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Thread: BRF, Parker Enduro and More 2014 Newsletter

  1. #1
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default BRF, Parker Enduro and More 2014 Newsletter

    BRF, PARKER ENDURO & MORE


    The Boat Racing Facts site is 12 years old, going on 13. In many ways I feel BRF has been a success, but in some ways it has failed. Ted March and I had a goal of creating an online boat racing encyclopedia. I think we have met that goal. BRF seems to be growing; we have many loyal posters. While Facebook is easier to post on, it is harder to find posts later. On BRF it is easy to trace and continue a thread. We have a living history of the sport, thanks to all of you.

    The RACE DATE of the PARKER ENDURO 336 is October 24 & 25, 2014 (Weather make-up date is Sunday October 26, 2015). We will be back on the 12-miles course from Bluewater to La Paz. We will again have 7 divisions of boat racing. Almost all outboards and inboards are welcomed, come out and race with us! Rules will be posted shortly.

    STATE OF THE SPORT: We also wanted to “GROW” Boat Racing. However, except for the NBRA, 660 Drags, T-750, T-850, Australians, Europeans and a few other hot spots, boat racing seems to continue to circle the drain. American racing has few bright spots except for NBRA and 660 Drags. There are probably more three-cylinder Yamahas racing around the world than all the outboard racers in the USA. American boat racing needs to take a lesson from the rest of the world.

    I do see signs of progress. APBA Inboard has a new class called Sportsman E, a small block class. In support, last year I donated six propellers for the class ($650 each $4,500 worth of prizes). This year I donated three props. The Eastern Divisional, Western Divisional and National Champion will each receive a Signature V-Drive propeller.

    I had a “Free Prop” contest on BRF, but only gave away one prop. I plan to give away a few more when the season slows. Last year Hill Marine made 7,000 Signature propellers. This year we are up 12.4% AHEAD OF LAST YEAR. Sometimes I just have to work at Hill Marine for MONEY, rather than work for BRF for free.

    REMEMBERING RUSS: My brother, Russ Hill, Jr., was a “futurist.” He passed away on December 9, 2013 at 80 with prostate cancer. Russ was the USC Norris Cancer Center’s longest survivor of prostate cancer (25 years). I will be posting Russ’s Epitaph on Boat Racing Facts. Russ only allowed Hills to read this while he was alive. I feel every boat racer should read this Epiphany and ask himself, “Am I the problem or the cure?”

    ELECTRIC BOATS: I helped Long Beach Poly’s winning the 24-volt division of the California Solar Boat Championships. There were 72 high school teams racing. Stony Brook, New York won the College World Series for 36 volt boats, with Signature Propellers. Cal Poly Pomona failed to get their boat ready. I had been working with them until their advisor told me THEY were to built the boat...

    For the record, I don't think electric powered boats, cars or motorcycles will ever make it in this world. Having said that, I have a new 19 HP, 7,200 RPM 48 volt electric motor. Since Bill Curtis’s health has improved, he is building the electric outboard for me.

    Bill also ran our OMC 15 with a bottom water pickup on an A Hydro and it planed 250 John Lane and went about 30 MPH. Dave Bryant and I shortened two OMC midsections so a fishing motor would fit on an A Stock Hydro...with bottom water pickup, it hauled ***. I have made 12 new nosecones for small motors and will have them on eBay soon.

    DIALING IT IN: I emailed Earl Bentz about making a copy of his book, “The Performance Boat Bible.” Earl's book tells you everything you need to know about outboard setup. Earl said he was going to reprint it. As of 8/2/2014 I have seen no progress. I may write my on book on small boat setup. Some people make boats go from 40 MPH to 75 MPH and it isn't THAT hard. I just repeat myself on the phone 50 times a week and don't want to do it anymore.

    WHEELING AND DEALING: Hill Marine Products LLC, bought out another business. As a result, I've sold almost all of our boats except our Hallett Vector. My daughter and her husband have owned a house in Needles for 10 years. In February, Laurie, Chad, Corey and I bought a house five doors from Jessica's house. We were happy as hell with the house until the guy next door put his house up for sale and we found out he had a 57-foot garage, six feet wider than ours and four feet taller. So, we bought it. Last week we sold the first house. We now have a great garage on the golf course.

    CAPSULES SAVE LIVES: Since the death of Greg Belda at Puddingstone last March, I have stopped supporting the COR class. Capsules save lives and I will not support this class unless it has a full capsule. Marlee Hill spent eight weeks in Australia working with capsule V-drives. Capsules work. Yes, they are expensive, but what is a life worth?

    THANK YOU: I wish to emphasize, Boat Racing Facts is not Ron Hill's site—it is your site. Many thanks to everyone who posts on BRF—please don't stop.
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-21-2014 at 08:46 PM.

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    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default Comments About the Newsletter

    Names are left off to protect the guilty!

    Re: BRF, PARKER ENDURO & MORE







    Mr. Hill,

    With all due respect, I don't think you should take the downwardly spiraling sport of boat racing as a personal event. I personally think your efforts have helped to slow the demise of the sport.

    As an East Coast former OPC racer and current fan, I can only express how disappointed I am to see the sport continue to decline.

    I think several factors have contributed to this trend over the last 30 years. In my humble opinion they include:

    - The lack of interest to bring new talent into the sport:
    The historic owners/drivers have not spent any effort in bringing new talent into the sport. Having grown up with the Daily family in Miami, there was never an effort by anyone to bring "professional" racers into the sport.

    - The withdrawal of factory sponsored "drivers" to participate in the sport.

    - The environmental impacts of the sport:
    The impact on Manatees and other aquatic life in the southeast.

    - The lack of "shop" type courses in the education facilities of the US:
    When I was growing up students were able to participate in technical training like aviation mechanics, which led some students to a racing focus.

    In Summary:
    With all the effort you have spent over the last 40 years, it is not your fault that the sport has declined. I thank you for all the effort you have invested. I personally think that the people who have ruined the sport are the rich people who were racing for their own reasons and had no interest in grooming anyone who could compete with them. Look at INDY and NASCAR where families have gone generations building racing organizations to support up and coming drivers. The issue seems to be economics. These teams have created "value" in their sport.
    I think boat racing was ruined by greed, and you had nothing to do with that.
    I would have loved to retire in 2000 and rejoined the sport, but, by that time the sport was starting to implode on the East Coast.

    I hope the sport on the west coast has a chance for a future.
    Thanks for all your efforts,

    Nice email....thanks, Ron Hill

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    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default Hello From Australia

    Hi Ron,

    Thank you for your efforts and success on the BRF site, I have been involved on Powerboat racing all my life, my grandfather raced, my father raced, my brother (Graham Ogilvie)raced and did I, my now ex- husband raced and now my son (Simon Troy) races in F2. Australian powerboat racing is fading as well but the faithful keep the sport slowing pumping. It's sometimes hard to fathom why we keep spending the money for such a little known sport. But we do, its in our blood. Please don't lose sight of the people that enjoy you pieces and like to keep an eye on what is happening o/seas.
    We too believe in the capsules, boat racing has to evolve into the future for safety, I have seen many guys survive a horrific accident all because of the capsule and also seen many loose their lives because they don't.
    Sorry for the loss of your brother, I know it hurts to loss someone dear to you. I lost my dad recently and every girl misses their dad.


    Keep up the great work and all the best from Australia

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    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default More Comments

    Thanks for the news!!! At 76 I don't get to do alot of the things I would like to,but I will never forget my time in racing boats even if it seems like eternity.Even my kids argue over who is going to get what trophy when I pass.To me it wasnt about the trophies at all it was the thrill of the sport and the intermingling with all of the other competitors and actually working together on a lot of projects.A lot of what you have now was passed on and what you do now will be passed on and that is one of the many things that I actually enjoyed about the sport.Alot of people dont know that Bob McCullough (Scott Atwater} brought on of the first Koenig engines into the US for study and then developed the 60hp outboard for production.I had the pleasure of being able to do some of the testing on that engine and let me tell you it was a horse.Tailored down for public use and put into production.The E2-E4 class was coming into its own at that time and Paul Allison was ready to make history with his new boat and using every mfgs mtr set new records some of which still stand today I understand.Maybe I should check on that it has been quite awhile,but we were running over 100 in1961.I have taken up enough of your time,sorry I just cant seem to help it.Congrats on taking a stance on enclosed capsules!!!!!!!!!!!



    Another one:

    Hi Ron...
    Thanks for the reply.... I've been looking to race in the South West with our boat but there usually aren't any races for National Mods that direction... The north west, region 10, has such politics that I won't go back there again... We'll be racing region 6 and further east ....
    Interesting that you're along the river in Needles,CA ... I grew up along the Colorado river closer to Yuma... spent plenty of time near Parker and Blyth as well... We had a Tahiti jet boat for a while and then a flat bottom Sanger...
    Too bad there aren't more races in the south west for the hydroplanes... maybe someday!!??
    Thanks,
    David

    Mar. Hill, this site has brought back some wonderful memories of my
    time racing and participating at the Miami Marine Stadium. I raced
    sterndrives and limited inboard hydros and it was a magical time. God
    Bless you for keeping these memories alive. John P. HYDRO JOHN Vicino


    Thank you for your personal update. Have been a fan from way back. I’m
    originally from a little country in the Caribbean called Trinidad.———— My
    dad raced a Crackerbox and I a 3 point hydro with a Merc 20 with a
    Quicksilver leg. That might give my age away. Sorry to hear about your
    brother Russ, but thankfully he had a reasonably good ’kick at the can’
    (80). But we always feel we could squeeze a little more out of life.
    Best wishes and keep up the good work.
    Ernie Codrington (In Canada

    Hi Ron, I am in South Africa and used to race uim 1.3litre and 2litre offshore cats. Namely Finnish Argo cats . Unfortunately offshore racing here in South Africa has all but disappeared. Guess it just got too expensive. Wasn't helped by poor attitude of Motor and Boat dealers etc. Still boat for fun though and once a speeder always a speeder lol. Currently have a 16ft British Phantom with a modded 90hp yam and an American 217 Mirage with an LS6 454. I enjoy the site. Regards Rob Carey
    Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-24-2014 at 10:47 PM.

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    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default Bobby Switzer Checks In

    Re: BRF, PARKER ENDURO & MORE







    Ron Thank you so much for all your time and effort to keep the boat racing alive and safe! I'll always remember how well your dad treated me at the 1952 stock outboard nationals when I was blessed to win the D stock outboard class. He was the inspector that approved the motor I borrowed at the last minute from Milt Anderson! It was a KG 9-HD that had 8 reed valves instead of 4 and since there were 50 built ( and I did
    not get one but Jack Maypole did and that was loaned to me because the stone fuel filter in mine was cracked we later learned! And I remember how your mom made those great life jackets, an I couldn't wait to have my own. I recently made a 20 ft combination Switzer-
    Hickman type tunnel boat and Mercury sold me a 200 Optimax XS with a 20 "Sportmaster lower unit it has an elliptical
    Planning pad that is fixed at 3 degrees off set to the chine line hence the wetted surface that supports the boat allows the hull and chine line to be parallel to the horizon making it safe and reducing the flat plate
    Resistance for a safer 80 plus mile per hour boat! What else can an 82 year old do to keep busy after selling Switzer Craft back in 1982?

    Good to see you too are hanging in there!

    Best regards,

    Robert "Bobby" Switzer

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