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  1. #1081
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Name:	!961 Nassau Race.jpg 
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ID:	240921Yes I know---it took me long enough to learn how to put picture on the thread (what year is this)...You all knew i was computer handycapped----Ha! and I can't spell either....Look at the smile on the face of that kid--You don't think that he wasn't riding cloud nine. Get a load of the racing jacket----Full racing jumpsuits?? -- no helmits..... You might also notice that the fuel had loosened the paint by the fill cap.....This is about the point where someone told us that we were third over all and first outboard...
    Steve.... What happened to all the Lake "X" stories???? I know there are a lot more things happened there than have been told...Need to get Mona to read to Odell and Johnny needs to take a break and write.. I know they were there more than anyone else that's left. They were in on the building of the road. They were there when they took one of the Dodge 500's for a lap or two. (wasn't there for that just heard about it) Johnny would come out and wake me up in the am to take me back to the kitchen for breakfast--- I would stay out with the equipment each nite --no electricity--no running water--- i'm not sure they even gave me a flash lite---No gun or club--Not sure what i was to do if man or beast was to attack the equipment??? No cell phones back then...
    The ole' man wanted to get rid of the gators in the slip ( I was night mech.) so I talked him in to letting me catch them and release them back into the many lakes between there and my place in St Cloud. I guess the he forgot to tell Joe Anderson or Joe forgot..Anyway I had pulled my personal truck back by the lift, covered the bed with a tarp and started catching gators.. I had about five or six and looked up to see Joe and George Thompson come sneaking down the driveway toward my truck. Now they had been down at the local Tavern and had one or two beers. I'm sure they thought i was loading something in my truck--and I was-- I eased back up in the shop out of sight to watch. George started looking around for me and Joe went for the truck. It was a step side so he stepped up and threw the tarp back only to be greeted by some not so happy gators.. When the hooping and hollering settled down they went on down to the "motel" and I never heard a word about it.
    I know there are a million stories out there ........... how bout it Bakos......
    BobbyR
    Last edited by BobbyR; 08-22-2011 at 12:19 PM.

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  3. #1082
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    Bobby - You do look happy in that photo. And I thought my brother was the only one crazy enough to get in a race boat with George Thompson. Is that one of the Jones Cats? Based on engine placement, it certainly looks like a cat. If so, I hope it was a calm day on the way to Nassau. Great story about the gators. I would love to have seen the look on Joe Anderson's face when he threw that tarp back. By the way, perhaps you could describe your gator catching method, or did you just send "Jet" into the water to catch them for you? The first time I saw "Jet", he was asleep on the shop floor...I thought he was a bear! You are certainly right about there being MANY Lake X stories to be told.....I pretty much emptied my brain out when I first started this thread. For sure Odell and Johnny could tell many stroies. Also, I would love to pick Chet Strickland's brain. He was always into some sort of hilarious mischief. - Steve Sirois

  4. #1083
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    Chet is still mad at me because of the chicken run that I started while he was running endurance and i was doing a spot check with a Fliver and a 20hp spot check. He had a lap line Larson with a 110 Mercrusier. It was my doing and we both got a couple of days off with out pay - I had a couple of broken ribs so I needed the time. He was just doing his job and some dummy comes running right at him...They both turn the same way at the last moment and the Larson is launched over the fliver....Don't know how I missed the prop.... Chet told me I was out cold when he got back to me.... I would love to hear his side of the story.....
    Chet!!!!!are you out there ?????????????????

  5. #1084
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    Seeroy or lilabner!! I need some info on some old friends of yours. Not a bill collector or anything!! Looking for Mike Seay or his brother Mark!! Email me and I will give you the details please!! Years ago Mike(like almost 50 years) Mike was in Indiana. I dont want to post all info on this forum unless you want me to!! Please reply!!
    Jeff Carpenter

  6. #1085
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    I found this thread a couple of nights ago and have been trying to catch up before making any comments but decided what the heck!
    My dad (Bob Kemmerling) and Rodney Thompson who owned T-Craft Boat manufacturing in Titusville, Fl, raced together in the late 50's and early 60's. That's when outboard dealers and every day run of the mill people raced each other for fun, guys like Haygood brothers from Orlando, Bill Critchfield and Gene Medows to name a few. I have a few stories about encounters with Old man K as we referred to him on the coast. Rodney wanted the Coast Guard sticker/seal of durability for finishing the Miami to Nassau race for his T-Craft. As mentioned in an earlier thread about the 19 footer.
    So it was arranged for Rodney to have a 21 footer taken to Lake X and they would rig the boat with a pair of motors I don't remember the HP, and him and my dad would drive the boat. So one Saturday morning my dad and I pulled the boat over to Lake X with a 1960 Chevy wagon. When we got to the gate the guard checked his list of names and said yes we were on it and it was ok to enter. We had no idea where to put the boat so we ask him. Oh! just back it up in front of that garage door over there, pointing to a string of doors. (I will mention this now it was pouring rain like cats and dogs) So we did exactly as the guard said, while we waited for the rain to let up so we could disconnect the boat, someone started banging on the drivers side window. Dad rolled the window down enough to see who it was or at least what this drowned rat wanted. Well to our surprise it was Old Man K in a hooded rain coat, ball cap and cigar yelling who the h_ ll are you guys and why have you backed this d_ mn boat over my fresh concrete. You can imagine what a tandom axle trailer would do to fresh cement that only had plastic covering it. We said we put the boat where the guard said to and we were from T-Craft. He yelled that d_mn Thompson is going to be the death of me yet. He then processed to let us know that the guy at the gate takes care of the gate and is not a parking attendant. So if you want to leave here with your hide I suggest you move this d_mn boat off my new concrete.
    The boat was rigged and they did finish the race got the seal. Rodney was in his late 30's my dad mid 40's and by the time they got to Nassau neither one had enough strength left in their legs to walk up the stairs at the hotel so they crawled on their hands and knees. Rodney flew home the next day and left the boat for dad drive back.
    I do have other racing encounter with the old man don't if this is the thread.

    Robert Kemmerling
    Bob'K

  7. #1086
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    Its the thread for it, DO IT HERE!

  8. #1087
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    "I do have other racing encounter with the old man don't (know) if this is the thread.
    Robert Kemmerling"

    Hi Robert - Your story is exactly the kind we love to hear on this thread. Don't hold back anything.

    Let it all hang out - Steve Sirois

  9. #1088
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    These pictures are of a 9 hour marathon race at Lake Kissimmee in Fl. I have a few more, if these work, then I'll add them. I have more of the start and a couple with a young Mr. K congratulating us of of our win. I will have to tell you how this very successful this boat was for us. Our boat is the #105. We finished rigging and kicking off the fiberglass on that boat around 2:00 am in the morning. We made a mold for it off an 18 ft Javlin Cat which came from Calif. We cut the sides down and the overall length ended up around 16 ft, notice the two points on the front the first pickle fork. (1961 or 1962 I think). Rodney use to sell them at the dealership. The hull was glass and deck was plywood with glass over it. The boat was equipped with two 800 direct reversing engines, two 50 gal alum gas tanks, which my dad made. He worked at Patric Air Force Base in the sheet metal shop. Sooo Uncle Sammy was sort of a silent partner. Dad designed and built the after plane mounted in the tunnel. The ram was made from a jet fighter airleron, the pump was a semi toggle pump for lowering the trailer wheels. The boat ran an honest 67-68 mph with driver in this configuration.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    BobK
    1984 Vking HydroStream original owner, 260 EFI Offshore.
    Last edited by bobk; 09-26-2011 at 12:26 AM. Reason: added additional info
    Bob'K

  10. #1089
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    How do I make the pictures larger? These are 8.5 x 11 and very close up, you can actually see some of the faces. If not I could email them to you BobK.
    Bob'K

  11. #1090
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    When we click on them they enlarge. I saw the faces and guys looking back and forth at each other in the pics

  12. #1091
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    Mark75H

    Most of the cats are power cats, but the 2nd most are Javlin's. This is real grass roots Racing. In those days there was guys who would strip down their family boat and bring it to the race. When I post some others I believe there is a Ron Jones cat off in the distance. We won this race when these pictures were taken from the space boat. We lost one of the 9 hr races at Lake Kissimmee when we ran out of gas on the last lap.

    I'm not exactly sure anymore as to how long the race was, but we won one there the same year the new 800 merc's were being introduced. The only problem is we were running a factory 700 pacemaker engine. So when we pulled into the winners circle and the Old Man showed up with the news media and camera crew only to find out we beat his mighty new 800 merc with an old rebuilt 700, he was not happy. He wanted to know why we were not running an 800, (of coarse it was in a calm quite manner). Rodney told him that we couldn't afford to run new motors for racing, Carl in a loud voice said let me worry about that. The following Monday we had 2 brand new in the box 800 merc delivered to the dealership. The boat we won with, was single engine (700) on the back of a Javlin runabout flat bottom, similar in style to a flat bottom SK boat.

    I to went to Lake X to an open house which was held for Mercury dealers families and friends, I'm not sure what year anymore it was but early 60's. I can't remember anymore what events were put on, but there was a large attendance as I remember. The next pictures will be after the race, well one snuck in there. The guy driving is Rodney Thompson owner of T-Craft, Thompson Crawlers and Dixie Cross Roads,
    my dad is in the black T-shirt and other guys is a good friend Rosey Laudenslaughter.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails mr k and mercury racing 009 (1).jpg  
    Last edited by bobk; 09-26-2011 at 09:31 PM.
    Bob'K

  13. #1092
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    Thompson

    You have some great pictures there. I was at that 6 hour race running a Raveau with Craig DeWald as co-driver. There was a 4 Hour race a few months before the 6 Hour one I'm pretty sure..The boats ran 700's in that one..Olgator is the resident historian for those races..That had to be one of the best starts ever for cats..I remember Rodney Thompson..Jimmy Sewares brought back one of his boats one year. The deck was raw mahogany plywood..They were nailing it on in the parking lot before the race.. Here is a picture of it in Miami..Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	243530Richard Baiz and I later put a pair of Merc 500's on D longshaft Quickys on the boat..It was the most fun boat we ever raced with those motors..We named it Miss Carriage..
    They used the start picture for the next two programs for 6 hour race at Lake X and Miami..

    Click image for larger version. 

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  14. #1093
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    In looking as closely as I can on the photos I can ID these as Power Cats..
    Or at least made from a Power Cat hull..
    #106, #40, #56, #9, #41
    Butch: For some reason I had always thought the #9 Skyway Marine boat
    was the same hull as Chuck's #40 just later in its life, but I see now that
    they were two different boats since they are in a couple of these shots together.
    Great photos of a great time in outboard racing history.
    Danny Leger
    Quote Originally Posted by bobk View Post

    Most of the cats are power cats, but the 2nd most are Javlin's. Click image for larger version. 

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  15. #1094
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    To me heaven would be running in that race...... forever.....with an occasional stop for a drink and some female companionship.....
    20 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

  16. #1095
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    To me heaven is-----female companionship----with an occasional drink { CC7 } a lot of stops, and OOOH---YES------- chuck in a race, mustn"t forget that -----must we !!!!!!!!!!!!

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