Roy Miner

[Mark75H]

On another board someone was asking about a "KR" type OMC A racer that was probably a pumper built up by Miner. Anyone know him? Russ? Ron?

[David_L6]

He built props. Think he was in Florida.

[Bruce Washburn]

Roy died a couple of years ago. He lived in Central Fl. Roy built props and seemed like a sharp guy. I know he also worked on some of the stock, mod and pro stuff. I am sure that marshall Eldredge could probably give you more complete info.

[Mark75H]

I'll probably see Marshall at the Camden NC race in October, thanks, Bruce.

[Ron Hill]

Roy moved here from New York. He seemed to have a real knowledge of Champion Hot Rods. He started a garage called RJ's Larkellen Gargage. (R was for Roy and J was for Joyce, his wife).. He specialized in VW's. When he saw that the VW had hit its peak, Roy sold the business in moved to Florida.

He, along with many of us, loved Pop Smith. He bought some of Pop's blocks before he died and bought more after his death.

Roy's equipment was always very clean, He once made Buick commercial for TV. He didn't like rough water, hence the name "Smooth Water".....He never raced where my dad inspected which made his engines suspect. I do know he built some damn fast Yamatoes....

The last ten or fifteen years of his life, I sold him castings for Stock/Mod and Pro propellers. When my son raced J Runabout, Roy sent us many wheels to try....I never sent any back, which made h im mad....Several, with some reworks "Cooked" on J Runabout..

He never built a KR..That I knew of..

[Russ Hill]

Yes, I knew Roy "Smooth Water" Miner. He was a gentleman and a good contender. He moved from somewhere in the East to CA in the early 60's and to FL in the mid 70's. He raced A Stock Hydro (KG4, never KRs). Primarily used Marchetti hydros. After he moved to FL, my brother (Ron) sent him prop castings that he finished for a number of users. Ron kept in touch with him until his (Roy's) death.

The "KR" is the 1931 Johnson (Not OMC) KR-55. They were the Class A racing engines. Differing from their PR and SR brothers, the KR never had a 65 model. It was 14 – not 15 cu in, alternate firing and had an internal rotary valve.

The "Handy Billy" pumper was NOT a KR, but a derivative of the Johnson K series of outboard. Johnson (by now OMC) built the power plant for the pumpers all during WWII, for a Seattle based company - Pacific Marine Supply Company. The going price was $35 in the war surplus stores.
.
The pumper required extensive modification to be a racing engine, including all the stern bracketing, drive shaft housing, and gear case. My dad and I built a lot of them. Later, I built even more for Pep Hubbell for his customers.

By 1950, practically every A running was a converted pumper. In 1949, Hank Weiland Bowman wrote a detailed article for Motor Trend magazine on how to build an A from a pumper. I could bore you with copious details on how to do it, but there's not much market for pumper conversions today.

Russ Hill

[Mark75H]

Actually Russ, there is interest in such an article with all the "boring" details. The Antique Outboard Club is begging for articles like this for their quaterly "Outboarder" club magazine.

Email as much as you can remember to me and I'll forward it to the club to see that it gets printed with you credited with writing it.

[email protected]

[Dr.Thunder]

Would this Boat Sport cover from 1952 feature a "pumper"?

http://www.boatsport.org/BSC/c12.jpg

[VectorPat]

Man I havnt heard that name in years...I used to work at an omc dealer here in lakeland, fla and roy used to come in there all the time to BS with my boss Bud Wiget and his partner Chuck Fridell.. Roy always seemed like a knowledgable guy,I `m sorry to hear of his passing:(

[Mark75H]

"Pumper" refers to an engine built from a fire pump motor that was similar to the racing motor. It is impossible to tell from that camera angle and distance whether that is a bonafied race motor block or a fire pump based motor. But since it does not appear to be an opposed twin or four, it most likely is an A, which was an inline. Back then the name for the inline twins was "alternate firing" since the cylinders fired 180º apart instead of at the same time as the more popular opposed motors did.