Jackie Wilson..

[jackie wilson]

Jackie preparing to launch for a race at Southampton in 1969 - not health and safety issues in those days !

Attachment 57297

Very first Molinari brought into England---caught Percival running a tape measure over it and threatened him with an early demise if he did not desist!---He desisted.

[Mike Ward]

I think Tom may have taken some measurements because the following year he built this craft at his Horning boatyard which just happens to look similar to your Molinari !

[Steve Pinson]

I think Tom may have taken some measurements because the following year he built this craft at his Horning boatyard which just happens to look similar to your Molinari !

I think Tomcat was built by Peter Sabberton at his Horning boatyard and owned jointly by Tom Percival and himself the Evinrude engine was a customer Stinger engine purchased from University
Marine I can remember Tom flying that boat at Oulton Broad it did a loop landed ok and Tom carried on driving it?

[Mike Ward]

Another pic from my archive - Jackie co-driving with Don Ross at the 1969 (or 68?) Paris 6 Hour Race.
Forgot to mention Jackie, met KIM at a LOBMBC Publicity Meeting here at Oulton Broad a few weeks ago.

[jackie wilson]

Another pic from my archive - Jackie co-driving with Don Ross at the 1969 (or 68?) Paris 6 Hour Race.
Forgot to mention Jackie, met KIM at a LOBMBC Publicity Meeting here at Oulton Broad a few weeks ago.

Don had this boat built by a friend of his----was known as "The ROSSINARI",had a tendency to fly when you least expected it, would also hook for no reason.

[jackie wilson]

I think Tomcat was built by Peter Sabberton at his Horning boatyard and owned jointly by Tom Percival and himself the Evinrude engine was a customer Stinger engine purchased from University
Marine I can remember Tom flying that boat at Oulton Broad it did a loop landed ok and Tom carried on driving it?

Used to love going up to Oulton and upsetting Tom and Bob.

[Steve Pinson]

Used to love going up to Oulton and upsetting Tom and Bob.

Well Jackie Oulton Broad always drew big crowds to watch Thursday night boat racing and still does today` if I hadn`t watched boatracing as a young boy I would never have driven racing boats .I can remember some of the old characters like Toby Sutton owned Toby Marine sportsboats held the lap record with a Chrysler powered inboard hydro called Rooster and Alex Snelling or ( POP ) to his friends he was a ex Spitfire fighter pilot who ran Ludham Marine.In 1963 I can remember him opening a massive box it contained the first 100 HP Mercury outboard I ever saw we all hung around while he fitted his outfit out we couldn`t wait to see how fast it ran it did seam fast for those days.Another name Gerry Marsden from Gerry and the Pacemakers he ran a 65hp Mercury on a Broom Outfit and Carl Denver another singer showed up with boats mainly other peoples?.Dick Kimbling was a regular Thursday night racer drove a 15ft Bristol with 100hp Mercury he owned slot machine Arcades in Gt Yarmouth his wife controlled the purse strings when he had a breakage he paid for it with sacks full of coins we had 240 Pence to a £1 in those days his race shop was told if she asked about his costs they new nothing.The Young Guns of the time were Tom Percival who raced anything he could find from his fathers boatyard inboard or outboard then along came Bob Spalding I think his first outfit was a 14ft Flecher arrow with s 50hp Mercury and sometimes I would show up with a Hcraft V hull with a 65hp Mercury.I can remember Dennis Burton and his son as passenger racing his Levi 16 110hp Mercury and the unforgetable sounds in those days of the Cresent Powered hydros.If you could bottle that noise you could sell it?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That is some very interesting information Steve. Wow... I grew up listening to Gerry and the Pacemakers the year I started racing. Now I will think about boat racing whenever I hear their songs. And that's the first I heard about when Tom Percival and Bob Spalding's beginnings.

[jackie wilson]

[QUOTE=Steve Pinson;140269]Well Jackie Oulton Broad always drew big crowds to watch Thursday night boat racing and still does today` if I hadn`t watched boatracing as a young boy I would never have driven racing boats .I can remember some of the old characters like Toby Sutton owned Toby Marine sportsboats held the lap record with a Chrysler powered inboard hydro called Rooster and Alex Snelling or ( POP ) to his friends he was a ex Spitfire fighter pilot who ran Ludham Marine.In 1963 I can remember him opening a massive box it contained the first 100 HP Mercury outboard I ever saw we
all hung around while he fitted his outfit out we couldn`t wait to see how fast it ran it did seam fast for those days.Another name Gerry Marsden from Gerry and the Pacemakers he ran a 65hp Mercury on a Broom Outfit and Carl Denver another singer showed up with boats mainly other peoples?.Dick Kimbling was a regular Thursday night racer drove a 15ft Bristol with 100hp Mercury he owned slot machine Arcades in Gt Yarmouth his wife controlled the purse strings when he had a breakage he paid for it with sacks full of coins we had 240 Pence to a £1 in those days his race shop was told if she asked about his costs they new nothing.The Young Guns of the time were Tom Percival who raced anything he could find from his fathers boatyard inboard or outboard then along came Bob Spalding I think his first outfit was a 14ft Flecher arrow with s 50hp Mercury and sometimes I would show up with a Hcraft V hull with a 65hp Mercury.I can remember Dennis Burton and his son as passenger racing his Levi 16 110hp Mercury and the unforgetable sounds in those days of the Cresent Powered hydros.If you could bottle that noise you could sell it?[/QUOTE

Remember Frankie Holmes with the Yarecraft-----had "HELP" written all over the underside.
My son in law went to Horning on a remember trip -----he had a spell working for Tom + Bob when they had the John Player sponsorship-----Steve moved to Oggiono to work for Bootsie for a couple of years. He said Percival boats are long gone----and his beautiful house---Deersfoot I think it was called, is a socking great housing estate.
There is a Tom Percival memorial seat to remember him by----30+ years gone by since Liege!!!
He was worth more than that.
You ever remember the QUALCRAFT.?

[Steve Pinson]

[QUOTE=jackie wilson;140358]

Well Jackie Oulton Broad always drew big crowds to watch Thursday night boat racing and still does today` if I hadn`t watched boatracing as a young boy I would never have driven racing boats .I can remember some of the old characters like Toby Sutton owned Toby Marine sportsboats held the lap record with a Chrysler powered inboard hydro called Rooster and Alex Snelling or ( POP ) to his friends he was a ex Spitfire fighter pilot who ran Ludham Marine.In 1963 I can remember him opening a massive box it contained the first 100 HP Mercury outboard I ever saw we
all hung around while he fitted his outfit out we couldn`t wait to see how fast it ran it did seam fast for those days.Another name Gerry Marsden from Gerry and the Pacemakers he ran a 65hp Mercury on a Broom Outfit and Carl Denver another singer showed up with boats mainly other peoples?.Dick Kimbling was a regular Thursday night racer drove a 15ft Bristol with 100hp Mercury he owned slot machine Arcades in Gt Yarmouth his wife controlled the purse strings when he had a breakage he paid for it with sacks full of coins we had 240 Pence to a £1 in those days his race shop was told if she asked about his costs they new nothing.The Young Guns of the time were Tom Percival who raced anything he could find from his fathers boatyard inboard or outboard then along came Bob Spalding I think his first outfit was a 14ft Flecher arrow with s 50hp Mercury and sometimes I would show up with a Hcraft V hull with a 65hp Mercury.I can remember Dennis Burton and his son as passenger racing his Levi 16 110hp Mercury and the unforgetable sounds in those days of the Cresent Powered hydros.If you could bottle that noise you could sell it?[/QUOTE

Remember Frankie Holmes with the Yarecraft-----had "HELP" written all over the underside.
My son in law went to Horning on a remember trip -----he had a spell working for Tom + Bob when they had the John Player sponsorship-----Steve moved to Oggiono to work for Bootsie for a couple of years. He said Percival boats are long gone----and his beautiful house---Deersfoot I think it was called, is a socking great housing estate.
There is a Tom Percival memorial seat to remember him by----30+ years gone by since Liege!!!
He was worth more than that.
You ever remember the QUALCRAFT.?

. Hey Jackie never new Franki Holmes but I remember watching that boat a yellow yarecraft with help in black letters underneath it was at lakeside lido north sommercoates they had that many entries in those days they had to run 3 heats? Great fun was enjoyed by all good times to remember and did you ever hear the sound of those cresent outboard engines on the hydros I think Doug Willy ran one at Oulton Broad they were awesome.