Mercury Dealership Treasures

[Mark75H]

I always wanted the El Diablo, ... So, I made my own ... It was so cool to tell my friends I had a custom made ski.

It is very cool to say you have a custom ski.

If you had a chance to try an El Diablo you might not have wanted to own one. It was the hardest ski to ski on that I ever owned. I think I spent the better part of a week just learning how to get up on it. The problem was trying to hold it still and straight ... on that devil ... WRONG! Just hold on tight and let the damn thing wobble ... or ... do what it did best. TURN! Pulling off what was otherwise the dumbest thing getting up, made it easiest. If you started off cutting hard (very hard) to one side or the other as soon as the boat started moving - even before you are half way up and pulling hard against the boat, you would get up easy. Then ... turn, turn, turn, turn. Try to straighten up and just stand on the thing - you are taking a swim.

[oldskier]

At least you CAN still get it up!

I always wanted the El Diablo, but the one boat place in the town I grew up in sold the one ski they had before I could save up enough money. So, I made my own (kinda) out of an old "Polar something" (can't remember what it was exactly) combo ski we found in the reeds out at the lake. I called it the "Samurai". It was so cool to tell my friends I had a custom made ski.

D

Funny (odd) story about an El Diablo. My skiing buddy back in high school skiied on one for years. We were skiing in the little "bay" next to the boat ramp at Port Charlotte beach. It was shallow there, mostly about 4 feet of water with two feet of muck under it. We had used it as a turnaround to ski the glass up one of the canals before any houses were built on it. One day he went down there in the bay and the El Diablo went down...and never came up. As far as we know, it's still stuck in the muck. We dived until we couldn't catch our breath looking for that ski. Never saw it again.

Bernie

[seeroy]

Hi Barron - Hope you don't mind me posting this here. Hopefully you and some of your dragster friends will consider coming...maybe even bring a dragboat to show. - Best Regards - Steve

Old Farts Forever (OFF) – Once an Old Fart, Forever an Old Fart!
Jim Hauser has selected the acronym “OFF” for the October 23-24, 2009 gathering in Abacoa/Jupiter, Florida. This event will run simultaneously with the Offshore Super Series (OSS) race at the same location. The OSS race is aptly named “Tropic Thunder”. Thus, Old Farts Forever fits neatly into the scheme of things. Yes…there is a subtle joke there. The “OFF” gathering is beginning to pick up steam with the end of the major boat show season. The concept is very simple. Jim will be making arrangements for a gathering of boat racers and their associates from “Back In The Day” to gather under very casual conditions to shoot the breeze, talk about their experiences, and tell a few lies. This gathering is open to all types of boat racers as well as those who just want to meet and greet some of the legends of boat racing. I have it on good authority that many legends, past and present, will likely be in attendance. Jim is currently in contact with several significant organizations and names in the boat racing community that have promised to cooperate in helping to make this a memorable event. Those organizations and names will be made known in the near future. Suffice it to say that you will recognize them. Jim is searching for a location that allows for 100-500 folks to gather in a separate room with “pay as you go” bar and food. He has tasked me with two things.
First is to publicize the gathering on this and other internet forums. Since we do not have, and do not intend to have, a budget, we will count on forums and word of mouth from you to non-interneters, to spread the word.
Secondly, I have been tasked to put together a simple program for the events. I am soliciting information from you for that program. I am also soliciting the same information on those legends that have left this life. I would like to salute them with a silent toast. They are a huge part of our history. Your inputs will allow me to put together a Powerpoint presentation that will run continuously at the events. I will make an attempt to recognize everyone that attends, but that requires your input. Finally I would like to thank those that put together last year’s event in Sunny Isles Beach. That event is what inspired Jim Hauser to create the upcoming “OFF” gathering.
Sooooo…..here is what I need fromYOU! Please provide the following:

Your name.

(Optional) User name on forums.

Very short biography.

“Back in the Day” and present digital (.jpg or .bmp) photos of yourself and your boat(s). PLEASE submit photos as ATTACHMENTS.

Any of the same data on those who have left this life.

Submit information to this e-mail address. off2009@comcast.net

Thank You – Steve Sirois (seeroy)

[JP Love]

Dont be. ...

[JP Love]

Dont... Stop this tread..

[Pad Walker]

Great Stuff Couldnt Get Away From It The Storys The Boats,ahh The Good Old Days.when Life Was Young And Days Were Long.thanks Barron For Sharing So Much Of This With The Rest Of Us.

[warrior74z]

Hey Guys, look at the buy and sell forum for an almost perfect original paint vented 1500XS cowling with Dale Littletons full XS decal set in the box. I used this cowling on various boats through the years, but mostly was hanging in the rafters at the shop.
Barron

[Mark75H]

That didn't take long

[Mark75H]

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...&postcount=280

Different browsers show different number of pages. For example, Safari for Mac is showing me the whole thread on 10 pages ... the post number remains the same.

[Firewater]

Fantastic journey that makes me think back to one of my first rides. A used 1962 13’ whaler with a white Merc 45?? No electric, pull start and with my friend sitting on the back plank watching, pulled so hard almost knocked him out when I hit his chin. 2-blade bronze prop and a foam and chrome wheel. Best of times…… Thank you for a great time capsule!!! Yes, I spray painted it black.

[bearclaw]

How about a 12' Sea Nymph rowboat with a 4hp. air-cooled McCulloch? Pretty sure I put at least 1000 hrs. on it when I was 10. I still having hearing loss in the ear that was closest to the engine, seriously. Then a Minimax (everybody knows what that is) that I built with my dad, rest his soul. Then one Checkmate & Baja after another. My two best friends' dads were boat dealers, these pics you've posted look so familiar, thanks a bunch for posting.

My only personal regret is that I was too busy having fun to take many pictures myself.
Those were the days...

[albypine]

great post. thank you for a lil history . i would love to read more in time.

[fountain1fan]

It is very cool to say you have a custom ski.

If you had a chance to try an El Diablo you might not have wanted to own one. It was the hardest ski to ski on that I ever owned. I think I spent the better part of a week just learning how to get up on it. The problem was trying to hold it still and straight ... on that devil ... WRONG! Just hold on tight and let the damn thing wobble ... or ... do what it did best. TURN! Pulling off what was otherwise the dumbest thing getting up, made it easiest. If you started off cutting hard (very hard) to one side or the other as soon as the boat started moving - even before you are half way up and pulling hard against the boat, you would get up easy. Then ... turn, turn, turn, turn. Try to straighten up and just stand on the thing - you are taking a swim.

amen on the el diablo . my brother had one . i did ski on it the first time i tryed it . boy was that fun . robbie

[thornl01]

The 'Gentleman' in the center is Jack Moore, from Jack's Marine in Lake City, South Carolina.

[velox]

amen on the el diablo . my brother had one . i did ski on it the first time i tryed it . boy was that fun . robbie

I still have a Lil Monster from the mid 60's. It needs a fin and some new rubber, but can still be used. Somehow I ended up with a Cypress Gardens El Bruto.
I have never skied it and it looks like its still in excellant shape.
Does anybody know anything about it?
The Monster was the very first concave ski I ever saw. I had been skiing a flat Lil Monster before getting the concave version and the concave really made the ski much better.