Mercury Vintage Racing DVD - Page 6

Bigshrimpin · #51 01-18-2007, 05:38 AM

I got the DVD.

The Bahama's 500 segment was very interesting. There were some partial shots of seacrafts, but mostly the segment was about Odell Lewis, the course, and Odell's boat. The video is partially narrated by Odell who's not a man of many words (a real slow talker). There's some cool footage of the race and I have a new appreciation for the distance covered by these boat in some nasty conditions.

The footage from LakeX in 1957 is really neat too . . . I can't believe how rural and unsettled Florida was (but in the movie they mention a "mobile phone" at lakeX . . . weird). Watching the drivers change shifts on the water @30mph while refueling in the rain . . . for 68 3/4 days (with one break at 25,000 miles) during the 50,000 mile marathon was incredible. That event could never happen today with insurance, unions, and legal depts.

One of the other segments covered the speed record set in 1958 with the Mark 75H which is clocked at 109mph . . . also amazing.

Oh Yeah . . . A few more question for Jeanne, Carl, and Butch . . . How come you guys raced in powercats? And what's this about LilAbner in a Seacraft Cat ? And are those wine barrel tanks in the back? I actually have MANY more questions to ask . . . So please stop me if I get to be annoying.

lilabner · #52 01-18-2007, 11:49 AM

Carl and Jeanne ran Sea Craft cats..Carl and I ran the cat in the picture in the 9 hour and the 6 hour..Carl designed it..It was a 4 point cabover cat,,I loved the way it ran and had no problems, I was only 139 lbs at the time..Carl and everyone else had gotten thrown out of it..Carl was hurt pretty bad, but nothing could keep him out of a boat..The 9 hour was first and I started.I ran for almost 2 hours when a swivel pin broke..I was first outboard and 3rd overall at the time..the next week we ran the six hour..Carl started this one..He was running 2nd behind another SeaCraft driven by Charlie Dunn and Richie Baiz..at the 2 hour mark I took over and and got a little closer..and at 4 hours Carl took over again, but the engines had broken reeds and couldn't get on plane..I got back in but they were junk..we got disqualifed with 20 minutes to go still first in class 2nd overall because the boat turned around on the course with only one engine running..I was hand cranking them and running back to the throttles..couldn't get back in time..was tuckered out..
and no, they were fiberglass tanks..not wine barrels..

lost2a6 · #53 01-19-2007, 04:48 AM

WOW! This is getting very interesting! I wonder if there are any Seacraft cats around anymore? What is so funny is if someone came on the board and said that they had a cat boat that was built by Seacraft, everyone would say that he was full of $hit up until now.

Bigshrimpin · #54 01-19-2007, 05:36 AM

Butch - Amazing story . . . which race was that photo taken? . . . you've got a huge smile going in that photo. This is probably a stupid question, but what makes a cat a 4 point cat? Is that the number of pads where the hull touches the water? and how come all the stories so far involve Carl getting hurt?

Bryan A. · #55 01-19-2007, 10:01 AM

Seacraft cat?????? Awesome!

Did they have the VDS hull or were they a totally different animal?

lilabner · #56 01-19-2007, 11:33 AM

Sea Craft cats evolved from American Marc cats..Carl owned Am Marc and changed the name to Sea Craft when he started his own designs..The 4 pointer was a cut down, cut up Am Marc cat with sponsons..Carl was hurt at Lake X testing for the 9 hour..I heard a couple others got thrown out at that test session..I never did..I loved the boat. The picture was taken during the 9 hour race..Mike Wallace was leading in Tiny Tim, I forgot who was second and I was third..We were having lots of problems with swivel pins in 800's and 1000's breaking..
Carl was like Nordskog..an Iron man..nothing could keep him down..Jeanne could fill in the blanks..

65Bowrider · #57 01-20-2007, 09:42 AM

I remember a trip to Lake X where Carl (Dad) was testing a new Cat of his design, subsequently named the "Wet Noodle".
The test drivers at Lake X put an engine on it and ran it around their course, but would not take it to full throttle as they said the bow would start to lift. At only 3/4 throttle it was breaking speeding records. Carl was frustrated, so he said 'let me take it for a spin'. And he did. He was dressed in street clothes...atleast someone threw him a helmet before he climbed in. He took off going around the course in the "Wet Noodle", and sure enough, he pushed the throttles fully down, set a new speed record. I was standing on the dock with Jeanne (Mom) and watched on the backstretch as the bow lifted, up and up and over. Carl got very wet, but other than that was ok.

lilabner · #58 01-21-2007, 01:29 PM

65Bowrider
That is the Wet Noodle in the photo..and I think your Dad broke or bruised a rib and twisted a knee in that excursion. He was in a lot of pain in the 6 Hour Race, but never quit. The motors quit on us. When I drove the boat they warned me it might do that again, but I never felt it would. It ran excellent for me, it was a great rough water boat..

Bigshrimpin · #59 01-21-2007, 02:32 PM

What other seacraft secrets are you guys hiding? I can't get enough of these stories. What about the CIA contracts? Cuba?

Butch - when you said it was a great rough water boat . . . what do you mean by rough water? How large were the seas/chop that you guys raced in . . . with the wet noodle?

lilabner · #60 01-21-2007, 05:13 PM

Well, let me put it this way..I have 2 boats..a 33 twin engine center console Oceanhawk..and a 22 velocity with a V8 Johnson putting out about 340hp..rough for the Velocity is choppy for the Oceanhawk..the cat was about 16-17 feet long.the water in the picture would be considered a little choppy, plus you have 50 other boats around you..the following week it was rougher than the picture in some spots. It really all depends on the size of the boat..When Ocean racing started in the late 50's and thru the late 60's, we actually started in small craft warnings a few times..I only worked on the CIA boats, I don't want to know about any contracts..