T-3's

[runwhatchabrung]

Just messing around with the scanner and memory lane. The year Reggie won. That's my Dad and "Black Max",,what was that guys name and what was his role at Mercury?

[runwhatchabrung]

The good old days.

[runwhatchabrung]

Everyone post their pics.

[mbd29]

Black Max's name is Len Yeager. (spelling?) I believe he owned a Guide service in the Ozarks.

Trivia? Who are those on the dock next to Reggie?

[willabee]

Black Max's name is Len Yeager. (spelling?) I believe he owned a Guide service in the Ozarks.

Trivia? Who are those on the dock next to Reggie?

The guy in the yellow coveralls was a Sport J driver? - what the heck was his name - next to him ( white coveralls ) sure looks like Bob Hering - the bikini was my wife for the weekend ( I wish ) - behind her in blue/white shirt looks like Bob Thompson (of Just Add Water fame ) - Right side of boat, at rear in water is Jim Schunke, looks like Gene Treichel on the other side - The side mirror on the truck seems to be reflecting Dave Beier - at least those are my guesses

[mbd29]

Kid at the end of the dock is Craig, TERMITE, Erb (Seebold Crew)
Next to him with longer hair is Lynn Seebolds younger brother. Can't remember yellow jump suit driver. Bob Hering, George Kaprilien (Merc Photographer) then a few kids. Bob Thompson, JAW and Tim Meyer, JAW. Jim Schuenke is in the red shirt next to the boat and Jim Welton is on the other side of the boat. I don't think you saw Dave Beier in the water much.

[Raceman]

If you'll notice, the Allison in the second pair of photos has a 20" motor on it, not a T3. The only Allisons I ever saw with real T 3's back then were Benny Robertson, Hershel Miles, a Merc dealer in SE Ga, and mine. Later of course a lot of people whacked em and put 12" motors on em (actually a full 10" shorter than the 20's in spite of the description) including Glenn Dickerson from Texas who set the NOA kilo record with his one year at 115 and change. Louis Collins has a 20' Ally with a pair of T3's on it, but I never saw it back in that time frame.

[Raceman]

Here's a picture of my 15 Ally from about 1976. The guy sitting on the gas tank was a newspaper reporter doin' an article about livin' dangerously.

Couldn't get it to post where the thumbnail will enlarge. Here's a link to one that will: http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31832&highlight=T3

[25ss]

Took these pics of Louis Collins boat at Mount Dora last year.
Jim hunt got to take it for several spins. I wish it would have had a copilot seat would of loved to gone for a ride!!
Dale!

[runwhatchabrung]

The red Allison was Reggie Fountain's personal boat. That motor was shipped to our shop from Mercury to put on his boat. Just asked my dad, Joe Vernelson and he bought it and put it on the blue allison. We have been a Mercury dealer since 1972 also sold alot of allisons, hydrostreams, lasers. Reggie used to keep his boats at our shop, since we were the only Merc dealer around back then and we were only 30min from Tarboro and 20 from Washington. I got to meet allot of different faces that worked all sorts of hours because his boat was in our building. I was 9, 38 now. Long story short, all those boats we sold including our demos wanted to outrun Reggie and he couldn't stand it, this motor showed up.

[runwhatchabrung]

There's a couple nuts in each state, here's mine.

[delawarerick]

25SS was the dual engine boat for sale on ebay a few years ago? Rick

[runwhatchabrung]

We used to run at rocks pond, sc and saw this class race there. Has the water ever came back, There used to be some good races there.

[delawarerick]

Reason I asked about the dual T3 boat was there was a boat on ebay with engines set up like the one in the picture. Rick

[Raceman]

DR, it's the same boat that Louis has now.

[Chummy]

runwhatchabrung, what length is the red and white one in the last photo you posted?

[Raceman]

Looks like a 16' boat with a cut down 20" motor to me?????????

[Fish]

There's a couple nuts in each state, here's mine.

Sweet boat runwhatchabrung!!!

Raceman, here is the pic of you and the reporter from your post above:

[runwhatchabrung]

16ft with a 2.4bridgeport, 20inch with speedmaster lu

[Raceman]

Thanks Fish. When I saved the pic from the original post and put the thumbnail here it wouldn't enlarge for some reason. ( I rekon' in needed summa that Viagri stuff)


Run, ain't that boat got a cut down mid on it? If it's 20" it would be a full 10" longer than the champ on my ole black boat and I'd think it would have to be about 6 or 7 inches up on the transom. That plate looks kinda like what I have on my 16 with the 1500XS on it.

[runwhatchabrung]

It is a 20in, we didn't keep it on there long, just a project we tried and ran it with a speedmaster off of a 1250bp. That day was rough up at the Grandy Powerboat Club race and popped #3 back in 1991. I have been building motors for twenty plus years and I have never shortened a mid-section. Just superstitious I guess. I have had customers do it.

[wing nut]

runwhatchabrung... how did that laser run? and what kind of power did you have on it?

scott

[runwhatchabrung]

That picture was back in 1982 at Plymouth,nc running oval course. We were a Laser dealer and Roark built that boat at 650lbs they had changed the lu to an 1:78 inline and rushed the job to get to the race. It was a 175 T-3 on a 20 inch mid. It won the oval but it didn't run but mid 80's. We did have a 450lb gray one made running an inline speedmaster with a 225 built by Land'n'sea with nitrous that tipped 100 on radar. 10000 in the old days. I was 14 at this time. We ran alot against Mike Anthony sr and Butch Dononvan from VA, "Black Magic Racing".

[wing nut]

i dont know if you ever raced with mike quindazzi (spelling?) it was a laser just like yours.. really light. and had a blue deck on it with some sillver flake near the rub rail. i was told it was a pretty quick boat.

scott

[runwhatchabrung]

Don't know him, The yellow boat is a 1981 and Jeff Harris drove it in the big races and my dad in the little riverfest stuff. That was back in APBA, St Louis, Havasu, Huntington, Key West and Augusta. I got hold of it in 89 after college and with a 2.4 bridgeport with cle, propshaft 1 1/2 below boat for roundy round, the most I ever got out of it was 97.--- in a kilo at Camden Nc. Apba sanction kilo. I sold the boat to Tommy Dunn, heard he got some big numbers out of it. But I never set it up for top end or drag.

Danny Vernelson

[240Aqua]

Everyone post their pics.
I rode in the back of this boat as a kid. Joe would take off and it was all I could do to hang on to the back of his seat to keep from sliding down to the gas tank. Joe and Danny will both be missed.