Joe Swift

[Ron Hill]

Thought about this ad, today...I think this is Burt Ross...Burt Ross was Jack Leek's brother-in-law....

[Mike R. Cole]

Joe Swift had diabetes and eventually had both his legs amputated. He continued to work for Mercury Marine as their PR man moved from Florida to Wisconsin where is later died.

Joe's former wife Jewel Swift (who worked in the factory and actually water tested the hydroplanes is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

Joe and Jewel Swift are my Godparents.

[ezryder]

Thought about this ad, today...I think this is Burt Ross...Burt Ross was Jack Leek's brother-in-law....

Hi Ron,
That is Tommy Hagood in the Swift. The Hagood Brothers owned a
Mercury Dealership in Orlando, Fla.
I hung out there in my youth. They built my stockers for me.

Tommy won the BSH championship, I believe, in 1952 using a Swift
A/B Hydro.
George Taylor

[Mike R. Cole]

A couple of weeks ago Joe Swift's son, James A. Swift 55yrs, died of cancer in th Orlando Fl area..

Jewel Swift, Joe's ex-wife during the Swift Hydroplane production years, is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

[Mike R. Cole]

Jack Leek worked for Outboard Marine Corp. during the (60's) years that my father, Richard C. Cole, was designing boats for them.

[1-D 1-US]

I beleive the early boats were made of 3 ply fir plywood...my father bought me 1 for my birthday [not fir] I think in 54'...I never could drive a damn swift..kept stuffing the damn things in. As I remember I never did race it ...think I sold it to Racer Allen. he was a little funny even back then.
Dion

[ezryder]

A couple of weeks ago Joe Swift's son, James A. Swift 55yrs, died of cancer in th Orlando Fl area..

Jewel Swift, Joe's ex-wife during the Swift Hydroplane production years, is still alive and living in Ormond Beach Fl.

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the update on James. I met him for the first time at the
Tavaries Vintage Boat Show back in March. He never mentioned he
had cancer.
I'm really sorry to hear of his passing -- RIP Jimmie!!

I'm from Orlando also, but moved to Lady Lake 12 years ago. I'm retired. I was a boat racer in my youth. My dad was too. And I knew
Joe Swift. And drove his boats also. He had a shop in Mount Dora.

I have a fir plywood Swift A/B hydro in my collection. All his early
A/B's and C/D's were built with Fir. Later he added ocumae construction.

Regards,
George

[ezryder]

I beleive the early boats were made of 3 ply fir plywood...my father bought me 1 for my birthday [not fir] I think in 54'...I never could drive a damn swift..kept stuffing the damn things in. As I remember I never did race it ...think I sold it to Racer Allen. he was a little funny even back then.
Dion

Hi Dion,
Yes, they were! In '54 your got occumae!

He He --- You could "stuff" em, and "blow" em over too. I did both
quite a few times. But I was "young and foolish"!! I only understood
one throttle position --- WFO!!!! hehe!!
George

[Tim Chance]

I had two different Swift Hydros. I don't know what the A/B boat with the flat cowl was made of, but I think the decks on my Big Bee were made out of Birch.

[ezryder]

I had two different Swift Hydros. I don't know what the A/B boat with the flat cowl was made of, but I think the decks on my Big Bee were made out of Birch.

Hi Tim,
By the time Joe was building the Big Bee, Atomic A and D model, all were constructed with ocumae to the best of my knowledge.
The A/B and C/D models were offered in fir and ocumae.
The first A/B's were only built with fir. That's what my boat was.
But my friend, Archie Golson, bought an ocumae version in '54.
Geo