Save the old race boats !!!

[Top Banana]

Since T2X took down his old threads on the cat and deep Vees, I thought you folks might enjoy another old thread...since 2006, it has almost 45,000 views. Enjoy.

Save the Old Race Boats

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Old race boats are usually retired to storage sheds or stripped of their engines and drives and left as bare hulls and decks in the corner of boat yards. Today's fans are left with little more than grainy black and white photos or video clips from races held 20 plus years ago.

But why save them?
The only thing missing was a both an organization that would recognize their value and venues to bring them to. We now have both.

A new organization has been formed by Charlie McCarthy (Top Banana) racer and boat builder.

HISTORIC OFFSHORE RACE BOAT ASSOCIATION
(HORBA)
Charlie Mccarthy, Mananging Director

I turned to my friends for help with this, and the following people, all of whom have been involved in the sport for many years, have agreed to serve on the HORBA Advisory Board.

Michael Aronow - Eldest son of Don Aronow, boat builder
Allan Brown - (Brownie) racer, boat builder, historian.
John Crouse - author of Searace.
Barry Cohen - racer, boat builder.
Bob Saccenti - racer, boat builder.
Richie Powers - racer, boat builder
Pepe Nunez - racer, boat builder.
Mark McManus - racer, boat builder.
Bill Frenz - racer, poker run promoter.
Steve Berk - (Lucky Strike) racer.
Ed Cozzi - racer, marine surveyor.
Stan Fitts - APBA Offshore Vice President.

What qualifies a boat for Historical status?
Boats (deepV's, cats, tri-hulls, outboards, inboards, sterndrives, surface drives) that have ever raced in the "Offshore Class" of any sanctioning body, at least 15 years ago or longer, qualifies. If the boat has a real race history, it is in.

What venues are we talking about?
The National Powerboat Association, one of the top Poker Run organizations in the country, has extended the HORBA organization an invitation to come and participate. The New York City Poker Run will allow any Historic Boat that is a registered member of HORBA to run in a special new class that has been made just for these boats.

The HORBA boats will be on public display throughout the weekend for viewing. This will be our first official event which will be held this summer on June 17, 2006.

I am sure we will have other invitations from race sites as well as other poker runs, once we get up and running.

UPDATE We have been invited to join the race events put on by OPA, they even volunteered to put on a special race for HORBA boats....details to come later.

UPDATE We have been invited to the Key West World Championship races in November. Display of HORBA old race boats all week, and a special one day in the water event...details to come later.

Membership Inquiries?
We are trying to determine how many Historic Boats are out there. If you are interested in joining HORBA, please click on the link below, membership is FREE.....and you will be put on the mailing list for updates. Also send us all the information on your boat, history, drivers etc.

http://www.historicraceboats.com

 

[Top Banana]

Since we first started HORBA, we have been able to find the following old race boats:

The Cigarette...............23 foot Formula
White Knight................28 foot Magnum...one of Aronow's originals
Dry Martini...................35 Cigarette
Benihana.....................35 Cigarette
KAAMA Vee.................38 Scarab
KAAMA Cat..................38 Cougar
Ghost Rider.................28 Souter
MONGOOSE.................32 Bertram
Needle Nose................38 Bertram
Bud Light....................38 Scarab
Daddy Cool.................35 Cigarette
Great Adventure...........30 Sutphen
Long Shot..................39 Cigarette
Bounty Hunter............39 Cigarette
Powerboat.................39 Cigarette
Popeyes.....................39 Cigarette
Warpath....................41 Apache
Bertram 38 Special.....38 Bertram
Drambuie...................42 MTI
BAM..........................36 Cigarette
Inferno......................30 Sutphen
Wolverine...................30 Mirage
Vincentive..................38 Bertram
Ajac Hawk / Cat...........38 Broward Cat
Slingshot...................40 Cigarette

I'm sure there are more....please post others that you know of.

We will be starting a whole new section on the site just for the restorations of each boat.

There are some clones being done now also....one of the most famous will be 007 a 28 foot Donzi that is being redone to match Don Aronow's.

And the Apache 41 Banner Boat was cloned and a seating area was cut into the front deck.

Here are some of the 35 Cigarettes we found .....when they were back in the day

 

[FastDonzi]

We know Brownies "Blue Devil" (I Think) Is sitting in a field up north rotting, and his "Super Nova" is sitting in a warehouse also waiting for some Love.

 

[Buoy]

Charlie - Thanks for putting that up here!

 

[Ratickle]

We know Brownies "Blue Devil" (I Think) Is sitting in a field up north rotting, and his "Super Nova" is sitting in a warehouse also waiting for some Love.

Where at up north?

What boat was it Bobcat found in the keys?

 

[FastDonzi]

I Forget, I'll have to check with him. He sent me an Email saying someone wanted to give it to him (oldredalert I believe), I'm pretty sure it was up north. Somebody had chainsaw'd the transom to get rudders off IIRC it wasn't looking too promising.

 

[Top Banana]

Here is another one, Bob Nordskog's old Holocaust, that was sitting near Lake St Clair and the comments made about it at the time.

What a fabulous find....a real piece of history. I am going from memory here, so may be missing a few details.

Holocaust was actually built and campaigned by Merrick Lewis who owned Thuderbird boat co, later Thunderbird Formula boat co.

I can remember as a kid looking through the fence at this boat at the Miami plant...the same complex that Pantera is in now.

The boat was set up with twin engines in tandem driving a single shaft and prop. It was basically trying to do the same thing that our own HORBA board member Brownie did with a 28 foot Donzi...twin engines and one prop...but Brownie won the Miami Nassau race with his.

Holocaust had a big problem with trying to torque over on it's side. So to fix the problem they put two hydraulic legs that came down from the chines to stabilize the chine walk and torque steer.

When Nordskog bought the boat he took off those legs, but the cut for the legs in the chines should still be able to be seen, if you get near that boat again, check it out.

This boat is a wonderful find and would be a great addition to the HORBA membership. It even has a dark side to it's history. Bob Nordskog once had a crew member ride with him who was an English Lord or Earl or something....this guy later had Interpol looking for him as he was accused of murdering his children's nanny or something in a lover's spat.

Truth is stranger than fiction, especially in the the history of offshore racing.

 

[Top Banana]

Just spoke to someone today who told me that Betty Cook's old MONGOOSE, the 32 foot Bertram, was sitting in an Avacado field in California....been there since 1993. Still has the original trailer with it.....and is for sale if anyone is interested out on the West Coast.

I would think that a specific girl living in NJ right now, would be interested in this particular bit of history.........Lucidee, where are you???

 

[Bodyshot1]

30 Sutphen "Inferno" is in Connecticut, I believe...owner is an OSO member 818181..not sure if he's over here..

 

[Ratickle]

Holocaust had a big problem with trying to torque over on it's side. So to fix the problem they put two hydraulic legs that came down from the chines to stabilize the chine walk and torque steer.

When Nordskog bought the boat he took off those legs, but the cut for the legs in the chines should still be able to be seen, if you get near that boat again, check it out.

Did Bob get it to handle?

 

[Top Banana]

Did Bob get it to handle?

Nobody could get it to handle.....and that is why you don't see that little innovation on any of the boats today. What worked was kept, what didn't went into the history books as... tried but not proven.

 

[Big Time]

30 Sutphen "Inferno" is in Connecticut, I believe...owner is an OSO member 818181..not sure if he's over here..

I don't think Dave is over here yet, but he says the boat is ready to go in the water. Boat is in great shape. I'll see if I can get some pics.

 

[Big Time]

The old Jessie James Cigarette is also in Norwalk, CT at Total Marine. Chris had it at the NYC Poker Run last year when he was inducted into the NPBA Hall of Fame. Another classic boat!

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

Just spoke to someone today who told me that Betty Cook's old MONGOOSE, the 32 foot Bertram, was sitting in an Avacado field in California....been there since 1993. Still has the original trailer with it.....and is for sale if anyone is interested out on the West Coast.

I would think that a specific girl living in NJ right now, would be interested in this particular bit of history.........Lucidee, where are you???

I'd be very happy to go look at it. PM me the contact info. I love avacados!

 

[Ratickle]

Nobody could get it to handle.....and that is why you don't see that little innovation on any of the boats today. What worked was kept, what didn't went into the history books as... tried but not proven.

And you want one of us to run it???



If Bob couldn't get it to handle, how would we??????

 

[Top Banana]

And you want one of us to run it???



If Bob couldn't get it to handle, how would we??????

Think of the great photos that Jeff or Jay could get of that thing..... up on it's side...... in our race from Miami to Key West next February 20, 2010.

We could sell posters at all the boat shows !!!!!

 

[rtaylor]

Charlie:

When do you plan another Bimini race? My recollection is that the one which took place last weekend was not connected with you, but that you were organizing another later this year. True?

Thanks.

Randy Taylor

 

[Top Banana]

Charlie:

When do you plan another Bimini race? My recollection is that the one which took place last weekend was not connected with you, but that you were organizing another later this year. True?

Thanks.

Randy Taylor

Randy......yes, you are correct that HORBA was not involved at all in last weekends race, we worked with the Miami race promoters and OSS last year to put that 2008 Bimini race on, but decided that we are going to just do our own thing in the future.

Congrats to all those who raced or worked so hard to put this year's race on it was a great success.

HORBA wants to go back to the roots of the sport, in both the type of race and the people who raced in the beginning.

The second oldest race in the history of the sport is the Miami to Key West race. HORBA will do that race next February on the Saturday of the first weekend after the Miami Boat Show. The date is February 20, 2010.....get ready.

It is an open ocean race that is 185 miles long, but it still has a lot of safety factors built in that will help make it a success. If anyone has a problem, there are many harbors along the way that they could pull into safely.

In the old days, racers who broke down would leave their boats in Islamaroda or Marathon and take a cab to Key West so they wouldn't miss the party.

We really want to make it very simple for people to enter and enjoy the experience of open ocean racing. The original racers were either boating industry employees or sportsman who liked the challenge.

We want it to be something that people look forward to each year, knowing that they too are racing on the exact same course that the greats did. Aronow, Bertram, Odell, Riggs, Powers, Brownie, James, Gentry....etc etc.

We don't want to develop a race series or anything like that....everyone from every race series or organization is welcome, poker runners are welcome, newbies are welcome. People who have always dreamt about doing something like this and can only afford one race per year are welcome.

HORBA will do only two race events per year:

February will be Miami to Key West

August will be the Around Long Island Marathon....that race will be done in two days with an over night stop in Montauk.

 

[Hauling Trash]

Just spoke to someone today who told me that Betty Cook's old MONGOOSE, the 32 foot Bertram, was sitting in an Avacado field in California....been there since 1993. Still has the original trailer with it.....and is for sale if anyone is interested out on the West Coast.

I would think that a specific girl living in NJ right now, would be interested in this particular bit of history.........Lucidee, where are you???

Do you have more infor on it, Where it is ? a number to call. ?

Mike

 

[Ratickle]

Think of the great photos that Jeff or Jay could get of that thing..... up on it's side...... in our race from Miami to Key West next February 20, 2010.

We could sell posters at all the boat shows !!!!!

You drive, get Rich to throttle, and we'll have it ready for next year......


Maybe Brownie could help a little on the side running design?????:sifone: