C Stock Runabout

News from the

West Coast

East Bay Boat Club will be conducting a race at Greenhorn Recreation Area on Rollins Lake near Grass Valley. (Really an old site, last used 11 years ago.) This is an excellent runabout course, not too wide and well protected. The campground has everything you could ask for. Hot showers, store, etc. The date is April 25 and 26. Also in the works is a race at Isleton in the delta July 18 and 19, more on it later.

This Months Trivia

What was the first engine widely used in C Stock Runabout (C Utility)

A. Wizard WA25

B. Johnson PR

C. Evinrude Speeditwin

D. Crescent Super C

E. Mercury Mk. 30H

F. Yamato, model 30

1/17 Indio CA Darrell Sorensen

1/18 Indio CA Ed "Tito" Smith

2/22 Brawley CA Ed "Tito" Smith

2/22 Brawley CA Tito Smith Jr.

3/7-8 Oroville CA Kilos Only

4/4-5 Indio CA

5/23-24 Newberg OR (50th Annual)

5/30-31 Chowchilla CA

6/6 Everett WA

6/13-14 Copperopolis CA Divisionals

7/4-5 Marysville CA

7/11-12 Olympia WA

7/18-19 Pateros WA

7/18-19 Isleton CA

8/2-8 Wakefield MI CC Nationals

8/15-16 Indian River MI Mar Nat..

8/29-30 Copperopolis CA

9/12-13 Quinault WA

9/18/20 San Diego, CA

9/26/27 Yelm WA Records

1. Darrell Sorensen (2) 1025

2. Ed Smith (2) 738

3. Allen Sutfin Jr. (2) 619

4. Billy Rucker Jr. (1) 600

5. David Rudge (2) 300

6. Rick Love (2) 127

in an

Original North American Runabout

Sitting on top of the van was a 23' long one piece solid Cedar Canoe. The name of the newly acquired vessel was the Tasmanian Devil. Tas's finish is natural wood with green trim and weighs approximately 180 pounds.

As Tas and I left the town of Taholah and the Indian Reservation people were waving as I passed by and even the police tooted their horn as they passed me on the Highway. I was so excited and was finally going to get to go for a ride in a canoe that I was having a hard time paying attention to my driving. I kept catching myself speeding at 15 to 20 mph over the speed limit. I guess I was just in a hurry to show the family the newly acquired vessel. When we arrived home my family and in-laws came out to take a look at the Canoe. They began to ask questions and I answered their questions as if I was a veteran racer. But the fact was that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.

The following week I cut the transom board down to the same height as my CSR and I took a new Yamato 302 out of the box and mounted it on the transom of the Canoe. The next issue was the steering and throttle. The Indians all race using the stock tiller arm and throttle control. I took the Yamato steering bar and cut it in half and bent it tighter to the motor so that it would stick out of the front of the motor. I welded a 7/8" pipe to the end of the steering bar to make it long enough to be like a normal tiller handle. I then went down to the local mini bike shop an bought a twist grip throttle and mounted it on the end of the pipe, Tah Dah we are ready to go.

I called up Jay Smith and Wayne Peeters and explained what I had and if they would meet me at the Snohomish River in Everett to help pit crew for the first test ride. They both said that they wouldn't miss it for the world. When we all arrived at the river they looked over the canoe and told me I was crazy. We unloaded the canoe and prepared her for our first adventure.

When I climbed in the canoe it was like trying to balance a bicycle when it's not moving. After a few seconds I got a feel for keeping it right side up and I sat down on the seat. At this point there is only an inch of freeboard at the aft end of the canoe. I was still wiggling trying to keep the canoe right side up but water was splashing over the sides. I looked at Jay Smith who was in charge of starting the motor and I said; "Oh what the Hell you better start the motor before I sink". Jay pulled the starter rope on the motor and it fired right up. I wasn't prepared for the torque of the motor tipping the canoe and she took on about a gallon of water over the side before I managed to compensate and keep the canoe right side up. The river had a small amount of wave action and as I power up on plane the canoe started to bounce from the waves and the bow of the canoe started to whip like a radio antenna. My first thought was what keeps this log from splitting from all this flexing. As my nerves settled a bit I power up more and was fully planing. When I came to the first turn in the river I thought how am I going to turn this 23 foot long thing around. I looked like a kid trying his first turn on a bicycle and the canoe took on a little more water over the sides. After several laps up and down the river I decided it was time to take a break. As I approached the shore the pit crew was cheering and clapping and once I was safely on ground from completing my FIRST RIDE we decided it was time for a beer.

Next Time: The First Race.

Racer Ric

Do you have any interesting boat racing stories to tell. Any unusual happenings at races. How about the best or the worst race you attended. Forward them to CSR News, they are handy to have for issues like this one when not much racing is going on. Craig Bowman must have lots of stories from the east coast.

The Tim-Bob Story

My driving started in 1962 up in Idaho, on Lake Coeu d'alene. David Thielman, now C.E.O. of E-Z Loader trailer, and I fielded an 8 foot boat powered by a 12 h.p. Sea King. David was 14 and I was 12 years old.

The group of us would put on races out in fount of my parents resort. We patterned the format after the unlimited races held on jour lake every summer. The "clock" was a hand operated unit compared with the watch on the arm of the race director. I think the oldest of us was about 16. One of our drivers was none other than that north-west hot shoe Randy Pringle, driving a 30's style "step" runabout called "Satisfaction". Randy fell out and got run over which made us think we should quit putting on races without medical help on hand.

I moved to California, and continued to run a home built boat called "Road Agent", but soon switched to dirt bikes and karting. After moving to Lodi, I went to the Lodi race every year and actually crewed for Rich Mayer and his son's F Runabout, but didn't drive.

In 1992 I found myself talking to Terry Klemm who was involved with my neighbor's daughter, the lovely Lisa Lira. Somehow he got me help out at testing, and soon I was painting boats and crafting parts & pieces for the "duck". As a "reward" Klemm and Brad Gesler gave me an old Karlesen 20SSH that, when finished, weighed about 600 lbs. with me in it. I drove it for a season, and actually backed into a 3rd place at Merced. It was a cute boat named "Sebastian" and is now a coffee table in Pleasanton. My driving record is very humble, despite help form almost everyone in region 11. Special thanks go to Terry Klemm, Gesler Racing, Dale Bishop, Tim & Todd Jacobsen, Buzz Rasmussen, and Darrell Soresnen. This bunch always had the needed part / tip /prop / ride to help me get to the next heat. So although I don't own many beer glasses won at the various races, I am rich in friends and memories that to me, are the important parts of this hobby and lifestyle we share.

Tim Dwyer

Thanks to Tim for sponsoring the postage for this issue. Tim has a new CSR with one of his famous custom paint jobs that will be ready sometime in the '98 season.

With only three boats at the Brawley race the CSR's were not eligible for APBA points. There was a new driver, Richard Hazelwood. Welcome to the class Richard. The three CSRs ran two races on Sunday. In the first race the finishing order was; Ed Smith, Tito Smith, Richard Hazelwood. On the second go around; Tito Smith, Ed Smith, Richard Hazelwood.

More postage sponsors needed. The June issue is taken, April and May are in need of sponsorship.

CU At The Races.