At
the end of the 1926 boating season the lake’s racers decided to
formalize their hobby in order to better promote boat racing. Other
areas of the country that raced boats were organized around
associations that helped foster competition and the New Hampshire
racers decided they needed a similar body. Such a group would help
provide a bond of friendship and would place Lake Winnipesaukee on
par with the rest of the country. The fall and winter of 1926 saw
numerous discussions that culminated in January 1927. Fourteen lakes
region boosters met at the Hotel Belmont in New York City while
attending the annual New York Boat Show. Discussions were finalized
and the Winnipesaukee Power Boat Association (WPBA) was born. In
short order, by-laws were adopted, officers were elected, three race
courses around the lake were sketched out and even a burgee was
designed. All major lakes region and capital city newspapers were
notified and the call went out for members and volunteers. Within a
few months, there would be 42 members representing every major
community around the lake.
The WPBA decided to hold 12 races around the lake over the 1927
boating season, starting in July. There would be four races held in
each of the three different locations; Weirs, Wolfeboro & Alton Bay.
The first three races would be in the form of a handicap trial for
the remaining races. Trophies would be awarded at every race and
points for every racer would be summarized at the end of the season.
These points would be awarded not only for participation but also
finishing order.
The first major racing of 1927 occurred not on the lake, not even in
New Hampshire, but in Massachusetts in June. The Gold Cup
Association was hosting the Governor Fuller Gold Cup sweepstakes in
Boston’s Dorchester Bay and the organizers expressed the desire for
some of the “New Hampshire Navy” to make the trip south to
participate in the competition. The only NH racer able to make the
trip was Samuel Dunsford and he elected to bring his Gold Cup racer,
RAINBOW IV which was powered by a 240 hp Packard Gold Cup six
cylinder engine. At the time of the invitation, Dunsford planned on
entering the Gold Cup Regatta but found on his arrival in Boston
there were so few entries, the race organizers changed the rules
from Gold Cup to Sweepstakes, meaning any power craft regardless of
power could enter. This forced Dunsford to compete with other boats
whose power was over twice what Rainbow carried, including some
boats that were powered by 500 hp Liberty V-12’s. This power
discrepancy, coupled with an awkwardly designed course that forced
very tight turns, placed Dunsford at a severe disadvantage. Still,
Dunsford managed to come in third place and caught the attention of
Charles Chapman, editor of Motor Boating Magazine who commented
Dunsford’s driving was “marvelous”.
Due to the short notice of the Boston race, Dunsford was not able to
arrange rail transportation, but was forced to trailer RAINBOW IV
over the roads. Although this method is obviously the preferred
transportation today, in 1927 the roads around New Hampshire were so
poor this method of shipment carried risks. Loaded and unloaded from
Lakeport, she was trailered to Boston down Route #3. During the trip
back to the lake, RAINBOW IV suffered damage to her hull that was
severe enough to require some reconstruction of her bottom. She
would make the opening races on 3 July, but would not be back in
full racing trim until 10 July.
The 12 races officially sanctioned by the WPBA were the backbone of
the 1927 racing season, but were not the only planned racing events.
The Weirs Business Association, 22 members strong, met in June to
plan their own series of races that would be held in conjunction
with the WPBA. While boat racing was the major draw for the Weirs,
the association had other activities planned in conjunction with the
races including band concerts, the Veterans Reunion week and a newly
rebuilt Weirs beach. Spring had been marked by poor weather and the
association was concerned about guest attendance in the summer.
Hotel bookings were starting to improve in late June, but the
members felt there was plenty of room for improvement. A strong
showing of boat races was expected to insure a steady draw of
tourists. As in the previous year, the Boston & Maine Railroad
agreed to provide special runs from Boston and southern New
Hampshire to the Weirs. The association voted to sponsor races
during the off Sundays, not to conflict with the WPBA races. The
upshot of these plans was racing could be expected at the Weirs
every Sunday during July and August. The associations’ races would
still follow the WPBA rules and regulations and would be run on the
same course, but all prizes and racing points would remain separate
from the WPBA totals.
Throughout New Hampshire, boat registrations were up to over 1,000
boats licensed to use New Hampshire’s inland waterways. Over two
thirds of those boats were expected to be on Lake Winnipesaukee. One
local marina operator, Jim Irwin Sr., had the exclusive agency to
sell Dodge Watercars on the lake. Jim had a sample boat available
for review and actively solicited demonstrations to any interested
people, complete with door to door service. Local newspapers
commented on Jim doing “all sorts of stunts with his demonstrator”
that included waterskiing and loading down the 26ft boat with up to
30 passengers to demonstrate seaworthiness. Chris-Craft’s were on
the lake, but only in limited numbers when compared to Hackers and
Dodge boats. In fact, only two years earlier, Sam Dunsford was
credited with importing the first Chris-Craft onto the lake.
Dunsford named the boat BABS II and raced her extensively throughout
the twenties and thirties.
Dozens of new boats were expected to make their appearance, both
standard runabouts built by established manufacturers, and custom
built boats designed and built by local craftsmen. The practice
today is to purchase boats from established companies, but the
situation in 1927 was very different. Local boaters would readily
approach boat builders and commission a craft. Boatyards that
serviced the lake, such as Goodhue & Hawkins in Wolfeboro advertised
their boat building capabilities. The yard was willing to sell
customers Chris-Craft or Gar Wood boats, but was fully capable of
designing and building anything the customer might desire. Boat
builders that wanted to break into the market tried even selling
their boats through local lumber yards. The Florida Variety Company
designed and built sled type “Speed Hulls” and proudly offered them
for sale through the Carroll County Land and Lumber Co.
One such custom boat was commissioned by Fred Johnson of Concord and
named PSYCHE. He was a frequent summer visitor and during the winter
of 1926, had a 28ft speed boat designed and built on the second
floor of an old highway department garage in downtown Concord. In
early July she was transported to Lakeport and launched to much
fanfare. Painted battleship grey with a red, white and green
waterline, she was powered by a 220 hp Wright Hispano-Suiza V-8.
Other new, custom built boats were scheduled to make their
appearance, PATS 2 and MURIEL. PATS 2 was owned by two brothers from
Tilton and was a 20 ft single step hydroplane powered by a Renault
airplane motor that put out 300 hp. MURIEL, 29 ft long, was built in
Manchester on the third floor of the Sanborn Carriage Factory.
Completed in June, she was lowered onto a trailer and shipped to
Glendale. She was constructed by a team of local craftsmen and was
powered by a Wright Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine. Additional new boats
were, a “Baby Gar” runabout named SAY WHEN raced out of Black Cat
island and YANKEE FLYER, a 26 ft Hackercraft runabout out of Alton
Bay. SAY WHEN was a large boat, 33ft long and was powered by a
Liberty engine. She would prove to be a fierce competitor who raced
all over the lake at all three racing venues.
Also making their introduction were the 151 class ‘Pelican’ race
boats powered by 50 hp Universal motors. These boats were all made
to a standard design and shared the same type of engine and so were
expected to generate very close racing. They were 16 ft long and
could carry two people. These snappy little craft had a very tight
turning radius, could reach 40-45 mph, and had overall remarkable
running qualities.
The first races of the season were scheduled for Alton Bay on
Sunday, July 2. These races were managed by the WPBA and nine
classes were expected to compete. There were enough classes to
encompass any type of powerboat on the lake and speeds were expected
to be between 20–60 miles per hour. The first three races at Alton,
the Weirs and Wolfeboro acted as handicapping races where the boats
would all be given the handicap they would race with for the
remainder of the season. The first competitive races were scheduled
for the following week, 6 July.
Racing for the 1927 season started well with dozens of boats making
the effort in the three locations on 2, 3 and 4 July. Although some
racers made it a point to compete at all three locations, others
elected to contest only one of the races. These local favorites were
cheered on by the crowds as they rooted for their home town boys
against the other major contenders. The Alton Bay race on 2 July was
won by YANKEE FLYER with WILDCAT, a 1925 Hall-Scott “special”
powered Ditchburn taking a close second. The following day at the
Weirs saw seven boats compete for the open handicap sweepstakes. The
course was 2 ½ miles long and had been laid out by a local engineer
over the winter at the request of the WPBA. The course allowed for a
one mile straightaway and easy radius turns to help keep lap speeds
high. This race was won by PAMKIN with RIP III in second. Robert
Peterson, owner and driver of RIP III, wasn’t pleased with his
performance and vowed his next boat, already under construction,
would run much faster. Sam Dunsford showed up with RAINBOW IV but
was unable to run her at full speed due to the recent structural
upgrades and repairs. Dunsford had much better luck racing his new
151 class Hacker speedster, TIRED TIM, as he won both heats.
Wolfeboro had high hopes for the races held on Monday, 4 July to be
the crowning races for the weekend. The Wolfeboro Chamber of
Commerce had taken over the planning of both the parade and boat
races from the American Legion and had taken out ads in the local
papers for people to come to town and support the local festivities.
These activities weren’t seen as money making opportunities but more
an opportunity to give Wolfeboro a good time and draw a certain
amount of positive publicity. Townspeople were urged to patronize
local businesses and turn out with “spirit and enthusiasm befitting
the day”. The town drew over 10,000 visitors but poor weather placed
a considerable dampener on the boat racing.
A
strong west wind blew steadily all day making the water unusually
rough with high white caps. Most of the classes of racing had to be
cancelled because many of the boats that had intended to race
couldn’t make it to Wolfeboro. Even the judges’ float anchored in
the bay broke loose and began to drift toward the shore. Quick
thinking by Nat Goodhue on board his steamer ROWENA saved the day by
pushing the float back out to its intended location. Still, two of
the nine classes managed to complete a race, the Handicap speedboat
and the Hacker-Dolphin.
A
third class, outboard motor boats, had to be stopped after one lap
due to a serious injury that occurred when the driver was thrown out
of his boat in such a way that his right shoulder and arm were
severely lacerated. The driver, Walter Meloon, was turning up the
motor of his boat when he got up on one knee to see over the waves
when suddenly he saw a large powerboat in front of him. He tried to
swerve and his steering handle broke, sending him into the water. He
was treated at Huggins hospital and released a few days later.
The next weekend saw better weather and races were held at the Weirs
on Sunday, 10 July. The race saw the return of Dunsford’s RAINBOW IV
as well as the new racer, PSYCHE. PSYCHE won her debut race, but
broke her propeller shaft on the last heat and so was knocked out of
contention. Fred Johnson, the owner/driver, wasn’t deterred and
promised he would be back. Glenroy Scott’s WILDCAT won the last heat
while Dunsford came in second in both heats with RAINBOW IV.
Dunsford went on to win the following week at the Weirs and finished
third a week later. Racing on the 23rd in Wolfeboro saw a large
crowd and some new boats making their racing debut. Weather was poor
as there was a light rain falling all day, but the water was very
smooth making for fast heats. The spectators numbered over 5000 and
were scattered on shore and out in the bay. Of the top three boats,
two, MISS WEIR & RAM, had no previous racing record and demonstrated
the close nature of the competition. Both WILDCAT and RAINBOW IV
raced and actually finished first and second, but as they were the
most heavily handicapped boats racing on the lake, were awarded 4th
and 5th places.
By
the end of July, the WPBA race standings were published:
Boat Driver /
Owner Points
RAINBOW IV Commodore S. Dunsford
525
WILDCAT Vice Commodore G.
Scott 440
DODGIT J. R. Irwin
Sr. 335
JEAN L F. L.
Lane 315
SAY WHEN A. F.
Doty 225
PSYCHE F. L.
Johnson 220
YANKEE FLYER C.
Cram 150
PAMPKIN H. O.
Whitney 45
While the point spread looks daunting, especially for the bottom two
boats, it should be noted the winner of any race would be awarded
200 points, with the number of points trailing off significantly for
the lower finishers. The point system was geared heavily toward the
winners and gave short shrift to boats that ran consistently, but
finished 4th or lower. This seems very different from racing point
systems today that value consistent performances, but the emphasis
in 1927 was on speed, Speed, SPEED. Further, since the racers were
largely out of town businessmen and other amateurs, it was not
unusual for the principals to miss one or two weeks of racing. In
order to keep things competitive, the point system was thought to
give these racers a fair chance of catching up with their opponents.
Racing continued every weekend throughout August on every Saturday
and Sunday. Earlier engine problems that hampered the racers were
gradually ironed out and the boats really started to hit stride. SAY
WHEN and DODGIT stand out as performing very strongly. SAY WHEN’s
engine was racing in full form while Jim Irwin Sr. and his
‘mechanician’ Frank Brooks, finished sorting out his favorite Dodge
Watercar, DODGIT. SAY WHEN managed to beat both WILDCAT and RAINBOW
IV at the fourth series of merchant races held at the Weirs on 7
August. The crowds lining the banks and on the water were so large
local papers claimed it was impossible to count how many thousands
of people witnessed the race as “every available space along the
water front was taken up by spectators. The Weirs Bay was crowded
with craft of all kinds, the largest number ever seen assembled in
the bay, and the automobiles were parked everywhere”. Crowds were so
thick on the water at Alton Bay the Mount Washington had trouble
getting to the pier. So much so, she ended up inadvertently ramming
a patrol boat, throwing the officer into the water as the patrol
boat was unable to get out of the Mount’s way.
In
the middle of August, the Weirs merchant race standings were
published:
Boat Driver /
Owner Points
DODGIT J. R. Irwin Sr.
700
WILDCAT Vice Commodore G.
Scott 660
RAINBOW IV Commodore S. Dunsford
560
The Weirs was Jim Irwin’s home race and he made every effort to
compete in every possible race. He had been trailing Dunsford and
Scott all season but a first and second place in the two heats run
on 14 August allowed him to overtake the other two. Observers
weren’t sure if Irwin’s performance was the result of DODGIT’s even
running or Jim’s very spirited driving.
In
mid-August Commodore Dunsford presented a large trophy to the WPBA
to be used “as the association saw fit”. It was Dunsford’s hope the
trophy could be used to crown the fastest boat on Lake
Winnipesaukee, and he left it up to the association to decide how
this should be accomplished. The WPBA decided to hold a 25 mile
free-for-all race where there would be no handicap. The race would
be held at the Weirs on Labor Day and competitors would race 10
times around the standard course to determine the winner. Further,
because of the special nature of the trophy, the WPBA elected to
make it a permanent award. If any person could win the trophy three
times, it would become their permanent possession. This would be an
annual event, to be held on Labor Day until the trophy was claimed
by one of the racers. The list of boats likely to compete was short,
but included the best and fastest the lake had to offer. They
included RIP IV, which was the follow on boat to RIP III Robert
Peterson had promised back in early July. An unusual Hacker design
that was locally built, she was powered by a Liberty V-12 that was
rated at 500 hp. Another Liberty powered boat was JAYEE II, a custom
built Gar Wood that had been delivered to the lake a few weeks
earlier.
Labor Day proved to be the grand finale for the 1927 racing season,
not only as it decided the WPBA champion, but also crowned the
fastest boat on Lake Winnipesaukee in the Commodore’s cup race. The
WPBA series winner was A.F. Doty in his “Baby Gar” out of Black Cat
Island, SAY WHEN. Second place went to the custom Ditchburn WILDCAT
raced by Vice Commodore G. Scott. Jim Irwin Sr. came in third with
his Dodge Watercar, DODGIT. Although Commodore Dunsford was the
defending champion from the 1926 races, he and RAINBOW IV could only
manage fourth place.
The Commodore’s Cup race turned out to be, in the words of a local
writer “unquestionably the greatest and most thrilling in the annals
of boat racing on Lake Winnipesaukee.” Four boats contested the 25
mile race; RAINBOW IV raced by Commodore Dunsford, WILDCAT raced by
Vice Commodore Scott, JAYEE II owned by W. Corby and RIP IV raced by
Robert Peterson. The race started with all four boats abreast the
starting line but within a lap, turned out to be a heated contest
between RIP IV and JAYEE II. RIP IV was clearly the fastest boat
down the straightaway due to her unique hull design that more
closely resembled a modern three point hydroplane than the
conventional runabout design of the times. However, Peterson was
forced to slow way down to make the turns, and that allowed JAYEE II
the opportunity she needed to catch up. Being a more conventional
hull design, JAYEE II was able to take the turns at almost full
speed. But as soon as the boats came out of the turn, RIP IV “would
literally walk away from the Corby entry.” In the end, Peterson and
his 500 hp Liberty were too much for the Gar Wood and she took the
Commodore’s Cup with an elapsed time of 30 minutes and 25 seconds.
Her fastest lap was run in 2 minutes and 50 seconds, which
considering the laps were 2.5 miles long was quite an achievement.
Observers on the shore and in the bay couldn’t believe how fast
Peterson was going. Her speed down the straightaway was estimated at
65-70 mph, which for 1927 was simply unbelievable.
Later that evening, the WPBA held its first Ball in the
Winnipesaukee Gardens. All the season awards and trophies were
handed out, including the Commodore’s Cup. Boatmen from all across
the lake came to enjoy the festivities and applaud the
accomplishments of their fellow racers. A writer earlier in the
season, commenting on the racing at the lake wrote, “we are
witnessing speed boat racing that is second to almost none in the
United States. We are not always fully aware of the fact that the
speed attained by our contenders is equally as fast as that in the
majority of the Gold Cup races held in this country.” If there were
any doubts, they were swept away by Peterson’s performance. The fact
that RIP IV was locally built made the victory all the more
impressive. There were many motivations behind all the racing that
was taking place; a sincere desire to promote the local region,
pride in local craftsmanship and capabilities, and no doubt strong
egos that just wanted to show off. Whatever the reason, the racers
on the lake were part of an effort that not only showcased the best
current marine technology in the country, but also helped advance
the state of the art.
Vintage
Race Boat Shop
