Allison 50th Anniversary Ally Rally

Allison Boats 50th Anniversary "Ally Rally"
Article and Photos by Maureen Murphy

An Allison boat owner's dream - high performance Allison boats of all types were the feature of the Allison Rally.

The Allison Owners annual rally had a special significance this year – it also marked the 50th anniversary of Allison Ultra Performance Boats. The company whose boats have shaped performance boating joined in the celebration on Saturday, June 18 and helped create an unforgettable day. After three days of speed runs, prop testing and cookouts at various local restaurants, boaters were ready for a day of (relative) rest and plain old ogling. Allison owners came from all over the US to participate in the expo, many bringing rare boats and vintage engines.

The rarities started in the Allison tent with Darris Allison’s recreation of his father Paul’s first boat. The Allison tent also housed an extensive display on the history of Allison boats, with tons of rare photos and news clippings. The display highlighted the innovations Allison has made over the years, and traced the ever-higher speeds attained by racers in Allisons. Advances credited to Paul Allison include the prop blade cup and hydraulic power trim (1950s), the V-bottom boat with pad (1966) and the wing stabilizer (1971). Those same twenty years also saw the maximum speed shoot from 60 mph to over 100.

A reproduction of a classic 1955 Allison model on display drew a lot of well deserved attention.

Darris Allison has also had his share of innovations, from various hull designs in the 1970s to no-rot hull and transom construction in the 1980s. What’s more, 1987 saw Allison racers break 9 world speed records – a one-year record that has not been equaled.

The Allison family led the procession of vintage Allisons onto the exhibition grounds with a vintage Allison GT-20. Ken Kitson brought up the rear with the world-record Miss Diablo and also spoke at the awards ceremony.

The Show and Shine was the most incredible collection of gorgeous Allisons I have ever seen in one place. Period. Instead of having judges pick the winners, everyone who attended the rally was given a ballot and a chance to vote for their favorites in five categories:

Vintage Boats (1985 and older) - Winner: David Manning 1974 SST Bass Boat
Sport/Race Boats (1986 through 2005) – Winner: Larry Owens 1991 XR 2001
Bass Boats (1986-1995) - Winner: Mike Arnold
Bass Boats (1996-2005) – Winner: Ed Dear
Best in Show (All Boats) – Winner: Charles Monday

Allison Boats brought many new models to the Rally, in addition to conducting tours of their manufacturing facility.

In addition to organizing an amazing event, the Allison Owners also made sure that the Allison family was honored in a formal ceremony. The ceremony began with a pastor’s blessing on the family, community and visitors. Lou Jones of the Allison Owners followed and presented Paul and Darris Allison with awards in recognition of 50 years of high performance boating. He also presented Paul with a special hand crafted fishing rod, which I think is going to get a lot of use! Then two representatives from the Tennessee government spoke in honor of Allison boats, placing special emphasis on the Allison family’s contributions to the community. The first speaker was a representative of the Congressman, and the second was Doug Overbey, who presented Paul and Darris with a plaque from the 104th General Assembly, which had passed a Joint Resolution to recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Allison boats. The next surprise was an emotional Nancy Allison, who presented a plaque to members of the Allison Owners Group. After Lou introduced other members of the Allison Owners who had helped organize the event, he offered an open microphone to anyone who wished to speak.

Many classic Allison boats were on display at the Rally, some boats being veteran race machines.

The first to take advantage of this was Ken Kitson of the famed Miss Diablo race team. Ken told of how Paul Allison had twice helped him break world speed records on race day with “a handful of Bondo and some cardboard and sandpaper.” During a race Ken’s boat had started to porpoise, and Paul offered to fix it right then and there. With that handful of Bondo and a master craftsman’s eye, Paul fixed the hull and Ken went on to break a world speed record. Years later when Paul asked if Ken wanted to break another record, Ken jumped at the chance, and another handful of Bondo led to another world record.

The next speaker was a member of the church, who took the opportunity to praise Lucille and Nancy Allison, who had stood by their husbands for so many years, raising children and being active members of the church and community. It was very clear that Allison is much more than just a company – it is a vital part of the Louisville community. And on its 50th anniversary, the community of Louisville and the community of powerboaters came together to honor Allison Ultra Performance Boats and the family that has made it one of the most respected names in high performance boating.

Allison boats can reach speeds over 80 mph with stock V4 power.

Photo credit: Keith Holden

In addition to the hard work on the part of the Allison Owners’ Group, there was support from all sections of the boating community. Allison Boats was well represented (of course!) and the Mercury Racing truck was a busy spot for the entire day. High speed prop makers were also out in force: Hoss Propellers, Hydromotive Propellers, Performance Propeller, and East Tennessee Propeller were all at the rally. And Willett Powder Coating showed off their craftsmanship with a beautifully restored 1952 Ford tractor. Engine guru Jay Smith of JSRE also sponsored the rally, as did Tony Brucato of Brucato Machine and Tool (creator of the famed SVS and PCU systems) and Randy Pierson of Grand Prix International. Other sponsors included Bill McClain, Team Jaco, Titus Grisham of Custom Marine and Welding, CDI/Rapair, Garmin, Lowrance, Stealth, Boatmate and CMC. Local businesses that supported the rally included Sanderson Marine and Linda’s Lakeside Marine, who put on a barbecue for the participants and had a spot at the rally on Saturday. All in all, it was an incredible cross-section of the performance boating community and the local Louisville community coming together for a once in a lifetime event.