[flyingfrizzle]

Originally Posted by Bigshrimpin

Bgreene - Please see attached article. Race results speak for themselves. All you have to do is read the description of the 1967 Bahamas 500 race below from Time Magazine and comprehend a 21ft hull finished a 512 mile race in the conditions described below. Not just one 21ft seacraft, but 3 of the 16 finishers were 21ft Seacraft hulls. Please note the average speed of the top 2 seacraft finishes . . . . 31mph and 34mph and that only 16 of the 63 boats actually finished. You just need to use your imagination a little

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This was part of the Time Magazine Article from 1967:

If Monaco was a dice with disaster, the Bahamas 500 ocean powerboat race last week turned into what one contestant aptly termed "a demolition derby." The general idea of ocean powerboat racing is to take a boat out into the deep, open her up to 50-60 m.p.h., and pray. The Bahamas 500 was designed as the granddaddy of them all—a 512-mi. circle around the islands from Grand Bahama, and all for $50,000 in prize money. It should have been $1,000,000, considering the carnage.

On race day, a stiff 22-knot wind built up 6-ft. to 10-ft. waves. But out they went, 63 of the fastest, most expensive outboards, inboards, diesels and stern drives ever assembled on one patch of water. Bill Petty's Pussy Cat, a 23-ft., 550-h.p. Sportsman worth $20,000, was barely clear of the harbor when it caught fire and burned to the water line. Minutes later, Bill Lewis' 40-ft. Formula came apart and sank. Only 32 boats reached the initial checkpoint at Bimini; of these, twelve never reached Nassau.

At that point, the leader was Bill Wishnick's 32-ft. Maritime, Big Broad Jumper, powered by two monstrous 700-h.p. Holman & Moody engines. Then the rudder fouled. That left the race to Mono. Lou III, another 32-ft. Maritime powered by twin 427-h.p. MerCruisers and piloted by Florida's Odell Lewis, 34, who used to wrestle alligators for sport until it got too tame. Bounding along at an average 50 m.p.h., he finished in 12 hr. 36 min. 20 sec., just as darkness closed in on Grand Bahama. "I ain't afraid of alligators," he said, "but nothing is going to keep me out there on that ocean after dark."

Skippers of the 15 other survivors had to live through some dark moments before they came limping in during the next 22 hours. By what seems a miracle, no one was killed in the race, or even seriously injured.

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This is from the 1968 Bahama's 500 (The year after the bad 1967 bahama's 500)
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http://vimeo.com/5671455

Some race footage starts at 15 minutes.

In this year race (1968 race in the video) the SeaCraft hulls were the 25'-28' race hulls, The yellow #25 (a 27' driven by George Montgomery) at the start of the video was a SeaCraft, the red #31 (Carl Moesly) "my racing machine" can be seen in the background for a split second at some point in this clip, #505 (Driven by Gene Wagner) a Brownish Orange SeaCraft is shown tied up to the docks, and the #202 seen in the start of this video was a SeaCraft driven by Steve Sirois. Quote wrote to me on Scream and Fly="photos were taken during 1968 Bahama 500 with Jim Tebo and myself. I honestly do not remember how well we finished. But, we did finish." - Steve Sirois.

After doing a ton of research, I found out that the race boat I own was original yellow. I thought it was green at one time due to the green still on it in places but that was just the green gelcoat that was used in the mold (same green that you see on the bow-riders and SF models in the late 60's). But I was told that under the many colors and repaints that the hull had the first color that was on the it that was yellow. Also I was told by someone up on the board here there were only 2 yellow hulls that were built out of the 10 made. I have many pictures of a yellow hull which is the #202 It was a 28' with a cut down sheer line and my hull is a 27' with a higher sheer. If there were only 2 yellow hulls and mine is not the #202 so that leaves only one, the #25 that is shown in the start of the video! If there is more than the 2 it could be something else but I have identified most of the 10 and all the other yellow hulls were production 21' race hulls like the #42 or #43. I cant say 100% for sure but I believe my hull may be that hull the #25.