Hot Multi's - Pictures

[Bob V]

Bringing this back to the top after almost 11 years. One of my favorite posts. Thank you, Bill....

Originally Posted by willabee
In 1967, there weren't many guys running stackers (I'm talking OPC, not drags), maybe half dozen or so. Stacker kits became available in large numbers for the 1250, 1968. So when the numbers jumped from a couple of boats in a race with stackers to a couple of dozen, I guess that's when people started taking a look at the noise levels. I think it was around 1970 that race sites started to put a limit on db's. Slow but sure, sites wanted to quiet the stackers.....the day of the one thousand pound bumblebee was numbered .

I remember driving back to Wisconsin after Parker 9 Hour races in that time period, usually a four day trip. During at least the first three days, I'd be driving along and all of a sudden the sound of a twin stacker would pop into my head. I could actually listen to it and say to myself, "Kitson".....then another would pop up, a little different from the last and I would say "Massy". After listening to them for nine hours, you could close your eyes and hear the subtle differences in pitch because of how each guy drove his Wing. You could also tell that it was a twin tunnel, not a Wing coming down the backstretch without looking up.

I tell you, that sight, on a bright but crisp early Sunday morning.....fifteen or so beautiful stacked Wings making that popp/POP/poppp/pop sound as they idled from their trailer to their starting positions....fighting for ear time with the equally beautiful inboard machinery that was just roaring through their open headers warming up on the trailer....it was just exciting! It almost took your breath away as you said to no one in particular "Man, this is going to be something!" You just didn't know where to look because so much neat stuff was being put into motion at the same time.....the air was filling with the best smelling smoke that ever existed. I'll tell you that if there were any beautiful women streaking through the pits at that time, nobody saw them.....all that great stuff milling about on the water had everyones complete attention .....and all of it would be streaking soon enough .

[Bob V]

Gene Lanham's traveling road show. It does not get any better than this...

[willabee]

New Pictures of Wings ......

mbd29 posted this on a different thread, I think it belongs on 'Hot Multi's' .....

Jim Merten's 18' Switzer ..... has no stacks and is carrying #173, Parker 1968, his first race? .....

The way I remember it, Merten, Jimmy Kubasta, me and E. Long used Long's pickup to tow 'Wet and Wild' to Parker. We drove straight through from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, switching drivers at every fuel stop. At some point one dark and wet evening, Merten was driving with Kubasta riding 'shotgun'. The guy riding 'shotgun' was supposed to help the driver, pour his coffee, give directions, keep him alert, etc. Well, Jimmy fell asleep so Mert was on his own. Mert decided to pass a semi on a two lane stretch of rode. As he was crawling by, the rub rails on the Wing bounced off of the semi a couple of times. Kubasta never lifted his head to see what was going on, he just calmly said "Mert, are we in trouble?" Mert laughed and said "No, we're good". Jimmy said "Ok" and went back to sleep!

Mert didn't have a co-driver for that race, guess he planned on running the nine hours himself. Turned out that O.L. Steele, the man in charge of Mercury racing at the time, had arranged for a number of Merc's offshore drivers to attend this race. They were to co-drive for any Merc powered boat that needed help. Wayne Vickers did a nice job of driving with Mert, Roy Ridgell was among those that co-drove Jan Schoonover's new 'Dutchman' wing and I think Bill Sirois helped our friend Gene Lanham in the 'Red Bird'.

[willabee]

The other Wing picture mbd29 posted was of Jan Schoonover in his 18' Dutchman, running stacked 1100's at Parker in 1968.

I'm pretty sure this is the first Wing Schoonover produced. He may have started building his own Wing because he had blown over in his Switzer Wing trying to get the kilo record back. Plus, at that time, Wings were the hottest things going in OPC racing and he probably thought he could make a few bucks building them.

I remember that Roy Ridgell, from Merc's offshore racing group, and another one or two guys signed up to co-drive with Jan at this race. They decided that if they were ready for a driver change before they burned their fuel load, they would raise their hand while heading into the pit turn coming down the backstretch. Well, I'll tell you, arms were raised all day long!

Turned out this Wing was a very rough riding race boat and it was just beating the living 'stuff' out of the driver. It got so bad that Roy said he wanted to raise his hand as soon as he got back in! I don't recall where it finished, I just remember those guys were glad it was over.


Jan built a few more, I imagine they had some modifications done to improve the ride. But, by then, the Molinari tunnel had arrived and the OPC racing landscape was about to go through some major changes.

[GENE LANHAM]

The other Wing picture mbd29 posted was of Jan Schoonover in his 18' Dutchman, running stacked 1100's at Parker in 1968.

I'm pretty sure this is the first Wing Schoonover produced. He may have started building his own Wing because he had blown over in his Switzer Wing trying to get the kilo record back. Plus, at that time, Wings were the hottest things going in OPC racing and he probably thought he could make a few bucks building them.

I remember that Roy Ridgell, from Merc's offshore racing group, and another one or two guys signed up to co-drive with Jan at this race. They decided that if they were ready for a driver change before they burned their fuel load, they would raise their hand while heading into the pit turn coming down the backstretch. Well, I'll tell you, arms were raised all day long!

Turned out this Wing was a very rough riding race boat and it was just beating the living 'stuff' out of the driver. It got so bad that Roy said he wanted to raise his hand as soon as he got back in! I don't recall where it finished, I just remember those guys were glad it was over.


Jan built a few more, I imagine they had some modifications done to improve the ride. But, by then, the Molinari tunnel had arrived and the OPC racing landscape was about to go through some major changes.

There was a push to get the 'customer' involved--

Not a factory driver listed in the results

Didn't last long

[GENE LANHAM]

New Pictures of Wings ......

mbd29 posted this on a different thread, I think it belongs on 'Hot Multi's' .....

Jim Merten's 18' Switzer ..... has no stacks and is carrying #173, Parker 1968, his first race? .....

. Turned out that O.L. Steele, the man in charge of Mercury racing at the time, had arranged for a number of Merc's offshore drivers to attend this race. They were to co-drive for any Merc powered boat that needed help. Wayne Vickers did a nice job of driving with Mert, Roy Ridgell was among those that co-drove Jan Schoonover's new 'Dutchman' wing and I think Bill Sirois helped our friend Gene Lanham in the 'Red Bird'.

Some others that came from the Lake were Ralph Seavey and John Stenbeck--here is John at a PIT STOP --with Bill Petty

[GENE LANHAM]

New Pictures of Wings ......
Bill Sirois helped our friend Gene Lanham in the 'Red Bird'.

LONNIE TODD was one of the customers that Mercury recruited----Within a short time Lonnie had an Offshore boat, a single Molinari and a Wing--all named 'Hot Toddy'---

[willabee]

willabee,
what happened to the john mc call built twin Molinari after jeff titus ran it at havasu?

It was sold to John Henry Price. Price put a stars & stripes paint job on it and ran it at Havasu in 1970. I don't think he liked it much because the next time I saw him he was in a twin 18' Jones. I don't know what he did with the McCall.

Thanks to Lanham & Wilson for the pictures

[2us70]

I signed the deal with John to build my McCall SE v-bottom boat on the deck of that boat in his shop in Sarasota. Never saw it again.

It was sold to John Henry Price. Price put a stars & stripes paint job on it and ran it at Havasu in 1970. I don't think he liked it much because the next time I saw him he was in a twin 18' Jones. I don't know what he did with the McCall.

Thanks to Lanham & Wilson for the pictures

[GENE LANHAM]

willabee
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What happened .....

Originally Posted by Zonkercraft
Good morning Mr. Willabee. It does bring the question up, again. After the '70 winner got back the lake, I do know it spent some time there...but that's where the tale goes cold. Some say it was derigged and sold off. Others say it was destroyed after derigging. Does anybody know what really happened to it? Inquisitive minds wish to know. Thanks!



I don't know or don't remember what became of that boat after it was taken to Lake X. We know it was just a wives tale that Mr. K had given it to Bill Sirois after the 1970 Havasu win. Mr. K was gone in 1969 and you can't give away something you no longer own. Jim Emerson might be our best chance to find out what really happened. He knew the boat well and knew everything that went on at Lake X during that time period.

This is what it looked like when it ran in 1971 .....

[GENE LANHAM]

GENE LANHAM
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Originally Posted by willabee
You got me on that question Gene, I don't see the connection between Massey and the 1970 Havasu winning Molinari.



Sorry Bill--I could be confused--

but a few months after Havasu 69--Sirois was at Parker 70--with Renato's 'Reverse S'

Last edited by GENE LANHAM; Today at 12:38 PM.

[GENE LANHAM]

GENE LANHAM
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I didn't know I could do it--

I copied/pasted to 'Hot Multies'---


​Where it belongs---

[willabee]

GENE LANHAM
6000 RPM

Join DateDec 2005Posts1,294Thanks (Given)167Thanks (Received)170Likes (Given)447Likes (Received)428Blog Entries1Mentioned0 Post(s)Tagged0 Thread(s)

I didn't know I could do it--

I copied/pasted to 'Hot Multies'---


​Where it belongs---

You have no idea how jealous I am of your new ability ..... great job, you are my Hero!

[GENE LANHAM]

You have no idea how jealous I am of your new ability ..... great job, you are my Hero!

Yikes----How am I going to live up to that???

[Mark Poole ModVP]

The 1971 winner was sold to Bob Nordskog and turned into a KT. The number on this boat was KT4. His race team had another KT which was KT5 driven by Ted May. It was the same style Molinari as the 1970 boat. Is it possible that Bob got that one too?

There is a Powerboat Magazine from that era that has the two boats running side by side on the cover.