Anbody know about Regatta boats

[DBurton]

I was looking to buy a Calfiornia style flat bottom waterski boat. Here in Ontario, Canada, the most seen manufacturer of such boat types is J-Craft.

I found a 16' Regatta, made in Downey, Calf (it ended up a long way from home). Same as a J except it has a gull wing transom (like a hydrostream) and strakes.

Anybody know anything re Regattas? I have searched the Web and come up with a blank.

Thanks

Douglas

[LakeRacer99]

I have seen them, typical california styled boat. The guy I bout my hydrostream from had one. I don't know if they had pad vee bottoms or not. Neat boat, I wouldn't compare them to a Hydrostream though.
jason

[WharfRat]

a friend of mine had one eons ago, it had a V-4 140 OMC, it was set up pretty good & it ran about 70, I know it had relieved exhaust but not sure if it had any other mods

[DBurton]

Originally posted by LakeRacer99
I have seen them, typical california styled boat. The guy I bout my hydrostream from had one. I don't know if they had pad vee bottoms or not. Neat boat, I wouldn't compare them to a Hydrostream though.
jason

I'm not comparing the Regatta perfomance to a Stream, just the transom type
Douglas

[crazy horse]

I have a friend that has one now, It's 15 OR 16 FT. he has a 125 hp force on it but it is in bad shape.

[Ron Hill]

Regattas were originally built by Larry Havens and Doug Westbrook, but they were heavy into building WOA Race Boats. WOA, was Western Outboard Association, the West Coast's OPC club, before OPC...

Most of there race boats were built of wood. We (My dad and I) met Larry and Doug while testing behind Seaboard Equipment Company...The old Mercury Distributorship in Sunset Beach, California...

They watched my boats run and offered to build me a 13 foot "D" Runabout for free. My old man and me always liked "FREE" stuff, so we took them up on the offer.

About two weeks later we tested this new design... faster that **** in smooth water, hit any ripple and lose 5 MPH...well, they had built the boat with no ribs, maybe with the 60 Scott's and all this worked good in rough water...because the bottom "hooked" and worked as an automatic power trim...

They sold the company and the new company started building glass boats....They didn't build too many becasue, Art Carlson, himself, was building some cool California stuff... Larry and Lee Harris started a new race boat company called Inferno!

Lee Harris, became a good friend of Harry Bartolomei, he raced kneel downs in "B" Racing Runabout with a Looper Quincy, about the time BK's brother raced kneel downs... He died of a heart attack about 1980.... Doug went on to become a builder in Orange County and was either a partner or a builder of The Crazy Horse Steak House....maybe, one of Brad Miller's partners....(Brad owned Del Taco --the whole thing---when he owned my boat Crazyhorse...he still owns Crazyhorse Campgrounds in Lake Havasu)....I don't know what ever happened to Larry Havens.

Bottomline, when boats got larger, Regatta had no funds or design abilities, as I recall, to keep up with changing times....I did sell an new 15' with a 135 HP to a TWA Captain one time (1969)...didn't make a dime...you know pilots........

Here's a picture of my Regatta...It was called "The White Nighmare"....on the deck is a picture of "The White Nightmare", this is my brother at the wheel, he had just finished 3rd in the Colorado River Marathon... 115 Miles...Needles to Parker Dam and back to Needles... I had won....

The designer of the White Nightmare picture, designed many "Putt-Putts " for Mattel Toys and many of Barbie's houses...He worked with my brother, when my brother ran Mattel.....Well, only their computer opertaions...but the desinger ran the toy design shop....this guy is also, a close friend of school teacher, Gary Densham...(John Force/Funny Car Fame)....Densham and I are the same age......man he looks old on TV.....We were all pals in high school...

The White Nightmare was a Rus Edmission design....Rus and his brother Larry raced WOA for many years....in DX....

I need to add, that the transom design was copied from my "D"Runabout...Hill Boat...we ran set backs when most still ran afterplanes...of course, we kicked their butts all over the place....with bigger props and all.....I was running 4' set back on a 10' in the early '60's....most racers were running 2" of afterplanes, in those days...

[DBurton]

Thanks for the info Ron. I have picked up a 16' glass Regatta with a 150 in-line six Merc. Engine is tight but boat is porpoising no matter how I trim it out. Also, doesn't seem fast enough given size and engine. Any suggestions

Douglas

[fyremanbil]

I had a friend with one w/125 hp merc ( or maybe 115). Wasn't fast, but pretty fun to drive. It'd slide like a sprint car at high speed, then spin/slide around pulling the outside up out of the water along with the engine. Really impressed the harbor patrol.
Bill

[Ron Hill]

You know Bill, some people have no sense of humor!!!!! Probably same Harbor Patorl that used to time us at Long Beach.... (I'd run half the straight away...then stop and count to ten, then go again...never got a speeding ticket...but that was before they got radar...