Joe Swift

[Mike R. Cole]

I know several that have restored Swift hydros. I have previously brought Jewel Swift to the Mont Dora Classic Boat Show, but, within the last year of two she fell and broke her hip on two different occasions and cannot attend anymore.

I will probably attend the upcoming show in Travares this year without Jewel.

Dad also designed the Yellow Jacket boats made back in the 50's out of molded wood. They became quite famous when TV Cowboy Roy Rogers became part owner of the company.

Mike R. Cole

[ezryder]

I know several that have restored Swift hydros. I have previously brought Jewel Swift to the Mont Dora Classic Boat Show, but, within the last year of two she fell and broke her hip on two different occasions and cannot attend anymore.

I will probably attend the upcoming show in Travares this year without Jewel.

Dad also designed the Yellow Jacket boats made back in the 50's out of molded wood. They became quite famous when TV Cowboy Roy Rogers became part owner of the company.

Mike R. Cole

Hi Mike,
Tell me more about yourself, if you would.
And convey my blessings to Jewel. I doubt that she remembers me because I was just a young teen back then.
But she may remember my father, Byrne Taylor. He bought Joe's race boats and motors, and his trailer in 1948. I was just 8 years old then.
My dad started me racing in M hydro in '48. By '52 I was old enough to race stockers, so my Dad bought me a Swift A/B hydro and a KG7H

I was involved in boat racing well into the 60's. I'm guessing we have a lot in common.
I'm wondering about your "godfather" comment??
Regards,
George

[Mike R. Cole]

Dad was born in London England, went to South Africa in about 1935, and then came to the States in 1947. He had a passion for boat design, and, without any formal schooling other than high school, he stared designing small outboard boats while in Africa. He first job in the States was in Minnesota where he help fix boats for a company there, but, he disliked the cold weather. While waiting to come into the States they lived in Canada for awhile and it was there that dad designed the hull that eventually became the very successful Yellow Jacket boat. Dad moved to Florida in 1950 when he met Woody Woodson and they started Thunderbird boat company in about 1956, building some of the first fiberglass boats in Florida. Thunderbird went bankrupt in 1960, was purchased by Alliance Machine Company out of Ohio (a big crane company) and dad designed for them through about 1969 when the company was bought by Fuqua. Most of the Thunderbird employees moved to Sarasota where they joined Wellcraft Marine. Dad designed the Airslot line of boats for them which became very successful. He also designed for others including OMC, Donzi, Coronet boats of Denmark, the US Coast Guard and other companies. During the early years in Florida dad met Joe Swift and I think sold him some of the Yellow Jacket boat hulls for production boats out of the Swift WoodCraft company in Mount Dora. Joe and Jewel agreed to be our Godparents (myself and my brother - who later died of cancer). In 1960 dad was involved in a bad head-on car accident with two OMC executives while driving to Naples. The driver of dad's car (Ray Nelson) was killed in that accident. Joe and Jewel got divorced and I lost touch until I was researching Swift hydros a few years ago on the internet and found her photo in an article about the Mount Dora boat show. I took her to several shows or about 3-4 years until she broke her hip and could not longer attend. Joe Swift worked as a PR man for Mercury for many years and eventually moved back to Wisconsin where he later died.

[ezryder]

Hi Mike,
Your comments are of great interest to me.
In my mind's eye, I remember seeing some of those Yellow Jacket
boats at Joe's shop. Of course I had no idea your Dad was involved.
I thought Joe was producing them.
I only remember them as being molded, not conventional construction.
I was aware that Joe built pleasure boats also, but my visit's to his shop
were mostly limited to the racing production line.

In the early 50's we did a lot of our alky testing on lake Ola, right close to Joe's shop. We lived on a lake, but testing the alky's there was out of the question due to the noise. I even got hassled testing my stockers from time to time.

Do you remember the name Bill Chritchfield? He built Scat Craft boats in the early fifties.
Then he began building fiberglass boats and changed the name to
Critchfield boats.

When I was 12 years old I would go over across our lake to where
Bill lived. I watched him build a hydro in his landlord's chicken coop.
Later my dad invited him to build some race boats at our place. We
had a race shop down at the lake and plenty of room to build boats.
End result is that I learned how to build my own boats and also helped
Bill make the decision to quit his job and start building boats full time.

Over the years I built a number of racing boats. Both runabouts and
hydros. Some were dogs but some were very successful!
In the early 60's I built OPC custom racing hulls for Bill's customers.

Great times!!!!!!!

In my collection I currently have a restored Mk20H. A restored KG&H and a Mk20H "popper" restoration project currently going on.
I also have my original Champion Hot Rod I've kept all these years.
And I have a Wilson runabout that I've kept since I won 3 class
championships with it in 1956.
And recently acquired a Swift
A/B Hydro just like my dad bought me.


If you want to read more about my past just type in in the forum search engine. It will take you to my musings.
I've been adding more of my Dad and my racing history as I have the
time. I think you'll find it interesting.

Regards,
George (ezryder)

[Mike R. Cole]

There is a lot of history between the Swift family and Mr. Richard Cole when it come to boats and racing.

Hydro designer Ted Jones met Jewel Swift years later and took a liking to her and wanted to marry her. But, Jewel had poor experiences in her own marriage to Joe and did not take Ted up on the offer. Jewel told me this story herself.

The Yellow Jacket hulls were cold molded in an autoclave which was the same process they used during WWll to build the British Mosquito bomber which was all wood. In fact the Yellow Jackets were produced in Canada in the same factory where they had previously produced the Mosquito bomber.

I would like to see your Swift Hydro and meet with you sometime. I live down in Plantation Fl. 954-424-1238.

Mike R. Cole

[Mike R. Cole]

I have a friend that lives up in Lady Lake. He owns a trailer up there and use to ride with me as a reserve Police Officer when I was a Sergeant. I am now a Lieutenant with the Miami Springs Police Department and working on my 30th year and thinking about retirement.

[Danny Pigott]

This is my 1956 Swift Big Bee. The pic's are not good. I think you could put a motor on it an run it today. It is still in good shape other than that ugly paint job.

[ezryder]

Hi Danny,
Kool! Looks to be in good shape except the paint job.
Looks as though you could just do up the paint and your set to go.

My A/B is solid wood wise. And could just be put in the water and off you go. But I decided I want to re do the paint job first. I've already restored the hardware.
It was licensed in the late 80's. I'm not 100 % sure, but it appears that it was redone inside and out with epoxy.
The deck has a long rip in the canvas deck. So I have to re do that.
Then epoxy paint on the top deck will make it ready.
The bottom is in good shape as it is. Only thing I don't like is someone
stained the fir plywood a dark color before epoxying it. But I can live with that cuz the surface is good.
The interior combing, floorboards, and dashboard are in original
varnish finish that is still good!

If you missed my pictures, they are posted on thread #45 (or close to that number) on my Racing history pages.
Geo

[BoatingBuddy]

Hi Mates,

Looking for a photo of a Swift Atomic A from 1957-58 My boat was yellow and # G 53 would like to show my son and grand son.

Thanks Those days were great..

[ezryder]

Hi Boating Buddy,
Danny's "Big Bee" pictures he posted is almost exactly the same appearance as the Atomic A boat. Not a lot of difference. Just a bit longer.
The Atomic A was a bit lighter also, due to it being a bit shorter.
EZ