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I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I'm not sure if I caught all the details.
Does anybody have the full details on this unusual Allison? How well it actually performed with the canards and how many were produced?
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Old for sure, looks like an old 55 Merc on the back. :thumbsup: Cool pic for sure.
Dave :)
Neat old boat. I don't know anything about it, but was wondering if the canards were added to keep it from hooking?:smiletest:
Darris Allison still has one of them at the Allison plant.
I don't know how well the canards worked, but I do know that Darris allowed the original builder of the Quarter Master take measurements off of the boat when he was designing the 1/4 Master.
I heard it did 161.009 MPH with that 55hp ....
Darris ran this boat at the NOA Kilos in Knoxville in the late 70's or early 80's. It had a 4 cyl Merc that was marked as an 850. That year at least he didn't break the record he was shooting for. I believe the boat was one off and designed for straightaway racing only, but don't know that for sure. It didn't have the rear wing at Knoxville that year and I don't remember if it had the sticky outy foils on the front. I think this picture is prior to the time I saw it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by props4u2
Thanks guys - very interesting boat for sure. I wonder how well it ran and if those canards made much of a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raceman
I remember seeing that boat run in Knoxville, but if it's still around at the Allison plant, it's well hidden and was kept out of view at the Allison Owners Rally this summer. The canards were definitely on the boat then, but I don't remember that big wing on the rear either. Didn't look like the canards had much of an effect during the race (don't think Darris was driving it though) as I remember seeing them being worked up and down with no noticeable difference in the attitude of the boat, at least from the shore. This was regular round and round heat racing, but I don't remember how the boat finished.
Back in the mid 70's some guys around here set up a 15 Allison with In line 6 and a wing on the back of the boat that was similar to this one. However they had the bright idea to not only run trim on the motor in/out, up/down, but also had adjustment on the angle of the wing. What they wound up with was a 3 spoke steering wheel with a rocker switch on each spoke. during a race (round-de-round) apparently driver got confused with all the buttons and wound up as they tell it 40 ft up. I have pictures of it mid air somewhere I will try to dig them up... But long of the short driver survived with several broken bones and recovered after a few days in the hospital. I know the driver personally he lost his need for speed after that and took up fishing. Funny story to tell now that all survived the fiasco.
The boat was probably in the old Allison retail building down the street. I've seen it there and in the garage next to their house at the factory.Quote:
Originally Posted by freeebird
It does not have a wing but it does have the canards. It also sits on a period correct/original trailer.
Too bad they didn't break it out for the rally. Would have been cool to see it again after all these years. Maybe I'll ask for a peak next time I'm over there.