By John Lawrence member of No. California/ Lake Tahoe chapter
Three point Hydroplane racing began back in the 1940’s. Three notable builders emerged as the experts in hydroplane construction. All three builders became a father and son businesses. Henry Lauterbach and his son Larry. Ted Jones and his son Ron, and Les Staudacher and his son Jon, continues to this day building Hydroplanes.
Henry Lauterbach died in 2006. Henry built the E247 in 1971. Originally built to run an 8 cyl engine the boat was sold to Rudy Gurley who, along with Larry Lauterbach, replaced the 8cyl engine with a 4cyl engine and raced the boat under the name “Rudy’s Comet” from 1972 to 1974. The boat came close to winning the high points/or the 150 Cu. In class.
The boat almost won the world championship in 1974, but broke down on the last lap of the race. In 1975 Rudy once again replaced the engine with an 8cyl Plymouth. In 1975 the boat was sold to Bill Ha”is and Norm Lauterbach, Henry’s brother. The boat was renamed “Capt. Dumpling” and became the Region 4 Champion in 1976-1977. It also won the Presidents Cup in the Washington D.C race in 1977. The driver of the boat was Bud Roper, who also became part owner of the boat in 1977.
The boat was once again sold to new owner Tommy Hines in 1977, who was a well known driver on the east coast. He renumbered the boat E115 and ran under the name “Bad Company” Tommy replaced the old Plymouth engine with a 265 hp Chevy. Tommy raced the boat from 1977 through 1981, but he did not remember the racing history. In 1981 the boat was given to Tommy’s crew chief Bruce Mason.
Unable to contact Bruce, this part of the story is a mystery. Bruce raced the boat from 1982-1986 as indicated by the racing stickers on the interior of the boat upon ceasing to race the boat, Bruce left the boat on the ground, off the trailer, with no engine, to rot away. It looked as though this was the end of the old E247. Then along came Greg Strand and Skip Gilliam, who found the boat lying on the ground in the woods of Salem, N.J. Greg bought the boat from Bruce Mason for 500 dollars, in 1994.
The restoration was a 2 year project, replacing the left sponson, the outer edge of the right sponson, the rotten wood on the left side of the boat, and rebuilding the transom. Greg found an 8 cyl Plymouth engine.The intentions were to concourse and run the boat in flybys. However, the boat was never put in the water.
Marshall Mathews found the boat in 1999 and had it shipped to California. The E247 was a long way away from its east coast history. Marshall ran the boat at Lake Tahoe, every chance he had.
Aside from having a lifelong dream to someday own this boat, sit in the cockpit and put the pedal to metal, my real interest, at this time, is running the boat for fun, show the boat, and try to regain an interest in the Vintage Hydroplanes, back here on the West Coast Our family is beginning to grow. If you ever want your heart to pump rapidly, feel the excitement of speed and movement, contact me!
Three point hydroplanes of more than model boat size did not begin until the 1950’s. The concept was identifies and proposed by the aeronautical engineering department at the University of Toronto, Canada and the first 30″ models powered by McCoy model aircraft engines were built by Bob Purves in 1948 and competed in tethered model boat competitions, culminating in a world record speed of 84.3 mph in Detroit in July of 1949.
The Harmsworth Trophy winner Miss Supertest , which claimed the world speed record on Lake Ontario at Picton Ontario in 1954, was one of the first three pointers of the Unlimited Class to be build and raced .
Thanks for the Great article about the subsequent builders
I believe the first 3 point hydroplane was built by the father son duo of Adolph and Arno Apel # G-13 named “My Sin” in 1938. The hull design was so unique at the time they had the design patented. To the amazement of the long stepped hull mono hulls of the day she won the 1939 Gold Cup. In 1946 “My Sin’ was sold to Guy Lombardo and renamed “Tempo IV”.
The My Sin was known as a tail dragging hydroplane, she rode on the sponsons and drug along on her transom, Ted Jones of Seattle, ,WA perfected the first successful Unlimited class/Gold Cup 3-point riding hydroplane or Prop-rider (riding on the sponsons and propeller blade) with SLO-MO-SHUN V, in 1950. The first to establish a Limited inboard class, Prop-riding hydroplane, like John’s hydro in the photo, was Tommy Hill of Alameda, CA,, in 1945.
Tommy was my grandfather and I am so proud to see him mentioned in these circles. I never knew him as he died when my dad was young. It is these references that give me some peak into his racing world.
I attended those model hydro races in Detroit as a kid & my “Buddy’s” Dad was one of the hydro competitor racers for the model boats. The model races were run at a site called “Water Works Park” in Detroit. It was a formed circular concrete pond about 3′ deep with a pylon in the middle. The Gold cup races were held in the Detroit River nearby & we kids were ardent racers even before we drove anything beyond our bicycles. In later years , I raced a 48 cu in. Crosley powered hydro & we did OK, but we began to realize our ambitions & our money didn`t seem to coincide! All-In-all, it was very exciting seeing these Hydro pictures & it brings back great memories.
I concur with GHB’s Mar.22 post on Adolp & Arno Apel for ‘My Sin’ (G-13). My father Dudley of Syracuse, NY was a spectator follower of the circuit experts, travelling weekends to watch big band era driver Guy Lombardo pilot ‘Tempo VI.’ The three point, shovel nose hull hydroplane design was built by the father and son team for Pops
and Bob Schroeder of Buffalo, NY for all classes of hydroplanes. (A thru U) The N-class inboard 225cc hydro ‘My
Sin’ (I, II & III) Schroeder built for Henry ‘Hank’ Vogel of Rochester, NY. Henry, 91, passed on 03.13.2019. Hank
held two world titles (1958, ’59) in the 100 mph speedboat racing in his Studebaker powered flame-red ‘My Sin.’
Hi!
I’m searching for pictures of Nice and Easy
Musky Poulins boat I purchased in the 80s.
I would really appreciate your help.
Ron C Collins