Hot Multi's - Pictures

[GENE LANHAM]

Massey's #140 Wing from Fred Kiekhaefer's collection

Fred Kiekhaefer from Gene Lanham's collection.

I think Fred is either 'blessing' the prop/aircraft prior to our flight through the Maroon Bells: or getting ideas for a new series of propellers for the #6 Speedmaster---

[Mark75H]

More photos from the collection of Molly Ballou.
The second is a really sharp shot of the Mercury Team lining up at their refueling dock for the Sunday start at Havasu 1970. Pictured is a new 21' Glastron/Molinari twin Petty/Collinge, a 21' Molinari twin Bill Sirois, a 17' Jones Denny & Duey Berghauer, a new 17' Molinari sprint Tom Stickle, a 17' Molinari marathon Mike Downard, a new 17' Molinari sprint Bob Hering, a new 21' Molinari twin Renato Molinari, a new 20' Molinari twin Jim Merten and what looks like Bobby Massey's 18' Switzer Wing. OMC won the race for the first time the year before and Merc has put in an all out effort to get the title back. Everything is clean and shiney and, more importantly, ready to rumble!

The people on the dock include Dave Beier, me, Dennis Robbins, Duey Berghauer, Jim Acheson, Jerry Kohnke, and Chuck Mettner. Gary Garbrecht is in the yelllow jacket on the top of the rig.

The model of the 998:

[willabee]

The model of the 998:

The model reminds me that I thought it was a mistake when Merc PR put that "World Champion" paint job on the boat after it won Havasu. I think it looked a bunch tougher and faster in black . If they had to spend money on it's looks before it went on tour, they should have just freshened up the look it had when it won (along with adding the chrome pipes ).

[willabee]

I was looking for something at home last week, opened a box and found this picture. Obviously, this was a time when the guys weren't very busy and decided to put a "new twin engine rig" together for Jim Merten. That's Rick Lamore bringing the rig out of the boat shop in Oshkosh, with his smiling accomplice, Jerry Kohnke, standing in the background. This was after Mert had retired from racing and the guys just wanted him to have a twin engine rig that he could idle around the yard!

Note that they did power him with a pair of T2's.....

[mark benson]

(Think Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band) Well, it was 40 years ago today, Bill Sirois came to Havasu to play. He had a great driving style, that was garrenteed to raise a smile. He went on to win the race and put OMC, back in their place. Bill Sirois # 998 "Up Up and Away"...

The model reminds me that I thought it was a mistake when Merc PR put that "World Champion" paint job on the boat after it won Havasu. I think it looked a bunch tougher and faster in black . If they had to spend money on it's looks before it went on tour, they should have just freshened up the look it had when it won (along with adding the chrome pipes ).

[Old fiberglass]

Old fiberglass----The 'Mustard' 20 sank at Havasu 69. At the start, first day--- I don't think the 20 was even ready to race at Parker, March 1968---

Figured I would move this to the multi thread.

Musturd....I prefer "Gold". Hummm....the whole incident is a little cloudy. What do you recall about it ?? I do see it lurking in the background. The red T-199 wing in the picture is Miss Diablo after Kenny sold it to Ed Stewart.

[willabee]

Gene sent some more cool stuff this week and included is this shot of the 21' McCall twin, the Molinari copy we were talking about . This is Havasu 69 with Jeff Titus driving.....

Looking over the top of Big Job McCall, I see four Switzer Wings. It looks like two are the 20' models and without looking this up, I think this was their first race....I think the yellowish 20' furthest from the camera is the boat Bob Switzer brought to race, but he got hit on the start and never went anywhere......

The above is from post #211, page 15 of this thread. Definitely was 69, don't recall who he hit or who he got hit by on the start. I'd prefer "gold" also, anything with "turd" in the name can't be all good.

[mark benson]

The "Mystery Twin" from Havasu 1969 is # 111 Jim Welsh from Torrance, California; co-driver Warren V. Thompson, Torrance, California & it's a 21 foot De Silva with dual Mercury 155's. If I remember correctly, Warren Thompson was killed when he blew this boat over at 100+ mph!

Gene sent some more cool stuff this week and included is this shot of the 21' McCall twin, the Molinari copy we were talking about . This is Havasu 69 with Jeff Titus driving.....apparently, this was it's first race, not Parker 1970.

He also sent this shot of a "Mystery Twin", also from Havasu 1969.....he was wondering if this might be the wood Dutchman prototype Old fiberglass has been talking about. I don't know what it is, what do you guys think?......kind of DeSilva looking

Looking over the top of Big Job McCall, I see four Switzer Wings. It looks like two are the 20' models and without looking this up, I think this was their first race....I think the yellowish 20' furthest from the camera is the boat Bob Switzer brought to race, but he got hit on the start and never went anywhere.

Note the Ride-Guide steering on both the McCall and the 18' Glastron/Molinari next to it .

[GENE LANHAM]

The above is from post #211, page 15 of this thread. Definitely was 69, don't recall who he hit or who he got hit by on the start. I'd prefer "gold" also, anything with "turd" in the name can't be all good.

The Switzer brothers were getting very colorful in the late 60's: "Bright blue", "red metalflake", "mus'turd'"; here is Jock Hornor's "gold metalflake" 'El Lobo'.

[GENE LANHAM]

The "Mystery Twin" from Havasu 1969 is # 111 Jim Welsh from Torrance, California; co-driver Warren V. Thompson, Torrance, California & it's a 21 foot De Silva with dual Mercury 155's. If I remember correctly, Warren Thompson was killed when he blew this boat over at 100+ mph!

Thanks Mark: That may explain the "Mystery Twin"---Here is the picture. Havasu, 1969

[T2x]

Thanks Mark: That may explain the "Mystery Twin"---Here is the picture. Havasu, 1969

That boat looks nothing like the other De Silva wings I have seen. It is certainly much more sleek and low slung. The reports on that tragedy at the time indicated that the hull had disentegrated. With that freeboard and gradual forward entry I can see where Havasu's water may have caused it to stuff rather than back flip. Very Sad end to what was a very radical design for its time.

[Old fiberglass]

The above is from post #211, page 15 of this thread. Definitely was 69, don't recall who he hit or who he got hit by on the start. I'd prefer "gold" also, anything with "turd" in the name can't be all good.

Story was Dave Switzer was driving. Someone crashed or flipped in front of him and a lower unit struck a hole in the boat. Dave knew the wing was going down and tried to beach it. He didn't make it and the wing turtled in front of the judges stand. Bob indicated the whole incident was rather embrassing.

[Old fiberglass]

The Switzer brothers were getting very colorful in the late 60's: "Bright blue", "red metalflake", "mus'turd'"; here is Jock Hornor's "gold metalflake" 'El Lobo'.

Probably had a lot of gold flake left over from when they stopped putting the Nike gold swish stripe on them.

Gene were they hard to see over the nose trying to get the boat back on the trailer ??

[mark benson]

Wasn't it around this time in history that," De Silva", stopped making, "Wings", for this class of racing, because of the deaths and serious injuries?

That boat looks nothing like the other De Silva wings I have seen. It is certainly much more sleek and low slung. The reports on that tragedy at the time indicated that the hull had disentegrated. With that freeboard and gradual forward entry I can see where Havasu's water may have caused it to stuff rather than back flip. Very Sad end to what was a very radical design for its time.

[Mark Poole ModVP]

Did they not want to put the driver in the center of these things to get clean air over the wing? Did they have to put counter weights in the other hull to offset the driver?