Help Needed! - ID This Old OB Race Boat

**Bob V** · 09-18-2015, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by GENE LANHAM

Butch---someday we will have to share some of our 'Bay of Pigs' stories---(what is the statute of limitations???)

OK...the statute of limitations has long run out. Time to spill the beans. Inquiring minds want to know...

**lilabner** · 09-18-2015, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bob V

OK...the statute of limitations has long run out. Time to spill the beans. Inquiring minds want to know...

It didn't run out for me. I had a phone call one evening about 5 years ago by the last living current agent I worked with asking me to not mention certain names and places. I respect his request.

If you want the real story about the events leading up to and including the invasion, and the aftermath, read the book "Decision for Disaster" by Grayston Lynch, and dedicated to W. A. "Rip" Robertson. These are two of the finest men and Patriots I have ever known. They trained Brigade 2506, and were the first two men ashore, Gray firing the first shot and killing the first Cuban, after being ordered not to go ashore.
If you ever read the first Tom Clancy novels, I can only compare Rip with the character John Clark/Kelly. Rip was a Marine Officer, joined Dec8, 1941 from OCS, severely wounded on Saipan, came back to the states to heal and went back. He also severed in Korea. His story is something movies are made about. Gray was an Army Ranger Officer who climbed the cliffs at Normandy, also served in Korea.

But wait, Gene, is this thread still about WINGS? Funny how most of our friends ended up running weed and we ended up working on gun boats..

Lets have a few toddys at Tavares..

**Greg G** · 09-19-2015, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by T2x

...... so those are probably 90 horse Johnrudes on the back.

Originally Posted by lilabner

...... and the motors look like 1966 100's.

Originally Posted by Greg G

...... Looks like it has two old OB's on the back but not sure of the vintage.

.
I wasn't born back then but man you guys can pick stuff up! it's tough to tell from the photograph what exact year the Johnson motors are. Can't really tell if there are markings on them.
.

**Greg G** · 09-19-2015, 07:44 AM

Could the motors on the "Marina Seven" race boat possibly be the 75hp models as well from the same year, '64, '65, '66 ?

**lilabner** · 09-19-2015, 08:43 AM

Could be any of those years. Pictures are hard to come by. Did your friend buy the boat or does he just have a picture? There were very few OMC racers that would venture a rig like that back in the day. Most of them broke down. Langer and Weiler were the most successful in Florida.

**2us70** · 09-19-2015, 11:54 AM

The Weilers, Howard and his children Debbie and I think the son was named Tim raced around South Florida for several years. They would often show up with something different usually at a special event race. The "Fight and Switch" offshore boat was just one example. Because of his business everyone in the marine industry knew Howard.

**Greg G** · 09-19-2015, 12:03 PM

Just like Jerry Langer and Davey Wilson, there is a fair amount of data left out there on Howard Weiler and his incredible OB adventures. I'm sure if he had some type of active involvement in the "Marina Seven" race boat it would have surfaced by now, but nothing at all has.

We only have the one photo, but it is not Howard's boat and it is not one of Jerry's boats. Howard W seems to have run a North American Model S-22 "Wild Cat" (manufactured in Miami) most of the time with twin 1964 90s and Jerry and Davey started with a 19 foot Hornet with triple Johnson 90s and then Jerry switched over to a the 20 foot "Deaco Craft" with twin 100hp Evinrudes by February, 1966 (I believe) that he would run with both Davey and Barry Cordingley.

Florida is a big place so maybe something will pop up if it was a '64 or '65

**lilabner** · 09-19-2015, 12:38 PM

My friend Pat Eves, who was with OMC for about 30 years says they look like 90 or 100 Johnsons. He thinks the boat may be from the NY area. The boat looks like a Hornet to me and Brownie.

**lilabner** · 09-19-2015, 12:51 PM

I worked on Hornets at Holman Moody in the late 60's, most of them had 427 Fords with a vee drive and Velvet drive transmission. This boat looks to have a couple feet chopped off the back with the cockpit in the original place.

**Greg G** · 09-21-2015, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by lilabner

My friend Pat Eves, who was with OMC for about 30 years says they look like 90 or 100 Johnsons. He thinks the boat may be from the NY area. The boat looks like a Hornet to me and Brownie.

Thanks for the feedback. Yep, agree the motors are Johnson V4s. The 100hp Johnson was not introduced until 1966 so I don't think that they are 100hp models. I'd say earlier. I think that the 90hp model was introduced in 1964. I'm thinking that the boat is a 1964 or a 1965 but who in New York metro would have had a race boat like that in '64/'65 ? All the outboard race action would have been either out West in Havasu or down in the greater Florida area I would think.

I got a hold of Sam James yesterday (ex-Bertram) and he gave me a suggestion of who might have some clues about "Marina Seven".

**lilabner** · 09-21-2015, 09:10 PM

[QUOTE= I'm thinking that the boat is a 1964 or a 1965 but who in New York metro would have had a race boat like that in '64/'65 ?

Don't let T2X see this post..

**Greg G** · 09-21-2015, 09:49 PM

I was under the impression that he was a 100% Mercury man. Perhaps I'm wrong.

**raymar** · 09-22-2015, 09:41 AM

By enlarging the photo on my computer I can read "DONZI" just above the last "1" of the number.

**T2x** · 09-22-2015, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Greg G

Thanks for the feedback. Yep, agree the motors are Johnson V4s. The 100hp Johnson was not introduced until 1966 so I don't think that they are 100hp models. I'd say earlier. I think that the 90hp model was introduced in 1964. I'm thinking that the boat is a 1964 or a 1965 but who in New York metro would have had a race boat like that in '64/'65 ? All the outboard race action would have been either out West in Havasu or down in the greater Florida area I would think.

I got a hold of Sam James yesterday (ex-Bertram) and he gave me a suggestion of who might have some clues about "Marina Seven".

I was on Long Island in those years and there was quite a bit of Offshore racing activity centered on the Around Long Island Marathon. K&K Outboard, Al Grover, Woodcleft Marine, American Finn, Port Washington Marine, Eltro Boats and a few others were, to varying degrees, invested in both OPC and Offshore racing, and I was as well. That being said, I do not remember anything called Marina Seven. That doesn't mean there wasn't something in the NY/NJ/CT/New England area with that name, but I never heard of it. Could we be way off base and be looking at a California or Bermuda boat?...Perhaps even a Midwest team , as there was a race from Chicago to New Buffalo, IN on Lake Michigan back then....

**T2x** · 09-22-2015, 10:39 AM

[QUOTE=lilabner;2792380][QUOTE= I'm thinking that the boat is a 1964 or a 1965 but who in New York metro would have had a race boat like that in '64/'65 ?

Don't let T2X see this post..[/QUOTE]

We had our share