History of the sport

[Brownie]

Around the same time, Don gave Harry Schoell some ideas for a 20' or 21' vee bottom hull. He had Harry build it, and we rigged it at Donzi. It had a lot of deadrise, and a lot of strakes, and was a little wild. I came to work at Donzi on a Monday, and Don called me on the telephone and asked me to go to the Castaways Docks, and find the charterboat named, I think, "Will Do" or something like that. He said that he had "bumped into it" over the weekend. I went over there, and saw that the charterboat was being repaired in its own slip. I identified myself, and said that I was there to settle up. They showed me the damage. Don had hit the transom, near the center, hit ON TOP of the house, next to the bridge, landed on the foredeck and slid the full length of the deck and went off through the bow rail, back into the water.

I thought that might slow him down, but following week, on Monday, he asked me to send a guy with a trailer to a place on 79th Street, call "Fun Fair", and pick up the boat. I said that I did not recall that they had a dock there. He said, "They don't. It is next to the street". He had slid a hundred feet across the lawn, and almost got hit by a car.

 

[PARADOX]

Brownie.. Great stuff.

What the hell was the scoop with the Donzi's circa early - mid 80's with the rounded bottom? (keel).
I was racing a 25 -26 (+-) donzi with a single bulldog and Cobra drive. Rounded bottom. The hull wanted to go everywhere but straight. It was "slippery", no grab what so ever. We were in the lake Michigen once, and hit a rouge barge wave, flow a mile (at least seemed that way ) bounced a couple of times and I swear we were going sideways on the rounded bottom.
Strange feeling for sure. Kinda' like a flat bottom air boat.

 

[Airpacker]

Book Brownie, we NEED a BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Top Banana]

Bobby Sheer was one of the top production racers of the day.

First in a Magnum and then in one of Brownies production numbers as shown here.......SHEER TERROR.

 

[h2oMag]

Bobby Sheer was one of the top production racers of the day.

First in a Magnum and then in one of Brownies production numbers as shown here.......SHEER TERROR.

I just helped Bob find a Maltese here in Michigan, Watch for him running her down in Florida.:driving: He look's good back at the wheel of this classic Magnum,, And dose he have some GREAT OFFSHORE stories..:rofl:

 

[Ratickle]

Will he be at our Pioneers Party with Charlie and the Guys?????

 

[FastDonzi]

I just helped Bob find a Maltese here in Michigan, Watch for him running her down in Florida.:driving: He look's good back at the wheel of this classic Magnum,, And dose he have some GREAT OFFSHORE stories..:rofl:

Is that pics of the boat you found him? That looks nice. as a Kid I got to ride with Bob in "Lil Rebel" down in the keys. Pretty exciting for a young kid...

 

[h2oMag]

Is that pics of the boat you found him? That looks nice. as a Kid I got to ride with Bob in "Lil Rebel" down in the keys. Pretty exciting for a young kid...

Yes that's his new Maltese, she was just restored & has only 20hrs on her.

 

[Lee]

I just helped Bob find a Maltese here in Michigan, Watch for him running her down in Florida.:driving: He look's good back at the wheel of this classic Magnum,, And dose he have some GREAT OFFSHORE stories..:rofl:

"Great offshore stories" is an understatement, when somebody once said to him that it looks like he lost weight, he replied yeah about 15,000lbs :

 

[chris sunsation]

Yes that's his new Maltese, she was just restored & has only 20hrs on her.

Damn! That thing is clean!

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

I just helped Bob find a Maltese here in Michigan, Watch for him running her down in Florida.:driving: He look's good back at the wheel of this classic Magnum,, And dose he have some GREAT OFFSHORE stories..:rofl:

That thing is a KNOCKOUT! Very very nice. Man, I can't help but think I've seen that hull somplace before...:sifone:

 

[Top Banana]

Just had an opportunity over the weekend, to ride in a little Old School wagon. A beautifully restored 47 foot Apache, powered with twin 1200 HP Sterlings, with # 6 drives spinning Herring props. Very impressive ride.

As compared to another 47 that I throttled a few years ago, with old school technology triples from Keith Eickert....both boats had a lot of punch and handled whatever water they were in with no problem.

On Saturday at the Fairhaven Ma poker run of Billy Frenz, in the new 47 below on the left, we ran right up front with a 46 foot Skater trubine cat and some other Skater cats with sterndrives. The water was not Apache water and I'm sure the turbine could have taken off, but we all ran in the low 100's and the boat felt great.....brought back some old memories.

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

Love this photo!

How did you guys deal with start up (since the injectors don't have squirters) and any backfire issues?

Thanks for the history and stories Charlie, you're doing a great job passing the tradition to future generations!

 

[7xchamp]

Love this photo!

How did you guys deal with start up (since the injectors don't have squirters) and any backfire issues?

Thanks for the history and stories Charlie, you're doing a great job passing the tradition to future generations!

Not Charlie: But one of the guys who developed the Lucas/kinsler injection back in the early seventies with ECK. The sytem was high pressure 150 psi similar to the race cars back then, we used an auxilliary electric primer pump to build the pressure, on initial startup we used to hold throttle wide open with ignition off, fuel pump on, one person spinning motor over, another watching for all injectors to squirt without air, then throttle to idle, ignition on fire her up. I actually worked with Jim Kinsler setting up the first fuel injected Merc. 482`s while working for Kiekhaefer as an engine Tech/builder. Everything had to be mocked up, the belt driven Hi-press. pump, the thunderbolt ignition box etc. The stuff worked great, took the latest single carb 482 race motor from 550 hp to 600hp, I have a book to write about all that transpired in those days.

 

[Top Banana]

I just sent some photos off to the guy that is doing the resto on LONGSHOT. I remember that when Bill Elswick first moved up to a 39 footer, his boat was white and only later that year did he change it to black.....I'm sure many have seen the black boat, but here is a shot of the white boat at the start of the Bushmills in '79.

Richie's earlier post about the record run in the Scarab at CTC, was with Bill at the wheel in Paul Clauser's Scarab.

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

Not Charlie: But one of the guys who developed the Lucas/kinsler injection back in the early seventies with ECK. The sytem was high pressure 150 psi similar to the race cars back then, we used an auxilliary electric primer pump to build the pressure, on initial startup we used to hold throttle wide open with ignition off, fuel pump on, one person spinning motor over, another watching for all injectors to squirt without air, then throttle to idle, ignition on fire her up. I actually worked with Jim Kinsler setting up the first fuel injected Merc. 482`s while working for Kiekhaefer as an engine Tech/builder. Everything had to be mocked up, the belt driven Hi-press. pump, the thunderbolt ignition box etc. The stuff worked great, took the latest single carb 482 race motor from 550 hp to 600hp, I have a book to write about all that transpired in those days.

Thank you! That is very useful information!

We're going to drop this off at Enderle's next week for a refresh, conversion to gas and new airhorns.

 

[THUNDERBOLT]

Question
were any of you guys racing when Tommy Sopwith brought over 007 for the Miami Nassau and ended up being disqualified by Red Crise, the nearest a Brit got to winning a world championship in those true offshore days.
If that boat was still around now that would be some classic.

Mike

 

[Geronimo36]

great stories guys. thanks for sharing!

 

[Top Banana]

Question
were any of you guys racing when Tommy Sopwith brought over 007 for the Miami Nassau and ended up being disqualified by Red Crise, the nearest a Brit got to winning a world championship in those true offshore days.
If that boat was still around now that would be some classic.

Mike

The so called.."problem" was a dry exhaust system on the boat.

Red felt it was too dangerous as compared to the water jacketed systems that we all have now as standard.

Tommy, to prove a point, ran the boat at the next race which was Key West and.....it caught on fire.

Then again, Tommy was one to prove a point on a regular basis.....he wanted to show how the main rotor on a helicopter wasn't really that close to everyone's head, so he stuck his finger up .......and promptly cut it off. He wore a leather glove on the hand the finger was missing on after that.

He was a good competitor and the descendant of the famous Sopwith Camel family of WW1 fighter fame.

He was one of the first to run a catamaran in offshore racing....here he is shown with designer, Walt Walters (on the sponson) of his outboard powered cat.

 

[Ratickle]

That was a coffee spitter too. :rofl: Dang you guys, you sure you can't make this stuff up?????:sifone: