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  1. #541
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    Electricity #24

    Quote Originally Posted by willabee View Post
    Came across some film of a Molinari doing some testing on Lake Butte des Morts in Oshkosh. Jimmy Kubasta is doing the stop watch work and Boob Hetzel is changing the props and recording the data. I'm pretty sure this is summer, 1970. The boat appears to be a 69 rocker, has lightning bolts painted on the deck and rear cowl and goes by the name of Electrical, or something similar to that. I'm going to try to get some better shots of this boat, but I'll post what I got so far.....maybe someone will remember who drove it. It's a factory boat that must have been loaned to someone back in 69 or 70. The pictures just reminded me of how much fun these were to drive.....rode high, got over a ton of water and turned on a dime.

    To be continued......the fun part is next
    Bill: I know the boat. Spring 1969, GG offered the boat to Dick Williams, an electrician in Miami. I made a three day solo marathon trip to Oshkosh (in that blue Ford PU that I am still driving) and brought the boat back to Miami. Dick drove it in some local races, and we piggy backed to Galveston, Havasu. etc with the Wing. (Hot Multies #221). Dick and I co-drove the Miami 225? with little success. It WAS a fun boat, as a Wing driver I never got comfortable being that HIGH off the water, especially against the wind!! Havasu 69, Billy Steele told us Mr. K had 'retired' and we all knew there would be changes. GG called and wanted the boat back, I dropped the boat off at the Lake and I don't think Dick raced again. Dick was killed a few years later when he rolled his Ford Pantera.
    Gene

  2. #542
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    Willa, No, i never drove a stacker,but i did witness the last few times they were raced at Havasu and remember them kindly. Those things were legend in Europe, but would never have been allowed , even on a test run. If you gave your mind half a chance and read what was written instead of rushing to the keyboard to sound off, you would notice i said " the noisiest I ever drove". And another thing , to be passed by Sanders was no disgrace, especially when i was driving a rig not even the immortal Sirois was unhappy with.
    Wrong again, Don Ross must be spinning in his grave to think you got that guy mixed up with him. C'mon William think again.
    There's only one reason Garbrechts changing the prop-------even you know the answer to that-------HE WANTED IT.!!!!!!!!!!

  3. #543
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    Quote Originally Posted by GENE LANHAM View Post
    Bill: I know the boat. Spring 1969, GG offered the boat to Dick Williams, an electrician in Miami..... It WAS a fun boat, as a Wing driver I never got comfortable being that HIGH off the water,
    Thanks Gene, that clears the whole thing up. When watching it run on film, I saw the name DICK painted on the rear cowl, but it looked like Mike Downard sitting on the nose while the prop was being changed. So, it was a factory boat out on "loan", Dick added his lightning bolts and later it was called back. It probably became the first boat assigned to Downard after he was hired by Merc and all of Dick's stuff hadn't been taken off of it yet when the cowbell test took place. Thanks again.....

  4. #544
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    Quote Originally Posted by jackie wilson View Post
    ..... instead of rushing to the keyboard to sound off, you would notice i said " the noisiest I ever drove"...... to be passed by Sanders was no disgrace, especially when i was driving a rig not even the immortal Sirois was unhappy with.
    Wrong again, Don Ross must be spinning in his grave to think you got that guy mixed up with him. C'mon William think again.
    Just for the record Jackie, at this point in my life I don't "rush" to do anything .

    I don't think you said what you meant to say about Sirois driving something he was unhappy with, but no matter. Fact is, you are correct that it certainly is no disgrace to be passed by Sanders . Hell's bell's, if that was the case, we know a bunch of drivers that would have had to hang it up much earlier than they did.....don't we .

    Now, you said on the "Don Ross" thread, your post #9, that Don was the guy that got me to drinking tea. The man I posted the picture of is the man that came with you to Molinari's shop and he is the guy that I had tea with every morning. I didn't remember his name, but figured it must be Don based on your statement.....who is he?

  5. #545
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    a note on "stackers"

    I know I've posted this someplace else.

    Smith Mountain Lake was ringed by trees and mountains and formed a natural echo chamber of a sort. In 1968 or 69, I believe it contained as big a fleet of stackers as was ever assembled. During the race (Marathon Nationals),as I waited to relieve Linder for my stint in the twin 1250 BP 16' Eltro, I noticed two things that stay with me to this day. The first was Dave Switzer standing (perched actually) motionless on a single piling for what seemed hours. This log was no more than 10 inches in diameter and stood straight up about 4 feet above the waterline....he seemed to have the balance and endurance of a Pelican and he never said a word nor took his eyes off the race. The second was the water surface itself. It was a relatively calm day with this non stop helacious wail coming from those wonderful, deafening, open pipes. If you looked closely the surface of the entire cove was vibrating like water in a glass on top of a noisy old floor fan. All of this seemed to be as a result of the stacks.......
    There was another memory having to do with Pruett, a sledgehammer, and some powerheads.... but I know we have already beaten that one to death....no pun intended...

    T2x
    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

  6. #546
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    Hiya William, Do you realize that the 3 piccies you posted are Quite unique. The first one is Renato's first ever attempt at producing a tunnel runabout, that would plane with a very small engine ie. 4 hp. If i remember correctly, this was the ONLY boat on hand in case of accident. The boat we used before that was a rowboat, and i am not kidding.
    To put you out of your misery, the guy in the boat was a very well known car dealer,[ from Brighton] cum boat racer and fanatical tea drinker-- He drove v bottoms and had a 16' Levi called " SCHH-UNO-WHO " was a friend of Don and used to come to Italy often.
    The 3rd is a picture of him himself nobbling the prop from a SILO. Now that looks very much like a 17' Molinari . There were not too many of those rigs around , and i happen to have been a proud owner, who had a ROLLA prop, ------er ---shall we say misplaced by his majesty. In fact, this could be the historical connection that's been missing for nearly 40 years. I told you he was deep and devious, but you never believed me------------------------------WILLIAM--------I REST MY CASE.

  7. #547
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    P.s. The Guys Name Is Collie Coulson And He Is Over 80 Now And Lives At Shoreham-by-sea.

  8. #548
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    Quote Originally Posted by jackie wilson View Post
    .... Do you realize that the 3 piccies you posted are Quite unique..... . Now that looks very much like a 17' Molinari . There were not too many of those rigs around ,
    Yes, glad to see you are finally starting to appreciate "unique" .....Don't have a clue how you got 17' out of the shot of Gary changing the prop, but I have have to give that one to you. It was was of the two new 17'ers we had for Paris that year, I think they were sprints.

    Here are a few shots of Don Clark, from East Alton, Il.,doing some testing in the 17'/T at Lake Como. Don was one hell of a nice guy and a heck of a boat driver, and was very excited to have been selected to be part of the Mercury Race Team for the European tour that year. The boat was quick, maybe a little too quick. Unfortunately, Don was thrown from this boat during the first two hours of the Paris race and was hurt quite badly. Some say his boat came back and struck him, others say he was taken down the tunnel of a fellow competitor. Either way, he was struck in the abdomen by a gearcase and nothing good can result from an accident like that.

    If you look closely at the 1st shot, you'll notice that he is at speed with barely any wood touching water on a very calm lake. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I didn't particularly like testing in calm conditions. The 2nd shot is the man himself and the third is after the prop change, going back out to run again.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Clark 17' Sprint Como 1970.jpg   Don Clark 1970 Como.jpg   Clark T1 Como 1970.jpg  
    Last edited by willabee; 04-10-2008 at 03:25 PM.

  9. #549
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    Willa, The deduction process dear boy, that's how,
    1970/1. introduction of the "silo"
    Molinari was the builder and in '70 only did 17's for the U.S drivers,
    For the '71 season i had a very lively 16' sprint which i know was the first.
    Garbrecht didn't get his hands on this until the october of that year, after windermere, when Shakey copped out.
    Don had to be on Lake Como, early morning to find glass like that, and like you, i don't like mirror type water.
    We were all out on the town on the friday night and were thrown out of 'THE CRAZY HORSE' Clarke,Stickle, Schubert, Me and most of the Outboard jockeys. Priceless memories !!!!!!!
    As you said, Clarkey was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet.

  10. #550
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    Don Clark At Lake Como.....

    A few more shots of Don Clark setting up for the Paris 6 Hour. The thinking for that year was to set up for "as fast as they could go". Don, running on that flat water, really had the new boat hauling. However, it had to be one great big handfull when he tried to run at speed in the rough water that was present during his stint.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails CLARK COMO 1 1970.jpg   como CLARK046.jpg   como CLARK 050.jpg  

  11. #551
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    Hey there....great pics.......I could almost hear the whine!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Any comments on Garbrecht buying the Miles...........never could understand why Merc didn't use them...just chalked it up to a tight business relationship with Renato. From what Dick told me he could be pretty tough to deal with sometimes. (?)
    Jackie: I find you most entertaining! Dick really enjoyed all you folks when he was in Europe. We used props from Phil Rolla that were known to be "Italian Stainless Steel". Had to use a lot of WD-40 on them but they sure made the Miles boats run!
    Do you recall Dicks' orange Boss 302 Mustang? We had it "done up" for him in Toronto before it was shipped...........gawd it was quick!

  12. #552
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    Hiya Brian, Freddy was a one off-----he used to race motor cycles for SUZUKI. He made the first foot throttles, [this side of the pond], He turned his own heavy duty shock mounts, when the Merc one's were falling to bits every 10 mins. He made the first thrust blocks that took the noddy out of set-ups. The first steering bar behind the engine, and the first pulley on the bottom of the steering column.
    Cantankerous as a caged box of monkeys, very good golfer. Hard as nails -business wise, but fair. [he was the one that told me Dick was a good payer] and a very good driver, in any class of boat. I once sold him a !5' Torrigia V bottom which he took back to Italy and wiped the floor with the Italians at CAMPIONI on Lake Lugano, then set about half a dozen world records which stood for donkeys years. Married to Kathy for ever and drove a lightweight 3 litre B.M.W. But always looked ridiculous in those below the knee golfing shorts----------enough already, Willa will get me again.
    Garbrecht had pretty much a free hand to buy what he wanted, and he did buy the odd Hodges and Burgess and Velden, so he could have done business with Fred.
    As you must know Brian ALL stainless props are a mix of metals, stainless is useless for props on its own so iron, brass, bronze, etc go into the mix and VOILA. you have a prop that goes rusty. [don't you just hate a smartasse ].
    Never did get to see that mustang Brian, must have been really something. Bob Spalding brought one back with him after his stint in the U.S. He loved the thing. jw

  13. #553
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    Hiya Brian, Freddy was a one off-----he used to race motor cycles for SUZUKI. He made the first foot throttles, [this side of the pond], He turned his own heavy duty shock mounts, when the Merc one's were falling to bits every 10 mins. He made the first thrust blocks that took the noddy out of set-ups. The first steering bar behind the engine, and the first pulley on the bottom of the steering column.
    Cantankerous as a caged box of monkeys, very good golfer. Hard as nails -business wise, but fair. [he was the one that told me Dick was a good payer] and a very good driver, in any class of boat. I once sold him a !5' Torrigia V bottom which he took back to Italy and wiped the floor with the Italians at CAMPIONI on Lake Lugano, then set about half a dozen world records which stood for donkeys years. Married to Kathy for ever and drove a lightweight 3 litre B.M.W. But always looked ridiculous in those below the knee golfing shorts----------enough already, Willa will get me again.
    Garbrecht had pretty much a free hand to buy what he wanted, and he did buy the odd Hodges and Burgess and Velden, so he could have done business with Fred.
    As you must know Brian ALL stainless props are a mix of metals, stainless is useless for props on its own so iron, brass, bronze, etc go into the mix and VOILA. you have a prop that goes rusty. [don't you just hate a smartasse ].
    Never did get to see that mustang Brian, must have been really something. Bob Spalding brought one back with him after his stint in the U.S. He loved the thing. jw

  14. #554
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    Molinari's shop.....

    Here are a few views of Renato's boat building shop as it was in 1970. It was a three story building with a half story and a balcony on top. Built on the side of a mountain, it seemed a strange location for boat building. I think the upper half story contained completed boats, the 3rd floor was where they were built, the 2nd was the rigging area and the 1st was where engines were installed and boats were put into the water.

    If you can't read the signage, it says "MOTONAUTICA TORRIGGIA" on the building. I never thought much about what that meant at the time, just assumed it was something about a motorboat from Torriggia. But, I think this is located in Tavernola, not Torriggia (if there even is a Torriggia). Jackie said that the Chetti's were building a tunnel hull called a Torriggia in 1964/1965, and that Angelo Molinari bought the business from them. That all points to this being the building that the Chetti's had their business in before the Molinari family.

    You can see something at the left corner of the building, it is a small porch that also served as a dock. In the 3rd picture, the yellow dot you see in that corner is someone standing on the dock wearing a Merc Racing Team jacket. When you finished testing and wanted to come out of the water, you would pull up to this dock. You then grab the building and walk your boat around the left corner. There you find a hoist and cables that you attach to your lift rings, and the boat is lifted up until it is just above the level of the first floor. Then someone rolls the portable section of the 1st floor under your boat and it is then hoisted down onto a dolly cradle. You then roll it off of the portable floor so the next boat can get on it to be lowered into the water. This sounds complicated, but it actually worked quite smoothly.....as long as the English weren't the ones working the hoist .
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Molinari shop Como 1.jpg   Molinari shop Como 2.jpg   Molinari shop Como 3.jpg  
    Last edited by willabee; 02-22-2008 at 04:23 PM.

  15. #555
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    Molinari's shop.....

    These are not good pictures, but hopefully you can still get a better idea of what I was trying to explain in the last post.

    The 1st shot is of the rolling floor. Look in the very center and you can see the hoist and cables attached to a boat they are bringing back into the building. The man in the center is standing at the edge of the portable floor, and if you look to his right you can see the sidewall which is under the floor and leads to the footers in the water. Once that boat is hoisted into the open area just in front of that man, he will grab a pillar and "walk" the floor closed to the wall in front of him. The boat gets set on the cradle and is rolled to a different location in the shop. You can also see a man in a yellow Merc Racing jacket to the left. That is Tom Stickle , and he is just about to walk through an open archway that leads to the dock. I'll tell you one thing.....you never want to be suffering from the worst "wine" hang-over that you have ever had in your life and then start to walk through that archway from the outside and suddenly the floor starts to move.....oh-oh, time to feed the fish again .

    The 2nd shot shows Renato as he is about to remove the hoist cables to begin a test run with the 9 carb powerhead. The 3rd was taken from the balcony on the top of the building. I wish I could have found a better picture, it is just breathtakingly beautiful up there.

    As you can imagine, that entire area is beautiful. I mentioned before that one sunny day, I skipped lunch with the troops and took one of the Paris boats for a ride around the lake.....that was just great. Speaking of lunch, we used to go to a place we called John's. The wall facing the lake was mostly glass and you always had a wonderful view. Sometimes we'd be slurping our spaghetti when a voice would holler "Abbate!" Sure enough, one or two new Abbate's would rumble on by as they tested for the upcoming Como 100 mile event. It really doesn't get much better than that .
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails rolling floor Molinari shop.jpg   Molinari boat hoist.jpg   Molinari shop balcony.jpg  
    Last edited by willabee; 02-22-2008 at 08:24 PM.

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