Switzer Wing

**Ron Hill** · 12-11-2004

Ted May is the only one on your list that I can't think of!!!

One thing they all had in common, when those wings leaped of the corners and headed dow the 6 1/2 straightaway, when both engines popped out of the water, at the same time, NO ONE lifted their foot...Pre rev limiters, those suckers would hit some hig RPM's bewfore they reentered the water...

Outboard Bob, seeing your "STACKS" brought back memories of St. Marys, Ohio, I'm going to say June of 1970. We had raced in Galveston, my Twin Ron Jones was plenty fast, but I had the engines so high in the tunnel, that the motors kept getting hot....can't recall who won. But in Single engine, Jimbo McConnell just ran all over Mercury. Oh, I remember now, because, while the Single engines were racing. the twins and triples were lining up. The fans went so crazy over Jimmy Merten's triple they know the fence down to get closer to the boat....Most didn't watch the Single engine run....

Jim Mertens won easy, but I was thinking, if I had two motors like Jimbo's maybe, I could run that triple...

After the race, I went looking for Charlie Strang's mother, I knew how to get things done at OMC. While I was looking, I ran into Charlie and Gary Garbrecht (Mercury's Racing Director). They were talking about running only single engines the next year. I almost "Crapped" my drawers.... Here, today, we had two races... A Single engine Race and a Twin and Triple engine race...

The spectators either slept during the Single Engine race or watched the Twind and Triples "STAGE"... To me, this Galveston Race was an eye opener.... Spectators LOVED the BIG BOATS and could careless about the LITTLE boats. GAry and Charlie agreed right there to run singles....I walked away shaking my head, vowing to quit BOAT RACING AGAIN!!!

Got home from Texas, talked to Jack Leek, he said they weren't going to St. Mary's, Ohio and they didn't have any extra motors... My wife worked for TWA, so I told her to get me a FREE tiket to OHIO and I told my dad and mom to take the boat, that WE were going to St. Mary's.

We got to St. Mary's and EVERYONE else was there too...Jack said, "Make sure you send me your expenses....". Jack and OMC were always good about paying expenses, not salaries, but gas, food and lodging...which was COOl, coming from a background of always paying our own bills...

I'd seen these pipes in Galveston, but in my BRAIN I thought the water going in was to make them COAST GUARD LEGAL.... I was a 5th grade teacher, not a rocket scientist...

As the Singles start, I watch figuring Jimbo is WHUMP UP on the Mercs again... Pace boat start, three Mercs are leading and it is hard to tell who the are. In those days the "HIGH RIDER" Molinari's rode so high in the bow you could see the whole bottom and the prop coming at you, but not who was driving. I just figured Jimbo go a bad start, which would have been very unusual for him...

Anyway, three single Molly's come at us, the bows get higher and higher and higher, finally, two of them at the same time take off over backwards. The center guys, I think Tom Stickle, saves his, but Bobby Herring and someone else just go sky high...

Later, I find that when you hit the water on the pipes you got a sudden boost of power...and whaa la, over backwards went two Molinari's like popcorn..

Soon, Renato start making what we called the LOW RIDER, then ran flater and would not get over 4 foot rollers like the High Riders did..

OMC ran all Singles at Havasu, but Mercury brought a few twins along, just to win overall... You know how deals work...don't you...

Cool picts Outboard Bob... When I finish my Boston natioanls 1963, you'll need to read it!1

**Ron Hill** · 12-11-2004

This is a DeSilva Wing... Red with black and white checks... The checks were painted by Capnzee and my dad. This was the first outboard to ever lead the Parker 9 Hour Enduro.

Freddy Hauenstein and I drove her, Mac McConnell and my dad owned it together...

Actually, I think Capnzee and my dad built the cowling for this DeSilva wing , too..

She had "Full length air traps", even on the sponson, like the Berghauer's Sid Crafts...(The had wood rails on he sponson...)...like the round sponon SId's of Bob Oakner's...

We got $200 lap money...broke a crank when Freddy was driving...wasn't his fault, it was used too much when it was new!!!

**B VALACHOVIC** · 12-11-2004

I recall when they quit campaigning the multiple engines. As usual the engine companies had a lot of say (almost all of it) of what ran.This is the same time that M.R. Kiekhaefer left Mercury . Had he been able to stay I beleive this would not have happened and the big boats would have been a different story. That De Silva Wing you drove looks pretty neat, the V4 engines at that time were powerfull for their size, (deceiveing almost). Those pipes I show in the photo for the inline 6's have the water injection that when you started off you would give her the water and in the turns coming out then again the water. There is not a lot of back pressure at lower rpms and the engines would bog without this. Bob

**peterse90** · 12-21-2005

Originally Posted by B VALACHOVIC

Thats a lot of drivers,given the marathon races thease boats ran and co drivers that were involved. I will post the few off the top of my head and others can add more names if they like. Ken Kitson, Jan Schoonover ,Dale Bunch, Bob Massy, Boots Spellman, Lennie Todd, Dave Craig, Ed Steuart, Bill Olney, Jimmy Mertin sr, Ernest Threlkeld, Johnnie Sanders, Dave Switzer, Bob Switzer. There are many more Bob

Here's 2 more;
Eddie Doyatt and Spencer Dunn - both Canadians.
I think Spencer only drove one race in a Switzer; 1972 Canadian National Championships, Cherry Beach, Toronto. Went into first corner sideways, Andre Savard went right over top with one lower unit passing right over Spencer's cockpit. Spencer's arm was cut pretty bad, and I think it scratched his helmet.
Don't know where Spencer got this boat from for the last race of the season, his twin Johnson powered Shultz was damaged, but I remember it was painted yellow.

**peterse90** · 12-23-2005

Here's a picture of Eddie Doyyat driving Thunderball with what looks to be stock 1250's. He ran what we called UU class. This picture was taken in 1972.
The boat in the foreground is Sid Goddard in what was listed as a Godboat...I thought only Jimbo drove Godboats?
I bet Jimbo remembers Sid and Jimbo's old picle-fork Scotti that Sid blew apart in Peterborough.

**peterse90** · 12-23-2005

Originally Posted by peterse90

Here's a picture of Eddie Doyyat driving Thunderball with what looks to be stock 1250's. He ran what we called UU class. This picture was taken in 1972.
The boat in the foreground is Sid Goddard in what was listed as a Godboat...I thought only Jimbo drove Godboats?
I bet Jimbo remembers Sid and Jimbo's old picle-fork Scotti that Sid blew apart in Peterborough.

I should know better. Jimbo's were Goat Boats.
The above Godboat was an old Shultze that Sid Goddard repaired himself and therefore named it a Godboat.
I have posted pictures of Jimbo's Goat Boats under Jimbo - Wizard of OZ.

**texflagg** · 08-24-2010

I raced in Galveston tx, in a fiberglass Switzer Wing it was a turquoise color 108T number fast boat turns not so good.
I have a video of the race the boat did not have power trim which would have made it more competitive.
Also ran the boat in a lake Abilene Texas or Lubbock Texas I think the lake was called Buffalo. I had trim set out,more so it would term better in less spinouts. Seems like Ken Kitson was there. Or at least his boat? I will try to you tube the race in Galveston tx.
William(TEX) Flagg