1960 "Bob Gilliam" Unlimited Hydro

[Tomtall]

Talk about a time capsule.
But omg the work needed to restore it.
Some things are better off just left as is.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vinta...item23290ba123

[Smitty]

The U88 "Fascination", also ran as Hilton HyPerLube, Pizza Pete, probably a few other names, and what you see in the picture, Sunny Jim (peanut butter and such, motto, "Gee, That's Me"). Outboard racer Chuck Walters was going to be the driver as I recall; maybe he found the sponsor. Don't know how all that came out.

The boat was kind of heavy, always did some funny bobs and weaves coming off a corner until it straightened out and worked pretty well at speed. Gilliam had one misadventure with it: testing late in the day, with the sun in his eyes, he ran over the log boom! Fortunately no major harm done.

The boat had one moment of glory. The first heat of the Seafair race in maybe '67, Gilliam nailed the start and ran a lap and a half well out front, with a good lead over the second-place Tahoe Miss. Gilliam's usual luck held, though, and an electrical mis-connection put him dead in the water, a real shame.

[blueskyracer]

The U88 "Fascination", also ran as Hilton HyPerLube, Pizza Pete, probably a few other names, and what you see in the picture, Sunny Jim (peanut butter and such, motto, "Gee, That's Me"). Outboard racer Chuck Walters was going to be the driver as I recall; maybe he found the sponsor. Don't know how all that came out.

The boat was kind of heavy, always did some funny bobs and weaves coming off a corner until it straightened out and worked pretty well at speed. Gilliam had one misadventure with it: testing late in the day, with the sun in his eyes, he ran over the log boom! Fortunately no major harm done.

The boat a one moment of glory. The first heat of the Seafair race in maybe '67, Gilliam nailed the start and ran a lap and a half well out front, with a good lead over the second-place Tahoe Miss. Gilliam's usual luck held, though, and an electrical mis-connection pput him dead in the water, a real shame.

I remember it like it was yesterday.. He was smoking them and the announcer never did relize it was Bob in the lead till it was over.. Announcers should know their boats!!

[Smitty]

The stations, even in Seattle, that broadcast the Unlimited races always just got one of their stick-and-ball sportscasters to do the race, and none of them knew beans about motorsports. It is to the credit of one of them, Bill O'Mara of KING-TV, that he took an interest and began asking a lot of questions to get himself up to speed. The same situation applies to the sportswriters in the local papers: utter ignorance of motor racing. Again, a few of the writers, notably Bill Knight of the Seattle P.I., made some effort to learn. But the rest of the sports media people have never changed a sparkplug or the oil in their own car, and cannot relate to motorsports in any depth. At least there are a few ex-racers and racing enthusiasts that they regularly call on to provide "color" and technical explanations.

(EDIT) I should have included magazine writer Eileen Crimmen, a great gal who know more about raceboats than the rest of the local sportswriters combined. I still have an issue or two of Hot Boat with major articles by her.

As for the boat, many of the volunteer crew members that worked on the boat over the years seemed to have been not very mechanical, accountants and bartenders and such. But the crew chief, Al Thorsen, had blue-collar savvy to spare. Another knowledgable guy that got his start in the U-boats on the U88 was Jim Harvey.

I think Chuck Walters, who would have shown the big-name Unlimited chauffeurs what a real racer can do if he had gotten the chance, currently has some official position with the AOF group in the Spokane and Sandpoint, ID area. Maybe he can be talked into telling some stories here. "Honker" and his dad Bud were Seattle Outboard stalwarts for years, both of them real charactors. When I knew them, Bud had a Ron Jones F hydro, and Chuck had an A and a B loop, hopped up by Jim Hallum, which he ran on various DeSilvas and Fotis. And he had a six. Chuck won the FRR Nationals one year (with a bent con-rod as he found out later) but the story I barely remember and would like to hear is one in which Chuck, as a young kid, raced both JU and F Hydro at some local event . . . .

[Dr. Thunder]

"Honker"

Smitty, I think I was there that day ... thinking it was at Lake Sammamish ... heard tons of grumbling in the pits that a 14 year old "kid" had no business in an FOH!

[stevegray]

u-88

says the bidding ended at 1580.55? does that mean it sold or are they still holding out for 8 grand

[blueskyracer]

Usually if reserve is not met then there is no winner unless the guy contacts the highest bidder and says he can have it for his bid privately