Classic Allison Photo #7 - Allison Bass Boat Record Run

[Scream And Fly]

Some of you will know exactly what date this is, but I'm estimating somewhere around 1975. The photo shows Darris Allison running for the Bass Boat kilo record. The engine is a power trim-equipped Mercury 1500.

Photo courtesy of Allison Boats

[Raceman]

Interesting stickers on that motor. '76 style on the wraparound and skirt in the wrong colors, and the blue '75 top cowl stickers. Seems like I remember Merc doing some over the counter odd color stickers that were never installed on a factory motor, but can't remember details.

Interesting also is the jackplate on that boat. I don't remember ever seeing one back in that time frame, even at kilo runs and would've thought they came along considerably later. Also notice that Darris seems to be runnin' that boat with a hand throttle. I hope somebody does know the exact year that pic was taken.

Cool stuff. I hope there're a lot more.

[JW]

That's great color/contrast/resolution for an old pic!

[Scott Gilmore]

The Bass Boat looks like more like a Bullet than an Allison......... HMMMMMMMM. Scott

[Bruster]

[QUOTE=Raceman]Interesting stickers on that motor. '76 style on the wraparound and skirt in the wrong colors, and the blue '75 top cowl stickers. Seems like I remember Merc doing some over the counter odd color stickers that were never installed on a factory motor, but can't remember details.
QUOTE]

Mercury made some "colorized" decals in '76 for the 50, 85 and 150's. They came in red, green and yellow. and were just like the factory blue decals. That dates the picture at early '76 at best.
You see a lot of inline pictures with the louvered wrap and colorized decals. That made for a pretty neat custom upgrade to your motor all for about $150

[CALVIN]

Neat pic from ...back in the day....What was the speed on that run?

[Dale]

Interesting also is the jackplate on that boat.

from Allison website
"1970's 1st set back jack plate"
at the same time the picture above it shows the 10-6-75, 90-100 record run
and it is using the "standard" transom mounting of the day !!
http://www.allisonboats.com/history.php good reading

I am thinking(guessing) that they went to the setback on the bassboats
first because they had to .. wild guess

I got out of the service in oct,1975 and all my friends had setback plates on
their bassboats and I made fun of them , one of them briefly held an NOA record
of like 102 something in an Allison with a Johnson (Bill May) not sure of the
exact year but it was in that time frame

also I have to admit that Racemans memory of the old days is much better than mine

wonder where the picture was taken?
wish you would continue this series up to the present day ..
all the current boats are fantastic, but it is interesting to see where they came from
also be neat to start another series with one of the well known brands(HS ?)

_________
..dale

[Raceman]

Many of Allison's records are NOA (the now defunct National Outboard Association) and all of the kilo's that I know of them running were on the Tennesse River at Knoxville, and in the fall, because they sometimes conflicted with UT home games.

Dale, actually my memory is poor. I think Bruce has a lot better memory of a lot of the old stuff than I do now (or either he took better notes)

[blkmtrfan]

Love it, keep em coming

[captain corona]

Norris, Allison offered the jack plates from the factory even back then. I had a brown and tan boat like that just a couple of years newer--80' model--that we ordered with a 8" plate. The pad came out completly to the back edge of the transom--no step--and they needed some set-back. Thats the model boat the Bullets were built from. My nephew still has a boat similar to that just a little newer--85' model. His is a 18' boat that was a 17' model. Great pictures Greg! thanks! Mike t.

[jeffbare]

I love these pictures, this one is now the backgrounds on our computer. Does anyong know what the speeds were?

[PARKER RABE]

124

[captain corona]

Parker, not in that model! They did run over 100 with that model a couple of years later--1979/80 The boat they ran over 100 also had a wing on the back. I think I still have a catalog with it on the cover.

[Scream And Fly]

That's great color/contrast/resolution for an old pic!

Jim, I had to color-correct that photo. Here is the film scan of that same image:

[Ted Stryker]

It may have very well been a hand throttle to save weight... Those old " recurve " v-bottoms don't look that hot compared to todays rockets, but those old XST's would flat haul a$$ and outrun anything comparably sized today... The one my Dad had was very narrow, real light lids and factory carpetless fishing decks and it would shake and shimy when idling out of the no wake zone, very amusing to a young speed junkie like my brother and I... Even on those old hulls you could see the very sparingly use of resin, the "print through" could be seen on the black stripe that went down the side of ours... I don't know the hull weight, but I'm gonna shoot fron the hip and say ours didn't weigh more than 625 lbs.. They would holeshot strong and clean up waaay before the boat next to you... Usually didn't take long for them to give up and turn into a cove... I think the Bass Boat record that was set by the XST was 107 and change...