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View Full Version : Campbell V-drive Deckboat????



fryzll
10-23-2001, 10:52 PM
My buddy has a Cambpbell 19ft (I think) tunell hull v-drive deck boat made in the mid to late 70's. Its got a BBC hooked to a T-400 tranny going to a Casale box. The drivers seat is somewhat of a center console type that looks bad ass. I was just wondering if anyone here has ever seen one of these because I heard it was a rare boat and that Campbell didnt make many of them. Its a really bitchin looking boat so I was just curious, thanks for any input.
Chris

Hustler
10-24-2001, 09:48 AM
fryzll, Are you sure that is a tunnel? to my knowledge(wich is not much)that boat was a 21' boston whaler type boat. they are really cool boats. I remember seeing alot of them on havasu when I was a kid.
Hustler

fryzll
10-24-2001, 05:52 PM
Ya Hustler, it is a tunnel and thats what caught my eye. He told me that thats why its a rare boat but who knows?
Chris

SPECTRABRENT
10-24-2001, 06:00 PM
Fryzll,
I think that Campbell made 1 or 2 of the 20 ft Tunnels v-drives. If you want to know for sure call Bob Whelan he is the owner of Campbell Boats 520-855-2133.

summerlove
10-30-2001, 02:06 PM
I think Campbell made 3 or 4 - they were the first "air entrapment" designs - they ran good, but needed alot of power. They do look great. I have a picture of one that I can scan and email to your friend. I have 2 Campbells and know them pretty well. I also have a few other resources for you other than the one suggested by Spectra brent. send me an email if interested.
Rick

summerlove
10-30-2001, 02:08 PM
Fryzll:
BTW, it is a 20'6" hull. You can find the year on the right rear stringer, along with the hull #. It is, I believe, mid 70's, ??? but I'm not positive.

old rigger
10-31-2001, 09:27 AM
summerlove,
"they were the first air entrapment designs". ?????????????????????
They were the first, and they came out with this in the 70's????
Not hardly.
You're right, you do know Campbells well, but air entrapment hulls were around for decades before Campbell ventured into that design.

fryzll
10-31-2001, 09:41 PM
Thanks for the info guys. This boat hasnt seen the water for 3 years due to divorce issues and then a bad engine builder (valve train nightmares) so im gonna give him a hand getting it dialed in for next year. He keeps the boat in his shop so its in perfect shape. I will try to get some pics and more info on it and post it here. He likes this boat alot but misses his old one. It was a V-drive hydro w/ a Hallman Mooney (sp) 427 that turned something like 8500 rpm, but the divorce made him sell it so the bitch wouldnt get it http://free.***boat.net/ubb/biggrin.gif He still kicks himself because he even gave the buyer a spare 427. Thanks again for the info.
Chris

058
11-01-2001, 06:42 AM
Fryzll, Did you say he gave away the spare 427 Ford? I'd be sick too. A complete Holman & Moody 427 Ford Medium Riser is worth 5-6K as a running core in todays market.

fryzll
11-01-2001, 07:14 PM
Yep, he kicks himself in the ass for it but atleast his ex didnt get her grubby little paws on it. Words cant describe how bad ass that hydro looked w/ that 427 in it. What was the deal w/ those Halman & Moodey engines, I heard they had something to do w/ NASCAR but im not sure.
Chris

058
11-02-2001, 04:21 AM
Fryzll, Holman & Moody was the biggest supplier/contractor of NASCAR race cars and equipment that got their start in 1957 when Ford got out of racing. Mostly contracted to Ford [ran Dodges for a very short time] To run the NASCAR and USAC programs. Did alot of engine, driveline and safety development for themselves and other teams. Also did some marine engines for the marathon boat racers in the 60s. Some of the old timers should remember the Salton Sea 500 and others like it. I wonder if Old Rigger knows more about this marathon stuff. I'd love to hear about it. The H/M 427 Ford was the hot set-up back then, a bullet-proof engine you could run all day long at 6-7K and with the oil pump and dist in the back of the boat seem to be perfect for the application.

LeE ss13
11-02-2001, 08:25 AM
Yeh ... I remember the Salton Sea 500. My parents were friends of the Brummetts (sp)who owned Mandella Boats. That was the hot setup for enduro boats then, Mandellas and Ford. My dad was the Auto Shop teacher at Pasadena City College then and Mandella boats were in Pasadena also. We used to go to the races all the time. That was until Lou Brummett was killed in a race at Lake Elsinore in 1972. They brought him on shore right in front of my mother. She is not big on my boat racing. Anyway the other Shop teacher at the time was a big Ford fan. He said you could buy (if I remember right) a Hollman and Moody 427 for $500 after it was used in a race back then. He also owned a Campbell before the phrase 'Day Cruiser' was common. And of course my first boat was an ex-enduro Mandella with a Ford. U93, old "Black and Blue". It had 28.5% gears in it with a 13" 3 blade prop. I sold it the Machine Shop teacher in '75. I think he still has it.
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LeE ss13

old rigger
11-02-2001, 09:22 AM
058,
Salton Sea!!! Strangest place on the face of the earth. Went to 2 (I think) 500's there with my Dad. I was pretty young so I'm not 100% if it was the 500 or a smaller race. I remember the water more than anything. It was like the ocean. Big swells comming in during the race and I remember the boats having to come in a channel to launch. My folks actually went skiing there a few times before my Grandparents moved to Bullhead in '61. We were river rats from then on.
Funny you should mention the S S 500. A friend a few blocks away has a copy of a video that someone made from old home movies and there is alot of footage of this race, mid 60's stuff. It's absolutly Heaven to watch and there is some amazing footage of Nordskog driving one of his Sharkstooth hulls taken from a helecopter! The guy is running in some huge chop and swell and never takes his foot out of it. Very, very cool stuff. There is also a bunch of other film from other races from about the same time. I should borrow it again and make some copies if anyone is interested.
I don't know why they don't do a big marathon there again. As far as I know there isn't much going on out there anymore, is there? Instead of everyone ****in' around on this site, trying to decide who builds the best jet drive, we ought to revive the
Salton Sea 500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Except for the Insurance, how hard could it be? Do it like SCTA does it for the dry lakes and bonneville races, no cash prizes. Only a plaque and a record. It's worked for them for over 50 years and it is now more popular than ever. Nothing better than a 9 hour boat race.
When my Dad was at Tahiti in the '60's, they would buy engines by the truck load for the boats. The shop then was stock piled with an unbelieveable amount of hardware and during the winter, Schuster layed no one off. Instead, he would stock pile boats and stack them up in a huge rack that was built in the shop. When spring would hit, a customer could pick from, I guessing, 30 to 40 boats that were ready to go. Any color/motor combo that you could think of. This was in a much simpler time so the boats didn't have many, if any options, but you could get your boat on the spot or wait for a custom one. Anyway (sorry to ramble again) they use to buy these motors by the truck load and for the jets, if a customer wanted someting more than an Olds, he could have a big Ford or Chevy. If I remember right the Fords were 427 hp 427's and the Chevys were the 425 hp 427's. It was pretty cool to see all these motors stacked up, not counting the more popular 120/140 I/O and outboards. Some where out there, there are dozens if not hundreds of old Tahiti's with very colectable engines in them. Wonder what happened to them all?
[This message has been edited by old rigger (edited November 06, 2001).]

058
11-02-2001, 11:45 AM
Holy Shit, I don't know where to start, Thanks, Larry for your input and thanks Old rigger for yours. If you have some of the old footage I'd LOVE to see it. Although I'm in the Bay Area and didn't get a chance to see any of the races 1st hand except a few of the little races here at Oakland airport. [anyone remember Oakland Marine Stadium?] About the time I became old enough to drive those races were just about over so all I could do was read about them in Hot Rod Magazine as a young pup. It would be "died and gone to heaven" if the old style enduro racing was ever brought back. What a shot in arm for the boat industry to revive this type of racing. Even just one race a year would be a good start. We could call it the "Lou Brummett Memorial Salton Sea 500" that is if its ok with the Brummett family. When do we start?

SPECTRABRENT
11-02-2001, 12:11 PM
058,
No offense to the drag boat racers, but Enduro racing is the most fun to watch. I try to make all of the GN races @ Long Beach and Parker. I have never watched a real enduro race like the Parker 9 hour or Salton Sea 500, it would be great to bring back the old boats and run these races again.
Brent

058
11-03-2001, 11:05 AM
What about some sort of nolstaga type racing? It sure works good for the "GoodGuys" with some of the races they have at Bakersfield, Sears Point and other places. Set up the rules to keep the 60s technology and to attempt to control cost. All forms of racing isn't cheap but with a rule structure the cost of building a competitive boat wouldn't be off the scale. A displacement and carb limit [6-7 liter and 1 750-850 cfm carb] minimum weight rule [to discourage the potato chip thick hulls] and some other common sense type rules. I'm sure there are plenty of people who know alot more than I do on what would be simple, fair and still be fun to race. Larry, I know you are busy with your racing program but is this something you might be interested in? How about you, Old rigger, with your knowledge of the older boats you would be a natural. SpectraBrent, what about you? Is this something that you could or would get into?

LeE ss13
11-03-2001, 02:47 PM
058 ...well they kind of already do in a few classes. The Craker Boxes have been around since the late '40s and with engines limited to '50s and '60s small blocks and they are still costing a bunch to keep up and going over a 100mph. The standards for Super Stock were started in the late '60s with mostly stock engine parts, and guys have been known to spend over $20,000 on an engine and the Kilo record is 121 mph. As we chat, APBA is starting a new entry level class with some ideas just like you mentioned. Stay tuned.
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LeE ss13

058
11-03-2001, 06:54 PM
Thanks Larry, I have heard rumors about APBA doing something like a nostalga type of program. Some locals around here have been buying up a few of the old wood hydros that have been parked since the 70s. A couple of years ago I ran across one with a 273" Mopar 2 bbl, free for the taking...went back a day later and it was gone. Boat was real rough as it was sitting for a very long time, prob. more than I could handle as I'm not a woodworker. The Crackerboxes are really wild too, I was offered the "No Sence" C/B a few years ago but a good friend had first option on it and bought it just to resell it a few months later at a tidy profit. This is something I would be interested in doing, I'll get into the APBA website for info if its public yet. Thanks again, Bob

old rigger
11-04-2001, 10:05 AM
058,
talked to my buddy and he said I could have the tapes of the old races, he hasn't looked at them since I borrowed them last time. Will try to dupe them for you when I get them.
The only form of racing, or getting involved in any way, that I would be interested in would be if the race were some type of a big marathon. I have no idea what I could do to help along a project like this, but I would do whatever I could (?). The only race I was in, except river racin', was the Parker enduro when it was running at 5 hrs. We finished, but that was about it. I watched the 9hr for years and years as my folks had a place 'bout half mile up river from Badnochs. That race was IT!

058
11-04-2001, 11:03 AM
Old Rigger, Thank you, I would be happy to cover any cost involved to duplicate the tape. Sounds like some great footage. As to your raceboat experence its more than mine, I wouldn't know where to start either but I'm sure there is people on this board that does such as LeE ss13 but he has his own race progran to think of. He has been very helpful so far with ideas and opinions. I have never been involved in any type of boat racing other than the usual weekend lake stuff. My only race experence was just with cars [NHRA] Stockers, street machines and for a couple of years a TAFC but no boats. Anything you can suggest will be welcome. Thanks again, Bob

superdave013
11-04-2001, 02:10 PM
Old Rigger, Boy I sure would like to see that tape some time too. Hey, you still wanna swing by and take a peek at the schiada?

Stab-n-Steer
11-05-2001, 05:57 PM
Old Rigger,
I would very much like a copy of that tape. Please let me know what I can contribute ($$) to the effort. Old boat racing videos are very hard to find and I am doing my best to collect what I can.
Thanks,
Randy

Stab-n-Steer
11-05-2001, 06:55 PM
O58,
Oakland Marine Stadium... Wow, does that bring back memories! I practically lived there in the mid to late 60's. My dad helped out a friend with a 280 hydro so we never missed a circle race or a drag race. Saw drag boat legends such as Dwight "Hay" Bale, Larry "the Shoe" Schabenland and Ray Caselli... Unfortunately, I saw Ray's fatal wreck in his Top Fuel Flatbottom "Panic Mouse" in '69 or '70, not sure what year... I was at the very last drag boat race held there in '83. We waited all day for the wind to die down. They finally ran one boat, an alcohol hydro, which promptly flipped and ended the day... Due to insurance problems they never did run there again...
You mentioned the cracker box "No Sense" (88-P). Your friend that sold it must have been John Canfiled out of Livermore. He is a friend of mine as well. The "No Sense" boat was originally named "Orangotang" in the 60's. It is one of the few wood hull Pattersons still racing. The boat was many time national champion and the only race boat to ever be on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine to my knowledge... A guy in Concord, CA owns it and it is for sale again. I would love to buy it and restore it as the original bright-orange Orangotang but my wife might have something to say about that!
This forum is pretty cool. lot's of "old" knowledge to be shared...
Randy

old rigger
11-05-2001, 08:37 PM
Up until a few years ago, Byron and Joel Bronson of Hill propellers were also running a wood Patterson.
I think, I'm not 100%, but I think they even set a record in it against the newer glass hulls. If I remember right it was a kilo run, can't recall the speed. This was 'bout 8-9 years ago.
Those wood Pattersons were so cool. I always wanted to restore one but one running a flathead V8. Just to show how ****ed up I am, I even have an extra flattie with the marine stuff, siting in the corner of the garage. Another project that my wife just shakes her head at.
Poor, long suffering woman.

058
11-06-2001, 07:27 AM
This thread is getting better by the day. S&S, I don't know John Canfield but the fellow who bought and sold it was Skip Govia. He thought he might race it but other drag racing commitments prevented it. He, however built the engines for it thru 2 or 3 owners and did crew for one of the previous owners. Do you remember when it had the 4 Webers on it? It now runs a 4bbl as it makes for easier tuning. Oakland Marine Stadium was only about 1/2 mile by water from my house so I used to go there by boat and watch the races from where the pilings were on the other side that is until they would kick me out. Alot of memorys indeed. Old Rigger, Nothing wrong with a flathead, it would make for a great project. Your wife sound alot like mine, She knows the projects are better than sitting in a bar drinking the rent money and as she has made the comment "at least I know where you are" She knows its a desease with no known cure. God love that woman!

Stab-n-Steer
11-08-2001, 08:03 PM
058,
Sorry for the late reply, I've been out of town for awhile. I think what happened is that John Canfield bought it from Skip and only owned it for a short time and then sold it to Richard Clausen who owns an autoshop in Concord. He raced it all last year with the Webers but change to a 4BL this year but only ran a few times. His wife says it's for sale, he justs shrugs when asked about it...
John Canfield owns and drives "Black & Blue" 99-P. This boat is a wood hulled Wickens built in 1956. John and his wife Courtney raced it for the last time at Pleasanton in October. He is going to pull out the race motor and put in a milder small block and use it for a pleasure boat.
I was going to post a picture of "No Sense" but couldn't figure out how... any tips?
Randy

superdave013
11-08-2001, 09:41 PM
e-mail me the pic and I'll be glad to post it for you.

old rigger
11-09-2001, 10:46 AM
S&S, you gotta get the pics of that Wickens to superdave !! Would love to see that boat.

058
11-09-2001, 10:59 AM
S&S, Skip had a couple of pics on the wall of his shop of "No Sense" at speed, great pics. Would be great to post but my scanner took a dump and I don't know if Skip has one but I'll ask. I may have met Rich At Skip's shop as the engine was in for freshining a few months ago. He was going to run at Shadow Cliffs but I understand he didn't make it. Just curious, what kind of boat do you own and where do you run it?
[This message has been edited by 058 (edited November 09, 2001).]

Stab-n-Steer
11-09-2001, 12:22 PM
SuperDave, Old Rigger,
I will e-mail pics of the 99-P which is the wood Wickens. The pic is not that great but the boat is beautiful - The dash and cockpit area is all natural wood. John Canfield is retiring the boat because he's afaid it will get damaged racing it anymore at 45 years old. John is 70 and his wife Courtney who is his rider is in her 60's, so they have had a good time racing for many years.
I will also e-mail the 88-P which is the wood Patterson that was also built in the late 50's. This a better picture and shows how a crakerbox normally rides.
John has borrowed some old crackerbox footage from Bob Patterson himself that I hope to see this weekend. It is from the 40's and 50's...
Do you have to be a member to post pics on this site?
Randy
[This message has been edited by Stab-n-Steer (edited November 09, 2001).]

Stab-n-Steer
11-09-2001, 12:37 PM
058,
Yeah, Rich did not make Shadowcliffs this year... Not sure why.
I do not have a race boat anymore. I have a 1958 Biesemeyer v-drive that I have been restoring for the last 4 years. Did not make it on the water this summer but it is 95% done and I will be ready the first nice day next spring. I will be attending all the west coast classic v-drive events that I can next summer.
In the late 70's I raced a 145 hydro (now called 2.5L) for a short time. It was an all wood Hallet... I did a little drag racing with my Cole runner bottom in the 80's. Now I have the fever to race a crackerbox!
Randy

058
11-10-2001, 09:51 AM
Randy, Are you considering buying "No Sense"?

Stab-n-Steer
11-11-2001, 09:03 AM
058,
I thought very seriously about it but if I were to race crackerboxes I would want a newer glass boat. You can get a brand new glass hull that was laid up from a plug off a Patterson. I hear they are about $15k with everything less motor and trailer. Sounds pricey but try to build one for that.
If I were to buy a historical boat like "No Sense", I would restore it back to the orignal "Orangotang" and use it as a fun boat... I need to get my Biesemeyer back on the water and then I will see what project is next.
Randy

HM
06-15-2007, 11:42 PM
Well, this Campbell has been bouncing around hot boat for a few years.

BrianB
06-18-2007, 09:43 AM
STOP!!!!!!
I'm forming an intervention group Who's in ?

lucky
06-18-2007, 12:22 PM
Well, this Campbell has been bouncing around hot boat like hansens nuts on donalds chin.
boy that boat has been bouncing around alot :D