Mercury Dealership Treasures

[QUICKSILVER]

This was made at Apple Island or Lake Murray in 1984. I am sure you were there. This is a Hydrostream that I bought from your fathers dealership. Johnny Suttles is on the other side of the truck bed, I can't remember the guy's name standing by the rear bumper. That is Don Stegall's brother at the wench, Ray Welborn standing in the water on the other side of the boat, and me in the boat.

I think you were there with the red Allison with the inline 6 on it.

[warrior74z]

Quicksilver, you are definantly messing with my memory here. Sure looks like it could be Apple Island at Lake Hartwell (where I reside), but it would have been 1983 if I ran the red and black Allison. In 1984 I ran the 'In a Hurry' hydro. I also remember a race at Lake Murray in '84 that I also ran the In a Hurry. There could have been a race at Murray in '83 that I did not attend. Of course by '85 I was in 'The Toy' and in '87 'The Sting'.
The guy standing at the tailgate looks like Jimmy Moore who went on to race a Kurtis inboard pro-gas type hydo running 165 mph in the quarter on carbs. But I don't know how you could forget Jimmy. Made friends with everyone and liked to joke around a lot. Still saw him attending Augusta in 2007 when my son and I flew down for the first time in since the '90's to spectate. Got any more pics from the eighties?
Barron

[Wild Wil]

This is great.... thanks for all the posts.

Go BLACK

By wildwil at 2008-10-10

[QUICKSILVER]

Quicksilver, you are definantly messing with my memory here. Sure looks like it could be Apple Island at Lake Hartwell (where I reside), but it would have been 1983 if I ran the red and black Allison. In 1984 I ran the 'In a Hurry' hydro. I also remember a race at Lake Murray in '84 that I also ran the In a Hurry. There could have been a race at Murray in '83 that I did not attend. Of course by '85 I was in 'The Toy' and in '87 'The Sting'.
The guy standing at the tailgate looks like Jimmy Moore who went on to race a Kurtis inboard pro-gas type hydo running 165 mph in the quarter on carbs. But I don't know how you could forget Jimmy. Made friends with everyone and liked to joke around a lot. Still saw him attending Augusta in 2007 when my son and I flew down for the first time in since the '90's to spectate. Got any more pics from the eighties?
Barron

I know the picture was made in 1984, and now the more I think about it, that was lake Murray. It was the year before, that you ran the red Allison at Apple Island.
Seems like I remember Don showing up at the motel, I think it was The Newberry Inn, sometime in the early afternoon, and you drove down later that night. We all stood around in the parking lot drinking cold drinks and looking the boats over. That was alot of years, and brain cells ago.

I have some more pictures of when Palmetto Power Boat's was still putting on races, and a few from Augusta. I think the Augusta pictures would be from around 98, or 99. I remember talking to you there. You had an inside seat in the A/C, and I fried out in the sun. It was hotter than hell that day.

[frogII]

This is a very hard boat to find info on.
If anyone knows more about these that would be great
Thanks

[lilabner]

One of these showed up at a race around 1961 in Sarasota..Word was it was gonna clean us Raveau boys clocks..Me and Olegator blew him so far in the weeds we never saw him again..and it was rigged at the Lake..Olegator flipped last lap last turn after passing me, whose crankshaft had Just broken....he waved me by while he was swimming..I won..but we had a fun filled afternoon while it lasted..

[frogII]

Whats your point ????
thats all cool but not much on the info side

[Mark75H]

Whats your point ????
thats all cool but not much on the info side

Looks cool, but was never an actually competitive boat

[warrior74z]

This is a very hard boat to find info on.
If anyone knows more about these that would be great
Thanks

Hey Froggy
Just making sure you didn't miss this post early in this thread.
Barron

[frogII]

Yes, I saw that one
from what I hear , is the ones with the fins were early production
Mine does not look like it ever had fins.
years built guessing was 1958 - 1965

When we get done with it the kids want to take it to some of the local car and boat shows.
Thats where it would be nice to have some history

But now we need to decide if we want it to look original or have some fun and do what ever.

[Way2slow on H2O]

Well that was an enjoyable 3 or so hours of reading, great post Barron, didn't know this was on here until today. 22 pages of good stuff.

Ronnie

[Da Bull]

When I just read Mark 75H's comment, it hit me. I think it said SPEED CRAFT on the In A Hurry hydro. Maybe this rings a bell with someone.
Barron

The Speed Craft name that i remember was a boat made in Bowie, Tx. and owned by a very nice fellow named James ( for the life of me i cannot remember his last name) something. His 16ft boat was a copy of the 16ft Allison. We had two of um. The first was a black boat that came apart under me in a closed coarse race. After repairing the boat we took it to another race and it came apart on the opisite side and went down again. After a few weeks i got a call from the builder (James) and was told some interesting info. The dealer that sold us the boat failed to say that the boat was never intended to be raced in a circule race that it was purposly built as a kilo boat. He then made me a very generous offer. If we would pay for the materials he would build us a boat capable of running closed coarse races. When we went to pick up the new yellow boat i saw in his shop an outboard hydro with an Evinrude CCC on the back. It looked just like the rotted boat in your picture. James drove the hydro himself.
The new boat was in fact worthy of rough water racing and i won many races in it.

Tom Drodz.....What a talented designer/builder he is. I drove for Louis and Brad Collins in the very early Mirages for three years so i was around Tom from time to time. Louis would tell Tom and Brad what he wanted and between the two they would build a plug. Louis would call me in Shreveport and say to come over so we could test a new bottom or pad or intire center pod or whatever they had changed. They were both very talented and complemented each other. Tom could build anything including dirt track race cars with motorcycle engine`s in them from scratch. Tom`s shop wasn`t far from the Mirage Shop and was right on the water witch made it ideal for testing. Louis or Brad could tell you way more about Tom than me and Louis post`s on here from time to time.

This is the second boat out of the mold of the second generation Mirage Mod-VP on Marine Creek Lake on a cold winter day in January. Louis told me that it should be fast and it was.



DB (AKA Bobby Sanders)

(OK, After thinking about it for awhile i Remember it was James Wilkins that had that hydro). He told me he ran it in the 130mph range.

[JP Love]

Well that was an enjoyable 3 or so hours of reading, great post Barron, didn't know this was on here until today. 22 pages of good stuff.

Ronnie

Yes buddy a nice thread allright...J-P love

[Way2slow on H2O]

So Bobby, since you knew James Wilkins maybe you knew Curtis Falk and his wife Adell? She drove a hydro (Firefox) and he drove an Allison with the 6 carb Rude CCC.

Ronnie

[Da Bull]

I may have met um but it was a long time ago and i don`t recall the name`s. We went to a lot of race`s back then. We were very busy doing Mod-VP, SORA sprint coarse and drag racing as well as marathon racing in Mississippi.
It was good to see you at the fanallee'.

DB