Help Needed! - ID This Old OB Race Boat

**Greg G** · 10-02-2015, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

This is the Restaurant (15th Street Fisheries), the gas dock, the bait & tackle shop, an a portion of the Yacht brokerage offices, at the east end of Lauderdale Marina nowadays, that Bob started in 1948, that his current family still owns & operates.

I spoke to Ted Drum in my research. Helpful and nice but did not know anything about the Marina Seven boat. I always thought that Cox's Lauderdale Marina was the first Boston Whaler dealer. I never knew that they were a Donzi dealer in 1965 as you mentioned, never mind one of the first two in Florida.

**Greg G** · 10-02-2015, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

I can't take it any longer. The original posters race boat in question, "Marina Seven", was owned by an old family friend that had simular interests/investments in waterfront homes, both in the great white north and southeast Florida, the marina business, and collecting antique wood boats, as my family. He had many real estate income properties in the Ft. Lauderdale area. He started the Clayton New York Antique Boat Museum in the 60's, as well as the Antique Boat Show there as well. He had a summer home there, on Grindstone Island. He was instrumental in starting & promoting for years, the very first Ft. Lauderdale Boat Shows. He was the Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale & was on the Lauderdale City Commission for two decades. And on & on. He was an initial investor in a new marina on west Lauderdales State Road 84 on the New River, that was "seven" miles to the ocean and open "seven" days a week, that was specifically designed for outboarders only, and that had 64 boat slips and a ramp. He was one of only two Formula/Donzi dealers in 1965 in South Florida, the other being Challenger Marine on Biscayne Blvd, in North Miami. He past away in 2013, one year after his wife, at age 95. His name was Bob Cox...and he also started (and his family still owns & operates) Lauderdale Marina, in 1948. Bob and his Marina General Manager, Ed Joyce raced in a number of Offshore races in 1965. In 1965 alone, they entered and won...the St. Petersburg 50 Mile Ocean Race, The Pelican Harbour 100 mile GulfStream Regatta, the Orange Bowl Regatta, and the Sam Griffith Memorial. They also raced, and placed third, in the Miami-Nassau race. The boat was a 1965 19 Donzi Hornet outboard with twin Johnson Super Sea-Horse V-4 75's.

You must have been sitting on a lot of good info since I asked for help in ID'ing the boat from the picture. Not a lot of info on Ed Joyce either out there

**FUJIMO** · 10-02-2015, 04:44 PM

Bottom center is a portion of Bob's Lauderdale Marina. Port Everglades pretty much the whole top half of the photo. Inlet with a cargo ship leaving, top left. Pier 66 marina, etc., on the left, this side of bridge. Its in new owners hands now, but Bob owned the commercial property on the other side of the 17th Street bridge, on the left. Back in the 70's, Bob mentioned to us that he made more money every month in rent on that, than he originally paid for the property. Coincidentally, my neighbor Brien & his dad control that same strip of land on the Intracoastal today. I think they paid 12 large for it. They are going to develop it into a phenominal marina "based" development, called "The Sails". www.TheSails.com It takes many years to develop here these days.

**Greg G** · 10-02-2015, 04:48 PM

Ed Joyce must have been a unique dude in his own right. 1963 he ran an OB boat from Florida to New York Harbor & hit ice along the way. Not the "Marina Seven" as the Donzi 19 wasn't built yet.

**FUJIMO** · 10-02-2015, 05:06 PM

Ed Joyce was a VERY accomplished man himself. With and without his friend Bob.

**Greg G** · 10-03-2015, 08:42 AM

Now I'm kinda into it so I'm going to continue the Hunt for Red October.

There is evidently a lot of info on Ed Joyce, Bob Cox and the Marina Seven boat in the June 1965 issue of Popular Boating Magazine. Does anyone happen to have that issue hanging around?
.

**Greg G** · 10-04-2015, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

His name was Bob Cox. Bob and his Marina General Manager, Ed Joyce raced in a number of Offshore races. In 1965 alone, they entered and won........the St. Petersburg 50 Mile Ocean Race, The Pelican Harbour 100 mile Gulf Stream Regatta, the Orange Bowl Regatta, and the Sam Griffith Memorial. They also placed third in the '65 Miami-Nassau race. The boat was a 1965 19 Donzi Hornet outboard.

FUJIMO, where did you get the information on the first two races you reference above?

**lilabner** · 10-04-2015, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Greg G

.
Many of you were in good company seeing as Alan Brown also did not recognize the Marina Seven race boat, and he was there as well back in the day.

Brownie and Gene are old, I was in Okinawa..but are all in semi dementia now..

But havin fun!!!

**GENE LANHAM** · 10-04-2015, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by lilabner

Brownie's answer..
"Dunno. Fred Darwick and I worked on this. Nothing. Might be my old “Donzi Daddy”, the first Hornet, rerigged."

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Fred Darwick and my sister Judy Darwick may have been the first to race a Donzi--??

**Greg G** · 10-04-2015, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by GENE LANHAM

Fred Darwick and my sister Judy Darwick may have been the first to race a Donzi--??

Mr. Lanham, wow ...... what year and what race is that picture you posted and who is driving that 16 ?

**GENE LANHAM** · 10-04-2015, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by Greg G

Mr. Lanham, wow ...... what year and what race is that picture you posted and who is driving that 16 ?

Orange Bowl Regatta 9 hour. January 1965. Fred finished 21st and first in class--that
is the boat that started the advertising campaign--'Not So Fast--Did Last'

**Greg G** · 10-05-2015, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by GENE LANHAM

Orange Bowl Regatta 9 hour. January 1965. Fred finished 21st and first in class--that is the boat that started the advertising campaign--'Not So Fast--Did Last'

I thought it might have been the January 2, 1965 "Orange Bowl Regatta 9 Hour" Endurance Race "Class A" win.

What's interesting is the number on the side of the boat in the two different photos. #17 in your picture and #11 in the factory advertisement photo? Evidently, Bob Cox also had a 16 in addition to the Hornet 19 OB that he and Ed Joyce campaigned but I need that June, 1965 issue of Popular Boating to get more info on that.

**GENE LANHAM** · 10-05-2015, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Greg G

I thought it might have been the January 2, 1965 "Orange Bowl Regatta 9 Hour" Endurance Race "Class A" win.

What's interesting is the number on the side of the boat in the two different photos. #17 in your picture and #11 in the factory advertisement photo?

Fred explains the number discrepancy:

11 was the year we won..1965.

The #17 was the next year and when Hank Bowman was run over by his NA 22' the race was Black Flagged.

Hence the invention of the 'kill switch'.