A History of Outboard Racing in the Northwest
THE OFFSPRING OF CAMERON BEACH WATERMAN
Bill Rankin, an early
racing pioneer, in a 1941 regatta near Redondo, WA.
(photo courtesy of Bill Rankin)
By Craig Fjarlie
A variation on an advertising adage applies to outboard racing: "If you build it, they'll race it." In 1905, Cameron Beach Waterman built an outboard engine called the Waterman Porto. In 1909, the first Evinrude hit the market. By the mid-1920s, outboard racing was going on all over the country.
Seattle Outboard Association, currently the largest club in the Pacific Northwest, was organized on January 16, 1929. George Brown was elected Commodore. Local racing actually pre-dated SOA; events had been held on Green Lake as early as 1924, when drivers steered with a tiller. Boats in the '20s were often sea sleds or converted row boats. Hulls built exclusively for racing were a few years away.
The 1929 stock market crash hurt boat racing. During the early 30s, most racers were people who had either inherited money or owned their own business. Among the best known participants were Carl Blackstock, Jr., of the lumber company, who campaigned the Hellydid and Hellydidn't boats; Adolph B. Spreckels, 3rd, of the sugar family, with a fast rig called Black Cat; and James C. "Jimmy" Harland, an Evinrude dealer who had boats named Gilmore, Lion Head, and Ruth M. Marina owner Jerry Bryant, driver of Bald Eagle, and his wife Ann, in the cockpit of Wecco Girl, were regulars on the developing circuit, as was dentist Bobby Watkins and his rig, Philbert.
In the ‘30s, outboard racers were driving boats built for competition. There were both runabout and hydroplane classes, although the hydros were single step jobs, vastly different from modem three-point hulls. Engines used were either Evinrude, Johnson, or Elto models. Speeds ranged from 35 to 60 mph, depending on the class. Most events in the northwest were sanctioned . by the National Outboard Association; affiliation with the American Power Boat Association came after World War II.
Speedboats can be dangerous contraptions and too many drivers in the '30s were killed or maimed. Safety equipment was primitive by today's standards. Some drivers raced bareheaded, others wore a leather cap. Life jackets were required in competition, but at least one young Californian drowned when his boat flipped during a test run. Rescuers found he was using his life jacket for a seat cushion. Stanley Donogh, who later went on to a leadership role with Greater Seattle (now Seafair, Inc.), lost part of a leg at Harrison Hot Springs in 1933. His boat flipped and Donogh was run over by another craft. He was taken 15 miles by car to the nearest hospital. Donogh's rescuers knew little about first aid and applied a tourniquet to his leg. Later, Pacific Motor Boat magazine suggested racers needed to brush up on proper care for injured drivers.
By far one of the most unusual accidents in the '30s occurred at Seattle's Green Lake. On June 14, 1936, Adolph Spreckels was driving an F Class Hydroplane owned by Finley Webb. As he returned to the pit area after a heat, the throttle stuck open. Spreckels hit the beach at top speed. The boat flew over one woman's head, then struck several other spectators before coming to rest against the sound truck. Spreckels was thrown from the boat and landed on a telephone pole, a climbing spike impaling his upper left arm. He hung there until rescuers were able to lift him down. Spreckels was badly injured and needed several operations to restore his arm and face. More tragic, however, was the fate of spectator Ord Lockhard, who had been watching the race from his wheelchair. He was struck by Spreckels' boat and subsequently died.
By the late '30s, drivers who would find success in the Unlimited class were racing outboards in the northwest region. Chuck Hickling is listed in results beginning in 1936, and by 1938 Lin Ivey's name appears. They were soon joined by Al Benson. Since outboard racing was extensively covered by newspapers in that era, many participants achieved a degree of local fame. Jimmy Harland bought the ill-fated boat Spreckels had driven in the 1936 Green Lake accident and hired Bill Rankin to drive it. Art Losvar, nicknamed the Mukilteo Kid, was a rookie driver in 1940. Losvar still races with SOA.
World War II interrupted all forms of motor sports, including outboard racing. Restrictions were placed on the use of gasoline, and on aluminum, which manufacturers needed for engine blocks. More importantly, many of the active drivers were drafted into the armed forces so even if racing had been allowed there weren't enough young men around to conduct a regatta.
The first races after World War II took place in 1945; turnout was predictably low with so many members still away. In '47, action returned to Green Lake in Seattle. "Al Benson put the race together," remembers Ralph "Red" Taylor, of Mill Creek, Washington, who went racing for the first time that day. "There were outboards and inboards on the program. The pit area was the east Green Lake bathing beach."
Outboard racing soon received a jolt. The introduction of Mercury outboards to competition shortly after World War It proved that lighter, more powerful engines running on gas and oil were easily suited for racing. The Stock Outboard Racing Commission of the American Power Boat Association was formed in 1949, as an option to the Racing Outboard category. E.C. "Carl" Kiekhaefer, founder of Mercury, and his brilliant lead engineer, Charles D. Strang, revolutionized outboard racing. Among their developments was the racing lower unit.
A number of people went racing in the early '50s, thanks to Mercury. A young man from Idaho, Bob Gilliam, and a youngster from Seattle, Billy Schumacher, were among the new drivers. "There's no question Mercury saved outboard racing," believes John Laird, of Bellevue, who started in 1950. "There just weren't enough of the old engines around any more." Red Taylor agrees, citing Mercury's excellent dealer network. Additionally, Mercurys were reliable and ready to race off the showroom floor. Whereas the old Evinrudes and Johnsons needed constant mechanical work, the Mercurys could run all season with only routine maintenance required. The sport was suddenly open to people who lacked mechanical skill.
One of the most prominent outboard racers to take the wheel of a boat witnessed the Pacific Coast Championships at Green Lake in 1950. Hubert Entrop liked what he saw and the next year embarked on his own racing career. During the early '50s, Entrop served notice that he was a smart racer who could win in almost any class. A employee of Boeing's model shop, Entrop built his own boats after carefully studying designs by Ted Jones.
In about 1956, Entrop heard rumors that Mercury was planning to manufacture a 60 horsepower, 6cylinder engine suitable for racing. In anticipation, Entrop built a boat. Over two years went by before the engine was put on the market. Kiekhaefer was interested in breaking the straightaway record for outboard powered boats and invited Entrop to Florida to run the new engine at Mercury's test facility, known as Lake X. Entrop and Jack Leek each took a month off work to travel to Florida. The existing U.S. record was around 70 mph, but early in 1958, an Italian boat with a converted 61 cubic inch automobile engine reached 100.3 mph. Although many outboard purists felt the Italian mark was suspect, it became the goal for Entrop and Kiekhaefer.
Lake X had little space for a long running start and Entrop was unable to reach 90 mph. He had to return to Boeing and convinced Kiekhaefer to allow him to continue working toward the straightaway record in Seattle. With help from both Ted and Ron Jones, Entrop tested on the east channel of Lake Washington. On June 7, 1958, everything was ready. With Kiekhaefer and numerous reporters in attendance, Entrop became the first American to exceed 100 mph in an outboard. His official speed was 107.821 mph, set in front of Ted Jones' home on the east channel.
Soon after, Entrop and Kiekhaefer had a falling out. Entrop "defected" to OMC and on March 29, 1960, drove his Evinrude-powered Starflite Too to a new straightaway speed of 114 mph near Parker Dam, on the Colorado River in Arizona. In response, Kiekhaefer hired Burt Ross, another Seattle-area outboard driver who had been a star football player at U.P.S., to try to raise the speed. Using a boat designed by Ted Jones, Ross hit 115.547 mph on Lake Washington on May 5, 1960.
Starflite III scorches
Lake Havasu at 122.979 mph, in 1960
(photo courtesy of Hugh Entrop)
Entrop built another boat, Starflite III, and on September 17, 1960, using a 90 cubic inch Evinrude, he sizzled across Lake Havasu, Arizona, at 122.979 mph. By this time, Strang had left Mercury and was offering technical advice to Entrop and his crew. Strang soon joined OMC, eventually becoming Chairman of the Board.
Straightaway records have been a proving ground for outboard drivers, and the success of some has been tempered by the tragedy that has befallen others. Entrop built Starflite IV, but retired from racing without ever running it. The boat was tailored to Gerry Walin, a rising star in the Seattle area. In 1966, he took Starflite IV through the straightaway traps at a speed of 130.929 mph on Lake Havasu.
Wisconsin driver Jim Merton broke Walin's record in August, 1973, driving a 17-foot Mercury-powered Twistercraft to a speed of 136.381 mph.
Walin set out to reclaim the record in September, 1974. He roared across Lake Havasu at better than 145 mph. Midway through the run, Starflite IV lifted off the water and flipped over. Walin survived the accident, but was paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to adjust to his new situation, he committed suicide about two years later.
The quest for straightaway speed continues. On November 30, 1989, Bob Wartinger, of Seattle, drove a 20-foot hydroplane powered by a V8 Evinrude to a mark of 176.556 mph on the Colorado River near Parker, Arizona. Kilometer trials are a regular part of outboard racing. Events are held in March at Oroville, California, and in October in Lincoln City, Oregon. Drivers in numerous classes attempt to break straightaway speed records by a few tenths of a mile per hour.
Outboard racing has many facets. At the opposite end of the spectrum from straightaway trials are long distance marathons. In its early history, Seattle Outboard Association conducted a 100 mile marathon on Lake Washington, which consisted of five laps around Mercer Island. The club also ran the famous Sammamish Slough race from the late '30s until 1976.
Development and insurance costs forced cancellation of most marathons. The Southern California Outboard Association held the Stock Outboard Marathon National Championships at Needles in 1966, but the event consisted of only two 50-mile laps to Bullhead City, Arizona, and back. The Sammamish Slough race was shelved in 1976 when a spectator was injured and insurance coverage lost. Currently, the Stock Outboard Marathon Nationals - the last significant long distance marathon are held in mid-August on the Indian River at the top of the state of Michigan.
In about 1975, a third outboard category was introduced to the APBA scheme. Modified outboards are something of a cross between Stocks and the full-blown Professional Racing Outboards. Modified classes use production engines, yet some changes are allowed. Engines can be blueprinted and exhaust stacks are permitted, but fuel is restricted to pump gasoline and two cycle oil. While the Modified category may sound like a sure bet for widespread appeal, it remains the smallest of APBA's outboard groups and never has enjoyed great popularity among racers. During the last few years, the Modified National Championships have been held in conjunction with the Stock Nationals.
Today, outboard racing is almost always conducted on oval courses employing formats that have stood the test of time. The traditional clock start is still used and most races consist of two heats, three laps each, with final standings based on total points. Overall time is used to break point ties. As many as a dozen different classes and 100 total entries may be on the program, translating into a day of non-stop action.
Safety has taken on an important role since the early days when drivers like Stan Donogh and Adolph Spreckels had their terrifying accidents. Drivers now wear cut resistant Kevlar suits. Helmets and certified life jackets are mandatory, and a few participants are experimenting with cockpit safety capsules. Boats are equipped with emergency kill switches. Speeds continue climbing, however. - While an A Stock rig still only goes about 50 mph, the fastest PRO outfits - powered by Konig engines burning alcohol fuel - can reach 115 mph on straightaways.
Outboard racing is the heart and soul of the American Power Boat Association. Most APBA members race outboards. Among current Unlimited drivers, every one started in smaller classes, most in outboards. Chip Hanauer, Mark Tate, and Mark Weber all began in J Stock; Nate Brown took a detour from inboards to try outboards for a while. Mike Jones, Jerry Hopp, Tom Hindley, Mitch Evans, Ken Muscatel, and Rick Christensen have all spent time in outboard cockpits. In fact, so did owner Bill Wurster. Other outboard racers, such as Steve de Souza and Jimbo McConnell, have gone on to professional careers in the Formula One - Champ boat circuit for tunnel outboards. There are even drivers in the ocean racing Offshore ranks who started in outboards.
While many outboard drivers have sought professional opportunities in bigger, faster boats, the truth is the majority of outboard racers are content to compete for fun with no intention of ever driving in the big leagues. Their sport is a weekend hobby where they make friendships that last a lifetime. Legendary outboard drivers enjoy a status equal to that of famous Unlimited drivers of the past, too. Hugh Entrop still attends outboard races, only now he brings a camera.
The legacy of outboard racing continues to the present. There are several organizations that conduct regattas up and down the west coast. Seattle Outboard Association is the major player in Washington. In Oregon, Columbia Outboard Association and the Newberg Boat Club both host races. Outboard clubs welcome inquiries from spectators. Most hold monthly membership meetings; guests are welcome. Anyone interested in going racing will find plenty of help along the way. Seattle Outboard Association has a racing hotline listed in the Seattle telephone directory. Schedules for SOA and other clubs may be obtained from the following sources: Seattle Outboard Assn. hot-line: (206)-781-5713; Columbia Outboard Racing Assn. (Mike Bartlett): (503)-357-9212; American Power Boat Assn., Eastpointe, Michigan: (810)-773-9700.