The really "Old School" boating thread

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Originally Posted by Sharp shooter

I couldn't make an argument against any of that. I would add Dave Miller, Nick barron and Irv Brendell to the list of early to mid 50's start ups based on my interviews and old magazine advertisements.

Definitely an interesting topic. :grad:

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Dave Miller and Irv Brendell for sure. I am sure theres one or two more we are missing. I talked to Nick about this at the last Hot Boat Reunion they held at the NHRA museum in Pomona. As I remember it, he didn't build many wood boats if any. He was little like Rudy in he bought bare wood boats, mainly from Hallett, and glassed them in his dads drive way, and rigged them. But he got into the boat game pretty late compared to the others, and he was into the glass thing pretty quick using plug tooling from Hallett.

I drove Rudy to the Reunion that year, and we had lunch with Nick and his wife. That was interesting to say the least. :yikes:
I spent the entire lunch talking to Nick, and Rudy spent the entire lunch talking with Nick's wife. Very interesting lunch to say the least. :happy:

Nicks dad owned a sheetmetal shop not to far from Brummett's in Pasadena. His dad wanted him to take over the biz, but Nick was having none of it. I guess Rudy's dad thought the same way before they started making money with the boats.

If you ever see a Brummett ad during that period, he is a Chris Craft dealer, and there is a ad with him driving a Chris Craft Racer.

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Originally Posted by gn7

Dave Miller and Irv Brendell for sure. I am sure theres one or two more we are missing. I talked to Nick about this at the last Hot Boat Reunion they held at the NHRA museum in Pomona. As I remember it, he didn't build many wood boats if any. He was little like Rudy in he bought bare wood boats, mainly from Hallett, and glassed them in his dads drive way, and rigged them. But he got into the boat game pretty late compared to the others, and he was into the glass thing pretty quick using plug tooling from Hallett.

I drove Rudy to the Reunion that year, and we had lunch with Nick and his wife. That was interesting to say the least. :yikes:
I spent the entire lunch talking to Nick, and Rudy spent the entire lunch talking with Nick's wife. Very interesting lunch to say the least. :happy:

Nicks dad owned a sheetmetal shop not to far from Brummett's in Pasadena. His dad wanted him to take over the biz, but Nick was having none of it. I guess Rudy's dad thought the same way before they started making money with the boats.

If you ever see a Brummett ad during that period, he is a Chris Craft dealer, and there is a ad with him driving a Chris Craft Racer.

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If you click on my video from the 1st ever Boat racers reunion (I know you've seen it) you'll hear Nick say he's been full time in the biz since 1958 and as a hobby since 1948. He actually says 42 years ago and 52 years ago and the video was shot in 2000. :)

I'll keep my eyes open for a Brummett ad. :thumbup:

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Originally Posted by Sharp shooter

If you click on my video from the 1st ever Boat racers reunion (I know you've seen it) you'll hear Nick say he's been full time in the biz since 1958 and as a hobby since 1948. He actually says 42 years ago and 52 years ago and the video was shot in 2000. :)

I'll keep my eyes open for a Brummett ad. :thumbup:

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Yeah, 58 sounds about right, but remember, by that time Joe Mandella has been dead for over a year, and Rudy is already making glass flat bottoms. Nick got into the game just as glass was taking off. Not a lot of wood boats under his belt as a builder.
He told me the same thing. He always knew he would never take over his sheetmetal shop. Boats were his thing long before he went into the business. Once Joe had built Rudy the first plywood structural v drive, Hallett was right there shortly later. Nick and Hallett were kind of like Joe and Rudy. But when Joe died in '56, Rudy's move was to glass, and was selling them by 1958. and Nick stayed with the wood until some in the early 60s. Based of this ad, maybe as late as 1963. In this ad the company is still Barron Boat Works. Later it becomes Hallett Fiberglass Boats. Some of the earliest cast metal badges say by "Barron Boat Works"

If you have the 1958(august??) Hot Rod with the first Rayson Craft ad on the last page, I believe there is a Lou Brummett ad in that.

http://www.v-drivevideo.net/pictures...ve_ads_078.jpg

Can't believe Wheeler left out Buzz Coats' Mortician, now owned by now owned Spike Morelli.
http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/al..._mortician.jpg

The color shots of the D&H Woodpecker and Mixed Emotions boats are like 2nd or 3rd generations of those boats. D&H were some of the early wood builders too.
I'll have to dig up the pic I have of the first Woodpecker running a Hot Boat race at Long Beach. Can't imagine try trying to corner one of those with that bottom.


I laughed when I saw this pic of the earlier Woodpecker. I worked for Joe Panek's Rotofaze Ignitions for a few months when in high school. It was in Inglewood then. Now his shop is in Torrance, and I see him every so often. Cool old man.
http://www.hotboat.com/frm/attachmen...0&d=1384918404

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Originally Posted by gn7

Can't believe Wheeler left out Buzz Coats' Mortician, now owned by now owned Spike Morelli.
http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/al..._mortician.jpg

The color shots of the D&H Woodpecker and Mixed Emotions boats are like 2nd or 3rd generations of those boats. D&H were some of the early wood builders too.
I'll have to dig up the pic I have of the first Woodpecker running a Hot Boat race at Long Beach. Can't imagine try trying to corner one of those with that bottom.


I laughed when I saw this pic of the earlier Woodpecker. I worked for Joe Panek's Rotofaze Ignitions for a few months when in high school. It was in Inglewood then. Now his shop is in Torrance, and I see him every so often. Cool old man.
http://www.hotboat.com/frm/attachmen...0&d=1384918404

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bitchen picture!

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Originally Posted by gn7

Can't believe Wheeler left out Buzz Coats' Mortician, now owned by now owned Spike Morelli.
http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/al..._mortician.jpg

The color shots of the D&H Woodpecker and Mixed Emotions boats are like 2nd or 3rd generations of those boats. D&H were some of the early wood builders too.
I'll have to dig up the pic I have of the first Woodpecker running a Hot Boat race at Long Beach. Can't imagine try trying to corner one of those with that bottom.

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It's funny you bring that up Bob, because I just ran across that pic and I had to look twice because I always thought of that boat as a dragster. Then I thought a little more remembering that back then, "anything went" so yeah, not necessarilly a big deal. Lol

I remember Bill Hunter Boat sales commercials on ktla during the day as a kid,was I dreaming.lol

2012 at the beach...

Spike& The Mortician and ??? :smilies_mit_hut019:

Attachment 25769

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Originally Posted by Sharp shooter

It's funny you bring that up Bob, because I just ran across that pic and I had to look twice because I always thought of that boat as a dragster. Then I thought a little more remembering that back then, anything went so ya, not necessarilly a big deal. Lol

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I think that was pretty much the way it was. The concept was all so new, that no one idea had defined them. Red Wilson(who owned Clay Smith cams at the time) built Jimmy Bryan, (who won the 1958 Indy), a V drive boat with the driver behind the engine, with a v drive forward, and bottom similar to the D&H Sleds.
Later Rudy built Jimmy Bryan a baddass SK.

Red Wilson was big into boats while he owned Clay Smith cams. He worked for Clay when Clay was killed at a race by his own car while standing in the pits. Red married Clay's widow and ran Clay Smith Cams. In 1965 Red was killed in a "E" boat race at Marine Stadium.
Attachment 25770

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Originally Posted by gn7

I think that was pretty much the way it was. The concept was all so new, that no one idea had defined them. Red Wilson(who owned Clay Smith cams at the time) built Jimmy Bryan, (who won the 1958 Indy), a V drive boat with the driver behind the engine, with a v drive forward, and bottom similar to the D&H Sleds.
Later Rudy built Jimmy Bryan a baddass SK.

Red Wilson was big into boats while he owned Clay Smith cams. He worked for Clay when Clay was killed at a race by his own car while standing in the pits. Red married Clay's widow and ran Clay Smith Cams. In 1965 Red was killed in a "E" boat race at Marine Stadium.
Attachment 25770

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That's interesting Bob. That poor lady (Clay and then Red's wife) went through hell it sounds like.