Here are some photos taken when my Dad was racing back in the 1960s. He raced D-Utility and D-Hydro (Mercury Mark 55H) and 36-Class Utility (Chrysler 35hp). His racing number was typically 12-N or 12-P (for New York or Pennsylvania).

toppie

Wow - that´s impressive. Is the "Comet" a Willis Comet?? And if so, I guess you do not have it available anymore ?

Andy schrieb:

The Willis Comet was a strip-planked boat of the 1930s.


(Quelle/Source: i184.photobucket.com/albums/x230/stewsil...WillisComet7.jpg?534)

Ok - but what is it?

Not quite sure, but the utility looks to me like a Sid Craft. The hydro as well.

Andy - that not the Willis Comet.

Jo's pic is shown the comet. But the Comet is no boat from the 30s.


Look at this picture. I mean this picutre is not from the 30s.



Quelle: http://woodenboatassociation.com/images/williscomet.jpg


Info at this photo on the following site: "Willis and Racing

"But it was through racing that Willis would make a name for himself. Although Pop didn't drive the race boats much (he had skilled drivers and sons to do that for him!), he knew exactly what it took to make a boat go fast. In the photo below, Pop fastens bottom planking on his most popular model, the Willis Comet."


The whole Willis Story at this site.

My Dad named most of his racing boats "Comet". He continued the tradition started by my Grandfather. I still have the Comet III, a 1936 Phelps & Cornell inboard 2-cockpit runabout, designed by John Hacker. Been in the family since 1947.

The Comet V is the 1959 Sid-Craft Hornet that I am (still) building a model of. The other Comets pictured above (Comet VII and Comet IX) are boats my Dad built. I have been searching for years, but have not yet come across one of his self-built hulls. I hope to find one someday. He said he built about 15 boats back in the 1960s. I have this hope that one of them is stood up in someone's barn somewhere, waiting for me to find it...

Interesting, the photo of the Willis Comet above was taken at the Clayton Antique Raceboat Regatta some years back. I was there!

tschakaa schrieb: Sorry - typing error! The Willis Comet was one of the most successful boats of the 1940s (not thirties).
The design was developed in a wind tunnel and in matters of speed and handling the result was superior to other boats of that time. It dominated the alky classes "C Racing Runabout" and "C Service Runabout" from the late 40s to the early 50s.

Die Willis Comet war eins der erfolreichsten Boote der 40er Jahre. Die Form wurde in einem Windkanal entwickelt und war in Bezug auf Speed und Handling den anderen Booten dieser Zeit überlegen. Die Comet dominierte von den späten 40ern bis in die frühen 50er die Alky-Klassen "C Service Runabout" und "C Racing Runabout".