I noticed this boat has apeared on here alot... I think it was this boat.... So I thought I'd post my pics of it! I'm not quit sure but I think the driver of this boat has sense pasted-away?
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I noticed this boat has apeared on here alot... I think it was this boat.... So I thought I'd post my pics of it! I'm not quit sure but I think the driver of this boat has sense pasted-away?
Havasu 1983 - Sleekcraft - Mercury
Sleek Craft 681 was driven by the late Kim Howard. The boat was owned by Don Foster of Foster's Upholdrstry... Fireman, Jim Buckhorn, and BIG TIME OUTBOARD RACER, used to crew for Kim. Kim won the Havasu Classic in about 1983--- (Not sure that is the years)... The next spring at the Parker Enduro, Kim's Mod VP tangled with a MOD U...I think driven by Benny Roberston....a racing accident...but Kim lost an arm.
The next year, at Havasu, Don Foster's son, Lynn won the Havasu Classic, but Don was on his death bed with cancer. Don Foster died right after Havasu and the 681 crew, kind of "Dropped" off the earth...
Kim Howard and Jim Buckhorn became Profession Race Horse bettors, and Buckhorn still bets them horses...
Kim could run that 681 on the tail like NO ONE....It had a nice 14 X 28 Ron Hill cleaver on it!!!
I was just a dumb 17 y/o kid (yes, that means I was just under legal to drive at Parker) and I don't even know who owned the boat at the time. It ran sooooo much better than our Daytona (felt much more stable) and absolutely flew in practice before we ran the race, but we had fuel problems of some kind for pretty much the whole race and couldn't ever really get it running... I spent most of my time driving during the race that year from the far outside lane trying to stay out of everyones way while the "grown ups" tried to figure out what to do to make it run :rolleyes:
I think it finally ran about the last hour or so at full speed, but I don't remember what was wrong...
After that, I'm not sure where it went or who had it...
Why is there always ductape on the front of that Merc? Was that so you didn't have to put the front piece back on, and the tape would keep the water out...... AND.... Does anyone know where the boat is now?
No, it was there to keep the front cover in place... If I remember right, those had a nasty habit of popping off if you came down too hard, and then you had problems with water getting in the front of the motor...
I'am perty sure that the 681 was sleek craft not a lavey
I watched from the best seat in the house (I was first turn judge) at the 1982 Mod-VP National Challenge race on Lake Buhlow as Kim Howard took home the honors. That boat looked like an airplane about to take off when he was comming down the front strech right at us then settling down to make the turn. Kim Howard looked very comfortable driving that Sleekcraft and i know that many boats were sold for Sleekcraft that day. I drove one a few years later and was suprised at the hole shot it had with a closed coarse set up on it.
DB