Larry Dahlhoff

[timstoy]

Fifteen years gone……………………… But not forgotten.

 

[Dana757]

Super nice guy. His boat is in Australia now I’m pretty sure.

 

[boatnam2]

He did a couple motors for me, i stored a boat in big river and use to see him around when he was in parker, solid dude, could be a little salty on occasion.

 

[timstoy]

I miss Larry and his dry humor!
Can’t believe it’s been 15 yrs?

How I met Larry-
I was looking for an engine builder I think around 1990? a couple of other old friends I miss that have passed too, Mike Milburn & John Krieger, from LongBeachBoat&SkiClub, introduced to Larry from MotorMagicRacing Engines”

I was looking for an affordable and reliable high horsepower engine builder, which was hard to find, then and now.

From there we developed a friendship and built several great making high horsepower reliable as it can be motors.

*Tim you mighta been the one trying to track me down, for week after Larry’s passing, as I think my motor was one of the last he finished, before his heart attack.

Larry also guided me in my first Rush GN purchase and Grier, who I became close friends with and bought the molds from Grier.

*Larry was a top racing engine builder, that built reliable, high horsepower for the working hard Racer, wish there was more like him.

He is definitely missed by allot of friends and racers!

Thanks for the kind words. I remember Mike, John, PJ and many members of the LBB&SC, that is how Larry started out by doing valve jobs and porting in a small shop in North Long Beach across from the Boltons Kelron shop for many ski club members. Larry started out part time working full time for a grocery store. I started dating Larry’s sister Lauren and started helping out at the shop on my days off as I too worked for a grocery store. Larry built a motor for Tom Merrill for the Catalina ski race pulling Buck Baker to the overall win! The win put Larry on the map and the business took off! Larry moved to a bigger shop in Bellflower and business kept growing. Larry quit his grocery job and soon offered me a job full time at Motor Magic. Larry bought a boring bar, block master surfacing machine, line hone and a CK10 honing machine. Larry did mostly blocks and I did cylinder heads. We both did engine assembly. Larry raced the ski races and raced Pro Comp circle boat class. Larry’s life long friend, Ron Bolton and the Bolton family built him a Kelron Spitfire K boat and we went K boat racing. I’m sure I’ve met you and it was probably me or my nephew Heath Hebert that got a hold of you after Larry passed. Larry could be short with people at times but he went out of his way to help people especially if they were customers. Sorry to hear about Mike passing he was a good guy. A customer/ friend passed a few days ago, built him a motor for his boat and been friends for over forty years and he used to help us with the K boat. Many customers became lifelong friends and I had the best time of my life working with Larry!

 

[timstoy]

Super nice guy. His boat is in Australia now I’m pretty sure.

I was told the K17 went to Australia. The K18 was restored by a friend and Larry’s Sciada flat bottom ski and PC boat was restored to better than new condition by friend.

 

[TrollerDave]

Larry built the Olds for my jet bote in 95. Other than operator error, no problems. Jack from Super Jet HIGHLY recommended Larry. He seemed like a quiet guy and the shop had some small engines for equipment and inline 4 cylinders around. I thought this is a race engine shop.
Then when I picked up my motor and saw the K boat, I thought OK, I’m in the right spot. He was really nice to me and helped me out as I was young and green to engines.
I remember seeing him his name and that K boat in Hot Boat magazine. Then heard of his passing a few years later and he’s been mentioned on the forums a few times.

 

[gottaminute?]

I miss Larry and his dry humor!
Can’t believe it’s been 15 yrs?

How I met Larry-
I was looking for an engine builder I think around 1990? a couple of other old friends I miss that have passed too, Mike Milburn & John Krieger, from LongBeachBoat&SkiClub, introduced to Larry from MotorMagicRacing Engines”

I was looking for an affordable and reliable high horsepower engine builder, which was hard to find, then and now.

From there we developed a friendship and built several great making high horsepower reliable as it can be motors.

*Tim you mighta been the one trying to track me down, for week after Larry’s passing, as I think my motor was one of the last he finished, before his heart attack.

Larry also guided me in my first Rush GN purchase and Grier, who I became close friends with and bought the molds from Grier.

*Larry was a top racing engine builder, that built reliable, high horsepower for the working hard Racer, wish there was more like him.

He is definitely missed by allot of friends and racers!

When customers would start unloading engine parts that their "friend" had given them.....Larry would almost always bust out his famous quote......."Free shit is still shit". then either help load it back up or pick through it and see if it really was useable.
pat

 

[timstoy]

I still use that line! Always a good time racing with your family. Hope all is well with you Pat.