Life at Lake X in the '60s

thank the lord-------some of you old geriatrics still have the balls to THINK about doing something, like breaking and entering ??????? Give me a call when you decide and i'll try and wake Seebold from his deep slumber.Arise all you zimmer frame and wheelchair adventurers of yesteryears--------JOIN THE MASS INVASION NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Get off your backsides and live a little. Went back to nostalgia land last week,believe me ,it's not all it's cracked up to be. But i still love the U.S.A. and Florida in particular and of course ALL the lifelong friends i made from boatracing. HIYA Ritchie, you lanky old goat, LONG TIME NO SEE. You still got that old boneshakin 'Vette you lent me in Oshberg.??????? J.W.

OK,,,,,,,, Breaking into Lake X, Its at the top of MY BUCKET LIST,,,,,, Somehow I could see the huge smile on Mr. K's face,,,,,,,,,,,Seeroy wouldnt you love to run one more shift change???????????:)

Hi Jim - I did some pretty sneaky things when I was there before.....No reason why I could not be sneaky again. We could let Jackie lead the charge, but I think he's back on tne other side of the pond. Maybe Phil and Chet???:) :) :) -Steve

So why doesnt someone ask the guard who patrols the grounds who to contact and ask them politely?? Hell all they can say is no..... then we can still pull the commando bit anyways.....

Course if you are afraid of the answer, sometimes you best not ask the question........

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Originally Posted by Tom Smyth

So why doesnt someone ask the guard who patrols the grounds who to contact and ask them politely?? Hell all they can say is no..... then we can still pull the commando bit anyways.....

Course if you are afraid of the answer, sometimes you best not ask the question........

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maybe they just WANT to do the commando bit :cool: :rolleyes: :D ! cut the fence, sneak in a stacker, and wake that gaurd up at 2 a.m. !!!!!

Seeroy can borrow a jet from the Air Force create a diversion,,,,,,,,,while all the old F**ts will storm the gate,,,,,,, Led by ECK and all the ghosts,,,,, Lets find Odell, Bakos and the hundreds more mentioned in this thread,,,,,,,, Of course at our age and shape this invasion would take months,,,,,,,,,,, Semper Fi

My dads first offshore race boat Agitator, a 30' Shadow cat, was rigged there in 1985. Later I got a job there running endurance after having a DESK job as a Stock Broker. Nothing beats working outdoors. I just saw this thread and wanted to add to it. I took some pictures of the closing ceremony that I thought you might like to see. The first is Bill Harris giving out bricks from the original lake x road with an original cleat attached tho Fred kiekaeffer. The second is the crew of the Lake. The last is the deer of lake x. Hope you enjoy!

Went by the former Placida test facility about a week ago on my way off of Boca Grande from lunch. Place wasn't quite as I remembered it. Wasgreat to see aerial shot from transomstand. Next time I'll take a few minutes to nose around and see if I can get some pics from the ground. Also going to look around south end of Siesta, but assume its all gone. Sure would like to have some good shots of the old test facilities. Wonder if Mercury has any in its archives or maybe Fred Kiekhaefer. Does Mercury have any museum open to the public?
I worked for a small Merc dealer in Waterford, CT as a teen. The owner was a proud Kiekhaefer Mercury dealer and had lots of big Mercs(60's, 70's and 80's) for the 1960's. He referred to Mr K as Carl and would occassionally talk to him. We always had a few speedmasters around which we could use to build up some motors to play with. One day a Mark 78A DR just happened to show up on the back of my 13 ft Glasspar just for me to try out. Never came off the boat again and it never cost me anything. No matter how we tuned a motor, my boss could always get more. So Mercs have always been special and a part of me.
Just restored a 14 ft Power Cat and dropped an older I-6 Merc 150 on it and am enjoying scaring the crap out of myself.
Gary

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Originally Posted by nianticgary

I worked for a small Merc dealer in Waterford, CT as a teen. The owner was a proud Kiekhaefer Mercury dealer and had lots of big Mercs(60's, 70's and 80's) for the 1960's.

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Gary...Does the name Tommy Holmes ring a bell? He was out of your area and in the early 1960s he had several Power Cats (bought a new one each year) and powered them with twin I-6 Merc 800s (white). After reading your post, I was wondering if his boats came out of your shop. He had two tow vehicles, a silver 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe and a gold 1962 Jaguar XKE coupe.

Bob, Any idea where Tommy Holmes was from? I don't recall his name or boats. Weren't too many Power Cats in this area. I ended up with a 15 ft model in 1971 powered by twin Merc 50's. Just found it again this fall and am restoring it also. Gary

Seeroy this is a great part of history here thanks. And being a Black motor guy its a great read. As I saw in post 112? you were talking about the race around Long Island, well back in the 60s my grandfather got a boat that was goin to enter but never did. Well we worked on the boat, a Seasled out of plywood (V hull cut in half and switched sides so it had a V cut out)if I remember right. This had a V8 hemi in it w/ twin 4 barrels on it. Was a crazy boat and a fuel eater!!!! But it had a "head" under the front deck. Well thanks again to you and the other guys. Keep them comming.
Wild Wil

What an awesome thread!!!

I joined just so I could see the pics and post this reply. Thank you to all that have posted anything. I have heard a few of the "Lake X" legends and until reading this thread never knew where it was. It would have been an awesome place to work that is for sure. I can't even imagine getting paid to run the heck out of boat, what job that must have been. Trying at times, but it sounds like there were a lot of good times as well.

About 3 weeks ago, I was on vacation about 15 minutes from there. Knowing what I know now, I'd have taken the short drive out... if only to see that gate. :D

Thanks again to all who have posted!

I just returned from the funeral of Mabry Edwards. Some of you knew him from the distant past and I have talked of him on this thread in posts #41, 43, 45, 46, 83, 84 As well as the Miami-Nassau thread. He died in his sleep on Monday 3/10/08 at the age of 87. His obituary can be found in todays (3/14/08) Florida Times Union (Jacksonville Florida). Mabry was a mentor of mine in both the world of boat racing and aviation. However there were accomplishments of his that even I did not know about. At the funeral, MG Doug Burnett spoke eloquently of Mabry's early days in boat racing. I did not know that Mabry held a number of boat racing records from his early days. As well, he helped to guide many boat racers, fishermen, and pilots onto the right course in life. He was kind of like a human Instrument Landing System (ILS). He was also compassionate and true to old friends. During the time when Mr. Kiekhaefer was nearing the end of life, he was sick and in pain. Mabry took him to a point just off the coast of Saint Augustine where they sat quietly rocking in the gentle swells of the Atlantic. I think Mabry knew that this would be a place of comfort and peace for his long time friend. Even though my brother often called him "Mayberry", Mabry remained a true friend to Bill and they would often consult with each other. In the recent years, I had not seen Mabry, but someone had told me that he went to "work" on his boat on a daily basis. Best Regards - Steve Sirois

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class="Large Heading TopPadSmall" vAlign=bottom width="55%">Retired Brig. Gen. Mabry Edwards</TD><TD width="1%"></TD><TD class=TopPadSmall align=right width="44%"></TD></TR><TR><TD class="Notice TopPadSmall" colSpan=3>EDWARDS Retired Brig. Gen. Mabry Edwards, 87, of Crescent Beach, FL passed away peacefully on March 10, 2008. He was born August 9, 1920 in Quincy, FL and resided in Jacksonville until his appointment as Assistant Adjutant General for the Florida Air National Guard at its State Headquarters in St. Augustine. As an accomplished mechanical engineer, pilot, boat designer and photographer, his competitive spirit was evidenced by his motto, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". He was taught to fly by aviation pioneer Laurie Younge, won several outboard hydroplane national and world boat racing championships, received his commercial captain's license from the Merchant Marine at age 22, was a pioneer in NE Florida offshore sports fishing, founded a boat building company and filmed Florida Gator and Gator Bowl football games as a commercial photographer. He designed and built numerous custom sports fishing and offshore race boats, including five class winners in the Bahamas 500 endurance runs. As a boat captain, he and his crew were credited with catching and releasing over 1,100 billfish, including the first blue marlin caught off the First Coast. His military career began as a civilian flight instructor for the Navy. When the U.S. entered WW II, he joined the Army Air Corps. In 1945, he became a member of the initial Florida Air National Guard unit and later served as the 125th Fighter Group's Chief of Maintenance and senior pilot for several of the state's governors. Family members celebrating his life include: June Powell Edwards, his loving wife for 66 years; sons Mabry Edwards, Jr. (Linda) and Lee Edwards; daughter Susan Henderson (Robert); grandchildren Tracy Edwards, Brian Edwards (Christine), Kevin Edwards (Kim), Graham Henderson, Katherine Dickey (Adam), Kimberly Whitfield (Clay), and Andy Edwards; and several great grandchildren. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 6 PM until 8 PM at the Craig Funeral Home located at 1475 Old Dixie Highway in St. Augustine. Funeral services will commence at 10 AM on Friday morning in the Chapel at the same location. Internment will follow at St. Augustine Memorial Park, 2600 Old Moultrie Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer Association. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com EDWARDS Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com
http://www.jacksonville.com/classifi...12115518_1.jpg

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Add to his accomplishments Mr. Edwards developed and produced the racing lower unit for the "Martin HS 60" 6 hp based racing motor and I suspect had some involvement in the development of the Merc Quicksilver racing lower units, too.

Thanks Sam - I knew you could add. My guess is that others out there have more to add on Mabry.

Hope all is well with you and your's - Steve

Well, I don't know as much as I would like to know about Mr Edwards. If Marshall Eldredge Jr wasn't at the races this weekend, I'd call him and have him fill in the blanks. Maybe next weekend. ;)

Mabry was one of the movers and shakers of outboard racing in Florida in the post WWII era well into the 1960's

May he rest in peace...........

I wonder if he's in the APBA Honor Squadron. If not he should be.

T2x

What's This all about? Just took my every-once-in-awhile look at Lake X on MSN Virtual Earth..then went to Bird's Eye View...Interesting tent structures just to the North of the boat slip/shop. Also interesting pics of the old boat slip which is now closed off from the lake and all remnants of the Motel and Old shop are now gone. But the old Boat Shed is still there.
Best Regards - Steve Sirois:cool:

Here are the pics of the Old slip/shop and Motel area. -Steve

Go to page #20 to see #300 post as well - Steve

steve you probably dont remember me. was there at x 63 thru 65. was in 1 miami 9 hr with milt roeber for pardner. wayne meyers was my father in lw

Hi Sheldon - Yes, I do remember you. Right now I am trying to picture you in my mind, but it is a little fuzzy at this point in my life (turning 65 next month). Of course Wayne was one of my Lake X favorites. He could be a little crusty, but I liked that. He was an incredible 4 cycle guy. I remember one evening he was adjusting a carb on a 427 in an SK boat for my brother. He was leaning over it looking down the throat when it backfired through the carb. All of his very short and sparse hair was burned crispy. Fortunately, he was not really injured. I have always remembered one of his favorite sayings, "Don't drink water. Fish f@#* in it". If you read this entire thread, I did mention Milt Roeber. He was at the Siesta Key Test Station when I first went to work for Kiekhaefer. I hope you enjoy this thread. Please feel free to add your recollections from those incredibly fun days.

Good to hear from you - Steve Sirois

Bill,
I just happened on to this thread while looking for photos of Quincy Loopers. I had the pleasure of working at Lake X during the summer of 1968. My dad was the Mercury distributor for western Canada and Carl Kiekhaefer hired me himself to work at Lake X while he attended one of the Dealer Meetings in Winnipeg.

I remember staying on one of the big trailers there and getting used to the heat of a Florida summer. I think I calculated that I drove over 50,000 miles that summer around the lake. I remember the old cook who fixed us meals every day. I think he liked to drink a lot but he was a nice guy. Oddly enough it was he who inspired me to follow my life passion which is to be a chef.

I liked the second shift but got bored during the day so I worked the day hours cutting grass or spraying the water weeds around the lake. The manager at that time was Bill Collins, I think, and he was very nice to us. He let the student summer workers use the company van during the weekends to go the the beach. This was quite an adventure for me. I remember when the off shore racers came there before and after races to set up the rigs. They were quite a wild group as I recall. I had a lot of fun and it was quite a summer adventure.

Thanks for starting this thread. I hadn't thought of Lake X in years. This has brought back fond memories of a youthful summer.

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Originally Posted by theopaul

Bill,
I just happened on to this thread while looking for photos of Quincy Loopers. I had the pleasure of working at Lake X during the summer of 1968. My dad was the Mercury distributor for western Canada and Carl Kiekhaefer hired me himself to work at Lake X while he attended one of the Dealer Meetings in Winnipeg.

I remember staying on one of the big trailers there and getting used to the heat of a Florida summer. I think I calculated that I drove over 50,000 miles that summer around the lake. I remember the old cook who fixed us meals every day. I think he liked to drink a lot but he was a nice guy. Oddly enough it was he who inspired me to follow my life passion which is to be a chef.

I liked the second shift but got bored during the day so I worked the day hours cutting grass or spraying the water weeds around the lake. The manager at that time was Bill Collins, I think, and he was very nice to us. He let the student summer workers use the company van during the weekends to go the the beach. This was quite an adventure for me. I remember when the off shore racers came there before and after races to set up the rigs. They were quite a wild group as I recall. I had a lot of fun and it was quite a summer adventure.

Thanks for starting this thread. I hadn't thought of Lake X in years. This has brought back fond memories of a youthful summer.

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Theopaul - Glad you have enjoyed the thread. Those were incredible days. The morning cook was Joe Dumbolden and the afternoon/evening cook was Clarence Pennell. Both of them treated us wonderfully. Lake Manager at the time was Ted Collins and his Grandson "Awesomebullet" has posted here. Ted saved my butt on more than one occasion. Bon Appe'tit - Steve Sirois

You know Steve, I'm just a little bit younger than you, but your memories about Lake X and the times of your youth mean alot to me also even though I wasn't at Lake X. But it is like a mythical place to me. I worked for a small Mercury dealer in Waterford, CT who was super great to us kids. He made sure I had a Mark 78A Dockbuster for my boat when we took it in trade. The use of any of his stock of propellors was available to help us go faster. He let us use his Quicksilver lower units to build hot rod motors. We literally blasted all over the Niantic River with motors and parts he provided for our use and at no cost. Boy and did we beat the hell out of these Mercs. Almost felt like we were testing these motors for Kiekhaefer. And when we couldn't get these motors to go fast enough, our boss would jump into our boats and tweek the motors so we'd get another couple of MPHs. I'm still running around in my PowerCat poweredby a Merc tower of power 150. So keep up the good work and all the great stories. I appreciate all the great tales.
Gary Larson, Niantic , CT/Bradenton, FL

Thanks Gary - Your benefactor Merc dealer did much the same for you as did Al Holub for my brother Bill. Al had a small Merc dealership in Sarasota and he hired Bill, during his Senior year at Sarasota High School, to work in his shop. Bill had rebuilt an old KG-9 and raced it in Sarasota Bay. Al then allowed Bill to use company boats and motors to race in the local area. That was the start of an incredibly successful 40 year carreer in boat racing. I also worked for Al for awhile. He was an all around nice guy and I suspect that, like your benefactor, there were/are alot of dealers out there that have helped young folks get their feet wet. You should read the thread titled "Mercury Dealership Treasures" by Warrior74z (Barron Cooley). He tells great stories of his youth in his Dad's dealership. Best Regards - Steve Sirois

Steve, It is interesting to hear you tell of your brother's similar experience because I know of other small Merc dealers doing the same thing. It was as if Kiekhaefer instilled some kind of camaraderie or loyality amongst it's dealers. With my boss, you couldn't say anything bad about Carl K. He was kind of like his idol. I know he would talk to Carl and there always seemed to be Merc goodies around like Quicksilver lower units and racing parts you wouldn't expect to find at a small dealership. And my boss could make a Mark 78A sing. Guess thats why I've always been loyal to Merc because I knew they were tough to beat and real reliable. We were proud of our Mercs back then as I still am today. Gary

Steve:
I was wondering if you might remember the situation as to why Bill was
in Long Beach California for the running of our Power Cat drag hydro back
in 1962. I know these motors were factory specials and some of the
very first black 100's off the line. I thought maybe Carl K. had him go with
the motors to be sure us west coast crazies knew what we were doing.
Danny Leger

Almost daily I read the replies to this thread and always my brain goes back to those absolutely crazy days over 40 years ago ,,,,,,,,, In speaking with Brownie the other day even though most of us havent seen each other in decades,,,,,,,,,, We all feel those are all some of our best friends,,,,,,,,,,,,,Would be very difficult in todays times to ever capture that spirit again,,,,,,,,,, Seeroy can you believe nearly 42,000 people have looked at this thread,and back than they paid us to do that stuff,,,,,,,, BTW Tobey remember you well,,,,,,,,I Think you were on swing shift,in the tower Right ????????????????????

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Originally Posted by gofish7070

Keep in mind everyone this was in the late "60's,,,,,,,,,,After working out of Lake X for a couple years somehow wound up at the FDL boathouse,where just a handful of guys worked but its where Wayne Mayer ( Engine Builder Extrodinare) built the majority of the 4-cycle race engines,,,,,,,,, It was were Mr. K used to come when he wanted to get lost from the main plant,,,,,,,,, Anyway one day he came in and talked to Phil Schenk and myself and explained he had a project for us,,,,,,,,, It seems a company in California was developing ground effects machines (hovercrafts) and he was having them sent to the boathouse where he wanted us to become experts on operating them, it seems the company wanted Mercury to build and develop lightweight hi-horspower engines for this project. Within a couple of weeks we were to give a demonstration to a group who was to determine market feasability for this program,,,,,,,,,, When these things arrived,,,,they were a tad crude,,,,,,, we were sitting on top of a modified Volkswagon engine with a stick coming up between our legs,this engine drove a fan in the front which of course gave us lift,as well as the fan behind us which gave us speed and maneuverability,, we had a rocker swithch on the throttle which dropped a brush on the side which trapped the air,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,OK this was our project,,,,,,,,,,,, On a road you could get it to about 30MPH not bad On water Maybe 20 MPH and on Grass maybe 20MPH depending how tall the grass was as it created resistance,,,,,,,,,,, After a week or so of playing with this thing we became somewhat efficient,,,,,, However we also discovered we could only sit on the seat about 15 minutes at a time,as that VW engine was like a blowtorch blowing up your A--,,,,,,,,,,, Any way after acouple of demonstations The Execs at Merc agreed that it was a limited market type of thing,and went off to do their snowmobile thing,,,,, Not thinking to much about it one day received a call from Ms. Rose Mr K. wanted to see me,Going to his office he explained that the Mercury Distrbutor in Canada ( Sorry forget his name) had taken on this product and he wanted Mr. K to re visit the item,,,,,,,,,,,, He than sent me and John Hull a exec with the company to Winnipeg Manitoba to drive the new and improved version of this thing,,,,,,,,,,,, Well please understand that early in the month of May it is Cooooooooooold in Canada,,,, They asked us to meet them at some lake their,,,,,,,,,,,, Their are no lakes their that time of the year their are ICE CUBES their,,,,,,,,,,,,, We are standing on ice and they bring out this machine, which after seeing it was just like the crude version we tested,,,,, however about 40 more Horsepower, John looks at me and says well go Check her Out,,,,,,,,,, I than put on every piece of clothing I had and fire it up,,,,,,,,,,,, Keep in mind this thing came from California I came from Lake X,,,,,,,,,,,, One thing they forgot to tell me,,,,,, No one has run this thing on ICE,,,,, Their is no resistance while it was designed to go max out around 40,when I flew buy the group on the ice it was estimated around 70 with no resistance no chance of slowing down,,finally I see a patch ahead of me This is fluffy snow,,,,that means a lot of resistance,I aimed for that and when hitting it threw up a huge snowball it was like throwing out a 1000 lb anchor,launching me off this thing,,,,,, , No It did not get my endorsement and The project ended,,,, Later on these things did get deveoped and were awesome for rescue work,,,,,,,,but back oin the 60S That was my wildest Ride..............

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The canadian distributor in Winniped was my dad Harry Paul. Yes Winnipeg in march can be cold. The hovercraft in question was designed and built in England. My dad was always looking at innovative new transportation ideas for the north. He was an early innovator of snow mobiles and encouraged Mr k to enter the snow mobile market.

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Originally Posted by Powercat

Steve:
I was wondering if you might remember the situation as to why Bill was
in Long Beach California for the running of our Power Cat drag hydro back
in 1962. I know these motors were factory specials and some of the
very first black 100's off the line. I thought maybe Carl K. had him go with
the motors to be sure us west coast crazies knew what we were doing.
Danny Leger

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Hi Danny - I don't remember exactly why Bill was in CA during that time, but I think he was working for Kiekhaefer then. Additionally, I think he was staying with Eddie Morenz's family while he was there, which would further explain his presence in the picture with Eddie and Chuck Mersereau. I think Phil Schenk was also out there at the time. I hope to see Phil in Miami next month for the Don Aronow Memorial Race. I will ask Phil if he knows more. Sorry I can't help you more. Best Regards - Steve Sirois

Steve,

They have built/are building a new guard shack...but it is on the right side of the road, across from the gated entrance to the lake. They are also improving/building new facilities to use the property as an educational tool for schools and other youth organizations. Unfortunately, it is going to be used for nature tours/education and not a historical tour of the legacy of Lake X. Not that a nature educational experience is a bad thing, I just wish that it would be combined with the strong history that is there....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AwesomeBullet

Steve,

They have built/are building a new guard shack...but it is on the right side of the road, across from the gated entrance to the lake. They are also improving/building new facilities to use the property as an educational tool for schools and other youth organizations. Unfortunately, it is going to be used for nature tours/education and not a historical tour of the legacy of Lake X. Not that a nature educational experience is a bad thing, I just wish that it would be combined with the strong history that is there....

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Grant - Could you send me a PM with your phone number? - Steve Sirois

Awhile back I posted some info about the Siesta Key Test Station and the fact that Midnight Pass had closed up some years back. Now I understand that there is a move afoot to reopen Midnight Pass in order to improve water quality of the bay. -Steve Sirois

Steve, I got your email....I'll give you a shout over this weekend...;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by seeroy

Awhile back I posted some info about the Siesta Key Test Station and the fact that Midnight Pass had closed up some years back. Now I understand that there is a move afoot to reopen Midnight Pass in order to improve water quality of the bay. -Steve Sirois

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Here is site about reopening Midnight Pass>

http://www.midnightpass-reopening.org/

Does Anyone Have Video Or Pics Of The Black Duck Race Team And Or Boats

steve sheldon tobey again wayne meyer had the old man ship me to fond du lac to get me away from nancy I flew with you and the old man. keeping me away didnt work. Nancy came up and we met at the old dartmor where i was staying. the next morning i was supposed to take a truck and boat back to lake x. well i didnt make it and the old man had the hiway patrol all the way to fla looking for me was still in fond du lac lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SEANARMSTRONG

Does Anyone Have Video Or Pics Of The Black Duck Race Team And Or Boats

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I do...but you can pick up the DVD's "Cats Conquer Offshore"...and "Linder/Luhrs The Partnership that changed the Game"...from Big Seas Productions.

http://www.historicraceboats.com/

T2x