Hot Singles ! - Pictures

**WaterZebra** · 02-06-2021, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by 2us70

The APCO jackets were the low budget alternative to the Gentex when I started out. Made of cotton fabric with Kapok filling and cotton web straps.Attachment 481912 Attachment 481913 Looked like this.

LOL........that APCO setup looks like a ski vest!

**willabee** · 02-06-2021, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

Talking about Berghauer running a single pipe C6 on a Jones, this might be the first single Jones built for Mercury .....
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1250 SBP doin' the pushin' ? ......

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For the record, the boat pictured above is not the first Ron Jones single built for Merc. The first was more of a sprint, a little narrower, a little longer and a little lighter than the boat pictured. It was very fast but totally uncontrollable at speed. Tom Stickle tried to race it at Miami Marine stadium and managed two barrel rolls and one tremendous flip in just two days! I don't recall Merc trying to run it again after that performance.

The boat above is probably the first of the design change for the single Jones. Merc bought about four of these. Short story is, no matter what was tried, they could not run with the Molinari of the day.

Here's another of this style, Joe Habay testing at Lake X .....

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..... and the Berghauer Jones, also at the Lake .....

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**WaterZebra** · 02-07-2021, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by willabee

For the record, the boat pictured above is not the first Ron Jones single built for Merc. The first was more of a sprint, a little narrower, a little longer and a little lighter than the boat pictured. It was very fast but totally uncontrollable at speed. Tom Stickle tried to race it at Miami Marine stadium and managed two barrel rolls and one tremendous flip in just two days! I don't recall Merc trying to run it again after that performance.

The boat above is probably the first of the design change for the single Jones. Merc bought about four of these. Short story is, no matter what was tried, they could not run with the Molinari of the day.

Here's another of this style, Joe Habay testing at Lake X .....

..... and the Berghauer Jones, also at the Lake .....

?

I don't know how much Merc paid Jones for these hulls but the cowlings were definitely adapted from one of Jones' inboard hydro designs. Funky look to say the least?

**Dave S** · 02-07-2021, 12:28 PM

We used to call them hoky pokys......APCOs... life jackets....mine 1972 before.

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**Dave S** · 02-07-2021, 12:34 PM

The next pix is me after flipping over a small wake.

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**Dave S** · 02-07-2021, 12:36 PM

Here is what a 10 foot B boat with a 44 cid merc looks like.

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**OLEGATOR** · 02-07-2021, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

For the record, the boat pictured above is not the first Ron Jones single built for Merc. The first was more of a sprint, a little narrower, a little longer and a little lighter than the boat pictured. It was very fast but totally uncontrollable at speed. Tom Stickle tried to race it at Miami Marine stadium and managed two barrel rolls and one tremendous flip in just two days! I don't recall Merc trying to run it again after that performance.

The boat above is probably the first of the design change for the single Jones. Merc bought about four of these. Short story is, no matter what was tried, they could not run with the Molinari of the day.

Here's another of this style, Joe Habay testing at Lake X .....

..... and the Berghauer Jones, also at the Lake .....

stickle has or had a photo of him flippin a jones at miami. i took the photo and gave him a copy. that flip seemed to last forever. i was sittin in the stadium and my camera was sittin in the seat next to me. i had time to grab my camera and get the shot with him very high in the air. i thought i gave you or gg a copy too.

**2us70** · 02-07-2021, 04:07 PM

The problem with the APCOs was durability. When new they were ok but they didn't hold up to hard use. If you got spit out going fast in an older one it might not stay together.
The GenTex also offered some protection for the back. I saw a friend of mine get tossed on to an exposed flywheel and his GenTex kept him from being hurt much worse than he did. That flywheel still took a pretty good chunk out of his butt. Better than a kidney.

**willabee** · 02-07-2021, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by WaterZebra

.... I don't know how much Merc paid Jones for these hulls but the cowlings were definitely adapted from one of Jones' inboard hydro designs. Funky look to say the least?

That style cowling was what he used for all of the boats we received ..... singles, duals, triples and KT's .....

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**willabee** · 02-08-2021, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by OLEGATOR

stickle has or had a photo of him flippin a jones at miami. i took the photo and gave him a copy. that flip seemed to last forever. i was sittin in the stadium and my camera was sittin in the seat next to me. i had time to grab my camera and get the shot with him very high in the air. i thought i gave you or gg a copy too.

If you had sent it to me, I'm sure I'd still have it. However, I seem to recall seeing that pic. I'll ask Tom if he still has it. If so, maybe I can get it posted here? The only pic I have of that boat was posted on this thread a long time ago. I saved it to my folder, but it won't expand. Maybe one of the guys with the sophisticated equipment can enlarge it.

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**2us70** · 02-08-2021, 11:28 AM

I was mostly running SE class when the Jones tunnels were being used. From my perspective as an interested observer it looked like Jones was having trouble making the transition from 3 point hydros to outboard tunnels. But as I have said before everybody was just guessing and Molinari guessed better.

**Bob V** · 02-08-2021, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

If you had sent it to me, I'm sure I'd still have it. However, I seem to recall seeing that pic. I'll ask Tom if he still has it. If so, maybe I can get it posted here? The only pic I have of that boat was posted on this thread a long time ago. I saved it to my folder, but it won't expand. Maybe one of the guys with the sophisticated equipment can enlarge it.

I tried to enlarge it, but the resolution is very low and when you blow it up, get gets real fuzzy. Maybe Fuji will have better luck.

**FUJIMO** · 02-11-2021, 09:41 AM

...yeah...no. same problem here...

**WaterZebra** · 02-11-2021, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by 2us70

I was mostly running SE class when the Jones tunnels were being used. From my perspective as an interested observer it looked like Jones was having trouble making the transition from 3 point hydros to outboard tunnels. But as I have said before everybody was just guessing and Molinari guessed better.

Jones never made it out of the 3 point world............