Back In The Day
04-11-2007, 05:10 PM
#311
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)... that he called "The Hustler" as I recall......Later he stepped up to the Cigarettes and set the fledgling offshore world on its ear.... This led to a close relationship with Carl K and Mercury..... and I'm sure he received the best of the best from them.... including that damn missing Wing that I'd give a testicle for today. Bottom line he's one of the nicest people the sport has ever developed....and a pretty fair country racer to boot. Early on he was also a world class party animal and is the person primarily responsible for us launching an Allison race boat into a motel pool in Lake George one night....
....complete with trailer. He also gave a few guys a start in the sport.....Harry Wellman, Bob Idoni, and Roger Munn for example...
It's great that he has come back for he is truly an icon of the sport...and a champion.
Billy....you can quietly send me a check for the above endorsement.
T2x
04-11-2007, 06:50 PM
#312
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Hi Billy,
Mate, thank you very much for that information.
I was watching some old footage of your dad racing and it was just such a rugged sport back then.
Was your Dad a wealthy guy in his late 20's to afford to race back then? (if you don't mind me asking!!!). I often wonder how the racers in the 70's at the ages they were racing got the cash as I imagine it wasn't a cheap sport in the days of a fuel crisis.
My father was a boat builder in Australia in the 70's and had his own brand. He told about the marine industry when the fuel crash hit and said it almost destroyed big V8 powerboats here. This is how I became interested in old school offshore. I was going through my dads papers and made an album with all the articles on his boats and photos so they don't get lost in time, and I found an american powerboat magazine from 1974 with Snapper Norris on the front cover...and then began to read all about Bounty hunter, Slap Shot etc and then started researching on the net.
Personally I'm not into the new offshore powerboats they are racing here...the cigarette style boats are so much cooler.
Which class do you race? Would you like to post some info on your boat and class?
Look forward to reading more about your dad and can't wait to see the pics of his boat.
Mate, thank you very much for that information.
I was watching some old footage of your dad racing and it was just such a rugged sport back then.
Was your Dad a wealthy guy in his late 20's to afford to race back then? (if you don't mind me asking!!!). I often wonder how the racers in the 70's at the ages they were racing got the cash as I imagine it wasn't a cheap sport in the days of a fuel crisis.
My father was a boat builder in Australia in the 70's and had his own brand. He told about the marine industry when the fuel crash hit and said it almost destroyed big V8 powerboats here. This is how I became interested in old school offshore. I was going through my dads papers and made an album with all the articles on his boats and photos so they don't get lost in time, and I found an american powerboat magazine from 1974 with Snapper Norris on the front cover...and then began to read all about Bounty hunter, Slap Shot etc and then started researching on the net.
Personally I'm not into the new offshore powerboats they are racing here...the cigarette style boats are so much cooler.
Which class do you race? Would you like to post some info on your boat and class?
Look forward to reading more about your dad and can't wait to see the pics of his boat.
No My father wasnt rich, we do own a furniture store, and at the time in the 70's we had 5 stores running and buisness was pretty good, but it took the 5 stores to bankroll his start in racing, until he recieved sponsorship from Mercury and Cigarrette, then things were alot easier. Today we are running out of our pockets with some help from AMF but the furniture Buisness is not as good as it used to be, so we are struggling to keep this thing going. Hint Hint to any readers looking to sponsor LOL.
If you also type in under the search mode Bounty Hunter, (there is another Bounty Hunter Owner-Mark McManus) and Billy Martin, you will find alot of good info on this site. Offshore Only is an encyclopedia of Offshore information, I also Posted some older pics in a thread called Offshore back in the Dayz
Just out of Curiosity are you involved in the boating Buisness, you mentioned that your father was?
Jr.
Last edited by Billy Martin; 04-11-2007 at 07:02 PM. Reason: Wrong Link
04-11-2007, 07:01 PM
#313
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Billy did (does?) indeed own a furniture store. Back then he was a fixture at Lake Hopatcong and had a dizzying relationship with Bob Davis at Northwood Boat and Engine company and an OPC racer named Howie Stein. They had a remarkable collection of fast twin outboard hulls and that led Billy to purchase his first offshore racer, a one of a kind Luhrs hull ( from the classier side of my family tree )... that he called "The Hustler" as I recall......
Later he stepped up to the Cigarettes and set the fledgling offshore world on its ear.... This led to a close relationship with Carl K and Mercury..... and I'm sure he received the best of the best from them.... including that damn missing Wing that I'd give a testicle for today. Bottom line he's one of the nicest people the sport has ever developed....and a pretty fair country racer to boot. Early on he was also a world class party animal and is the person primarily responsible for us launching an Allison race boat into a motel pool in Lake George one night.... ....complete with trailer.
He also gave a few guys a start in the sport.....Harry Wellman, Bob Idoni, and Roger Munn for example...
It's great that he has come back for he is truly an icon of the sport...and a champion.
Billy....you can quietly send me a check for the above endorsement.
T2x
)... that he called "The Hustler" as I recall......Later he stepped up to the Cigarettes and set the fledgling offshore world on its ear.... This led to a close relationship with Carl K and Mercury..... and I'm sure he received the best of the best from them.... including that damn missing Wing that I'd give a testicle for today. Bottom line he's one of the nicest people the sport has ever developed....and a pretty fair country racer to boot. Early on he was also a world class party animal and is the person primarily responsible for us launching an Allison race boat into a motel pool in Lake George one night....
....complete with trailer. He also gave a few guys a start in the sport.....Harry Wellman, Bob Idoni, and Roger Munn for example...
It's great that he has come back for he is truly an icon of the sport...and a champion.
Billy....you can quietly send me a check for the above endorsement.
T2x
Jr.
04-11-2007, 07:28 PM
#314
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Hi guys,
Firstly, next week I will go to a scanning company and scan the magazine. Also, I will scan pictures of my dads boats and brochures...they are similar in design to formula boats but older versions. I have a couple of wild pics of a surf rescue boat dad put his jet into and it is taken from a helicopter launching off a wave with massive air. Also I do have some good articles and photos.
Can one of you guys let me know how to post the pictures/articles/magazine?
Billy, that was really interesting about your dad. I am in a business I started with my dad in 1991 in beauty supply/manufacturing In the 60's my dad was involved in hairdressing supplies and made a lot of money, however he put all his money from that business into building his jet unit and boat moulds. This is going to sound bad, but kinda funny...mum said "the accountant looked at him and said why are you doing this? you are making money from water manufacturing shampoos?", Mum said "your dad looked at him in the eye and said "I cant deal with *** hairdressers anymore, I want to build jet boats!". So after blowing hundreds of thousands on them, and then getting divorced and nearly going broke in 1990 in the recession, we went back into hairdressing supplies, then moved onto beauty supply and are now one of the biggest in Australia in size, but profitability is still a problem and getting worse. My mate and I opened up a small factory in Orange County Huntington Beach about 4 years ago so I am quite often in OC, or Las Vegas. I am about jumping up and down with excitement when I go to newport beach and see the boat dealerships with the cigarettes etc!
Billy, In reference to your own business, I do believe it is a lot harder now for small business than it was back in the 70's. My dad often says "if we had this business in the 70's we would be filthy rich"...taxation here just kills it. Also, the red tape here is out of control. We have to pay our staff 9% 401k on top of their wages, 4 weeks leave, 10 days sick pay, 4% workers insurance...the list goes on and on. Our wages are very high here too. However, it still sure beats working for someone else.
My Dads good friend Peter Howells who I mentioned was sales manager for mercury Australia and he knows a hell of a lot about the offshore scene back in the day and he's a top bloke so I will follow him up and see what I can dig up. I was shocked when he began to tell me about a guy who built cigarette boats in a small town in my state and that turned out to be peter dean, then I started reading up on him. His company propco was apparently in the same suburb as where my factory is.
Getting back to your dad...whats with the boat in the pool???! You have to tell everybody on this site about it!.
Firstly, next week I will go to a scanning company and scan the magazine. Also, I will scan pictures of my dads boats and brochures...they are similar in design to formula boats but older versions. I have a couple of wild pics of a surf rescue boat dad put his jet into and it is taken from a helicopter launching off a wave with massive air. Also I do have some good articles and photos.
Can one of you guys let me know how to post the pictures/articles/magazine?
Billy, that was really interesting about your dad. I am in a business I started with my dad in 1991 in beauty supply/manufacturing In the 60's my dad was involved in hairdressing supplies and made a lot of money, however he put all his money from that business into building his jet unit and boat moulds. This is going to sound bad, but kinda funny...mum said "the accountant looked at him and said why are you doing this? you are making money from water manufacturing shampoos?", Mum said "your dad looked at him in the eye and said "I cant deal with *** hairdressers anymore, I want to build jet boats!". So after blowing hundreds of thousands on them, and then getting divorced and nearly going broke in 1990 in the recession, we went back into hairdressing supplies, then moved onto beauty supply and are now one of the biggest in Australia in size, but profitability is still a problem and getting worse. My mate and I opened up a small factory in Orange County Huntington Beach about 4 years ago so I am quite often in OC, or Las Vegas. I am about jumping up and down with excitement when I go to newport beach and see the boat dealerships with the cigarettes etc!
Billy, In reference to your own business, I do believe it is a lot harder now for small business than it was back in the 70's. My dad often says "if we had this business in the 70's we would be filthy rich"...taxation here just kills it. Also, the red tape here is out of control. We have to pay our staff 9% 401k on top of their wages, 4 weeks leave, 10 days sick pay, 4% workers insurance...the list goes on and on. Our wages are very high here too. However, it still sure beats working for someone else.
My Dads good friend Peter Howells who I mentioned was sales manager for mercury Australia and he knows a hell of a lot about the offshore scene back in the day and he's a top bloke so I will follow him up and see what I can dig up. I was shocked when he began to tell me about a guy who built cigarette boats in a small town in my state and that turned out to be peter dean, then I started reading up on him. His company propco was apparently in the same suburb as where my factory is.
Getting back to your dad...whats with the boat in the pool???! You have to tell everybody on this site about it!.
Last edited by priceb; 04-30-2007 at 09:05 AM.
04-12-2007, 11:53 AM
#315
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A bit off topic, but Price, anytime you're in HB drop me an email or PM and and you're welcome to come out and play in the rough stuff with us in either the Pantera (24 is good as gone, but a 28 on its way this weekend) or the Gun.
While I'm sidetracking this a bit... Thanks guys this stuff is awesome! Keep up the good work!
While I'm sidetracking this a bit... Thanks guys this stuff is awesome! Keep up the good work!
04-12-2007, 07:41 PM
#316
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Hey Dude! Sweet!,
I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it!. I will also pay the fuel.
My buddy in HB would also love to go out if that is okay?
I should be back over there end of May, and I can't wait!.
I appreciate the offer and will take you up on it!. I will also pay the fuel.
My buddy in HB would also love to go out if that is okay?
I should be back over there end of May, and I can't wait!.
04-13-2007, 02:21 PM
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Ken Warby is Part of the AMF Team, he doesnt run in our boat. John Haggin the Founder of AMF invited us to the Point Pleasant NJ Race Last June, that was what started my father back into racing. Ken Warby was there and I had the distinct pleasure of Talking to him, Man what a Great Guy and Legend! You can usually find him in the pits at the AMF trailer at any of the events that AMF attends.
Jr.
Jr.
