Email from Lee Sutter to his son Chris:
This boat was built to look like my 350 Hydro and Ron’s 250 Hydro? We didn’t want anyone (OMC) to know we were running a hydro at Dayton . The class was 100% tunnels. This was one of those projects that had a real purpose!!! OMC had a stronger engine then Mercury and Jimbo and Jeff Brown had factory Mod-50 tunnels that dominated the class. Mercury (Gary G) asked Ron Anderson, Bob Hering, and I if we could build a hydro to go beat the OMC’s at the Dayton Nationals. We agreed!

Ron and Bobby built the boat at Ron’s, put the Mod-50 power head on a Mercury “D” tower housing and used a “D” gear case. We built two props by cutting a blade off a 2 blade “D” Michigan prop and welding 2 blades back on the hub – bingo, the first 3 blade Michigan ever!!! No stock or Alky guys used 3 blade props at that time!!! Then, I sent the props to R. Allen Smith in Louisiana (my prop guy) who made to the specs we thought would work. 6/3/4” diameter x 12 ½” Pitch. Bob Hetzel at Mercury really helped with the props. In fact, he did all the tough stuff with the support of Dick Snyder at Mercury.

We tested it at Kaukauna , WI . along with all the alky equipment. We tested for two days 2 weeks before the Alky Nationals and the Dayton race was the week following. We tested the 250 runabout, 250 hydro, 350 hydro, and the Mod 50 project.

It went 93 MPH on the first pass and 95 MPH on the second. It vibrated really bad, had way too much acceleration. Funny thing is, it went the same speed as my 350 hydro.

You should have seen to look on Jack Leeks face when we unloaded the hydro off the trailer. As he thought it was one of our Alky boats.

WE Won!!! And, Mercury took all the equipment away from us the next week and tried to use it to run through the Kilos. Wrong boat, gear case, props, and wrong guys." Lee Sutter.