Mercury Dealership Treasures

[robert j garner]

Great post more please.


Rob

[blkmtrfan]

Please send a note if you like this post and want me to continue.
Barron

Yes, please do

[The Big Al]

RBT is correct!

This thread is AWESOME!!!!!!

[fastone]

I just found this thread today and it is fantastic. This may have already been answered and I missed it but the 16' Raveau on the first page is being driven by Craig Dewald (of Dewald Props) with Janice Dewald riding.

[warrior74z]

RBT, here is another photo from Canada. I remember that you had to pull down in front of the race fans and they would usually cheer at the Top Fuel Hydro guys, and when I rode by them they cheered for me too! This shot is after I passed most of the crowd and Don is making the turn to line up with the launch ramp. Maybe you are in this shot?

[warrior74z]

Back to Phoenix...In November of every year, even today, the IHBA holds the last race of the season at Firebird Raceway, called the World Finals. There were more boats there than I had ever seen at a drag race...and I was the only outboard. I don't remember how many boats, but I do remember that there were over 800 passes made during the weekend. Being that they did not have an outboard class they had a hard time finding time for us to run. The one pass on Saturday was a good clean pass and I ran 129.87 MPH. Then on Sunday they were a little more willing to let the crowd see the outboard run, because they were impressed with the speed. I have a VHS tape and you can hear the announcer on the first pass on Sunday introducing us and saying, "They call it The Toy. This thing flys. It is impressive. He needs a 125.45 to back the record up." Remember when I told you about Don taking the ballast weight out of the sponson in Saint Louis? Well he never told me, but I believe he was not satisfied with the 129.87 run on Saturday and he adjusted the engine trim angle sometime between Saturday and Sunday. The Toy did not have power trim, but you could adjust a jack screw on the boat that changed the motor angle. Anyway, when I made my first pass on Sunday, the boat never took a set. It was sponson walking and acting like it was possessed. I was not able to obtain a speed of over 110 MPH. If you look back at post #173 that is Pheonix. I looked over the set up and thought I could see a little difference in the motor angle, but Don would not let me move it. Second pass same deal. Don would still not let me change anything on the boat. I had one more chance to back the record up within the required percentage. Sooo, I got a friend of mine to sneek out and set the thrust block two turns in, while I occupied Don by watching some racing. Then...we waited, and waited, and waited. They never called us back to the ramp, even with Don bugging the officials. The last run of the day, the Blown Fuel Hydro class was called to the ramp, and it looked like we had towed two thousand miles and would not be able to set the record. I still had my driving suit on and everything was ready, as it had been all afternoon. Then the fuelers thunder down for the last pass of the day...then we hear the announcer call for The Toy for a backup attempt on the record. So we launch an I start my run with the new secretly adjusted engine angle, and ran a picture perfect 128.38. Good enough to back up the 129.87 and establish it as the International Hot Boat Association Unlimited Outboard record. Following is a poor quality print as it is out of a newspaper type National Boat News, December 1985. I think Don (forgot) to tell them that Barron Cooley was driving The Toy, but I was.

[Freddie Webb]

Barron, thank you very much for all of your information. It is very educational and entertaining. Please, keep it going. I hope to meet you in person one day.

[robert j garner]

Wow i was impressed before but now i read you had no trim FANTASTIC.

Rob

[warrior74z]

1985...So, this is how the racing season ended up.

Liberty (Houston) Texas, 1st Place
Gadsen Alabama, 1st Place
Knoxville Tennessee 1st Place
St Louis Missouri 1st Place
Dayton Ohio 1st Place
Morristown Tennessee 1st Place
High Point N. Carolina 1st Place
St Louis Missouri 1st Place Two races there
Flint Michigan 1st Place
London Ontario Canada 1st Place
Phoenix Arizona 1st Place

So it was an undefeated season and The Toy set records in four racing associations.

Following is a photo of the filming of a TV show called PM Magazine. The format of the show was to have one local segment and it would tie in with two more national segments. In other words NBC stations around the country would have their local feature and two national features would be shown to complete a thirty minute show. In early February of '86 I was the local segment to our Greenville SC station. In late February my segment made the national feature and was shown on seventy five percent of the NBC stations nationwide. I had friends call from Miami and St Louis to say I was on there. Also it was the first segment that our local station had to go national.

[Scream And Fly]

This is one of the all-time greatest posts this site has ever seen. We really are very appreciative of your work! I check this post every day, multiple times.

[Scream And Fly]

Greg, you might like this. Look in the above post at the 1976 20 HP Merc just above the bass boat front fishing seat. Well, I still have that engine and it has never been on a boat or been in a lake. It has been on a stand inside and only started on the hose and fogged in ocasionally. It is a '76 Model 200. As in 200 years of the United States, with the red white and blue trim. Next time I'm out at the shop I'll get some current photos. Oh, and still not for sale...

I can't believe I missed that post. I would love to see a photo of it, and that's a great image. The windshield on that Hydrostream looks non-standard though, was it custom? Thanks again for an amazing thread.

[warrior74z]

Greg, THANK YOU so much for the compliment. My wife, Sherry just called me to tell me to read your comment, and said it gave her chills. She also appreciates it. Looks like she's hooked on S & F too. The Hydrostream with the odd windshield is a Ventura and it is the w/s it was shipped with.
Thanks again Greg, its my pleasure to be able to post on YOUR site.
Barron

[Raceman]

I agree with Greg. Whenever I log on now I go straight to this thread and see if there's anything new. I'm probably in to old stuff about as much as anybody around here, so I've REALLY enjoyed it.

[Mark75H]

Every time I get an email about a new post on this thread I check to see who the person making the post is ... if it's Barron, I drop whatever else I'm doing and jump to his latest post. I don't know how you do it, but it keeps getting better.

Barron, thanks for all the details. Absolutely amazing, I don't know how you have managed to keep it all in such good chronological order and such good perspective - from the start of your dad's shop to your amazing wins

[warrior74z]

Thanks guys. You two are among the most respected on the site, in my opinion, so it means a great deal to hear it from you!
Barron