Originally posted by BOAT ANCHOR
Before driving Crazy Horse, Al Bush drove his personal Blown Fuel Flat by the name of IRON HORSE. It was a 1974 Kurtis with a bottom that had huge runners (over 1 inch deep). He took over the driving duties on the Crazy Horse boat after Rick Lee (Ski Centurion Fame) flipped/crashed the boat at Long Beach Marine Stadium in 1975. Who is SAM AND PEGGY HONDO???.It was Irv Brendel and his wife Peggy who owned Hondo Boats. It was the Great "Rapid Raymond Caselli" in his Hondo BFF 007 Panic Mouse and all the success the Panic Mouse boat had, as well as some others (Sonny Jones, Del Palmer, Jeff Spitzig, Del Macino, Mike Brendel, Wyane Mettler, Virgil Feilds, Jim Cole) that helped to propel Hondo Boats to the success that they were, LONG BEFORE Al Bush ever got his hands one. After Bush got his hands on one, he certianly contributed to Hondo's sucuess. Howard Brown and Jim Cole never swapped flatbottom and cruiser molds or splashed each others boats. Irv Brendel splashed Howards extremely successful (at the time) hydro (Down n Out) some time in 1971. After Irv introduced the XH-511his FIRST Runner Bottom (HONDO)in late 1971, Howard decided to get back at Irv for splashing his hydro, and splashed Irvs XH-511, and called it the Howard XH-512.Irv and Howard use to place ads in Raceboat and Industry News on oppoising pages advertising their boats.Irvs ad would be on the left page saying "Introducing the new Hondo XH-511", and on the right page Howard's ad would read "Introducing the new Howard XH-512 Tunnel Runner, JUST ONE BETTER." It was a great ad.Wyane Mettler started his boating career at Hondo Boats in the late 1960s/early 70s(he drove Bob And Mona Watts Unblown Fuel Flatbottom "FRANTIC RAT") He was there until 76 or 77, when he went to work for Jim Cole. He didn't stay at Coles very long, and was doing installations out of his house on bare hulls that he purchased from Sonny DiMarco.He called his business Canyon Marine (due to it's location in Canyon Country Ca.) and sometime in the early 80s he purchased Sonny DiMarcos molds (Sonny had to close down his business and sell his molds due to a law suit) moved into a shop and Canyon Marine was under way.
How's the cruiser comming along?
See ya at the swap meet sunday.