"Hi Johnson" story - Curtisey of - "Boatsport" magazine archives @ http://boatsport.org/
"Hi Johnson" story - Curtisey of - "Boatsport" magazine archives @ http://boatsport.org/
Last edited by Tomtall; 02-10-2005 at 02:38 PM.
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Last edited by Mark75H; 01-07-2005 at 07:16 AM.
Props have always been a bit of a racing secret. many, many years ago, one top runiing boat, called Mandy was going fast enough to get the oposition looking. The boat owner always kept the prop a secret covering it up when it left the water and the like, its over 35 years ago now I spose I can tell now it was a Hi Johnson.
The "spys" for the other teams all tried to get a look to see what it was. The boat owner stamped on the back of the blades letters (For those of a delicate nature I will leave out a letter) F_KOFF.
He would hold it in his hand exposing a letter or two at a time, over the course of a race meeting, while they all craned their necks looking. They got their heads together and were sure they had it, Some kind of Russian propellor, It was a while before they stopped looking for a prop maker of this name, and tumbled
Johnson propeller is still alive and well in Freeport NY.I had just seen that article on the wall of the shop last week.
I have that copy of that issue of Boat Sport, nice article. An added note: Louis P. Baumann made cleavers for his tractor gearcase in Houston before 1935. I've had several in my hands since 11/2010. There are photos in my April 2011 article in the antique Outboarder on the Baumann tractor gearcase showing cleavers. According to Jim Nerstrom, Don Hendricks (DAH) was the first to adapt the cleaver to OPC in the 1960s.
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