tenney had his altered
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    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


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    Default Class A engines....

    Sam- That is the photo that I remembered! I didn't notice before that he was leaning on a Johnson KR engine! This must have been in response to the Mercury engines that were converted to alcohol and then heavily modified. These modified Mercurys would be a great story to read about. From this group of Mercury "mechanics" (Jones/O'Dea) must have emerged O.F. Christner and Quincy Welding Co. The Quincy engines became the "ultimate Mercury modifier"!
    Eventually Bill Tenney had to join the wave of European engine imports. Konig was one of the first to come here from Europe and have his engine "approved". Evidently, the rules weren't as "open" as they are today. Later, in order to beat the Konig engines, Bill became involved with Anzani.

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    David Weaver David Weaver's Avatar
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    Default Konig FA's and VA's

    How many styles of FA's were there? Was there ever a PRO engine produced in greater quantity?

    In my family we had a 1969 model with two pipes and carbs that mounted on opposite sides. Still have this engine.

    We also had a couple of one pipe versions. Sometimes with point ignitions and sometimes with the CD ignition.

    Later Konig also produced another two pipe version of the FA.

    Malcom's single pipe FA beat the new 4-cylider Konigs for several years. I believe that Mr. Hardin bought a 4-cylinder 250, tested it and then converted it into a 350 in short order.

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    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    I think Steve Litzell would be the one to answer that question. Steve??
    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


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    Default Steve.....

    Steve would be a great person to share his personal knowledge of A Class engine dominance. Particularly because he has been around PRO racing for so long AND because he has been an inspector at the PRO Nationals and record races in FLorida. Steve is a big guy (Ron Hill too!)..... last time he probably had a 250cc engine was when he was 12 years old!

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    BoatRacingFacts VIP John Schubert T*A*R*T's Avatar
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    Default Jones/O'Dea Red Head

    Peter & Sam,

    I'm actually building a Jones/O'Dea Red Head being assembled by Cooper Jess with the tight sand cast crank case. I don't recall any Jones/O'Dea REd Heads evr really competing in competition other then the one Dick had installed on one of my 20H's in 1954 or 1955. It didn't run bad, but we ran it on gas. In the second heat at a race in Carlstadt, Nj I was about to pass Vic Scott, a regular "B" class winner at the time & blew my Jacoby over getting a ride to the hospital with a twited ankle. The Jones/O'Dea Red Head never received approval to run in the Alky division, so that was it's demise. They might have been able to run in NOA but I'm not a NOA historian. And, by the way, they were only made in a 20 c.i. version that I know of.

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