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 Vintage
Race Boat Shop
We maintain vintage wooden boats.
Page 9 - Getting ready for Clayton & Wolfeboro !!!
Owner/Driver -
Bill John
1946 Gar Wood, hull number 7115, modified
Speedster design,
single aft cockpit,
21 foot
Bottom
modified to a shingled/stepped hydroplane
Honduras mahogany hull with Spanish cedar steps
Chevrolet 510 cubic inch marine stroker motor, 630 HP
Prop is a Menkens high rake 3-blade, 13x17
cupped
Tacked at 75 mph on GPS at the 2004 Detroit Gold Cup
Obsession video - let it
load & crank it up!!!
 In June of
2010, after years
of hard running on the
Vintage Race Boat Circuit and the constant use
here on beautiful
Lake Winnipesaukee, our beloved
Obsession
was hauled back to the shop for some TLC. The hull remains in excellent
shape after our Edge-Bonding
project over eight years ago. The edge-bonded seams still look
fresh, but
more importantly added great strength to the hull. We are
now busy in the shop on a refresh and getting ready to run again on the
vintage circuit. Work has
begun on additional bottom detailing, complete drive
train refresh, a new Menkens high rake speed prop and of course, lots of fresh Epifanes varnish.
 On
the last rebuild of the motor, the plan was to build a new Chevrolet 502/502
marine crate motor, but
then Leo at R&L Engines
recommended another
option. We talked a lot about the time honored method of getting more power from a motor,
to overbore the cylinders and increase the stroke of the crankshaft.
The result is called a stroker motor, and Leo convinced
me to use my seasoned Crusader 454 marine block and build a 510 cubic inch
stroker
motor. R&L Engines built a batch of them and they all dynode between 625 and 650 HP.
Stoker motors also produce lots of torque, right in the midrange, perfect for a
gentleman's
vintage race boat. So we spent a lot of time and money into good machine work.
We over-bored the
cylinders .o6o inches, balanced the stoker crankshaft 4.375
inch and breathed more horsepower into the Brodix aluminum cylinder heads and
tuned the ports of the matching Brodix aluminum intake
manifold. We also used the best components, including a custom roller cam with roller rocker arms,
and a complete MSD marine ignition system. This reverse
rotation marine motor has a low 9.5 compression ratio and runs on 93
octane fuel through the modified Holley 830cfm carburetor. A marine
bell housing connects the modified Borg Warner direct drive transmission.
The current
speed prop is a Menkens 13 x 17 with a super cup and lots of rake
that lifts the bow at speed. The rev limiter is set at 5,400
rpm's to
preserve the motor and to get another season before the next rebuild. This motor is a bullet and the sound through the IMCO exhaust headers
and the 4 inch side pipes is
pure magic. Obsession
was tracked at 75 mph on GPS at the 2004 Detroit APBA Gold Cup.
Obsession video - let it
load & crank it up!!!
.JPG)
The fun continues - the summer
of 2011 !!!
We picked up
Obsession
from winter storage in June of 2011 and hauled to the shop to prep for the
Wolfeboro 4th of July Parade and the trek to Valleyfield,
Quebec. Then back in the shop for some touchup before our boat
show.
Watch for Obsession
this summer !!!
Valleyfield
Regatta
38th Annual ACBS Boat Show
Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta
Wolfeboro Car &
Boat Rendezvous
Links for the story of Obsession:
Page 1 - The Story Begins
Edge Bonding Obsession
The Story of Gar Wood
For locals, please stop by
the shop and join our:
Saturday Morning Gatherings
Some related vintage race
boat links:
Return to Our Beloved Vintage Wooden Boats
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