vintage ski/raceboat show?

[mowtorman]

Dick binette
INTERNATIONAL WATER SKI CHAMPION FOR WEIRS, NH

Dick Binette learned to water ski on Lake Winnipesaukee and went on to become an international champion. In 1954 he broke the world's record for ski jumping at the National Championships, held on Lake Opechee and hosted by the Weirs Ski Club.

The above taken from the historical society site, which has some great pics. Northland Skis was located in Laconia, making wood skis until about 1970. I have an old Custom Slalom ski, don't know if it was made in Laconia or in their other factory, but the craftsmanship is beautiful with a perfect slight concave to it. The Maherajah skis were equally nice before the introduction of fiberglass. There's a kind of beat up Warren Witherell Northland ski at the antique mall in Laconia for something like $100, would make a nice decoration somewhere.

Current project -

[mowtorman]

Up for grabs on CL. Classic ski race boat. I think Glendale sold these boats, then Tahitis (Sidewinder knockoffs) were sold out of I think Lakeport. The Sidewinders were handmade out of Palo Alto California, later bought out by Thompson boats. These boats carve tight turns with real g forces. That's a 150 on back, probably a 65-70 mph boat with a huge rooster tail. Someone need a project? Save it from having the motor and hull separated.

[NHBUOY]

...and Magnum's, with a SleekCraft thrown in...

[sonofamagnum]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

...and Magnum's, with a SleekCraft thrown in...

Im the little boy on the magnum. That's my father Gary Stone. Does anyone have any action pics of this boat?

[sonofamagnum]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

...and Magnum's, with a SleekCraft thrown in...

The magnum was originally blue and said black power on the side before my dad bought it and painted it maroon. 150hp black max shaved heads polished exhaust ports custom ron hill prop. Its somewhere in Gilford still. Its been neglected almost beyond repair i saw it at spooners shop a few years back

[NHBUOY]

...and a 112+mph Schiada too...

[NHBUOY]

...and finally...the sexiest ski boat on the planet...

[Just Sold]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

...and finally...the sexiest ski boat on the planet...

Fay's Boat Yard has one for sale, 1966 Century Resorter 21 Ft with Gray Marine V8 280 HP. Rebuilt original motor. Original parts. $19,800

[AC2717]

Thurstons has this 1980 century for sale:

http://www.thurstonsmarina.com/PreOw...0Resorter.html

[mowtorman]

Never heard of a Schiada before, it looks like it drew a crowd. Looks like a v-drive? I like the plaid shirt on the driver, if you were driving that boat you were already styling. The Sleekcraft looks very cool too, I wonder what the engine was on it. Here's a picture of a Sutphen same as the Green Wink that had twin 150's. A friend had the same boat with a big block jet, what a nice ride that was. I don't know if Sutphens were ever sold on the lake. The Sidewinder is still up for grabs on NH CL, very tempting.....boats seem to multiply in the yard if you don't keep a close eye on them!

[jess1234]

Recently purchased this to relive my younger days as a water ski racer during the 70's on winnisquam

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by jess1234

Recently purchased this to relive my younger days as a water ski racer during the 70's on winnisquam

Wow, Nice work on that!!!!

[mowtorman]

That boat is beautiful. Hope I get a chance to see it on the water. Got any pics of the races? My favorite is the look of the Magnum on the water, I don't think it can be beat. And the ride is truly like a magic carpet ride, nothing but air beneath you. Check out the 60's Hydrodyne ad. One of these boats was very active in the ski races. Twin 125 mercs and if I remember right a beer keg for a gas tank. In the late 70's early 80's the boat was for sale in front of Irwin Marine. It looked so lonely sitting there. I stopped to drool by it. There were about 10 little brass inscribed plates on the dash marking 1st,2nd or 3rd place in the WWSRA races. I thought it was the coolest boat I had ever seen.

[jess1234]

More Pictures! Driver is Eric, Skier is Richard. Boat is a 1975ish Hydrostream Vixen with a built 85 hp merc,that is now back on Winni and beautifully restored. This race was boys class C or D and took place on Winnisquam around 1975-76

[jess1234]

I have more vintage pictures, stay tuned. Black metal flake boat is a replica of a late 70's Hydrosteam and it's for sale

[gtxrider]

Chris Craft Cavalier

[NHBUOY]

Mr. Cook's "Penthouse" crew. Those guys could ski!

I spent a lot of time in that Chris-Craft.

[mowtorman]

Sold out of Jay's Marina at Winnisquam, these boats were common in the
70's. Still made today. Appears very similar to the Royalcraft. The observer and driver sat back to back in the 2 seat boat. Out of the water a lot and exciting to watch. This is a restored one, I guess they were popular race boats in Ohio.

[NHBUOY]

Here is a before/after resto pic of my 22' Boss Tahiti w/BBFord & Berk Jet.
This was my 1st attempt at a "full-on" boat project.
The boat was a reader's build featured in Hot Boat Magazine in the same issue that featured the Schiada that I posted.
I am really liking the closet gearheads that have materialized on this site.
Keep those pics & projects coming.
Love the outboard stuff.

[NHBUOY]

Hot Boats take over Weirs Beach Dock.

Circa 1982-ish?.

That Hydrostream got around.

[mowtorman]

The first boat on the left looks kind of looks like your Tahiti, Hondo made a day cruiser with the elevated deck. There's been one in the boathouse at the Y Landing/Pine Island channel for about 35 years, yellow and brown, big block jet. The yellow boat is a Tahiti or Sidewinder. The Tahiti version was called the Torino, 16' boat sold with an olds 455/berkeley, I don't know what they called the Sidewinder. Any ideas on the grey boat? Fast, agile small boats weren't really an issue unless you had a reckless driver in one. Plus lake conditions don't let you fly around every day in small boats (Weirs Bay on a Saturday?). Seems speed became more of an issue when there were so many 25-30 footers going 70+.

[Mr Cooke's Crew]

Originally Posted by gtxrider

Chris Craft Cavalier

...Those were the days. Miss you John & Pete Belkas.

[Mr Cooke's Crew]

My brother-in-law had a 16' Checkmate w/150 Merc. Barefooted behind it @ 68 mph. My feet felt like they were on fire!!!!

[mowtorman]

Maybe made in the Northland factory in Laconia, put up a great wall of water.

[NHBUOY]

A couple more for you guys...

[Steve Nobleman]

Originally Posted by mowtorman

Maybe made in the Northland factory in Laconia, put up a great wall of water.

This is the Slalom Ski I used. I painted the bottom of mine bright red with a white stripe down the middle. We skied from Tucker Shore on the lower end of Winnisquam in the 1970s behind a green and white Glastron with a 55 HP Johnson motor. Prior to that (late 60s) we had an a red and white MFG with a 40 HP Johnson. My friend Tommy skied on Taperflex Slalom. His Dad pulled us behind a large purple Dorset with a 100 HP Mercury engine. He pulled 5 of us behind it one day.

[jess1234]

I bought this boat in in 1979 to race on Winnisquam, I believe Dwayne Champoux or another club member lent me their 85 HP merc, and while practicing on Winnipesaukee, I ripped the transom off the boat. That ended this boats life of racing

[NHBUOY]

L-R = "Chach" Ciaciao, Tony Cameratta, John Buckley, and Peter Belkis.

With Mr. Cooke driving, as usual..

Penthouse Crew ROCKED.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

L-R = "Chach" Ciaciao, Tony Cameratta, John Buckley, and Peter Belkis.

With Mr. Cooke driving, as usual..

Penthouse Crew ROCKED.

There should be a few more of these pictures in the photo gallery. When I cleaned out the Penthouse in 1997 I came across a large envelope stuffed with all kinds of neat pictures from the era when "The Teenagers" (as John refered to them) skiied from dawn till dusk. At least back then gas was only 35 cents per gallon!

[mowtorman]

Any old pics out there?

[Just Sold]

This is a great thread and I am really enjoying it. I would like to ask that everyone with photos please post the photos in the Gallery Photo Post as well so that others in the future can see them. There is a "Things That Float" area for you to post in. It is a great repository for these historic photos.

[Mr Cooke's Crew]

Originally Posted by ghfromaltonbay

There should be a few more of these pictures in the photo gallery. When I cleaned out the Penthouse in 1997 I came across a large envelope stuffed with all kinds of neat pictures from the era when "The Teenagers" (as John refered to them) skiied from dawn till dusk. At least back then gas was only 35 cents per gallon!

Nice Job Gayle, I have a bunch (35mm slides & 8/super 8 movies) I just have to find the time to go threw them.

[mowtorman]

Tragic fall this past weekend by a former champion in New Zealand, similar to Bill Johnson getting back into downhill skiing. The Winnipesaukee races were a spectacle because of the skill level and fearless nature of the participants. Some of the boats probably made 70-80 mph in stretches. What's more remarkable is the relative lack of safety gear for the skiers and crew. I'm hoping there's enough interest out there to bring a bunch of these boats out for everyone to see next summer.

Respected Hamilton businessman and waterski racing champion Tony van Deursen died on Saturday while waterskiing on Lake Taupo.

The 57-year-old was competing in the Master's Class section of a national waterski racing series - reportedly reaching speeds of 162 kmh - when he fell

[NHBUOY]

RIP, TvD. Sad news.

[dippasan]

Originally Posted by NHBUOY

...and finally...the sexiest ski boat on the planet...

Hey NHBUOY,
Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks like a Century Resorter.
Is it possible you sold that boat to a gentleman in Blacky Cove and then bought it back from him a few years later?

Just curious.

Thanks

[NHBUOY]

...yep...bought new at CM/Vinny in 67..bought it back from Ganong..He got it from Bruce G tho...good catch there Dip......

[mowtorman]

My dad bought an 18' Century in 1969 from Stanley at Channel. One of their earliest fiberglass models, the Buccaneer 18 with lapstrake design. Hull below the front seats split twice right on the seam, had a gusher going right between Parker Island and Jockey Cove. My brother and I went straight back with the bow up to Northeast Marine right into the slings. As it hung draining one of the workers said "never seen a Penn Yan do that!". Major fiberglass issues in a short period of time. I can still hear him telling my father "it's a tiger" and it was a big upgrade to a 318 from a 40 horse whaler. I was there one day when Stanley had blown the motor in a 455 jet boat by taking it out of the water. Mr. Callahan was so mad at him, certainly not the only time.

Anyone thinking of bringing a boat to Opechee please PM me as the Parks Commission is concerned about potential overflow, especially in terms of parking and boat trailers and they would like to try to track it. Thanks.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

We also owned a Century Buccaneer in the 1960's. One day in the the early 1970's when I was driving the boat the rudder fell right off!!! I was a long way from my home when that happened. To say the least- it was scary when I could no longer steer the boat.

[mowtorman]

One of the first rides our family took was over near Gilford Marina after dinner.
The pin that held the steering shaft in place to the rudder fell out and the boat couldn't be steered. No one in my family was mechanically inclined, all we knew was the steering didn't work. Another boater towed us over to Channel
and Mr. Callahan gave the 5 of us a ride back over to Center Harbor. That wouldn't happen today. good to know we were all having the same experiences out there!

[BroadHopper]

Those were the days when marina owners bend over backward to please you, even if you are not a customer. Mr Callahan, Mr Irwin and Mr Goodhue were instrumental in a lot of public activities around the lake, in particulars, the Winnipesaukee pageant, water ski races, etc.

Vinny and the Cap'n are long gone, but you can still see Jack around the marina even though his sons have pretty much taking over the business. If you want to know any history of the Lake, Jack is the man!

[tis]

What great memories that brings back. We loved visiting with Vinny. He was the best, a great guy. We had a Century we bought from him and didn't buy a Sea Ray until later so didn't know Jack until later. But they were/are both great guys!

[NoBozo]

I'm enjoying all these posts about the old days. Those days are sadly gone. NB

[mowtorman]

My brother and I are 4 years apart, I was 10 in 1969. Mr. Callahan always addressed us when he saw us whether my parents were with us or not. We would go in the main hangar by the hoist to look at the boats. We never got in them but would just climb up to get to see them, we also loved looking at the new boats for sale as he was carrying Bertram at the time as well as Century. He never once had an issue with what we were up to, we had great respect for him and felt his true passion for boating. If he gave his word something would be done it was ready when he said it would be. Great lessons for 2 young kids. Gas was cheap, families fished in small boats and money did not play as large a role in whether people could enjoy being out on the lake.

[mowtorman]

I saw the boat this afternoon near White River. The metalflake is excellent, engine starts right up and runs smooth. Original seats and bases, seat bottoms were redone at some point. Floors are solid orange carpet needs replacement. Has very interesting power trim with double hydraulic cylinders next to the outdrive that were either a Volvo product or aftermarket as opposed to the weak electric tilt system. What you see for the carb is a holley 2 barrel, 1/2 of a double pumper. Nice trailer repainted with good tires and bearings redone. Owner is firm on $2500. Interesting to see an old Carlson in basically original condition that was taken care of so well by someone over time. No thru hull exhaust, probably would be the first update along with a 4 barrel to ratchet it up a notch.