Hot Multi's - Pictures

**mbd29** · 02-24-2009, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by Old fiberglass

Willabee...where have you been hiding ??

mbd29 - Love the wing pictures. Who ran the 20/220 wing ?? What is the story about the aerial shots in general....did you take them ?? Thanks for sharing.

Old Fiberglass: I wish I had taken the photos. I'm not sure who did. I suspect Mercury hired someone to do it. I don't think George Kaprilian, staff picture taker, was at Mercury in that time frame. I have a bunch of photos I have not scanned yet I will add a few tonight. Most are all old Merc photos some are mine and some are from Jim Mertens stash. Digital Jeff is now the gatekeeper of all the old file photos. He has been posting too.

**Old fiberglass** · 02-26-2009, 12:54 PM

have a bunch of photos I have not scanned yet I will add a few tonight.

mbd29 - Thanks for the reply. Was sitting by my computer all night and didn't see any new pics.

Regarding the canopy I think a partial windshield would work the best. A complete canopy would be very hot to sit under....then the fumes and so forth.

**willabee** · 02-26-2009, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Old fiberglass

I think they were a Mercury deal....Kenny didn't like them....he felt like he was in a greenhouse. Ted made his canopies.....they were a one off custom.

I thought they were from Switzer, the silver triple had them before the boat was rigged. I was thinking the ones on Ted's wing looked the same as the silver wing, but it appears they are not.

Kenny told a story about running some cables in one of his wings when the cowling was still attached. He said all of a sudden he was kicking and screaming, trying to get the hell out of there. Said he drew quite a crowd as he struggled to finally get back to daylight. I'd guess that anyone that is the least bit claustrophobic would not enjoy sitting in that cockpit with the canopy closed.

**T2x** · 02-26-2009, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

I thought they were from Switzer, the silver triple had them before the boat was rigged. I was thinking the ones on Ted's wing looked the same as the silver wing, but it appears they are not.

Kenny told a story about running some cables in one of his wings when the cowling was still attached. He said all of a sudden he was kicking and screaming, trying to get the hell out of there. Said he drew quite a crowd as he struggled to finally get back to daylight. I'd guess that anyone that is the least bit claustrophobic would not enjoy sitting in that cockpit with the canopy closed.

We spent the first week of February in the BVI's on a 105 foot trimaran. We did Scuba dives 3-4 times each day, including night dives on (in) wrecks. If you can dive into a 160 year old, 400 foot, Mail Steamer that went down in 90 feet of water in the 1860's....... at night.....you don't have claustrophobia issues... But the fumes might be a whole different story. I'd like to have a set like Ted's because you can always run the boat without the rear piece and then put it on for show and tell during static displays.

T2x

**largecar91** · 02-26-2009, 05:19 PM

Does anyone know what happened to x-119

**T2x** · 02-27-2009, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by largecar91

Does anyone know what happened to x-119

Good Question.

If it belonged to Mercury it probably got put in a dumpster with most of the 18 footers.

T2x

**Old fiberglass** · 02-27-2009, 11:27 AM

The 20 foot X-119 was reported to be retired on or in front of the Switzer plant back in the day. I believe Kenny verified that fact. Somewhere I heard it was taken down and sold or given to someone in the NY area (????) for display only. Fact or fiction couldn't tell you. I found a couple wings with less info than that....didn't get a couple months of $500 phone bills several years back for nothing.

Wonder if the X-119 was originally silver or it was originally another color......gold ??

**largecar91** · 02-27-2009, 12:18 PM

It's the 3 engine thing Rick??

**Old fiberglass** · 02-27-2009, 01:43 PM

It's the 3 engine thing Rick??

I believe so....

We spent the first week of February in the BVI's

We've chartered a sailboat there a couple of times over the years, great place.

**willabee** · 02-27-2009, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Old fiberglass

The 20 foot X-119 was reported to be retired on or in front of the Switzer plant back in the day......
Wonder if the X-119 was originally silver or it was originally another color......gold ??

.....the X119 was built just for the Miami Nationals and to set a new "X" class kilo record. It was 1969, and Merc was having some success in the multi engines classes with the new boat on the outboard racing scene, Ron Jones pickle forks. The 18'ers in "T" class and the 22'ers in "Open" or "X" class. There was no talk about switching to strickly single engine tunnels at that time, so builders were trying to get their stuff noticed and purchased in the multi engine hull business.

I don't know who's idea it was, but I think an agreement was reached between Switzer and Mercury where Switzer would supply the boat, Mercury the engines and rigging and Kenny Kitson would be the hired gun. I think Switzer wanted that boat to beat the Jones triples at the Nationals and to set the straightaway record to help them sell more boats. No one actually told me this was the arrangement, it's just the way I recall seeing it from my vantage point at the time.

I didn't think it had a prayer of beating the triple tunnels on that small couse in Miami. Seemed like the Wing needed all of Biscayne Bay to make a turn while the Jones boys (Broadway Joe Habay & Billy Don Pruett) could hug the buoys. Guess they hired the right man for the job, Kitson beat them going away! When its missions were accomplished, the boat was to go back to Switzer.

At least that's the way this tired mind puts the pieces of this puzzle together.....Oh, I'll add that it was silver at birth.

**T2x** · 02-27-2009, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by willabee

.....the X119 was built just for the Miami Nationals and to set a new "X" class kilo record. It was 1969, and Merc was having some success in the multi engines classes with the new boat on the outboard racing scene, Ron Jones pickle forks. The 18'ers in "T" class and the 22'ers in "Open" or "X" class. There was no talk about switching to strickly single engine tunnels at that time, so builders were trying to get their stuff noticed and purchased in the multi engine hull business.

I don't know who's idea it was, but I think an agreement was reached between Switzer and Mercury where Switzer would supply the boat, Mercury the engines and rigging and Kenny Kitson would be the hired gun. I think Switzer wanted that boat to beat the Jones triples at the Nationals and to set the straightaway record to help them sell more boats. No one actually told me this was the arrangement, it's just the way I recall seeing it from my vantage point at the time.

I didn't think it had a prayer of beating the triple tunnels on that small couse in Miami. Seemed like the Wing needed all of Biscayne Bay to make a turn while the Jones boys (Broadway Joe Habay & Billy Don Pruett) could hug the buoys. Guess they hired the right man for the job, Kitson beat them going away! When its missions were accomplished, the boat was to go back to Switzer.

At least that's the way this tired mind puts the pieces of this puzzle together.....Oh, I'll add that it was silver at birth.

Kitson probably went so fast because he was in such a hurry to get back to the pits and out from under the canopies.......

T2x