Nostalgic boat from Indy

[Chris Wood]

MAN LOOK AT ALL THEM SCREWS!!!

i can remember the 1st time we used tape.. WHAT TAPE ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! lol.

kinda like back to the future

chris

 

[Grimracer]

After all these years you should here the new fast electric guys tell me how to "re-design" the tape hatch on the boats I design for AquaCraft. lol



Tape is not going to work.,. you need to add screws here, here and here.. you need to blaha blaha.. lol



Its a constant battle! The heads of the company that have never ran a boat (BTY not a one of them has) don’t get it either..lol.. You should be screwing down the hatch on these things..lol



Not on my watch!



Grim

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

Man, I love them GATORS

 

[Andy Brown]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

I was there! That is when we all had Dark hair.

That is Bob Didunsky in the lower right photo with the Red twin OPS 60 powered Gator. He set a NAMBA oval record that week. It was really SLOW by todays standards. But we thought it was Smokin' fast so that's all that matters!

The yellow Triple used slide valve carbs that were all bolted down as one to the engine mounting plate.

Little Andy McCaulley is pictured with Don Pinckert and Dons SAW record holding Twin .40 Gator. Andy had a Wardcraft 40 mono that held the SAW record at about 49 mph. We thought that was Smokin' fast too.

 

[Jeff Lutz]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

I was there! That is when we all had Dark hair.

That is Bob Didunsky in the lower right photo with the Red twin OPS 60 powered Gator. He set a NAMBA oval record that week. It was really SLOW by todays standards. But we thought it was Smokin' fast so that's all that matters!

The yellow Triple used slide valve carbs that were all bolted down as one to the engine mounting plate.

Little Andy McCaulley is pictured with Don Pinckert and Dons SAW record holding Twin .40 Gator. Andy had a Wardcraft 40 mono that held the SAW record at about 49 mph. We thought that was Smokin' fast too.

. I thought Andy Macualley's mono record was with a Pinckert sun dance or chapperel mono I guess I'm mistaken. Who built the Wardcraft?

 

[Andy Brown]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

I was there! That is when we all had Dark hair.

That is Bob Didunsky in the lower right photo with the Red twin OPS 60 powered Gator. He set a NAMBA oval record that week. It was really SLOW by todays standards. But we thought it was Smokin' fast so that's all that matters!

The yellow Triple used slide valve carbs that were all bolted down as one to the engine mounting plate.

Little Andy McCaulley is pictured with Don Pinckert and Dons SAW record holding Twin .40 Gator. Andy had a Wardcraft 40 mono that held the SAW record at about 49 mph. We thought that was Smokin' fast too.

. I thought Andy Macualley's mono record was with a Pinckert sun dance or chapperel mono I guess I'm mistaken. Who built the Wardcraft?

Frank Ward Wardcraft. I am refering to 1978. It was a couple of years later that Don came out with the Sundance. It was a .60 size boat. Andy ran it with an OPS .60. First surface drive mono that I ever saw or heard about.

 

[Jeff Lutz]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

I was there! That is when we all had Dark hair.

That is Bob Didunsky in the lower right photo with the Red twin OPS 60 powered Gator. He set a NAMBA oval record that week. It was really SLOW by todays standards. But we thought it was Smokin' fast so that's all that matters!

The yellow Triple used slide valve carbs that were all bolted down as one to the engine mounting plate.

Little Andy McCaulley is pictured with Don Pinckert and Dons SAW record holding Twin .40 Gator. Andy had a Wardcraft 40 mono that held the SAW record at about 49 mph. We thought that was Smokin' fast too.

. I thought Andy Macualley's mono record was with a Pinckert sun dance or chapperel mono I guess I'm mistaken. Who built the Wardcraft?

Frank Ward Wardcraft. I am refering to 1978. It was a couple of years later that Don came out with the Sundance. It was a .60 size boat. Andy ran it with an OPS .60. First surface drive mono that I ever saw or heard about.

. Gotcha. I remember Don saying I believe Roy Cogburn ran 69 mph with a sundance surface drive 60 mono some were around 1979.That's smoking for that time!

 

[Andy Brown]

Sometimes it's nice to know where you've been so you'll better know a direction to go.

These should put you right over the edge, Chris.

CHEERS !!! Bob

I was there! That is when we all had Dark hair.

That is Bob Didunsky in the lower right photo with the Red twin OPS 60 powered Gator. He set a NAMBA oval record that week. It was really SLOW by todays standards. But we thought it was Smokin' fast so that's all that matters!

The yellow Triple used slide valve carbs that were all bolted down as one to the engine mounting plate.

Little Andy McCaulley is pictured with Don Pinckert and Dons SAW record holding Twin .40 Gator. Andy had a Wardcraft 40 mono that held the SAW record at about 49 mph. We thought that was Smokin' fast too.

. I thought Andy Macualley's mono record was with a Pinckert sun dance or chapperel mono I guess I'm mistaken. Who built the Wardcraft?

Frank Ward Wardcraft. I am refering to 1978. It was a couple of years later that Don came out with the Sundance. It was a .60 size boat. Andy ran it with an OPS .60. First surface drive mono that I ever saw or heard about.

. Gotcha. I remember Don saying I believe Roy Cogburn ran 69 mph with a sundance surface drive 60 mono some were around 1979.That's smoking for that time!

I was a spectator at several record trials that Don put on in Miami from 1976 through 1978. I think maybe 59 mph may be closer to the speeds Roy may have run.

In 1978 I watched Tom Pretzfeld's Twin OPS 60 powered Gator running through traps all day at 73 to 74 mph. Then presto!...one odd pass that was 90 MPH ....then lots more passes at 73 - 74 mph. That was all done with the manually controled timing switches in those days. h34r:

 

[Ronald Van Wagnen]

Anyone remember a fellow by the name of Gerald Devai (sp) sounded like Devay.

He used to show up with hard shaft twins and OPS 67's that would idle like your mother electric mixer.

He would snap the throttle and they would respond in such harmony it was spooky.

A great racer,personality and a true craftsman.

 

[Jeff Lutz]

Anyone remember a fellow by the name of Gerald Devai (sp) sounded like Devay.

He used to show up with hard shaft twins and OPS 67's that would idle like your mother electric mixer.

He would snap the throttle and they would respond in such harmony it was spooky.

A great racer,personality and a true craftsman.

. Yes. I watched him run a twin at the 1990 nats in sarasota,fl. The water was very rough that year for many in time trials. It was rough but I could tell his twin was fast if he would have had good water.

 

[El Zorro]

Anyone remember a fellow by the name of Gerald Devai (sp) sounded like Devay.

He used to show up with hard shaft twins and OPS 67's that would idle like your mother electric mixer.

He would snap the throttle and they would respond in such harmony it was spooky.

A great racer,personality and a true craftsman.

I did an article for Flying Models magazine ( October issue ) in 1992 on the Atlanta Spring Nationals for that year and the lead photo was Gerald Davet's twin F Hydro. He won the class with his son, J-P finishing second. I believe they were out of Canada. This was back in the day when the HOOTER'S girls came to the races with barbque ribs and other goodies!

Dick Tyndall

 

[Terry Keeley]

Yup, Gerry Davet, a fellow aviator originally from Luxembourg IIRC, spoke French. He flew Corporate when he was in MI and later got on with American Eagle and moved to Texas I believe. I heard he got into exotic fish after he gave up boats.

Great competitor and true gentleman.

 

[El Zorro]

Yep, he was a heck of a racer. Got out of boats and got into exotic fish, huh? Gee wizz you can fix or salvage stuff from dead ( wrecked ) boats...............what can you get from a dead fish???

Dick Tyndall

 

[HOTWATER]

Anyone remember a fellow by the name of Gerald Devai (sp) sounded like Devay.

He used to show up with hard shaft twins and OPS 67's that would idle like your mother electric mixer.

He would snap the throttle and they would respond in such harmony it was spooky.

A great racer,personality and a true craftsman.

I did an article for Flying Models magazine ( October issue ) in 1992 on the Atlanta Spring Nationals for that year and the lead photo was Gerald Davet's twin F Hydro. He won the class with his son, J-P finishing second. I believe they were out of Canada. This was back in the day when the HOOTER'S girls came to the races with barbque ribs and other goodies!

Dick Tyndall

I have that issue....

-Kent

 

[Mike Betke]

I used to pit for Gerry a lot back in the day. OPS 67's with the little stock brass barrel carbs and the little 67 tuned pipe that a lot of us run today on our 45's. He would start them up and they would just purr. I never could get him to tell me how he did it. Everyone else would be running the big RPM carbs and bigger pipes for more power and he would show up and kick butt. I will see if I can find a picture of his boat as it was homemade and very unusual.

He was a great competitor back in the 80's and early 90's that won a lot of the major events. The last I heard he was getting into racing Karts in Texas. Never heard the exotic fish stuff.

 

[John Beardslee]

From what I remember Gerry telling Ron Logghe was that he always ran Sig 35 percent fuel and made his own heads that sqeezed it pretty tight. Mike, that was the info I had also that he was in Texas.

John

 

[ThompsonSmith]

Wow this thread brings back memories. I worked for Charlie Pottol at Marine Specialties in Saratoga, CA, first summer of high school in 1976. Ran a Dart-V, Sk daddle-20 and Dragn'fly 20 I bought from Gary Johnson, that had a wild paint job. I used to take the county bus from Saratoga, CA to Hobbies Galore by myself at 14 years old and just dream all day. Finally saved up enough lawn mowing money to buy the used Dragon fly on the wall.

I mostly ran at the perc ponds in Santa Clara through NAMBA. Occasionally would venture to Fremont and Monterey. I think my last boat I bought from Gary was a "Manu Kai"? It was fast, had a really different hull - mix between a tunnel hull and a Dragonfly look. All fiberglass on the bottom only and finished with ply on top, motor sat way forward. I ran a modded Veco .19 with of course all Marine Specialties gear. I'll look to see if I have photos of any of these.

Can't get away from this hobby even after 40+ years. Scratch building a 1/10 Jones shovel nose from Gary Finlay plans into 1954 Breathless U-22 and of course, will try to run a retro Marine Specialties rudder

Cheers, Thompson

 

[HOTWATER]

A bit off topic, but...are they still running boats at Roberts lake in Seaside, CA? Watched races there when I was about 9 or 10 (late '70s)....they were running most of the boats you guys are posting ....

Thanks,

Kent

 

[Gene VanLancker]

Geery Davet would also run those large wired ops plugs that would take a lot to lite. Seen him pull the head off from his ops and pull the element out of the piston with needle nose plyers after the element broke off. Didn't want to arm wrestle him either.

 

[David Bryant]

A bit off topic, but...are they still running boats at Roberts lake in Seaside, CA? Watched races there when I was about 9 or 10 (late '70s)....they were running most of the boats you guys are posting ....

isn't that the (man-made?) lake which is now across the street from the Embassy Suites Hotel?