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Thread: Life at Lake X in the '60s
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12-04-2009, 10:48 AM #1021
T2x
When I had to do an extended road test, I would go by Bobby Moores and Popeyes..I watched Bobby rig that boat..Beautiful job as always..When I saw the engines I thought they were a masterpiece, until I saw the intake and exhaust ports in the head..It looked to me like an airflow nightmare..Bobby agreed.. I guess someone thought that a sewer pipe would flow more air, hence more power..I was not surprised that the performance wasn't there..But the boat was beautiful..
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12-04-2009, 01:09 PM #1022
Thanks for the compliments.
The motors were the result of what happens when you try to do a 30 million dollar, ground up, engine development project...... for 3-4 million dollars. We pleaded for Mercruiser's 1000 SC's, but Marce Lavin felt snubbed by Mercury when we went out for some meetings at Oshkosh and the then head of racing, Armon Wiegert, didn't "have time" to attend. Marce then went to Cyril Batten, a guy who did the design and development work on the Oldsmobile Quad 4. Oddly enough, Cyril, later wound up working for Mercruiser in Oklahoma. If the SC motors were put in that boat, it would have set the racing world on its ear. That boat handled rough water better than anything I have seen before or since....and it should have run well over 150 in racing trim.
T2x20 Foot Switzer Wing 2 X S3000 (Dust'n the Wind II)
!6 foot Wood Eltro Vee (2X Merc 1500's) (Dust'n the Wind IV)
15 foot Powercat 15C (2 X Merc 1500) (Dust'n the Wind III)
(Single engine boats are lacking something)
15’ Wooden Switzer Shooting Star...
16 foot Lee Craft Merc S 3000-(Gold Dust II)
(The exception proves the rule)
Obsolete and Proud of it
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12-04-2009, 01:29 PM #1023
T2x
I agree with you 100%..I think Batten was the guy that developed the Crane 4 valve small block heads in the 70's..They were also a work of art, but too expensive at the time..I don't think they set the world on fire either.. But he was an artist in the looks and wow dept..
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12-04-2009, 01:36 PM #10246000 RPM
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12-04-2009, 02:05 PM #1025
AirRide
Ben had the fastest 928S4 Automatic we ever worked on..and it was stock..
I miss all those guys..don't condone what they did, but they were fun to be around..add to that the loss of Powerboat Row and Don A.. Those WERE the GOOD OLD DAYS..
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12-04-2009, 02:09 PM #1026
T2x
Didn't you take out the Battens and put in Lambo's?..I seem to remember some in the shop about that time..
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12-04-2009, 02:24 PM #1027
No, we put Lambo's in Jean Pierre Fruitier's 39' Conquest, "Rocky", a few years earlier. That boat won Cowes-Torquay one year, I believe. If there were Lambo's in Bobby's shop at that time, they were probably for Nuri Subunja's(sp) Cougar, "Chairman of the Board".
Bobby's tests with the 48 footer were minimal at best, as the engines never held oil pressure across the board up to full throttle. As you accelerated 4 tach's would start to climb, then one oil pressure gauge would start to drop, and two motors would slow down (they were connected in tandems through the gearboxes), and the boat would begin to hesitate. The best the boat ever ran was in Traverse City, Michigan and Sarasota, where it took off in occasional bursts of speed...but you could never, under any circumstances open it up.
The last time it ran was at the Atlantic City World's. Of course Air Ride knows more about every topic in the universe than I do so squeeze his head for more details....
T2x20 Foot Switzer Wing 2 X S3000 (Dust'n the Wind II)
!6 foot Wood Eltro Vee (2X Merc 1500's) (Dust'n the Wind IV)
15 foot Powercat 15C (2 X Merc 1500) (Dust'n the Wind III)
(Single engine boats are lacking something)
15’ Wooden Switzer Shooting Star...
16 foot Lee Craft Merc S 3000-(Gold Dust II)
(The exception proves the rule)
Obsolete and Proud of it
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12-05-2009, 09:57 AM #1028
Ledfoot Jeff - This would be what you are referring to. My brother Bill was the Popeyes Team Manager as well as Throttleman with Al Copeland for 7 years. He always loved to come home to Sarasota to race. The race officials told him to NOT wash down the New Pass bridge. He said, "OK" and then did it anyway. Best Regards From An Old SHS Sailor Class Of '62 - Steve Sirois.
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12-05-2009, 11:16 AM #1029Junior Member
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Thanks Steve, you just made my day!
From a fellow SHS grad class of '89.
-led
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12-05-2009, 12:55 PM #10305000 RPM
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I did not know they closed the Boathouse Bar. Karen and I spent lots of time there (and bought lots of food and drinks) over the years during races and dealer meetings.Haven't been down in years.Why did it close? Is the Hotel still there? Guess I'm getting old and can't keep up.
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12-06-2009, 06:50 PM #103120 Foot Switzer Wing 2 X S3000 (Dust'n the Wind II)
!6 foot Wood Eltro Vee (2X Merc 1500's) (Dust'n the Wind IV)
15 foot Powercat 15C (2 X Merc 1500) (Dust'n the Wind III)
(Single engine boats are lacking something)
15’ Wooden Switzer Shooting Star...
16 foot Lee Craft Merc S 3000-(Gold Dust II)
(The exception proves the rule)
Obsolete and Proud of it
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12-07-2009, 12:12 PM #1032Junior Member
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This is the story I heard from the bartender at the Boathouse the last night they were open: when they tore down the Quay, which was apparently invested with rats, the vermin needed a new home and they settled in at the Boathouse. The problem got so bad they had to close the kitchen a couple of times. Also, it had some structural problems, being built on pilings out over the water. So, now they host hotel events & banquets there but the kitchen is now inside the hotel. There is a new bar inside as well but I have not been there yet.
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12-07-2009, 02:10 PM #10336000 RPM
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01-05-2010, 10:10 PM #1034New Member
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Back in 1983 I was a flight instructor/ demo pilot/ferry pilot for Lake Aircraft up in Laconia, NH. I spent four or five days with a Plastic Surgeon from Orlando Florida starting in New Hampshire and ending up down in Florida. My older brother used to run a 15'Checkmate with a Merc 135 up on a block. Lake X was the fabled Shangri-La of Performance Outboards. The Doctor had ties there and we landed on the airport (Not allowed on the water) walked in and spent some time with his buddies. I remember walking in and looking over Popeye. Massive aluminum Tunnel hull with plenty of 1" rivets. 2 of 750 hp I/O's in each hull with drives. What a beautiful rig. For that type of hull, it just looked right.
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03-03-2010, 06:29 PM #1035Junior Member
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Hi
I worked at lake X in 66 & 67. I also worked at the Oskosh boat house.I found about this thread this week. WOW !!!! talk about old memories!