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Thread: Any photos of DeSilva outboard hydros?

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    Team Member smittythewelder's Avatar
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    Default Any photos of DeSilva outboard hydros?

    Just looking at Ron's drag boat threads, with a couple of DeSilva hulls. IIRC, DeSilva made some outboard hydros in the Seventies, an unusual and interesting design. Anybody have pix, or anything to say about these boats?

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    bill boyes
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    Call Ralph, He build most of the Hydros. The Hedland was somewhat of a copy. I remember when Ralph build the first Bull Nose as Billy called it.

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    Had one in the late 60`s or early 70`s that we ran with a mod 55h D class. Very fast boat. It was very fast but flighty. Had a nasty habit of getting sideways coming off the corner and would stay that way down the straightaway until you backed off, never could correct that. Finally sold it to an alky driver that ran a C Quincy on it. I know he busted his butt in it a couple of times. Got some photos somewhere will post if I find them.

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    Team Member Danny Pigott's Avatar
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    Default DeSilva Hydro

    I have one it's a 500 cc lay down Pro boat. I have pic's of it some where will try and put one up if I can get my pic's on my new pc. Very nice boat looks sharp with rear cowl. I bought it from David Westbrook in 83 ready to race boat motor and prop. David had been trying to sell me a Pro boat for a long time even tried to sell me a F Konig must have been trying to kill me, just kidding. He must have caught me at the right time and I bought it , funny thing is I beat him in the 84 Pro Nat's with his old boat seems like I was 3rd and he was 4th. I still have the boat and C Konig today. This might be the only one left .

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    Team Member smittythewelder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bill boyes View Post
    Call Ralph, He build most of the Hydros. The Hedland was somewhat of a copy. I remember when Ralph build the first Bull Nose as Billy called it.
    Hmm, I always assumed Hedlund was building an updated, up-graded version of Hal Kelly's old Jupiter, which had the S-curve in the bottom, and the more aero-look decks than the Sids of the time. But maybe we're talking about different boats? The only DeSilva outboard hydros I knew of were big alky boats, and the only Hedlund hydros I ever saw were tiny A/B Stock boats.

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    BoatRacingFacts VIP John Schubert T*A*R*T's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by smittythewelder View Post
    Hmm, I always assumed Hedlund was building an updated, up-graded version of Hal Kelly's old Jupiter, which had the S-curve in the bottom, and the more aero-look decks than the Sids of the time. But maybe we're talking about different boats? The only DeSilva outboard hydros I knew of were big alky boats, and the only Hedlund hydros I ever saw were tiny A/B Stock boats.
    Smitty, I agree with you.

  7. #7
    bill boyes
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    I do not remember Ralph building any hydros with a S bottom. I could be wrong as it was a long time ago. Ralph built the the Cowling or Nose of the boat and others copied that is what I am talking about. Maybe Tim Weber can get a few pictures from Ralph.
    I recall Harry Bartholomie had a couple of them and we took a C and D on the back on the DeSilva's truck to Midland Mich for Grant. Dick Pond wrecked both of the boats while milling in a crash with Kirts.

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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    I've got some pics of one built for Doc Collins. It's a pit shot and Alan Ishii was driving for Doc then. I will scan them when I get caught up.



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    Over on the EORC site there is a pic of my Dad's DeSilva hydro with a 135 Chrysler on it wit electric start. Around early seventies, ran two man feature race with him when I was thirteen. Scared the hell out me but loved it at the same time. This boat and motor was brought to DePue one or two times and ran in "F" hydro. It did look like an oversizes Hedlund for sure.


    http://www.longislandboatracing.org/images/EORC-1.jpg

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    Team Member smittythewelder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Schubert T*A*R*T View Post
    Smitty, I agree with you.
    You agreed too soon, John. Look at Gosman's link, above. Though he tells us his dad ran it in the Seventies, that's obviously a boat from the early Sixties or even Fifties. The DeSilva hydro I remember, if my memory is any good at all, was a Seventies picklefork with an innovative and distinctive deck design.

    This is getting confusing.

    There's a feature at the bottom of the screen called "similar threads." I've never used it until now, but I linked to a DeSilva thread by Mk75H that is quite interesting, and itself links to one started by Ron Hill that's also good. My only experience of DeSilvas was of their well-crafted, good-handling, but rather conventional stock and alky runabouts (though maybe that double-angle chine was an original). But if you haven't seen it, look at their "Delta" experimental runabout, very cutting-edge then or now.

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