Tough Decision - What would you do?

[willabee]

If you had to go up and down the Colorado river for 9 hours.....with about 100 other boats.....all going pretty fast, would you rather do it in this:

Jim Merten and Boots Spellman - Parker 9 Hour 1969 - 1st Outboard and 2nd Overall - 18' Switzer Wing - 1250 stackers/SSM ( photo by Leo Wildman )

[willabee]

OR THIS:



Gary Peacock - Flying Fowl - Provo 250 1973 - Molinari KT development ( photo by Dick Klawitter )
If you had to go up and down the Colorado river for 9 hours.....with about 100 other boats.....all going pretty fast, would you rather do it in this:

[specboatops]

Wish I Had Your Problems :d

[Old fiberglass]

Tough Decision - What would you do?

So are you going to be running in Parker and can't decide which boat to take ;)

[willabee]

I can only wish that I had that problem :) - When you asked about a Wing boat picture for your collection, this was the best one I could find - I'll keep looking.


So are you going to be running in Parker and can't decide which boat to take ;)

[Old fiberglass]

Thanks.... I PM'ed you. - Rick

[Bruce Washburn]

While that 19 or 20 Moli looks good, I think a 22 foot Jones with big Al. chevy on a #2 speedmaster would be a good ride. I wonder how fast a good KT would run with todays technology and design. These were before my time but I heard the small block 302 Chevy in the Moli and and 19 ft Jons would run in the hig teens and the big block 22 ft Jones KT would hit 125.

[outboard bob]

If you had to go up and down the Colorado river for 9 hours.....with about 100 other boats.....all going pretty fast, would you rather do it in this:

Jim Merten and Boots Spellman - Parker 9 Hour 1969 - 1st Outboard and 2nd Overall - 18' Switzer Wing - 1250 stackers/SSM ( photo by Leo Wildman )
Kenny Kitson said that the wings would fly in the real rough water, would come down on the right sponson hard at times.The wings were excellent marathon hydros.
The choice is clear Do the Wing thing.

[SportJ-US-1]

I was under the impression that the E.T. boats were the only way the inboard boys could compete. So I would run the wing or and outboard tunnel rather the an "car :eek:" motor.

[Old fiberglass]

This boat had a Chevy small block in it at Parker this year. It was a tunnel ~ hydro hull and was doing very well until it sprung a gas tank leak.

[baja200merk]

Outboards!!!

[Old fiberglass]

Ken Kundson was one of the drivers.

[willabee]

The first one I saw was Bill Cooper ( and his co-driver " Fear " ) at Parker in 1968. It did not come through the race team, so I can only tell you what I was told and what I saw. It was a 19' Molinari with a warmed-up 265 c.i. and a Mc1 SSM. That design was the "rocker bottom" that rode bow high like the 18' and 21' outboards that came after it. It was a low 90's boat that could out turn anything on the water and had good acceleration.

The next one I saw came to the race team after it had been rigged. It was a 9 x 22 Ron Jones with an aluminum 454 c.i. ( later I was told that it was a 482 c.i. ) and a Mc3 SSM. Our job was to get it ready for the 1969 Elsinore 500 with Cooper at the controls again. Garbrecht took it out to run some props and I was in our safety boat. After he made a few passes with each of the 2 props we had, he pulled along side the safety boat and said " Man, you have got to drive this thing!" I said " No way, this is E.C.'s pet project and I don't want to get fired for wrecking it". Gary told me to run it easy into the wind and to nail it downwind. There was a nice breeze and about a 1' chop on the lake, so I said okay.
I made 3 passes, the last 2 were up against the rev limiter. Gary aked what I saw on the speedometer and I said 122. He said he saw 127 and the difference was he had tucked it back under once he hit the limiter ( I could be wrong about those speeds, but that sure is the way I recall them 37 years later ). Even if it was only going 112, it was like sitting in a lazy-boy with a strong fan blowing in your face. Anyway, Cooper was 5 laps ( which equals 25miles ) ahead of the 2nd place boat at the half way mark when a belt broke. Was one hell of a boat!

The one pictured above was our project boat. At the time of the photo, it had a 327 c.i. and TRS SSM stern drive. Set up for marathons, Peacock said he saw 112 mph. The boat was a converted twin outboard, the 21' engines over sponsons Molinari that Renato drove at Havasu in 1970. At the Provo 250, it became the 1st boat to pass an OMC rotary during a race! Charlie Strang and company were standing about 30' to my right when Peacock passed the 4th of the 4 rotarys they had entered right in front of us, thus taking the race lead. One of their guys looked over at me and said " That boat do run-run ". Charlie just looked over and smiled ( I bet he never heard that song:) )

While that 19 or 20 Moli looks good, I think a 22 foot Jones with big Al. chevy on a #2 speedmaster would be a good ride. I wonder how fast a good KT would run with todays technology and design. These were before my time but I heard the small block 302 Chevy in the Moli and and 19 ft Jons would run in the hig teens and the big block 22 ft Jones KT would hit 125.

[T2x]

One of their guys looked over at me and said " That boat do run-run ". Charlie just looked over and smiled ( I bet he never heard that song:) )

Probably not.....but I'll bet his mom did..... ;)

T2x

[Bruce Washburn]

I know Sirois and Janish sent alot of KT's down to Central America, (El Salvador???) for a race they had ever year. There was a 19 jones that was a copy of a Moli with a small Block 302 trans am Chevy motor that I remember seeing Sirois run at he MiamiMarine Stadium. That boat reportedly ran 117. They also had a couple 22 Jones tunnels with big blocks that were not as nimble but looked like they would run over any type of water and were very fast on top side. Bill told me mid 120's which would be right on what you remember. This had to be in the mid or early 70's. Just think what a KT would be capable of today with the advancements in prop,drives, tunnel design, and motors.

I saw a picture of a 4 seat Moli that Garbrecht had with a small block and #1 speedmaster. I understand that boat would run 105 to 110. He sold the boat to King Phebus. King told me that the bottom came apart the second or third time they ran the boat

[willabee]

I didn't know ( or just can't remember ) that those guys were setting up KT boats and shipping them south, so I don't have any info on that Jones. The only little Jones KT that I recall from that time frame had a small block Cosworth and a TRS SSM drive. It won the KT Nationals around 1974. I don't remember any exact speeds, but that 117 sort of rings a bell.

If the 4 seat Molinari was the one Gary drove back and forth to work in Oshkosh, your quoted speed is about 25 mph fast.

With todays technology, I bet KT's are 150 mph boats.....about 30 mph slower than DUST-N' the WIND ll :)
I know Sirois and Janish sent alot of KT's down to Central America, (El Salvador???) for a race they had ever year. There was a 19 jones that was a copy of a Moli with a small Block 302 trans am Chevy motor that I remember seeing Sirois run at he MiamiMarine Stadium. That boat reportedly ran 117.
I saw a picture of a 4 seat Moli that Garbrecht had with a small block and #1 speedmaster. I understand that boat would run 105 to 110.

[willabee]

Looks like I was wrong about the hull and the year. I found this in one of my old magazines.......the article said the Cosworth was driven by Earl Bentz and won the ET nationals in 1978. It did not list the hull type, but that doesn't look like a Jones. I guess I had this boat confused with the small block Chevy/Jones you saw in Miami.
The only little Jones KT that I recall from that time frame had a small block Cosworth and a TRS SSM drive. It won the KT Nationals around 1974.

[T2x]

Looks like I was wrong about the hull and the year. I found this in one of my old magazines.......the article said the Cosworth was driven by Earl Bentz and won the ET nationals in 1978. It did not list the hull type, but that doesn't look like a Jones. I guess I had this boat confused with the small block Chevy/Jones you saw in Miami.

Looks like a Molinari......but the sponsons seem to be extended.

T2x

[mbd29]

Rich, you are right it is a Molinari. Can't remember which one it was but may have been the old orange T-3 boat Billy ran. Jim Kubasta was the mover and shaker on getting it ready.

[T2x]

Rich, you are right it is a Molinari. Can't remember which one it was but may have been the old orange T-3 boat Billy ran. Jim Kubasta was the mover and shaker on getting it ready.

Maybe....but what's with the extended pickle forks?

T2x

[mbd29]

The boat was nothing like the OB version. Jack Ferris did a fair amount of woodwork on the entire boat. I can't remember if the boat was to short for the class and had to be lengthened.

I remember that this boat caused a big brew ha ha after the race because is was really pushing the intent of the class. With the Cosworth and all.

[willabee]

I remember hearing plenty about how upset the ET guys were about that boat.... and, in my opinion, justifiably so. After all, these guys had supported Mercury by buying their ET package or at least their stern drive, had raced all year and they arrive at their glamour event of the year only to find Mercury racing against them.
If you look closely at the picture, you can see the boat was named J.B.Tool & Machine Special.....that was done in an effort to pawn ownership off to Bill Petty rather than Mercury. Everyone saw through that little trick real fast.
Garbrecht told me that he and Keith Duckworth ( the "worth" in Cosworth ) had thought that winning the nationals would spawn sales of Mercurys stern drive and Cosworths engine in Europe. I told him that I hoped he was right because they had just killed any support Merc had for the ET package in the U.S. :(


I remember that this boat caused a big brew ha ha after the race because is was really pushing the intent of the class. With the Cosworth and all.

[JFL]

I used to work for Boots, for a long time in Oshkosh, he really likes it if you called him Francis.

[willabee]

You call him Francis and you're very likely to end up in the river. I always called him " Animal ", he would smile and call me " Boy " :)
I used to work for Boots, for a long time in Oshkosh, he really likes it if you called him Francis.

[willabee]

You're talking about this guy :)

Mike, I don't know if you knew that Jimmy.....God bless him.....was my brother-in-law. He got me interested in things that went fast, like go-kart racing. It was because of the engine work that he did that I won the Wisconsin state championships. He taught me alot........Great guy, I really miss him.

Jim Kubasta was the mover and shaker on getting it ready.

[willabee]

In my opinion, you are absolutely correct....it's a great ride. Finally found a picture of the one that Bill Cooper ran in the Elsinore 500 in 1969. As I mentioned, he was 5 laps or 25 miles ahead of everyone at the mid-way point in the race before a belt failed and he was towed back to the pits.

Also pictured is the boat that did win that race..... Billy Don Pruett in a triple Merc powered 9 x 22 Jones called " Triple Trouble ". Something broke on his left engine and it was waving around like it was going to fall off the last few laps, but he managed to bring her home :)



I think a 22 foot Jones with big Al. chevy on a #2 speedmaster would be a good ride. 22 ft Jones KT would hit 125.

[minto]

The boat in post 17 looks very similar to a Burgess/Cosworth outfit driven by

Bill Brown in England during the mid 1970's.

[willabee]

Did it run in the outboard class like Jackie Wilson's Hodges/Cosworth?



The boat in post 17 looks very similar to a Burgess/Cosworth outfit driven by

Bill Brown in England during the mid 1970's.

[minto]

Did it run in the outboard class like Jackie Wilson's Hodges/Cosworth?Yes, during the mid 1970's it ran in ON class
as you can clearly see from the following photo. On some circuits it ran
very well and certainly gave the Merc & OMC contingent a real run for their
money. Around 1976 Bill raced a new hull made of aluminium/ balsa which
had detachable sponsons and adjustable aerofoils. I'm sure both Bill and
Jackie later ran their Cosworth boats in the unlimited OZ class at places
like Bristol and London. As I remember, Jackie often ran a huge rear
aerofoil on the Hodges boat in your picture which proved most unpopular
among other drivers who raised concerns over it's safety.

[willabee]

The First KT Boat ?......

Found a photo of the Molinari I mentioned earlier on this thread, it was on the cover of Powerboat, December, 1968. A 19' Molinari powered by a 265 and a MCI speedmaster. Bill Cooper drove it at Parker that year....he had a camera on the nose and triggered it from the cockpit. Bill Onley bought it and ran it with a 283 for a couple of years...it was way ahead of it's time. Here's the photo and it's driver ( what a cool guy he was ).......

[willabee]

Looking for some more "Hot Singles" and came across a photo that gives you a better idea of what that Molinari really looked like.....thought you might like to see it. It's Bill Cooper at Parker, getting ready to come into the pits. Look at all the nose on that thing.....when it was at speed, the nose looked like it was 6' off of the water.....at speed, it always looked like it was getting ready to perform the backflip :eek:. It was cool and would be a fun toy to play with today.

[Raceman]

Since you're postin' KT pics there's something I've always been curious about............... Was Nordskog REALLY a GREAT KT pilot, or did he just have big equipment advantages?

[willabee]

Was Nordskog REALLY a GREAT KT pilot, or did he just have big equipment advantages?
Tough question to answer......All I can do is give you my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree with me.

First let me say that I had the pleasure of working a little with Bob when I was working on the Merc KT package, he let us share his refueling equipment at the Provo 250 and we helped prop out his 22' Jones. He was a very nice man, very knowledgeable and very serious about his racing. He was also about 60 years old and he's out there racing offshore, KT and OPC tunnels with the kids.....in my book, that in itself makes him a pretty good driver.

His equipment was always top notch.....he had his own engine shop and his guys could put some big horsepower into his big blocks and he was able to purchase very competitive hulls. I think that he had no interest in going on his head, so he wouldn't race his stuff as fast as it could go. If his Jones could run 125, he would probably race it at a little over 100 and if someone was willing to run faster than that, he'd let him go. In the early days of KT racing, that strategy could win a lot of races because there wasn't much that could run faster than the pace he decided to set. However, as that class began to evolve, that strategy didn't work as well.

A good example of that was our small block Molinari. At Elsinore, Bob's Jones should have had a good 10 mph on Peacock, but Gary wins and puts 3 laps on Bob (and everyone else) in the process....I believe Bob finished second. I think the difference was that our boat ran 112 and Gary drove it there all afternoon, while Bob was capable of faster speeds but he drove at a pace. I think all of this makes him a good and very smart driver.

[JFL]

20ft Molinari hp was thought to be 220?
Driven by probably Bill Sirois, 2-22-68
Best speed was 86.7 with a 12x21 2 bld prop 5400 rpm gear ratio was 1:1