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Thread: Joe Swift

  1. #1
    Sam Cullis Mark75H's Avatar
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    Default Joe Swift

    I can't find my master notes about Joe Swift right now, but I'll start with what I can remember from memory.

    Swift was involved in wood working or furniture manufactoring back in the 1950's. One of the main products was clothespins ... the company logo was actually a clothespin.

    In the late 1950's Joe got connected with Carl Kiekhaefer and made a deal to build boats and supply them to every Merc dealer .... making every Merc dealer a Swift race boat dealer. This deal made Swift the most popular race boat in the US, probably the world back in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I can't find my notes on it right now, but the total number of boats was something like 5,000. There were other boats that were faster, but Swift outright dominated racing by shear numbers in that time.

    In the late 1960's Joe took over PR for Mercury racing and was once again at the forefront of outboard racing.

    Its a start any way .... I'll try to find the exact and correct details.
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    Since 1925, about 150 different racing outboards have been made.


  2. #2
    Tomtall
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    Thumbs up Swift Hydros

    OK - Lets post some Swift hulls here to go with Joes background.

    This one I'm posting belonged to Ronald Liethas of Wis.. Pic was taken in 1992 after restoration of his "Big Bee". Nice,Very Nice!
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  3. #3
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default Three C-D-F-X Swifts Together

    My brother went in the Army in 1952, and as Oldalkyraces said, he thought he went to Korea...Well, Russ was to go to Korea, but went to Germany instead... Seems the Army wanted him to run an IBM machine...Whatever that was in those days...My brother said he'd sleep on it and when it quit shaking, he'd add more cards...

    My brother spent a lifetime in the computer business because of the ARMY.

    When he was in the Army, my dad bought my brother a new Swift hydro...Nailed together, by god...A C-D-F-X Hydro...2 feet longer than a Neal..or something...My dad sand bagged a Mark 40 and A KG-9 for my brother. I wasn't old enough to race, yet, and didn't have a boat... Everyday, when I went into my dad's gargage (Shop) I'd look at that Swith, sitting on its side in a wooden crate...White Kainer steering wheel...Don't seem to recall a throttle...but I'd kind stick my head between the crate boards and pretend I was driving that damn thing...Then my dad would yell at me, "Not to tangle the steering" and come in here and start doing something...and don't pull the disappearance act."

    That went on for about 9 months...When Jr. go home, I had me a Terrill AU and I was "RACING" every weekend behind Seaboard or over at Bixby Slough...waiting for my brother to come home so I could watch HIM drive that Swift....It was quite a thrill, considering the first time he put on his Six Stud racing C, he fell out of the damn boat...Big splash...(If you don't take the wheel and throttle with you, you fell out, you know)...

    This picture is Lake Mead, fall of 1955, about a month after the Stock Nationals at Devil's Lake...

    When I was racing for OMC, Joe Swift and I became good friends, though Joe worked for Mercury. Joe was easy to like. (Besides, I told him everything I knew...no secrets here.....YOU KNOW!!!!).. He had a great sense of humor.....Joe was always very humble, considering I always thought of him as a GIANT in BOAT RACING HISTORY!!!!
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    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-20-2010 at 03:37 PM.

  4. #4
    Team Member BBaron's Avatar
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    Default

    Tried to send a pic. of my Big D Swift didn't work?
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  5. #5
    Tomtall
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    Smile Old "Swift" discover?

    This boat was resently found in a warehouse that was to be demolished. It is now for sale on E-Bay at this link. Sure looks like a "Swift" hydro to me. Any input on this?

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vinta...85894354QQrdZ1
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  6. #6
    Team Member Bob Valachovic's Avatar
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    Default Clayton Museum

    There are Swift Hydroplanes at the Antique Boat Museum at Clayton New York in the Outboard section. One is brand new and never seen water.
    Bob

  7. #7
    Tomtall
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    Thumbs up Clayton

    Bob - I heard about that. Looks like they have some great stuff on display over in Clayton. Skip Haggerman has a pic from there on his web site showing a very nice restored "Neal" hydro. It looks like there are several swifts parked around it. The link to that pic is
    http://www.infoblvd.net/sah/outboard9.html

  8. #8
    Team Member Tim Chance's Avatar
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    Default

    The hydro on e-bay doesn't look like an old c/d Swift to me. The cowl doesn't seem long enough and the transom doesn't seem right. Considering the part of the country it's in it could by an R. Alan Smith boat.

  9. #9
    Tomtall
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    Default Swift

    Thanks Tim.

  10. #10
    Team Member russhill's Avatar
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    Default Joe Swift

    Are we talking about Joe because he died or what???

    Dead or alive, I'll still say I liked Joe Swift. During the time I had a Swift C-D-F-X hydro, and subsequently a Big-Bee, I never met Joe.

    In later years, after he joined Kiekaefer and got active in Offshore and I was active in Offshore, I met him. I really liked him. He was/is a gentleman. I took him to the airport on numerous occasions when he visited Southern California.

    We had dinner together numerous times and generally hung out together. We’d talk Offshore, stock outboard hydros, etc. etc. His hydros made a significant impact on stock racing.

    If Ron gets around to his Hall of Fame, Joe already has my vote.

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