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What is “too early” for boat start-up on the Parker Strip?

Sharp Shooter

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Most hydros have room for 2, Banzaii does not. :cool:

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RaceTec

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I am bummed that I missed seeing some of you guys! Great pictures as always Wheeler!
 
rivermobster

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Clank123

Clank123

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sintax said:
Sounds like a good excuse to bring it out to Billy's event in the end of September and run her
Click to expand...
I would really like to do that, but, it's not my boat.
The engine goes on the Dyno week after next where we will get some pulls in on Alcohol and then get in dialed in on 70% nitro for the Cacklefest stuff.
Depends on how it all goes and if the owner wants to make the trip out there.
For sure if they are doing the Event at Sundance Thanksgiving weekend we will be there.
If we miss Needles, we will do initial testing at Marina Manor soon.
I will let you know when we go.
Believe me, nobody wants this thing on the water more than I do...Mainly because I'm drivin it!
 
Clank123

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Figured it was time to tell one of my "Start up Stories".
I know this story is going to sound a little far fetched given the times we live in now, you would NEVER think of letting your sons do this!
But it was different times.
The year was 1974.
I was 14.
I grew up in Carlsbad(still live here) and we have a saltwater lagoon here that we all grew up skiing on.
The Landing where everyone launched was called Fox's after the owner John Fox.
It was a gathering place for Flatbottoms from San DIego and Orange Counties and nearly every Saturday or Sunday there would be 8-12 in the water. With skiing all day and Racing in the afternoons...Heaven for a young gear head!
Me along with a few others started driving and pulling skiers around at 12 and 13 years old, and in the evenings I usually got to make the last lap before putting the boat on the trailer which usually involved a speed run of some kind.
My family was typically on the water 3 times a week in the summoer and a couple days in the winter. The Lagoon was 2 miles from our house.
I'll have to do a thread about the place sometime!
Anyway we became ski racers and ran many laps around the lagoon practicing.
By the time I was 14 my Dad would send me out to go race the out of towners and he told them if they beat me, then he'd come drive! Boat ran a legitimate 100mph, but not much more.

So, It's the summer of 1974 and we were at Castle Rock where my Grandparents had a trailer.
I had another friend with me who was a year older and could drive pretty well too.
The parents always partied pretty hard, so we were allowed to put the boat in ourselves at daybreak, get my younger brother up to observe, idle out of the marina and strap on the Murdoch let the slack out of the 165 foot rope and go!
I would typically drive the first leg which was around 6:15 am.
We would run all the way from Castle Rock to Bluewater, Change skiers and head back. Note...this before the "Aussie Style" of having the handles wrapped around ya. Great workout!
My dad set a 5000 rpm limit on us so you can bet we stayed right at it. So it wasn't like it was a little 1/8 mile burnout, they could here us coming for a long time.
Can you imagine the number of 1 finger salutes we got! Don't forget, most everybody slept outside in those days!
We did it a number of times over the years and it will always be a fond memory of mine every time I look out on morning glass in Parker.

Here is our family Ski boat at Castle Rock.
Picture below that is me at 15(note date) registered under my Dad's name at Lake Ming(another great story you can ask me about over a beer at Foxes!)
IMG_0153.JPG
34Hurry_Sundown104-med.jpg
 
cofooter

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Clank123 said:
Figured it was time to tell one of my "Start up Stories".
I know this story is going to sound a little far fetched given the times we live in now, you would NEVER think of letting your sons do this!
But it was different times.
The year was 1974.
I was 14.
I grew up in Carlsbad(still live here) and we have a saltwater lagoon here that we all grew up skiing on.
The Landing where everyone launched was called Fox's after the owner John Fox.
It was a gathering place for Flatbottoms from San DIego and Orange Counties and nearly every Saturday or Sunday there would be 8-12 in the water. With skiing all day and Racing in the afternoons...Heaven for a young gear head!
Me along with a few others started driving and pulling skiers around at 12 and 13 years old, and in the evenings I usually got to make the last lap before putting the boat on the trailer which usually involved a speed run of some kind.
My family was typically on the water 3 times a week in the summoer and a couple days in the winter. The Lagoon was 2 miles from our house.
I'll have to do a thread about the place sometime!
Anyway we became ski racers and ran many laps around the lagoon practicing.
By the time I was 14 my Dad would send me out to go race the out of towners and he told them if they beat me, then he'd come drive! Boat ran a legitimate 100mph, but not much more.

So, It's the summer of 1974 and we were at Castle Rock where my Grandparents had a trailer.
I had another friend with me who was a year older and could drive pretty well too.
The parents always partied pretty hard, so we were allowed to put the boat in ourselves at daybreak, get my younger brother up to observe, idle out of the marina and strap on the Murdoch let the slack out of the 165 foot rope and go!
I would typically drive the first leg which was around 6:15 am.
We would run all the way from Castle Rock to Bluewater, Change skiers and head back. Note...this before the "Aussie Style" of having the handles wrapped around ya. Great workout!
My dad set a 5000 rpm limit on us so you can bet we stayed right at it. So it wasn't like it was a little 1/8 mile burnout, they could here us coming for a long time.
Can you imagine the number of 1 finger salutes we got! Don't forget, most everybody slept outside in those days!
We did it a number of times over the years and it will always be a fond memory of mine every time I look out on morning glass in Parker.

Here is our family Ski boat at Castle Rock.
Picture below that is me at 15(note date) registered under my Dad's name at Lake Ming(another great story you can ask me about over a beer at Foxes!)
View attachment 790860 View attachment 790861
Click to expand...

Awesome story, Dave!
 
Sharp Shooter

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Probably Rolf driving.

Great pics Dave! A time and place where the seeds of our disease were firmly planted.

Didn't you say there was something different about the way this engine runs?

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coolchange

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That's going to need a caulking gun sized tube of silicone to fill that.
 
Clank123

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Sharp Shooter said:
Probably Rolf driving.

Great pics Dave! A time and place where the seeds of our disease were firmly planted.

Didn't you say there was something different about the way this engine runs?

View attachment 791025
Click to expand...

Yes Rolf driving...my son Jake on the deck with me, he turns 35 tomorrow.

Boat is a Bee-Dee Marine with all their running gear. Very cool nostalgia piece.
It had not been run since the early 80’s. The new owners bought it in like 2000. They took it to a couple mechanics and a couple known boat shops and no one could get it to run. It just kept backfiring when trying to start. They were told things like bent valves, broken timing chain, stripped crank gear...all kinds of stuff. Friend told them to take it down to Carlsbad and let me look at it.
So they come down, I check wires, valve train, fuel and electrical system, every thing I could think of. It all looked great.
Finally tried to start it, yup, sounded horrible on the starter motor. Just nasty.
So out of the corner of my eye I noticed something that seemed strange...
Any guesses???


If you said...
The dampener was turning counter clockwise!
It had a reverse rotation camshaft in it!
So I reversed all the wires and the thing fired up and ran perfectly.
The original plan for the boat was to circle race it so instead of driving off the snout they could drive off the flywheel. Which of course is a great idea. Don’t know if this has ever been tried in the modern day but seems pretty smart!

Anyway we ended up buying it from them, detailed it up with some yellow to cover some worn out gel, named it Bit O’ Honey and took it to the River!
 
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Now the time to make it right! Drop a Chevy in that beast!
 
monkeyswrench

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Wheeler said:
Yes it does especially since I warned him not to go down this road with a Ford. :p
Click to expand...
It's real expensive to build a competitive Ford motor. It always seemed like half the cost to do a sbc.
As with any engine, can the heads be salvaged? That can sometimes be a deciding factor on what's next. At least it didn't window bad enough to punch the hull.
Or...leave the boat on the trailer and work on that '37 for a bit:D
 
Wheeler

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monkeyswrench said:
Or...leave the boat on the trailer and work on that '37 for a bit:D
Click to expand...

Boats getting a Buick motor fitted right now as I type. Trying to get it ready for Bakersfield next month.

You should buy the '37 and finish it off. I heading out later today to hopefully strike a deal on a '69 Mustang. :)
 
monkeyswrench

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Wheeler said:
Boats getting a Buick motor fitted right now as I type. Trying to get it ready for Bakersfield next month.

You should buy the '37 and finish it off. I heading out later today to hopefully strike a deal on a '69 Mustang. :)
Click to expand...
I have a chopped and channeled 31 coupe i should be working on, a 65 Ranchero pro-street to reconfigure the chassis, and a 34 tudor after that...and yet in my shop I've been working on my 15yo's 83 Silverado:( It's just getting quick and dirty body work and a little shine. After that, I need to get some stuff moving through here to replenish the coffers from buiding the shop:)
 
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