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Thread: ?? About Wings.

  1. #11
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    It wasn't a class of its own such as the trihulls Tim. But yeah, when there was a big race, there were quite a few running....and winning. If you could ever get your hands on some Powerboat Magazines from around the mid sixties to 1970 or so you would see a lot of pics of them racing.

    Pete DeLackner told me of the time he was going down the highway with a wing in tow that he was taking to his place for fiberglass work and someone in a car pulled alongside him. The other person signaled Pete to roll down his window, which he did. Then the guy asked "Is that the Bat Boat?" Rather than try to explain, Pete just replied "Yeah."



  2. #12
    BoatRacingFacts VIP Ted March's Avatar
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    Default The stirrup

    That's exactly what happened to Ernie Threlkeld in Norristown, PA when he blew his wing over on a kilo run.

    There was a stirrup that the driver used to control the flap. In Ernie’s case he wore a boot on his stirrup foot that he jammed into the stirrup. The boot was to keep his foot from inadvertently coming out.

    I think it was the spring of 1968. Kilos were being run in Norristown, PA. This was before power trim and they ran a fixed tilt pin setting. Normal tilt pin setting was the second hole. Tucked under to pop the tail. On his first two runs Ernie had been in the 97/98 range. He was running OMC factory V4's. The people from OMC, Jack Leek and Paul Kalb were not willing to settle for anything less than 100. They figured the way to get there was to tilt the motors out one hole to the third pin hole. While the motors were being tilited out, Ernie stated to me that he didn't like what they were doing. I told him if you don't like it, don't run it. He ran it. The wing didn’t like flying the nose and did a perfect 270. Went in nose first. Ernie’s foot got stuck in the stirrup and horribly mangled his leg when the boat tried to eject him. He has a rod in his leg after I think, several surgeries and alot of rehab over a long period of time. Ernie’s son is on BRF. I spoke with him a while ago and he says Ernie is doing well.

    As an aside. Ernie was a high school teacher and band director. He was also the director of the marching band. The first words out his mouth when I got to him after they pulled him out were ‘Who’s going to have any use for a one legged band director?”
    Last edited by Ted March; 12-22-2007 at 03:21 PM.

  3. #13
    Team Member Miss BK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bunker Hill View Post
    I was around for many of the great west coast enduros: Parker, Havasu, Elsinore 500 etc, where the switzers were plentiful. Although young, I was pretty savvy I don't remember any Switzes with triple engines. "Trips" I do remember trips, Merten's, Pruitt's and Ramos' Joneses and some powercats, I believe I even saw a power cay with quad motors?.
    Sam, weren't the wings' speeds limited by their very design? Look at the enclosed cockpit boat 7000, the points of the speedmasters are out of the water!! If the boats went too fast, wouldn't they "Fly" too high to keep the props in the water?/

    Bunker
    Bunker
    Look at the first picture (T-19) this is a picture (color slide) my brother took at the 1970 Havasu Classic. To make this image, I put the slide in a viewer, then used your uncles' digital cam to snap a picture.

    Back to the brown Wing in the pic above --- notice there are 3 motors. According to the race program, the boat was owned by Ed Stewart of Calif.

    Val

  4. #14
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    Default 3rd motor!

    Val,
    I noticed the third engine in the photo, I don't recall ever seeing a triple switzer, obviously they existed!! I saw a post somewhere, written by Bobby Switzer, claiming the triple gained 8 mph after the center motor was removed! Bobby attributed this to "Aero dynamics being better than raw horsepower"

    Bunker

  5. #15
    Team Member Rick Connolly's Avatar
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    There were two 20's that were rigged with triples. Kenny Kitson's silver one that was rigged w/triples originially from Switzer. The other one was yellow 20 in the picture on the previous page. The yellow 20 came in second outboard third overall in Parker 1969. Both wings did have working ailerons. Some top end speed was lost, but the acceration and turning ability was better. Yes, they did fly with triples.

    When the fiberglass 18's first came out Mercury did not own the rights to them. A few wings got into the hands of brand X, so Mercury jumped in and bought the molds and rights. The first 18's did not have working ailerons, too heavy and did not run well.

    I have heard 40 18's were built, but seems like less than 10 survived. I don't think anyone really knows for sure how many were built.

  6. #16
    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    I am pretty sure the numbers from the Switzers are accurate
    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


  7. #17
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    Default Video with Wing- Parker 1975 Pre-race testing

    Dear Members- In the video Parker 1975 Pre-race Testing,there is some footage of Bobby Massey's # 140 dual Mercury Wing up & running plus in the pits. We at GoSee.TV/boatracing are currently in production of videos of Havasu 1969-'70;'71 where you will see lots of wings, including De Silvas hauling the mail! We need your help if anyone out there has any audio of stackers on VHS- Beta, etc. to help us with authentic sound for videos. Thanks Mark Benson- Producer E-mail mrbenson55@gmail.com

  8. #18
    Team Member Rick Connolly's Avatar
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    I have not had any luck finding it....but the 1967 Wide World of Sports coverage of Salton Sea Races used Jan Schoonover's red Mercury wing with stackers for background racing noise/music. It was last seen on TV sometime in the 90's. This same wing later became one of Bob Massey's 140 wing.

  9. #19
    Team Member Rick Connolly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark75H View Post
    I am pretty sure the numbers from the Switzers are accurate

    I respecfully disagree with the 18 footer count. I don't have a hard number but feel the count of 40 built is off. The two I have both built in 1966 are S/N 13 and 16.

  10. #20
    Team Member largecar91's Avatar
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    Do you think there is more or less 18's.

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