Mona Lou and others Bertrams 31'

[BUIZILLA]

the Blue Moppie (which I recall was named after a toilet brush).

I heard that was Dick's wife's nickname... could be wrong...

[FLYING FISH]

Just to reassure you Marco,that photo along with others (Tramontana I etc),was scanned from a slide given to me by the engineering draughtsman who worked on the Vosper raceboats,and had these pics from the 1962 Cowes Torquay race.So I have kept them safe for you to enjoy in later years.
I wish we had lots of similar colour work of the U.S. races of that 60`s era.

[Brownie]

Buizilla, lighten up!

[BUIZILLA]

ut oh....

[Black Tornado]

Just to reassure you Marco,that photo along with others (Tramontana I etc),was scanned from a slide given to me by the engineering draughtsman who worked on the Vosper raceboats,and had these pics from the 1962 Cowes Torquay race.So I have kept them safe for you to enjoy in later years.
I wish we had lots of similar colour work of the U.S. races of that 60`s era.

No doubt about your photo Graham.
I'm refferred to that posted from PJC.

[Ratickle]

Love this thread guys, can't wait to see what comes up next...

[FLYING FISH]

The boat has been around for many years in the UK under the ownership of Willimet,who raced it in the 1965 Cowes Torquay after it had raced in 63 & 64 under the ownership of Keith Schellenberg.It was recently rescued from the Motorboat Museum at Basildon,before they had to finally close the doors due to the local council wanting the land for other purposes,so now we have no museum for powerboat racing.
Other than the Bertram 31`s that ran in the UK i.e. Glass Moppie,Damian III,Thunderstreak,Ultra Violet,Chasseur,Lucky Moppie, and Surfrider what other U.S. ones raced other than Fun,Minimar,Rum Runner,Swiftwater and Miss Alimony II and how were the names integrated between each other,if that was the case.I would imagine you would need to be of pensionable age to remeber that era!

[THUNDERBOLT]

Graham
do you know who has Blue Moppie? was talking to Richard Gardner and Ivor Verlander last Sunday at Cowes it turns out SURFRIDER was sold in the states...Ultra Violet being restored in Jersey but cannot find out by whom. Glass M vanished Thunder had that dreadful cabin added but I believe Chausseur to be in Channel Islands
Mike
ps now have 44 pre registered boats for Classic Revival.

[FLYING FISH]

Mike,the boat should be at Universal Shipyards.Tim Brand Crombie would know who the owner is.

[FLYING FISH]

Looks like Glass Moppie was on the Hamble River for the 1961 Cowes - Torquay,before it had the cabin added for 62 & 63.Blue Moppie in 62 Cowes- Torquay.

[THUNDERBOLT]

Graham
that is Campbells yard.....
Mike

[FLYING FISH]

In 1970 Wishnick raced a 32ft Nova made specially for him by Bertram.You can see the difference in the attached pics on the air scoops,side flag and number style.
The question is ,was this a completely different boat to the 1969 Boss O Nova (ex-Mona Lou III [Red]) and was this the boat that did the South American races in 1971 before Wishnick got his hands on the 32ft Cigarette.
Miss WD40 looks like the 1969 Boss O Nova.
What was so special about the 1970 boat.

[Brownie]

It was a standard raceboat. The only thing special was the fact that it had the very first set of #3 speedmasters. An interesting side note, when Oscar Trost bought it for the London Monte Carlo, they dropped the boat with him in it, and fractured a rib (on him, not the boat). He raced all the way with a broken rib. Tough SOB.

[nthdegree]

www.bertram31.com

If you poke around this web site there is some interesting info on the Ray Hunt design that started all this DEEP Vee stuff!!!!!!

[FLYING FISH]

Yes,as you say Brownie that boat was Miss WD 4O,now I have found further pics of it.I wonder if the ex-Mona Lou III boat was knackered for Wishnick to have another similar boat,rather than mod his 1969 one.

Looked on the Bertram site.If only there was more history on the earlier racing types.

[Black Tornado]

In 1970 Wishnick raced a 32ft Nova made specially for him by Bertram.You can see the difference in the attached pics on the air scoops,side flag and number style.
The question is ,was this a completely different boat to the 1969 Boss O Nova (ex-Mona Lou III [Red]) and was this the boat that did the South American races in 1971 before Wishnick got his hands on the 32ft Cigarette.
Miss WD40 looks like the 1969 Boss O Nova.
What was so special about the 1970 boat.

Graham, had made already a comparison among the two boats and I believe that they are both the same boat.
If really Wishnick made build another Bertram..32' (?) to then to enroll it in the competitions as Nova (because?)he would not have proposed any signs of the old Mona Lou III as for instance the enormous white space of the number of competition wanted by Kiekhaefer to identify better from the airplane his boats.In fact the space for the #23 is smaller.
Other small details like the identical position on the deck of the two compasses, or the air scoop forward and of the identical cockpit bolsters would reduce those some air scoops of the engines bay and of the side flag and number style to simple changes done in the time.
As it regards what version raced the first South American race the answer it is in the first photo that I have attached below coming from an article regarding the Rio De La Plata race (the second competition in South America was the Buenos Aires-Punta des Este where Wishnick raced with the Boar Hog that Fernandez Bunge sportingly had lent to the American after that had out the Bertram.)
The second pic came from a magazine of the 1970 about the Long Beach-Ensenada(where the article made refer to a 32' Nova Special).
The third pic came from a magazine of 1969. As we can see the flag is in the "Nova" version....
As the flag was a sticker it is probable that it was often lost during the race and replaced then in a different version.

[FLYING FISH]

All very fine Marco,but wouldn`t it be nice if we had a straight answer from say Brownie,Mona Lou III eventually became Miss WD 40.Yes or No.

[Black Tornado]

Mercury and Kiekhaefer have filmed kilometers of tapes of offshore documentaries.
This is sure.
Where are they now?
Lost?
Absolutely I don't believe.

[Brownie]

Fish, yes.

[FLYING FISH]

Thanks for that Brownie.It just shows what a muddle the journo`s reports can be at times.Our Italian detective will be able to close the case on that one,in readiness for more cases to be solved.Your recall capablities will be tested again I`m sure,so don`t keel over on us.