Hot Multi's - Pictures

[2us70]

I remember this race mostly because I didn't get to drive that day. I was co-driving on an E class boat that broke just before my stint. Not my boat but my motor. Motor did not break.

Hi Gene - You revived an old memory. I read your post and saw Mike Rudderham's name. Mike lived here on Clearwater Beach. He had a metallic green boat with twin Super BP's. It looked like a Checkmate, but I do not think it was. The boat was named Muck Muck. He also had a smaller V- bottom, perhaps a Checkmate with a 65 hp Merc. He had them on a double decker trailer like yours. The UU boat on the bottom and the smaller one on the top. Occasionally I would see him running Muck Muck in the Clearwater intercoastal waterway. That must have been around 1970.

Thank you for the memory...



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[Vulture27]

More info on El lobo, Jock Horner sold the boat to John Henry Price who was told it had to have Merc Power so he put a pair 9.9s and took a picture and sent it to Jock. He then sold the boat to Bill Malone who put 120 Chryslers on it . It ran 2 races with the 120s one in Miami where Bills son drove it and one at St. Pete where Ken drove it. The next race was Smith Mountain Lake where Ken stuffed it sideways, George Thompson was there for motor support and Bobby Soles for the Props.

[Bob V]

More info on El lobo, Jock Horner sold the boat to John Henry Price who was told it had to have Merc Power so he put a pair 9.9s and took a picture and sent it to Jock. He then sold the boat to Bill Malone who put 120 Chryslers on it . It ran 2 races with the 120s one in Miami where Bills son drove it and one at St. Pete where Ken drove it. The next race was Smith Mountain Lake where Ken stuffed it sideways, George Thompson was there for motor support and Bobby Soles for the Props.

When I saw El Lobo it was running in the Clearwater Fun 'n Sun Regatta and had a pair of Chrysler 135 stackers. It was one of three wings running in that race. The other two wings were Merc powered. I "think" that was the same race where I saw Jim Hunt running a Cowbell Twister.

[Vulture27]

Ken and I both worked for PBMC at that time and I thought it had the 135 stackers on it in clearwater as well, so I called Ken and he told me the 120s. I ran SJ in that race with a 105 Chrysler if I remember right that day was kind of chilly and overcast. I think it was a 3hr. marathon and my introduction to OPC. It was 53yrs. ago I think?

[FUJIMO]

PBMC Pompano Beach Marine Center?

[Vulture27]

Yep, Ted and Jerry

[Ronster43]

Jeff Titus's Story of "Big Job"

Was finally able to talk with Dad about Big Job's origin story. I was not aware of some of the details. Hopefully you find it an interesting read and conversation ensues.

In '68/'69, Bill Malone was running what Jeff believes was a home-built tunnel with twin stacker Chryslers. He was winning with it in Florida which was like its own OPC world. ECK was not happy about this. Odell Lewis reached-out to Jeff with the offer to drive and maintain the big twin engine McCall with BP's. He went to Lake X that weekend to pick it up. This was the first time Jeff saw the boat. It was complete and rigged. He never spoke to John about it. Jeff did relay that he visited Black Widow Marine shortly before Havasu '69 and saw Bill Sirois who knew Jeff was going with the McCall. Dad believes Big Job was copied from Bill's Molinari that won that year. (Was that Up Up and Away?)
Back to Lake X... when testing, one motor was turning 200-300 fewer RPMs than the other. Don Schwebby (SP?) hammered cup into the prop until the RPMs equalized. Odell told Jeff to come to him for support.
The first race was the next weekend. A marathon from Miami to Key Largo. Big Job was slow. Gene's Red Bird was on the trailer and ready to head home when Jeff finished. When he got it home he noticed different ratios stamped on the gearcase housings. When he called Odell, he was told Garbrecht was now in charge. GG sent the correct case and it ran a little better, but ate prop shaft seals.
Next race was a marathon on Lake Jackson in Sebring. There were few big boats, but Malone was there. Early in the race, Jeff came upon a fresh crash site. It was Malone who had severely broken his arm. Dad pulled him onto his deck to wait for help. Bill's arm was permanently damaged and Jeff doesn't think he drove again. Bill's son may have repaired the boat and raced it for a short time.
Jeff had been running Mercs for awhile by now and was not in contact with Jack Leek. Jack came to see him at '69 OWC and said the boat looked good and asked how it ran. Dad demurred. Jack was always a gentleman and they became close friends later in life.
At Havasu '69 they broke (2) gearcases, (1) flywheel, and (1) crank. The crank ended their weekend and Jock never got to drive. They also discovered that two combings were broken near the transom.
After repairing the damage, Jeff complained to GG about how heavy and slow it was until GG sent him a set of megaphones. The boat gained a little speed and Dad lost a little hearing.
By this time, Gene wasn't racing Red Bird much and there was little other competition. He became bored, so when the left tunnel wall broke and he beached it at a Stadium marathon, he was done with Big Job. He repaired it and took it back to Lake X.
Next Jeff built the cut-down Critchfield needle-nose S-I that started this conversation.
And so it goes...
Thanks for the inquiry Willabee!

[GENE LANHAM]

Thanks Ron--Say Hi to Sally and Jeff!!

The Names--The History---goes back more than fifty years--

Bill Malone--Steve Malone --American Marc--Chryslers--names we were familiar with in the early 60's--and Jeff driving a Mitchell with a Scott????

and a couple pics--

[2us70]

Bill Malone's son Steve did race that Chyrsler powered tunnel boat after Bill got hurt. He blew it over at the Stadium and pretty much wrecked one of his knees. Steve was by this time a pilot for an airline so that ended the Malones driving careers.

[FUJIMO]

[willabee]

Jeff Titus's Story of "Big Job"

Was finally able to talk with Dad about Big Job's origin story. I was not aware of some of the details. Hopefully you find it an interesting read and conversation ensues.

In '68/'69, Bill Malone was running what Jeff believes was a home-built tunnel with twin stacker Chryslers. He was winning with it in Florida which was like its own OPC world. ECK was not happy about this. Odell Lewis reached-out to Jeff with the offer to drive and maintain the big twin engine McCall with BP's. He went to Lake X that weekend to pick it up. This was the first time Jeff saw the boat. It was complete and rigged. He never spoke to John about it. Jeff did relay that he visited Black Widow Marine shortly before Havasu '69 and saw Bill Sirois who knew Jeff was going with the McCall. Dad believes Big Job was copied from Bill's Molinari that won that year. (Was that Up Up and Away?)
Back to Lake X... when testing, one motor was turning 200-300 fewer RPMs than the other. Don Schwebby (SP?) hammered cup into the prop until the RPMs equalized. Odell told Jeff to come to him for support.
The first race was the next weekend. A marathon from Miami to Key Largo. Big Job was slow. Gene's Red Bird was on the trailer and ready to head home when Jeff finished. When he got it home he noticed different ratios stamped on the gearcase housings. When he called Odell, he was told Garbrecht was now in charge. GG sent the correct case and it ran a little better, but ate prop shaft seals.
Next race was a marathon on Lake Jackson in Sebring. There were few big boats, but Malone was there. Early in the race, Jeff came upon a fresh crash site. It was Malone who had severely broken his arm. Dad pulled him onto his deck to wait for help. Bill's arm was permanently damaged and Jeff doesn't think he drove again. Bill's son may have repaired the boat and raced it for a short time.
Jeff had been running Mercs for awhile by now and was not in contact with Jack Leek. Jack came to see him at '69 OWC and said the boat looked good and asked how it ran. Dad demurred. Jack was always a gentleman and they became close friends later in life.
At Havasu '69 they broke (2) gearcases, (1) flywheel, and (1) crank. The crank ended their weekend and Jock never got to drive. They also discovered that two combings were broken near the transom.
After repairing the damage, Jeff complained to GG about how heavy and slow it was until GG sent him a set of megaphones. The boat gained a little speed and Dad lost a little hearing.
By this time, Gene wasn't racing Red Bird much and there was little other competition. He became bored, so when the left tunnel wall broke and he beached it at a Stadium marathon, he was done with Big Job. He repaired it and took it back to Lake X.
Next Jeff built the cut-down Critchfield needle-nose S-I that started this conversation.
And so it goes...
Thanks for the inquiry Willabee!

Thank you guys very much for taking the time to put that history back together, it is an interesting read.

To the best of my knowledge, the McCall was a copy of the 1970 Havasu winning Molinari. I tried to put a picture of it running at Long Beach in 1969 next to the picture you posted to show how similar the two look. I think that boat came over in 68, was sent to the Glastron people to serve as the mold for the 21' Glastron/Molinari and went to the Lake to get measured. I don't remember us rigging the McCall in Oshkosh, so that must have happened at the Lake. Garbrecht was promoted to OPC Race Mgr. in late 68, not sure why Odell made the initial contact. Maybe it was because he was already at Lake X, running the show with the offshore group?
Don Schwebs, aka Schwebby was the Foreman of the prop development dept in Oshkosh. If memory serves, either he or his wife wanted to move to a warmer climate (imagine that ), so when a opening came up at Lake X, Don put in for the transfer. As a side note, Boob Hetzel was the man that replaced Don in Oshkosh!
The BP lower units had interchangeable gear ratios. The 1250 came standard with a 1.5:1 and the 1000 came with a 1.75:1. Somehow someone put a 1.75 on one of the motors. Either that or someone put a 1000 BP on the boat dressed in 1250 clothes ..... stranger things have happened?
When they were at Havasu, did they bring the boat to the house we rented as our headquarters for work? Did we help with the repairs during the race ..... I don't remember.

[FUJIMO]

[Mark75H]

I think I need new glasses

[Lake X Kid]

Post# 1283

[Lake X Kid]

The unofficial overall winner was a "Po-Go stick" in a Switzer Wing powered by Merc 1250 Speedmasters.