Winnipesaukee Power Boat Association

BroadHopper · 01-22-2010, 09:27 AM

that was the day.........................

I bet that boat smooth out the waves fairly well for skiing. Frankie Cook of Gilford was pretty big in the old races.

topwater · 01-23-2010, 01:56 PM

Its funny how life always comes around FULL CIRCLE. In 1940 we were advertising we had one of the fastest PUBLIC speed boats in the world, ( Legionnare "70" ) here on Winnie. Rides were somewhere around $1.00. Here we are in 2010 and now some people who believe they own the lake are trying to drop the speed limit to 45. Life sure changes, but I hope the speed limit doesn't.

John A. Birdsall · 01-23-2010, 02:21 PM

I did not see it mentioned but Jimmy Calvin had an inboard, his place was on the east side of the bay near the public beach. It was a white and brown boat and was it nice. Don Purdey (spelling??) lost his arches I believe in barefoot sking in Alton. He had one of the early Coronadoes. I think the ski club also used the little legionere for sky shows as well.

We did not do 70 mph behind the puddy-tat, but with our trusty 18 hp Johnson we pulled a lot of ski's with that. Yes for the good ole days. Sure was fun. can't wait for Ice Out...

Descant · 02-07-2010, 06:48 PM

Thanks for all the memories.

Things we don't do anymore...

I started "skiing" when I was 12-13. A 13 ft MFG with an 18hp Evinrude. We didn't have skis, but used an old outhouse door. The water squirted through the 1/2 moon, and obscured vision. Later I got a 15 ft with 50 hp and we skied all over the lake. Smith Cove was a favorite on windy days as it was protected. Now restricted by more docks and a speed limit. We had a ski jump anchored in Paugus Bay, and I learned that skill.

I was one of those who participated in the water ski races, as a driver. The 18 ft Tompson, 120 hp wasn't as fast as some of the others, but it had one of the new deep vee hulls and was great in rough water and good for the skier. At top speed we probably did 38 mph. At that speed, the fuel tank wasn't big enough for the long races (50 & 60 mile marathons) so we carried an extra five gallons and poured it into the main tank while maintaining full speed.

I was also one of the lucky ones who had a summer job at the Weirs driving the "Miss Winni's".

A lifetime of memories squeezed into a few summer months...

Anybody out there who was one of the kids diving for coins at the Mount Washington docks? Or who jumoped off the Weirs bridge? By the time I was old enough to do those things, it was apparently all illegal.

01-22-2010, 09:27 AM	#1
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,606 Thanks: 3,238 Thanked 1,113 Times in 799 Posts	Skiing behind cabin cruisers that was the day......................... I bet that boat smooth out the waves fairly well for skiing. Frankie Cook of Gilford was pretty big in the old races. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

01-23-2010, 02:21 PM	#3
John A. Birdsall Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Norwich, CT Posts: 599 Thanks: 27 Thanked 51 Times in 35 Posts	boats and skiers I did not see it mentioned but Jimmy Calvin had an inboard, his place was on the east side of the bay near the public beach. It was a white and brown boat and was it nice. Don Purdey (spelling??) lost his arches I believe in barefoot sking in Alton. He had one of the early Coronadoes. I think the ski club also used the little legionere for sky shows as well. We did not do 70 mph behind the puddy-tat, but with our trusty 18 hp Johnson we pulled a lot of ski's with that. Yes for the good ole days. Sure was fun. can't wait for Ice Out...

02-07-2010, 06:48 PM	#4
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,459 Thanks: 1,376 Thanked 1,654 Times in 1,082 Posts	Great memories Thanks for all the memories. Things we don't do anymore... I started "skiing" when I was 12-13. A 13 ft MFG with an 18hp Evinrude. We didn't have skis, but used an old outhouse door. The water squirted through the 1/2 moon, and obscured vision. Later I got a 15 ft with 50 hp and we skied all over the lake. Smith Cove was a favorite on windy days as it was protected. Now restricted by more docks and a speed limit. We had a ski jump anchored in Paugus Bay, and I learned that skill. I was one of those who participated in the water ski races, as a driver. The 18 ft Tompson, 120 hp wasn't as fast as some of the others, but it had one of the new deep vee hulls and was great in rough water and good for the skier. At top speed we probably did 38 mph. At that speed, the fuel tank wasn't big enough for the long races (50 & 60 mile marathons) so we carried an extra five gallons and poured it into the main tank while maintaining full speed. I was also one of the lucky ones who had a summer job at the Weirs driving the "Miss Winni's". A lifetime of memories squeezed into a few summer months... Anybody out there who was one of the kids diving for coins at the Mount Washington docks? Or who jumoped off the Weirs bridge? By the time I was old enough to do those things, it was apparently all illegal.

01-23-2010, 01:56 PM	#2
topwater Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 302 Thanks: 85 Thanked 116 Times in 48 Posts	Its funny how life always comes around FULL CIRCLE. In 1940 we were advertising we had one of the fastest PUBLIC speed boats in the world, ( Legionnare "70" ) here on Winnie. Rides were somewhere around $1.00. Here we are in 2010 and now some people who believe they own the lake are trying to drop the speed limit to 45. Life sure changes, but I hope the speed limit doesn't.

The Following User Says Thank You to John A. Birdsall For This Useful Post:
robmac (01-23-2010)