When I bought the hydro I was so excited to get it home that I did
not think of asking the history, and I really did not think at that time
that there was a group of vintage hydro lovers out there, had I known I
would have paid more attention and asked many questions. Actually driving
a vintage hydro has been in my blood since I was young. It has survived
many times of thoughts of selling it for lack of cash, but have managed
to hang on to it. I was on a fishing trip with some buddies in Vancouver
B.C. when I spotted the hydro in a front yard on blocks with a for sale
sign saying $250. By the time we made a u-turn and headed back, I was already
imagining driving it on the lake! One look inside with the included hardware
convinced me to buy on the spot and as I said to my friends " The prop
is worth $250.". When I peeled the fiberglass off the deck I was hoping
to see any clue as to names or numbers, but no luck! Any help is greatly
welcomed!
I r'cd this email in January 2005:
Yes, I recognize this boat. The trailer looks like one of mine (California
Marine), single axle, wishbone, American Racing mags.
The boat is a Hallett. Rich Hallett, the builder of this hull, was
a racing associate of my dad.
The boat used to be owned by Noel Barry of Burnaby, BC. Noel worked
as a car salesman for Hugh Rider Motors on west Broadway in Vancouver and his wife, Gisela, worked at a restaurant called the Bavarian Room,
also on west Broadway. His wife may still be alive.
The boat was originally red and was named Firebird. Power was
supplied by a 273 C.I.D. Plymouth V-8. Noel competed throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the USA, with this boat. It ran in the APBA/CBF
class of 280's, designated by the letter "E". My dad, Jim Hutchison,
(BC Sports Hall
of Fame inductee in 1984 and BC Pioneer of Motor Sports inductee in
2004 and holder of numerous Canadian speed records, Divisionals, Nationals
and
APBA/CBF high points championships) maintained Noel's boat during his
career.
Dave - California Marine Sales Corporation
Richmond, BC, Canada, V6W 1H3
I would really appreciate if anybody has a photograph of the the 280
cu in class of Firebird.
The hull is 16' 2" long. It has a number plate
on the cross frame below the drive shaft. There was no motor in the boat
when I bought it. There is no gear box or sign of any that would be in
it. The decking was nailed with small ring nails. The boat had a 17K2259
registration number on it. I would be delighted to put a name to this piece
of history. The bearing for the drive shaft is water lubricated. As I have
removed the plywood I have noticed that there are considerable wearing
and cracks in some frame work. This indicates to me that it had seen some
heavy use or raced hard, alot of wood showing signs of rubbing and worn
down. I can't wait to test drive it but also want to restore it to as close
as original as possible, so trying to contain my anxious thoughts and seeking
any help on tracing back this hull's history.
Interior - Phil Kunz is 90% sure it is a Hallet hull built in the 50's
or early 60's.
Motor Mount -
Bob Foley commented that the minimum hull length was 16 ft in the 280s,
225s and 266s.
With the huge wheel and no gearbox, he is guessing it was a 280 cubic
inch class.
Gearboxes were legal in the 266 class but not the 225 and 280 class.
There is some rot damage in the framing of the sponson.
As a side note:
This is a picture of the 10' Tunnel hull was my school project, the
picture was taken in 1978 at Sproat Lake where we lived.
The hull was from a plan called 10' Tunnel Mite out of the Glen L plan
book. I designed the top part. I still have this boat.
Here is a photo when I was 14 with my first hydroplane. As you can
imagine, I dreamed of one day to drive a real one. So I am getting closer.
Both of these school project's kept me out of trouble during school.
I spent lots of lunch hours in the boat building shop.
Again, if you have any information or leads on Firebird, I would
like to hear from you.
I'm located in the SW part of Canada.
© Dave Boxrud
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