Ron Hill Family: Hill Marine and Signature Propellers

[Ron Hill]

I listed a prop on E-Bay with one blade larger than the other.... Here is my answer to the question: Q: What does, one blade do and the longer and wider on that prop, mean? Is this prop uneven or unbalanced somehow??? Please let me know! Thanks! Russ

A: Well, Ernie Dawe had this good prop. He was testing and hit his speedometer tube. The tube only hit one blade. My fear was, if I cut both blades down, the prop wold be too small. I only cut one blade, and balanced the prop. Ernie swore the prop gained speed and won at least two nationals with it. Dave Bryan, 1972 National Champion in C Runabout, liked to come to my shop and fool with props. He tried to copy Ernie's National Championship prop. When I write MY HISTORY of Racing Propellers... The original prop, which Ernie still has, will be a chapter...We often felt, a one blade would be fastest, but basically impossible to balance....

[Ron Hill]

Lee Morehouse built a lot of boats, my second, third and fourth AU's were all Morehouse boats...

When Lee left USC, he went into business with some men, named Hanna, another man named Barbarra, and a third man named Walt Disney. Lee could draw Mickey Mouse in his sleep. Every boat he ever built, he'd draw Mickey on the bottom before he glasses it...

When I was on the Mickey Mouse Newsreel, 1955, it was because of Lee's connection with Walt Disney.

I recently found, Lee and Ibby's only son, Dan, on the net. He has some pictures of some of the boats he raced that his dad built...Stay tuned, as this is the only picture I have of Lee...

If you look at my son's MOD VP, I guess the reason I like that 20 foot boat so much, is it looks, sort of like my old Morehouses....

[Ron Hill]

Program says 1947, trophy says 1948...Must have been there twice. I know my brother won in 1948, that's why my dad got the Mechanic's Trophy...

$1,350 in prize money!!!!

[Ron Hill]

I seem to have lost the original picture, I won this set of tools for being the most popular driver on the TV series...That is Dick Lane with me. He was Speed Boat Redeo's announcer, he also announced wrestling...but he liked boat racing better...

[Ron Hill]

Ted March used to work for Playboy and he traveled a lot..Seems he always was traveling to Havasu, Parker, St. Louis....Here is Ted next to my 235 Evinrude, MOD VP, 21 Eliminator......The boat's name "CRAZY HORSE" named for "Crazy Horse" Campground at Lake Havasu City, AZ.

Talked to Benny Robertson, today, he tells me he will be driving a Fountain Powerboat, before the 2007 Miami Boat Show, and the expected speed is 200 MPH....V-Hull...

He also told me, that Jerry Gilbreath, who was Brad Miller's son-in-law (Brad owned Crazy Horse Campgrounds, Crazy Horse Steak House, Del Taco, among other stuff, before he died)....Jerry will be Brandon Miller's Crew Chief on Brandon's Busch Car in 2007....

Don't know what Benny REALLY knows, but he usually,doesn't lie to me..

He tells, me Bobby Thompson, "JUST ADD WATER" Bobby Thompson, has a new Marina in Kentucky and will sponsor a Champboat Race at his Marina in Kentucky....

Bobby sponsored Kenny Stevenson and Benny to name a couple that I know he sponsored...Anyone have some pictures of "Just Add Water" Racing????

Bobby Thompson is a SERIOUS ASSET TO BOAT RACING.....WELCOME BACK, BOB!!!!

Here's the picture of Ted I started to post......

A Side note here: Jerry Gilbreath co-drove with me in this Eliminator. After the Enduro, Gil, Jerry's dad, started making the Gil Brackets.....I thought they were heavy and dumb...He copied my set back and sold 2 million dollars worth of Gil Brackets...Who was dumb???

Bob Leach, President and owner of Eliminator, gave me this boat for building a bracket like this...As I was the first one to put and outboard on an Eliminator. John Daley, President of the San Diego Unlimited Race, drove the first Elimnator ever to have an Outboard on it with an OUTBOARD bracket...(MOD VP, Havasu 1981)...

[Ron Hill]

Mickey wasn't liked by some, but he was a PROMOTER and he saw the future...

This is my Morehouse runabout and my dad's Evinrude Six Stud, 6042 Engine....I am looking for this motor with the serial number of 0041.

[Ron Hill]

The LASA (Los Angeles Speedboat Association) had a newspaper called THE FINISHLINE..JUly 1949. My brother had just won the Hearst Regatta...Hearse as in Hearst Castle and William Randolph Hearst Newspaper...

Elgin Gates was third in M Hydro, he lived in Seattle at the time, on the Seattle Outboard Logo is Elgin in his conventional M Hydro. Elgin later, bought the Mercury Outboard distributorship for the Western United States...He was a BIG GAME HUNTER, when he retired and moved to NEEDLES, he sold his house to JOHN WAYNE...

[Ron Hill]

I posted the newspaper clipping with this picture in it. The newspaper left out my friend on the right. Dickie Buma was his name... Eddie Hada, the Japanese American, here, was a big fan of boat racing. He had his dad take him to the races all the time...

I was 11 years old here, 1955.

[Ron Hill]

My OLD MAN always added oil to my motors. OMC MAY HAVE OWNED THEM, BUT MY dad ADDED OIL WHEN THEY WEREN'T LOOKING...He didn't care what "THOSE ENGINEERS SAID, he wasn't going to run any two stroke at 50:1......later, OMC decided that 20:1 was a good idea...

My dad was 59 here, younger than I am now....and I always thought of my dad as OLD.....

[Ron Hill]

John Castelli's old CSR was broken pretty badly at Bakersfield, once, and I kind of stomped on it and finished it off....So, I bought John a new boat for three props...