Hey Bruce....I started to post something last night and was about finished, but shut it down because I was just going by memory and not facts. So I will throw this out there to see what others might remember. Fact one is that old throttles like Keller, Quincy, Konig and others had ways to set the throttle in certain positions. Keller and Quincy had the "push button" used to set the position with the thumb on the throttle hand. The Konig throttle that I knew had a peg on the side plate that you could pull up to set the throttle at a certain position. From what I remember from the early days when I started in 1966, a lot of guys would set the throttle after getting on a plane, looking over their left shoulder to get into traffic (or just make sure the course was clear when testing), rolling up their crank rope, stashing it in a pocket or wherever they tucked it, then grasping the throttle and getting up to speed.
By the time I started racing most everyone was running Quincy Loopers with some Merc/Quincy deflectors, Konigs, and a few Harrison and Crescents. The only people I ever saw adjusting their carbs while underway were the C Service guys and they did it all the time. They locked their throttle, reached back with the throttle hand to make adjustments. I'm sure in the days before I started that was common with other classes, but the motors I was used to had no way to adjust carbs under way. That probably stopped when things advanced and boats were going to fast to do that.
That pic though may have been when J-Dubs Dad was moving back around to grab the throttle again, after the tuning.
I'm pretty sure this picture was in some magazine once. I looked at it and I looked at it, as I always drove my Stock Hydros with crossed legs, but my Alkies went too fast and I kneeled, almost laying down...
I decided this was a pad trying to blow out of the boat...not a knee.
Great picture, J-Dub. Your OLD MAN was a great guy!
When running their Anzanis in the days of Lucas magnetos, Walin, Sutter, and Anderson used to have the big Vacturi carb on the side of the engines set somewhat lean so they could get on-plane without fouling plugs. Once they got going, they would reach back and give the main needle a twist to richen 'er up. This being a marginal operation, one of them fabricated a cable-operated mixture-adjuster that worked more precisely and eliminated locking the throttle and turning around in the boat. There's a photo of the "100mph Anzani" on Charlie Williams' site that shows this feature.
Locked Throttles--
A rule was passed to stop drivers from locking the throttle. We always did that when we roped our own. As wayne stated we'ed rope the engine, stuff the rope squeeze the throttle a couple of times and give the signal to go. As time passed and boats acquired cowls we had somebody start our engines and we held the throttle in the desired position. Most throttles had the lock cut off[button type] or disabled some how after the rule passed.
Did the Konig ever have adjustable jets on the carb. I started in 1968 and don't recall ever seeing them on a Konig.
Ron--It doesn't look like a pad to me BUT my eyes are over 80 years old SOOOOOOO!
Bruce
I have a locking throttle on my "B" superstock-mod runabout. It is a Wilcox Crittenden I restored for current use and has the button on the throttle. It is o.k for starting the engine but just isn't allowed while underway.
Bruce, the old 2-cylinder FB and FC Konigs came with Konig carbs, 32-34mm, that had adjustable high-speed needles (bottom-up, rather than top-down as the Vacturis had), and no idle/low-speed circuit. These carbs were one-piece with an integral float-bowl, but looking at the later 34mm A Konig carb with its separate float-bowl, it looks like the later carb was created by modifying the patterns for the earlier one.
The deflector B and C Konigs came with either slide-valve 25mm Bings or Konig carbs (28mm?) rather like the later ones but with their own peculiarities; I don't remember whether they had adjustable needles.
How does this always happen? We started out talking about looper pipes on a Quincy sub-forum, then the conversation starts spreading out like kudzu or milfoil, LOL. Sorry, Paul C., Gene, J Dub, . . . .
Smitty--
Thanks for the Konig carb info.
Your rite about this thread covering a lot of subjects. really interesting stuff tho. Keep it coming!
Bruce
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