Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

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Originally Posted by techteam

I'll bite at this one. Tony had a valiant attempt, Ron Wolbold of Blufin boats built him what was expected to be a lowish speed test craft to prove the design and he had some well respected aero / engineers helping the team. Unfortunately the project got compressed somewhat and a Sponsor called Roevin modified the test craft to attempt the record by placing some substantial steel reinforcement, a breakaway capsule, water brakes etc in the hull. Ron told he actually cried when he saw it. A tad overweight when launched it looked more like a submarine and ultimately failed as there was no funds available to continue.

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Glad you came in TT, so, tell me this—— on a U S site—— we’re talking about an English lad—- working with my great friend WOBBLY——- and you know more about it than I do. .?????
How does that happen ???
I have had a couple of cracks at that beautiful TONY FAHAYE Concept——- both have wound up under the bench until further Notice.———- when I hit an “”Impasse” these days, I find it easier to submit, Chuck the piece under the bench for a later rainy day! Not enough time left to waste it worrying!
Amazing just how many projects were “FUNDED”———- ialways funded my own racing. Had a bit of help from CHAMPION, and SHELL gave me free petrol for a year, but that’s all the help I ever got until BEDFORD DAVIES walked into my shop————— but that’s another story !

TT—— don’t know who the “ respected aero/ engineers were, but I have a two year old grandson who draws better record breaking boats than that ! It’s nothing like the one I saw and decided to make.
You don’t have to be an Einstein to look at that SLAB, and see it ain’t never going to work !
No wonder Ron never told me about it—— it’s obvious why the money ran out—— they must have seen the bloody thing was useless!
I bet the wire wheeled Bentley got enough funding to finish it !

I love it when people have a go at something the average man would never even consider having a crack at. In the past it seemed more accepted and supported whereas now with the tinternet and stuff all they seem to get is armchair experts knocking the hell out of them. There are several attempts under way to varying degrees of progress but I wish them all the best of luck and watch with interest. As far as Ron Wolbold is concerned he produced beautifully made boats, not always successful but heh ho, he was also a thoroughly nice man. He came to stay with us one Christmas, there were only 3 of us but Ron insisted he would bring the Turkey. He proudly presented my own kitchen goddess with something the size of an Ostrich frozen like Granite. When she pointed out it wouldn't fit in our oven he said no problem, went out to his car and returned with a wood saw from his boot, promptly cutting it in half and handing it back. He always said he wished they had run what he built as was, he thought it would achieve what was planned at the time he built it before the modifications.

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Originally Posted by techteam

I love it when people have a go at something the average man would never even consider having a crack at. In the past it seemed more accepted and supported whereas now with the tinternet and stuff all they seem to get is armchair experts knocking the hell out of them. There are several attempts under way to varying degrees of progress but I wish them all the best of luck and watch with interest. As far as Ron Wolbold is concerned he produced beautifully made boats, not always successful but heh ho, he was also a thoroughly nice man. He came to stay with us one Christmas, there were only 3 of us but Ron insisted he would bring the Turkey. He proudly presented my own kitchen goddess with something the size of an Ostrich frozen like Granite. When she pointed out it wouldn't fit in our oven he said no problem, went out to his car and returned with a wood saw from his boot, promptly cutting it in half and handing it back. He always said he wished they had run what he built as was, he thought it would achieve what was planned at the time he built it before the modifications.

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Ron was best known for his Blu-Fin range of boats——- he raced a a twelve footer with a forty horse Bermuda motor for years.
John Merryfield was either his outlet or sponsor——- not quite sure which, but John always had the latest up to date Blu- Fin with usually a fifty Merc.
Do you remember the first “Mr. Kiekhaefer” , was Built to a Hal Kelly Design ——- a fourteen foot, two upper.
I bought it from him when he built Keikhaefer 11, a sixteen foot Hal Kelly Design Built by WOBBLY!

That was just before Merryfield and Melly got Souters to build the Sonny Levi designed Double M range of boats which were really successful!

I have to go open the shop——— the Three D Printer is up and running ——- has its own bench and a three foot LED —— need to see what else it can do besides a two inch “Pussycat “.

Didn’t last long in there—— minus something or other—— started sneezing after five minutes—- bugger that for a game of soldiers——- I’m done, maybe after lunch if it’s warmed up some!

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Gotcha again Stavros!

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Pulled this out from under the bench—— see if I can bring it back to life ?

Sent you a PM

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Well TT——- There it is——— don’t look much does it ?——- but it opens up a whole new world for me to go out and explore !
Grandson Simon is currently scouring the 3D printer world for 5/6 bladed propellers that I can start telling the robot what to construct for me next.

That little gem seems to have quietened you all down——— the three Dee printer works alongside my I pad !
Its programmed by an app——- has a memory card—— find the item you want to manufacture—— feed it into the computer ——- and away you go.
Has a strange fascination——— if I was a lot younger, I might have watched it, but it’s a bit like watching paint dry, or a Mediterranean Cruise ?
Havent seen my oldest friend Adam Laszczar for over a year——- in spite of the fact he lives less than 25 miles away ! Taking the day off today ——- just so we can have some time together—— realistically— there’s not going to be many more times that’s going to happen.
Bloody cold again this morning, my own official barber has deemed it necessary to have beard trim and haircut, her who shall be obeyed at all times !

Talk about a blast from the past——— Jimmy Meynell ——- Harry Northrop and I grew up together,.
In 1948 we took the train to Blackpool——— girl next door Shirley came along for the ride———- that was 70 years ago.
Jimmy married Shirley ———— Harry married a girl Betty——— they’re all long gone now !
Imagine my surprise when I got a Christmas card from Jimmy and Shirley’s daughter Anne, with a photo of Me—- Shirley and Harry taken in Blackpool!
Does kinda set the pulse racing a tad.
Try and scan it tomorrow——- I wasn’t always a short—— fat—— stumpy Little FECKER.

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Where the hell did all the good looks go from those “WONDER YEARS”—— Jack-Shirley and Harry !!!

Jesus wept but was excruciatingly cold and pissing down at the car boot sale this morning——- methinks——- bugger this for a game of soldiers. Sat for five minutes, but the clouds were getting darker, turned round and went to the scrap yard. Picked up a rake of nuts and bolts and a piece of extrusion I need to make trim tabs.
Back home before lover boy had time to pull his pants up. ( Kidding.)
Garden lady wanted som plants——— I dropped her off at the garden centre, then went and had the Lexus F Sport washed-n-Waxed—- picked the lady up and came home——— that’s where we’re at!

What is going one with the Caldwell CRT 2.5? Isn't this the weekend of the debut?

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Originally Posted by Bob V

What is going one with the Caldwell CRT 2.5? Isn't this the weekend of the debut?

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All gone very quiet Bob——- I’ve heard nothing—- seen nothing!
Deeply disappointing——— usual Caldwell scenario——— promise lots— deliver little.
Another year goes ——— still no further down the road than we were three years ago.
Would have been nice if they told us occasionally what was going on——- we can all accept a few setbacks now and again, just fed up with broken promises .