Hot Singles ! - Pictures

[seeroy]

The theory that the "co-pilot's weight, low and far aft, would keep the prop biting" doesn't appear to be working too well in this pic ....

Bill Cooper driving and (as I remember) Daryll Jenkins in the rear getting high speed enema.

[2us70]

This boat may have had performance or drivability problems but I bet it looked great. Never saw Jeff in a boat that wasn't perfectly rigged and spotless.

i dont recall ever seeing this rig run. at this time, they were running a race a month at the stadium and i did not go every month as they were paying no prize money. i finally talked the club into trading the trophies for cash as the cash would at least pay for the toll on the turnpike ($3 and some cents) from orlando.

[Ronster43]

Attachment 377497

This would be the boat you remember. Jeff drove it to a national record in Sport I using a Merc 1000 in 1970. I remember this picture because Powerboat had mistakenly captioned it as Jimbo passing Kitson in T class!

There was a second miscaptioned picture in that Powerboat article about the 1970 Miami Nationals. It said Jeff Titus won Sport I but it pictured Jimbo and Kitson.

Attachment 377498

The original Scat Craft ran great with just about anything on the back. Jeff even ran the GT115 on it. It was better than the early tunnels. The sponsons had great hydrodynamic lift so it didn't bog down in the turns. Plus kneeling allowed him to shift his weight in the turns and with the wind direction. Then came power trim and it all changed. He was still faster through the turns and competitive downwind, but had no chance into the wind. That's why they built the sit-down version with trim. But it was a disaster.

[Ronster43]

The original Scat Craft ran great with just about anything on the back. Jeff even ran the GT115 on it. It was better than the early tunnels. The sponsons had great hydrodynamic lift so it didn't bog down in the turns. Plus kneeling allowed him to shift his weight in the turns and with the wind direction. Then came power trim and it all changed. He was still faster through the turns and competitive downwind, but had no chance into the wind. That's why they built the sit-down version with trim. But it was a disaster.

BTW - I think the top pic is Palatka and the bottom Lakeland?? Anyone??

[Tom Smyth]

isn't that the same type of boat that critchfield got killed in?

[Vulture27]

The kneel down version was built by two guys in Jupiter fl. and was sold for $900. Jeff ran one called odd job and Bobby Soles ran one called prop job. I think Jeff got tired kneeling down and gave the boat to Critchfield and they built the seated version which was a bit longer and the bottom modified. Ask your Dad Ron, I'm sure he can set the record straight.

[Ronster43]

I think u r right Jim. The far shore at Lakeland would appear farther away.

[Ronster43]

The kneel down version was built by two guys in Jupiter fl. and was sold for $900. Jeff ran one called odd job and Bobby Soles ran one called prop job. I think Jeff got tired kneeling down and gave the boat to Critchfield and they built the seated version which was a bit longer and the bottom modified. Ask your Dad Ron, I'm sure he can set the record straight.

I know this story well. Soles successfully ran the original version I think with a Chrysler (I'll find and post more photos). Bill Chritchfield traded Soles a pleasure/fishing type boat for it. It had true V-shaped sponsons. Bill cut the bottom of the V's off and used 2x4's to create pads and popped a mold from it. The Scat Crafts had glass bottoms with wood decks. I think Bill sold the rigged hulls for around $600! Dad was already using the OddJob name on other boats, but the Scats were called "Pickle Fork" because Jock Horner said that's what it looked like. This is apparently the origin of the picklefork term...I'll repost the Miami Herald article. The larger sit-down version was a terrible-running one-off.
BTW - The OddJob name came from the James Bond character. That and the fact that boat racing is an odd job.

[Ronster43]

isn't that the same type of boat that critchfield got killed in?

No. Danny was killed much later in one of his mod vp type river racers here in Jacksonville. He did have a Scat Craft though. He blew it over at home on Lake McCoy before the 1970 Nationals in Miami so Bill wouldn't let him race it there (That's the story I was told). I don't think he ever raced it. Jeff ran Danny's Scat in SI (I think) and his own in S with the OMC V4 in Miami Nats. He won both classes. Both boats are pictured above.

[Ronster43]

I know this story well. Soles successfully ran the original version I think with a Chrysler (I'll find and post more photos). Bill Chritchfield traded Soles a pleasure/fishing type boat for it. It had true V-shaped sponsons. Bill cut the bottom of the V's off and used 2x4's to create pads and popped a mold from it. The Scat Crafts had glass bottoms with wood decks. I think Bill sold the rigged hulls for around $600! Dad was already using the OddJob name on other boats, but the Scats were called "Pickle Fork" because Jock Horner said that's what it looked like. This is apparently the origin of the picklefork term...I'll repost the Miami Herald article. The larger sit-down version was a terrible-running one-off.
BTW - The OddJob name came from the James Bond character. That and the fact that boat racing is an odd job.

That's Ray Parker handing Jeff the fuel can at the '70 Nationals. You can see both names on the front cowl and "Pickle Fork" on the deck.

[Bob V]

For those of us with not so good vision...

[Bob V]

The OddJob name came from the James Bond character. That and the fact that boat racing is an odd job.

Remembering "Odd Job"

[Ronster43]

Remembering "Odd Job"

Some of his later OddJob graphics actually had the hat cutting into the "B"!

[Ronster43]

No. Danny was killed much later in one of his mod vp type river racers here in Jacksonville. He did have a Scat Craft though. He blew it over at home on Lake McCoy before the 1970 Nationals in Miami so Bill wouldn't let him race it there (That's the story I was told). I don't think he ever raced it. Jeff ran Danny's Scat in SI (I think) and his own in S with the OMC V4 in Miami Nats. He won both classes. Both boats are pictured above.

Correction...it was U class, not S.

[2us70]

I seem to remember the original ScatCrafts being built by someone named Fisher? The same guy built a D class boat for a kid from West Palm Beach who's name escapes me now. That little D boat was the lightest OPC boat I ever saw.