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Vesimakara

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Good work!!  I was a teenager back when they raced those boats.  We used to have races on our lake with classes from those types of boats up through different classes of hydroplanes, but not the unlimiteds.   I remember driving a lightweight, plywood hydroplane about that size when I weighed about 115 pounds.   I might have been 13.  Early in the morning, when the water was smooth as glass, it seemed like you were really flying.  I don't remember how fast it really did go, but it was quite a sensation of speed for a young kid.

Do you still have any of the old racing Mercury outboards from the 60's running over there?  If I'm remembering correctly, the prop on the little hydroplane ran half out of the water, with a really small center hub, and the exhaust was up above the water.  The prop was so high pitched that it took a good while to get up on a plane, but then it really took off.

I think the guy was trying to sell it to my Dad, but he didn't get it.  My First Cousin raced the hydroplane class that ran the Buick aluminum block engine.

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I thought I might find something to do with the old racing engines on ebay, but only found a few parts:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCURY-KIEKHAEFER-OUTBOARD-QUINCY-LOOPER-RACING-PIPES-STACKS/282856668685?hash=item41db923e0d:g:SFkAAOSwIUxajYzB&vxp=mtr

The gearcases were similar to this, only much smaller.  Since they exited the exhaust above water, the gearcase could be made as small as possible for the least drag.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCURY-QUINCY-OUTBOARD-ELDRIDGE-RACING-GEAR-CASE-FOOT-MARK-55H-DISPLAY-OR-FIX/282856739071?hash=item41db9350ff:g:LLEAAOSwXsFajZrs&vxp=mtr

Here's one of the deadman throttles.  This was supposedly a safety feature.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCURY-OUTBOARD-ATTWOOD-BOAT-RACING-DEADMANS-THROTTLE-HYDROPLANE-RUNABOUT-HYDRO/282854242264?epid=25015202294&hash=item41db6d37d8:g:yXQAAOSwwNBaiwNQ&vxp=mtr

Here's what the top of the engine looked like:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kiekhafer-Mark-25-Top-Cowling-with-Starter/222840553283?rt=nc&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D49923%26meid%3Dd02cac8280824575a32ddd553df6b699%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D282854242264%26itm%3D222840553283&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

I couldn't find a picture of the small ones that were used on your type of boat, but they were smaller versions of this one:

 

old merc.jpg

Some good, old pictures here:   http://www.quincylooperracing.us/gpage9.html

Hope you have many fun runs with your boat!!!!

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