Twistercraft Restoration

**mbd29** · 08-06-2013, 06:30 AM

I will be starting the Little Red restoration and took a few before shots. More to follow when I get the boat home. Nice to see the record boat and Twistercraft together.

It is not in to bad of shape but there are some soft spots but shouldn't be to hard to fix.

Lots more to follow.

**mbd29** · 08-06-2013, 06:46 AM

Billy sent me this from Powerboat magazine.

**FUJIMO** · 08-06-2013, 07:48 AM

Mike, this is great! Glad to see them finally out of the mothballs, hanger & rafters! Please share with everyone, a bit of their history & importance. Wow...this is cool.

**willabee** · 08-07-2013, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by FUJIMO

Mike, this is great! Glad to see them finally out of the mothballs, hanger & rafters! Please share with everyone, a bit of their history & importance. Wow...this is cool.

I agree, this could be very cool. If you can, tell us what the plans are for Lil Red. Paint scheme, number, power, etc. Will it run again, if so, who gets the nod for the steering wheel (FYI .... I still have a helmet & jacket

)

**jackie wilson** · 08-07-2013, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

I agree, this could be very cool. If you can, tell us what the plans are for Lil Red. Paint scheme, number, power, etc. Will it run again, if so, who gets the nod for the steering wheel (FYI .... I still have a helmet & jacket

)

Don't even think about letting Willa anywhere near it----he blows tunnels !!!!!!!!!

**mbd29** · 08-08-2013, 05:47 AM

How this came about goes back to the 70's when I was racing. I had seen Billy run Little/Lil Red at a number of races. Unlike Jackie I thought the boat was pretty cool. It came out as the newer boats were going to pickle forks but I just liked the way it ran. When I started at Mercury in 1975 the boat was sitting in the yard not being used. Dave Packer purchased the boat in 1976. I know he ran it for a few years until it was obsolete. When he got it he painted it yellow. It is still yellow under the current red paint. I knew over the years that Dave kept the boat. I think it was in the early 2000's that John Sherlock sent me a picture of it in the Rome, NY Sports Museum. This was some time after Dave passed away. I even thought I might try to buy it several years ago but gave up on that knowing with my involvement in airplanes it wouldn't give me much time to do anything with it.

I new Mercury was going to go all out for our 75th anniversary next year and eventually there are plans for a permanent museum here in Fond du Lac. Not sure when that will happen. So, I approached a member of committee that was organizing the event and explained that this was a boat that Mercury built. I went through the history of the boats and that this was the only one left of the five that were built. The head of the committee asked what I thought it was worth. I gave him a number and he said try to get it. It worked and it is now here. Plans are to have it ready by the end of the year. Shouldn't be a problem.

As far as paint goes I was going to try and strip the paint on the decks and sides and redo them in clear but after stripping some of the paint off I don't think that will work with all the body filler on it. So, we would have to put new decks and sides on it. I also understand Carl bleached the wood to give it that rich look. That will be a lot of work and with all the other work needed I think we will just repaint it like it is with red decks and sides. As far as the scheme goes I think that with Billy running it the most and setting the record in Miami we will go with the "Twistercraft by Mercury" scheme and his 190 number. Bob Spalding also ran it as well as Mert but I still think it would be best with Billy's number. The boat ran with the C6, TII, TIIX and T3. There are not any C6 or T3 engines but we do have the TII and TIIX. The top cowl of the TII we have was damaged several years ago and the boat's transom is cut down for the shorter center section so I think we will go with the TIIX. It will not run again for two reasons. First he company won't let it happen (liability) and I think after all these years I would be concerned with the glue joints if it was run at higher speeds. Slower I wouldn't be concerned because, from what you can see it does look good. If you want Bill I'll ask and see if they will let you run it. You would have to be second though as I still have my racing jacket too. Jackie would have to be third.

For this forum I think I'll re-post the photos you already have posted and add a few more so all are in one location. Also, we should re-post all the information you supplied on the order in which they were built and and what happened to them so that is here too. That way everything is in one location for future reference.

I'll keep updating as time permits. I also want to got through the files and pull all the photos of Mert's record boat and start a thread on it as well. It will also be displayed too.

I guess we should start with the first Twistercraft photo. It has Bob Hering's number with Mert driving.

Willabee if I make any mistakes here please correct me. I saw Denis and Dee Berghauer last week and Denis shot me a curve ball on the Twistercraft's. When I can get more details I will post it. It is one I never heard before.

**mbd29** · 08-13-2013, 07:12 AM

These are shots of Dewey Berghauer running in Havasu in 1971

**Mark75H** · 08-14-2013, 04:02 PM

I wonder what that extra decals says on the top of the motor?

**T2x** · 08-14-2013, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

I agree, this could be very cool. If you can, tell us what the plans are for Lil Red. Paint scheme, number, power, etc. Will it run again, if so, who gets the nod for the steering wheel (FYI .... I still have a helmet & jacket

)

Bring your helmet and Jacket to Rideau Ferry, ONtario ....this weekend or OFF in Florida this fall. We'll let you drive something.....

**Capt.Insane-o** · 08-14-2013, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Mark75H

I wonder what that extra decals says on the top of the motor?

looks like FJTwister, edit............yep it's FjTwister..

**mbd29** · 08-15-2013, 06:20 AM

Dave sure knew how to get the ladies. This is him with Diane Cannon

**willabee** · 08-15-2013, 08:23 AM

No idea of what that means, don't remember it even being on the cowl. Must be some more of that secret stuff between Mert & the Berghauers?

If I remember this correctly, one of the very first C6's that came to us from Dr. Morgan's group in Fondy had a "BMF" decal on the cowl. I asked Jim Acheson what it stood for, he just laughed and said "look at the size of that thing!"

**willabee** · 08-15-2013, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by T2x

Bring your helmet and Jacket to Rideau Ferry, ONtario ....this weekend or OFF in Florida this fall. We'll let you drive something.....

There isn't much incentive in that offer!

Actually, that was very nice, thank you. However, I suspect that if I find myself having to use a life jacket for it's intended purpose, having just destroyed someone's restored treasure will not be #1 on my "Oh-Oh!" list.

**mark benson** · 08-16-2013, 03:10 PM

There is color footage of this boat at the 42 second mark in the video 1971 Lake Havasu World Outboard Championships, on my site "Tunnel Boat Racing in the '70's!" One of the few C-6's in the race, that year, which was also the last year of multiple outboard racing, as we know it!

Originally Posted by mbd29

These are shots of Dewey Berghauer running in Havasu in 1971