Hot Multi's - Pictures

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Originally Posted by willabee

..... In my opinion, at the time, the triple Jones was as impressive as an outboard race boat could look. A big pickle fork, sitting canted on the trailer, was just power personified. .....

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Prior to the triple Jones becoming the object of my affection, the toughest kid on the block was definitely the Switzer Wing. If most folks are like me, the first time they saw one up close their jaw dropped and they uttered something like "Wow, what the hell is that?" . Didn't matter if they were on the trailer, idling past the pits or running at full song, the Wing was one impressive, macho machine.
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In their heyday, we didn't have any sitting in the yard at Merc Racing in Oshkosh. All that the company had ownership of were in the possession of the driver to which they were assigned. As a result I had almost no opportunity to drive one. However, that was probably a good thing, my luck in those boats wasn't too good.

I once got behind the wheel of Kitson's 1968 Havasu winner and ..... sunk it!
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On another occasion I was entrusted to get Kitson's new triple ready for testing. When he arrived, all he could see were the tips of the front sponson's ..... somehow, I had put that one under water also! :o
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I did manage to run Merten's Wet & Wild without incident. As thrilling as the ride was, I don't think I would have enjoyed racing one of them. I definitely didn't like the blind area on the right side.
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Others tried to build a better Wing. A DeSilva did win the Parker 9 Hour in 1970, but the Switzer Wing was the 'King of the Hill' in the marathons and kilo runs for several years. :thumbsup:


A Dutchman Wing by Jan Schoonover .....
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A DeSilva Wing (the Parker winner) .....
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Unknown builder, but sponsored by Duct Tape Inc. ..... :reddevil:
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Originally Posted by willabee

Unknown builder, but sponsored by Duct Tape Inc. ..... :reddevil:
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Redbird survives 52 years later---sans 'DUCKTAPE' thanks to TED!!


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"I knew that we should have brought the Duct Tape...."

...weight sensitive boats...too much transom & payload weight & shiit happens...

Attachment 460392Attachment 460393Attachment 460394Attachment 460395 a few pic's of my fathers wing, bought from Boots Spellmen early 1972

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachm...4&d=1524344150

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachm...3&d=1524344113

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachm...2&d=1524752585

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachm...5&d=1583890167

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FUJIMO

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachm...2&d=1524752585

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Not positive, but I think the first time I saw the T111 was Parker 1968. It was campaigned by Earl Welch ( no relation) and was running six pipe Merc 1000's. It was pitted next to a Wing driven by Ray Block (Bloch) that also ran six pipers.
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Those guys appeared to be good friends and raced at the same events. They didn't seem to run their equipment very hard, they seemed to be content just to make some noise and run a few laps ..... it was cool. :cool:

Francis (Boots) bought the Wing from Merc Racing in 71. At that time the Wing was no longer the dominant beast on the marathon circuit and many were available for purchase. Boots bought it and used it for bar hopping with a friend, Fred Hugg, who had purchased one of Kitson's 18'ers with stackers.

Boots did race it once in Merrill, Wisconsin. It wasn't competitive any longer, but he had a blast that day ..... far as I'm concerned, that's all that really mattered. :thumbsup:
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[QUOTE=willabee;3193440]Prior to the triple Jones becoming the object of my affection, the toughest kid on the block was definitely the Switzer Wing. If most folks are like me, the first time they saw one up close their jaw dropped and they uttered something like "Wow, what the hell is that?" . Didn't matter if they were on the trailer, idling past the pits or running at full song, the Wing was one impressive, macho machine.

In their heyday, we didn't have any sitting in the yard at Merc Racing in Oshkosh. All that the company had ownership of were in the possession of the driver to which they were assigned. As a result I had almost no opportunity to drive one. ....... [QUOTE]



The Switzer Wing enjoyed a 'Top Gun' status for a few years, with 67, 68 & 69 probably being it's best. During that time it was a poorly kept secret Mercury was trying to acquire as many of those 18'ers as possible. As I mentioned, there were none sitting idle in the boatyard in Oshkosh, the only one we had everyday access to for testing was #802 down at Lake X. However, the tunnels became more dominant and that situation changed dramatically as Merc began retiring the Wings.

My brother Rick sent me the picture below. Don't know who took it or where it came from, but I love this photo, brings back a ton of memories. It's view of Mercury Racing Headquarters at 20 Wisconsin Street, Oshkosh. I'd say it was taken either late 70 or early to mid 71. I say that because the building used to build the Twistercrafts does not appear in the photo and the first Twistercraft was completed in 71.

There are a few things I'd like to point out in this photo, but l'll start with what I think is an amazing sight in the yard ..... what do you see?
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PS: If anyone can blow this up and/or make it clearer, please do.

[QUOTE=willabee;3194113]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by willabee

PS: If anyone can blow this up and/or make it clearer, please do.

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There are a few things I'd like to point out in this photo, but l'll start with what I think is an amazing sight in the yard ..... what do you see?
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Looks like a lineup of several Switzer Wings

I think I see 10