My early days

[Forkin' Crazy]

My old tin boat. '74 (I think) Starcraft. '79 100 Javelin.

[Forkin' Crazy]

I found one of these in the back of the dealership covered in dust. Bought it for $200 bucks and put a 15 on it!!!

[FMP]

Tupperware party

[SST20]

1972- My 9' Pabst B hydro and Champion Hot Rod. Lots of fun, probably annoyed the neighbors with the noise back of the boat.

[Bodhi]

Hey Kirchner I used to buy old outboards from Daves Hobby shop on Atlantic Av.....He had a motor shop a few houses down from the shop. I used to go to Motion and wish I could buy some thing.... Still have some cans of Candy green paint they had on Sale.....$1 can. I worked For Grovers...Went as a green horn kid wanting to turn wrenches They gave me a Paint brush with more paint on the handle....I lasted 3 Hrs. Later got a job at Wes Carmans point pleasant.... washing boats and gasing tanks....... Young rich kids had radios in their boats.......First time I heard FOXY LADY....It is amazing how many kids started off with mini Maxs.... I used to boat from bellmore to Freeport in the one I had. Sit on the gas tank......Merc 200 with a Mark 20 power head.

This image is a bit hard to see clearly as the photo is old. This pile of outboards was from Dave's house right down the street from his hobby shop. I bought and restored Dave's son in laws 71 roadrunner, so since they knew I loved outboards they were cleaning the house out completely. .I filled my pickup truck 3 times with motors before trash day and got to hear Dave's stories on all of them.

[Dave S]

Hey SST20 I used to have a champ too.... nice little motors 50 lbs.... Also had MK 20H....conv...people hated me that lived close to the water.....Bodhi .... It's a small world....When I was around Daves had lots of white Mercs.

[KIRCHNER]

DA VE I won 1st place at daves for my car model paint job , used whole can of candy. wes used to run his 3 pt hydro down freeport creek maybe 90 we used to freak out. that was the first rooster tail i ever saw. remember the MARS STORE IN freeport was all chrome stuff had to get the suiside knob with the naked lady pic! and converse sneakers and chrome tail pipe tip. used to push them v4 crates off the tailgate [im not a big guy] bust em apart, push the new boat / trailer under the screw clamps then jump on the tongue and hope u were lined up. AL would come out and say how did u get that 75 on there? answer,just did. there was a performance shop on merrick bay, skips. he was a collector had old racing mercs. no radio for me. i was a DOORS fan, still am. ART K

[KIRCHNER]

This image is a bit hard to see clearly as the photo is old. This pile of outboards was from Dave's house right down the street from his hobby shop. I bought and restored Dave's son in laws 71 roadrunner, so since they knew I loved outboards they were cleaning the house out completely. .I filled my pickup truck 3 times with motors before trash day and got to hear Dave's stories on all of them.

We used to pic thru his 55 gal drum of pistons close enough was ok he said take it. once it fired, paint, new decals, for sale as is. 50- 75 buckaroos. i was about 15-16 then. we always had gas money.

[Dave S]

I used to hang out at skippys and the guy next door Bobby Sh....He used to have a Contender with a X115.....That boat flew. My friend got his 14 Desilva from Skippy... Same one in my pixs. Skip called me dangerous Dave.....Others called me Merc Man......Now known as Crazy Dave....Did you knw storming Norman? He used to Run the Fork lift at Nicks Dry land?

[KIRCHNER]

I used to hang out at skippys and the guy next door Bobby Sh....He used to have a Contender with a X115.....That boat flew. My friend got his 14 Desilva from Skippy... Same one in my pixs. Skip called me dangerous Dave.....Others called me Merc Man......Now known as Crazy Dave....Did you knw storming Norman? He used to Run the Fork lift at Nicks Dry land?

IT was skip penzoil i had a gold contenter with modded 90 my buddy had a aqua power-cat with 110 in line. after my winter hop-up i took it to skippy told him im now turning over 7000! he said my tach is busted. he hoisted his 60 lb snap on tester down into the carlson, tied it every wanylon bungees as best we could. no cowl alligator clips everywhere and putted out.made 1st p ass he wasnt ready could tell he yelled out something so i backed off. said take me back to the dock. he didnt say much besides holy jes i asked him how fast u think? he said tach is good and i need to sit down . it was a little choppy he wasnt used to it. i member nicks. we possibly know each other. i knwe 1 X115 it was on a challenger and fast. i got all the hi po parts thru grover. skip moved to FL, opened a storage yard. ART K

[Dave S]

Ya I got confussed.... it was a Challenger.... and fast. He had a racing 3 blade cleaver on it that was years ahead of it's time for bay use. Did you know Big John or a guy that had a 15 magnum with a tower? For got his name...He was from Freeport. been many years......I remember Grovers had a X115 in the show room. They were neat motors with the long exhaust snout......nice blue...Skippys may have help me go HiPo boat ...just looking at the race stuff he had....V4 with hubble lower unit and Hubble stacks... on a 13 foot Ron Jones cab over Hydro. The nicest Mark 40H I ever seen.... He bought a new 15 sidewinder with a 135 shorty......Don't think he was happy with that one. Then he had a 18 foot wood V bottom with a big block chevy and V drive....My brother Trips bought that one and it leaned as it had no strakes...I to tripps to put some Strakes on it ... that solved the leaning. Have a pix of that boat.... gotta look for them. Have Pixs of Skip in my Friends RAM 4 point tunnel... first one Rick A. built I think. I ran a 10 foot BU stock runabout ... with a 44 cid merc with 5 inch housing....

[KIRCHNER]

[QUOTE=Dave S;3088664]Ya I got confussed.... it was a Challenger.... and fast. He had a racing 3 blade cleaver on it that was years ahead of it's time for bay use. Did you know Big John or a guy that had a 15 magnum with a tower? For got his name...He was from Freeport. been many years......I remember Grovers had a X115 in the show room. They were neat motors with the long exhaust snout......nice blue...Skippys may have help me go HiPo boat ...just looking at the race stuff he had....V4 with hubble lower unit and Hubble stacks... on a 13 foot Ron Jones cab over Hydro. The nicest Mark 40H I ever seen.... He bought a new 15 sidewinder with a 135 shorty......Don't think he was happy with that one. Then he had a 18 foot wood V bottom with a big block chevy and V drive....My brother Trips bought that one and it leaned as it had no strakes...I to tripps to put some Strakes on it ... that solved the leaning. Have a pix of that boat.... gotta look for them. Have Pixs of Skip in my Friends RAM 4 point tunnel... first one Rick A. built I think. I ran a 10 foot BU stock runabout ... with a 44 cid merc with 5 inch housing.... i walked by that x115 every morning what a cool l/u. skipps v4 hubble equiped. he was proud of that baby! think john bought the missle from my bud and stuffed it, cracked it in half. i ran that challenger once down the state channel we were about dead even, with my hopped up 90. i had long blonde hair then, gettin a little gray now. i bracket raced all over FL 4 12 years ran a nova 630 HP sb 10.12 @130 1.34 60 ' hungry howies sponsored me for a while. motor home scooters the whole deal. now back to boats, speeds have sure picked up. ART

[KIRCHNER]

Ya I got confussed.... it was a Challenger.... and fast. He had a racing 3 blade cleaver on it that was years ahead of it's time for bay use. Did you know Big John or a guy that had a 15 magnum with a tower? For got his name...He was from Freeport. been many years......I remember Grovers had a X115 in the show room. They were neat motors with the long exhaust snout......nice blue...Skippys may have help me go HiPo boat ...just looking at the race stuff he had....V4 with hubble lower unit and Hubble stacks... on a 13 foot Ron Jones cab over Hydro. The nicest Mark 40H I ever seen.... He bought a new 15 sidewinder with a 135 shorty......Don't think he was happy with that one. Then he had a 18 foot wood V bottom with a big block chevy and V drive....My brother Trips bought that one and it leaned as it had no strakes...I to tripps to put some Strakes on it ... that solved the leaning. Have a pix of that boat.... gotta look for them. Have Pixs of Skip in my Friends RAM 4 point tunnel... first one Rick A. built I think. I ran a 10 foot BU stock runabout ... with a 44 cid merc with 5 inch housing....

I THOUGHT it was a cruchfield with the 135?