Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[WaterZebra]

I think he did dual plug heads on Merc V6's well before they appeared on OMC V8's.

Watermark, do you remember the SJ boat he built with the hydraulic spoilers that came out of the deck driven by Jean Pierre Nicole. Pretty radical back in the day.

I got an idea when Velden came up with quick change sponson sets. The sponsons were paired together with 2 spars and could be swapped for different lengths, steps, camber angles, etc without rebuilding the whole boat. I wanted to take the idea further by having hydraulically adjustable sponsons (fwd-aft) to change the boat length but more importantly the triangular pattern between the prop shaft and aft-most points of the sponsons. I had the whole deal laid out on paper but shelved the idea when I found that the APBA OPC rules restricted any method of changing the CG while underway. I guess the rules were changed when they found that racers were using sliding seats or fuel tank mounts at some point.

[jackiewilson]

I got an idea when Velden came up with quick change sponson sets. The sponsons were paired together with 2 spars and could be swapped for different lengths, steps, camber angles, etc without rebuilding the whole boat. I wanted to take the idea further by having hydraulically adjustable sponsons (fwd-aft) to change the boat length but more importantly the triangular pattern between the prop shaft and aft-most points of the sponsons. I had the whole deal laid out on paper but shelved the idea when I found that the APBA OPC rules restricted any method of changing the CG while underway. I guess the rules were changed when they found that racers were using sliding seats or fuel tank mounts at some point.

Long before Veldon came out with changeable sponsons , Bill Brown did it in aluminium. He became known as “Billy Two Rivets”. Problem was The boat didnt go worth a lick with either set of sponsons.
Trouble with the UIM is, they never listened . Always thought they knew best. Half of them had never been anywhere near a boat, but the pay and expense account was good.

[jackiewilson]

Was foraging round the car boot sale yesterday, as i am want on any given Thursday morning. Came across a rusty old trunk that had been open to the elements. Best guess was . It had been in a long forgotten shed and the roof had caved in. All the tools and gauges were rusty almost beyond redemption. Came across a cloth bag that had 25 old model vehicles inside . Most of them were die cast from the 50/60’s. But the models themselves were of classics .Maserati, BUGGATTI, Hispano Suiza. Rolls Royce and Bentley, with the odd mercedes and Jaguar ss1000. A few traction engines , an old petrol pump and a 1914 sunbeam and sidecar.
Cost me a whole fiver , didnt bitch about it too much. Just been offered a tenner for the petrol pump.
Im sure ill find. USE FOR THEM SOMEWHERE.

[powerabout]

I think he did dual plug heads on Merc V6's well before they appeared on OMC V8's.

Watermark, do you remember the SJ boat he built with the hydraulic spoilers that came out of the deck driven by Jean Pierre Nicole. Pretty radical back in the day.

The OMC F1 V8 dual plug heads came with a funky combustion chamber, I think that was a later idea when they were looking for power on the 3.0 engine?
Maybe thats what wrong with the new Merc, it needs dual plug heads, its makes less HP per ci than the OMC did 40 years ago
Same weight but its a thin wall diecast block versus sand cast?

[2us70]

I was racing during the time before power trim became available. Ballast tanks in the bow were one solution and I had one in my marathon boat. I could deploy a small scoop to fill it and open a 1inch valve to empty it. Used an old Mercury 2 lever remote to operate it. The sliding seats were made possible by using Ride Guide steering. The best one I ever saw was in Frank Browns boat in the 1966 9 Hour. It was chain driven and used a Mercury DR starter motor to run it back and forth. This setup was pretty durable since it seemed to be working well all the way to the end of a 9 hour race. I suspect Ed Hauptner had something to do with it. Moving the weight of the driver,fuel ,battery etc.. was very effective

I got an idea when Velden came up with quick change sponson sets. The sponsons were paired together with 2 spars and could be swapped for different lengths, steps, camber angles, etc without rebuilding the whole boat. I wanted to take the idea further by having hydraulically adjustable sponsons (fwd-aft) to change the boat length but more importantly the triangular pattern between the prop shaft and aft-most points of the sponsons. I had the whole deal laid out on paper but shelved the idea when I found that the APBA OPC rules restricted any method of changing the CG while underway. I guess the rules were changed when they found that racers were using sliding seats or fuel tank mounts at some point.

[jackiewilson]

We used a ballast tank in the 17’ Molinari to great effect. Shakey Bill had the best idea using a starter motor and a chain. He could move the fuel tank about six inches, and pretty quickly too.

[Lake X Kid]

The OMC F1 V8 dual plug heads came with a funky combustion chamber, I think that was a later idea when they were looking for power on the 3.0 engine?
Maybe thats what wrong with the new Merc, it needs dual plug heads, its makes less HP per ci than the OMC did 40 years ago
Same weight but its a thin wall diecast block versus sand cast?

Mercury's Racing V8 moves forward in production, and OMC's V8 is dormant.

[Lake X Kid]

Don’t forget Billy and RON Anderson were friends for years. It’s rumoured that Anderson might have known a little about two strokes. I think he moved back to Seattle a few years back. Lived in Australia too. May just have looked at KAY MARSHALLS old motor!!

Ron Anderson was involved with Merc's V6 racing engine project.
The photos below are debut of the T-3 at a Koblenz area race in Germany in 1973.

I knew Ron was a junior engineer, because he did not get to fly from Como Italy to the race.
He had to ride with me and Rick LaMore. But then he was keeping an eye out on boat 6,
which had the only T-3 engine in the upcoming race, that I was transporting to the race site.

Bob Spalding drove boat 6 at the race.

[Lake X Kid]

Ron Anderson with Scott Gillman too.

[powerabout]

Mercury's Racing V8 moves forward in production, and OMC's V8 is dormant.

Not sure what you mean there, are we are talking history on making a F1 only engine, or making a winning engine racing itself, or its will last in production as long as the OMC v8 did, or brown paper bags to the UIM can get exclusivity on any engine to make it look like a winner or we should thank Mercury for saving F1?

[jackiewilson]

Not sure what you mean there, are we are talking history on making a F1 only engine, or making a winning engine racing itself, or its will last in production as long as the OMC v8 did, or brown paper bags to the UIM can get exclusivity on any engine to make it look like a winner or we should thank Mercury for saving F1?

C’mon Pilgrim, you know damn well, exactly what he means. Mercury head ever up
ards with four stroke V8’s. OMC are dead and buried.
the OMC V8 was a pure race engine, nothing more.
UIM was happy to have them as F1. Lasted four years i believe before OMC and its promotor threw in the towel.
Then the Jiggery pokery started . UIM and the promotor had nowhere to go. Lets nick the FONDA series. so between them they did just that.
Im surprised Mercury made a pure racing version of the V8. purely for F1. Four strokes dont like anything above the 10000 rpm. Mark./
Like it or not Mercury have always been at the front in any kind of competition. Wasn’t necessary to hand out the brown envelopes.
Over the years Mercury have seen off all challengers and are still at the fore in outboard production.

[FUJIMO]

C’mon Pilgrim, you know damn well, exactly what he means. Mercury head ever up
ards with four stroke V8’s. OMC are dead and buried.
the OMC V8 was a pure race engine, nothing more.
UIM was happy to have them as F1. Lasted four years i believe before OMC and its promotor threw in the towel.
Then the Jiggery pokery started . UIM and the promotor had nowhere to go. Lets nick the FONDA series. so between them they did just that.
Im surprised Mercury made a pure racing version of the V8. purely for F1. Four strokes dont like anything above the 10000 rpm. Mark./
Like it or not Mercury have always been at the front in any kind of competition. Wasn’t necessary to hand out the brown envelopes.
Over the years Mercury have seen off all challengers and are still at the fore in outboard production.

...amen jackie. and merc created the overdrive midsection for the number four ssm they are using on the four stroke, regarding r.p.m.------fart smellers i'd say ...apples to oranges comparison...the new to the old...2-cycle to 4 cycle, etc...

[GENE LANHAM]

Mercury's Racing V8 moves forward in production, and OMC's V8 is dormant.

Shades of the famous BP?

[FUJIMO]

Shades of the famous BP?

...no gene. nothing shifty going on here...

[powerabout]

C’mon Pilgrim, you know damn well, exactly what he means. Mercury head ever up
ards with four stroke V8’s. OMC are dead and buried.
the OMC V8 was a pure race engine, nothing more.
UIM was happy to have them as F1. Lasted four years i believe before OMC and its promotor threw in the towel.
Then the Jiggery pokery started . UIM and the promotor had nowhere to go. Lets nick the FONDA series. so between them they did just that.
Im surprised Mercury made a pure racing version of the V8. purely for F1. Four strokes dont like anything above the 10000 rpm. Mark./
Like it or not Mercury have always been at the front in any kind of competition. Wasn’t necessary to hand out the brown envelopes.
Over the years Mercury have seen off all challengers and are still at the fore in outboard production.

You forgot F3 where OMC saw off Merc for 20 years with an engine full of fishing motor parts, then in mono hulls T850 ( stock 70hp) was all Yam and still today.

When you say in the fore of outboard production do you mean technology or sales numbers?