Unkiemotorhead's Skunkwerkz
Rest here for a moment in my little corner of motorhead insanity :-)
INTRODUCTION
I built this site on WIX and aquired "unkiemotorhead.com" while on vacation in Hawaii in Dec 2019, because my Unkiemotorhead's Skunkwerkz site that's been up on earthlink for 15 yrs or so was seconds away from being taken down (obsolete web tech being retired) and because I decided that since a few relatives, friends and acquaintances still enjoyed passing through here from time to time....maybe a few AOMCI members pass through here occasionally as well..... I should build this to keep the unkiemotorhead web presence alive. So here tiz... Similar content as the earthlink site, but somehow different. Older. As am I. And a kickback vacation outta town is the only time I can imagine devoting to an effort like this. So far this build has been entertaining....though not always optimum. WIX is buggy and is missing some features I think it should have.
Can you believe that "unkiemotorhead.com" was still available? Think of all the unkimotorheads there are in the world.... YOU might be an unkiemotorhead.
I hope you enjoy your visit. :-)
NAVIGATION
- Each still image is a thumbnail to a new page with a larger version of the image. The new image window has a control in the upper left corner that when clicked increases the image size to full screen. Now takes TWO clicks to open an image to full size.
- Each image window that opens when a thumbnail image is clicked includes a spot for my remarks...I've added just a few for starters.
- As you've see above, a list of a handful of pages is presented across the header.
This is a Karelson/Hoban boat I bought as a slightly safer version (180lbs, less aero lift) of the 150 lb Sorensen D boat presented further below. Same Lloyd Mize expansion chambers sometimes, or megaphones (provide the audio in the videos below -turn your volume up!), and any of my 44 mod blocks. Rock solid at mid 80s, which seemed a lot safer than walking around near 90 in the smaller lighter Sorensen. Look at a few photos carefully and you can see all the way under the boat to daylight out the back...."aired out".
Part way into this vid you can see & hear the motor start breathing better and accelerate
Provided for the 4cyl open megaphone noise
Got this F Pugh hydro to explore a 700cc Konig (that we built but never got running running right on the boat - fear and good sense probably held us back as it should have...who needs to go 110 in something like this? Yeah, I do, I know. But I digress...) and larger motors for the sake of art. Big, safe boat at moderate/slow speeds regardless of water conditions. It has now moved on to Matt, and the next generation of motorheads in Southern Oregon.
This is the Merc 800 on Wayne's Hubbel overdrive unit. Wayne's unit, my Merc 800 build, our joint project.
Wayne's work setting up the lower unit involved having the tapered propshaft welded and ground to a cylinder in the prop area to fit 11/16” w/1/4 shear pin props we got from DeWald. Lower unit rebuilding was a wonderful exercise in hidden snap rings and obscure bearings. :o) Yikes! But as of 2/13/04, it was rebuilt! Worse than building double-pinion SST120 units Wayne sez
25% overdrive 90degree model is that built for use on runabouts according to those we spoke with at the DePue Pro Ntls in 7/03...apparently the early 1960s OMC Starflight hydro kilo record units were 96 degree or something like that. If you need help understanding how to rebuild your Hubbell overdrive, Wayne is now DaMan!
Check out Uncle Wayne flinch when he zaps the throttle. :o)
During the hours spent trying to get this powerhead to run, we learned several things about the 800, and about setting it up to run backwards to accommodate the Hubble unit which has the propshaft gear in front of the driveshaft pinion. No way to find racing props that rotated backwards....so why not make the motor run backwards? That's what we said...
It starts best with the butterflys closed!!! Yup. The little holes in the butterfly upstream of the three small fuel ports in the side of the carb throat will dump the fuel only if the butterflys are closed. Squirt the reed cage full of fuel, close the butterflys, tap the starter, and it’ll light. I bet it lights in ¼ of a rev, it’s that quick. If the butterflys are open, no deal. That solved the no fuel problem.
Second, couldn’t get it started initially since the timing light was reacting to adjacent plug wires as well as the #1 cyl wire, so after going through all that carefully by starting the whole process over with Uncle Wayne, we got the timing and the plug wires correctly set up. Provides really crisp response as it should, based on Wayne’s considerable experience with SST120 motors and what I’ve seen with motors set at max advance. Timing is set at 18 degrees BTDC (running backwards – counter clockwise). This Thunderbolt breakerless magneto runs better forwards than backwards, but it sure runs fine backwards! Tested it on the Bridgeport mill counter clockwise at up to several thou rpm and it’s fine. Started and ran fine here. ANOTHER TRICK…..this is the first one of these mags I’ve dealt with, and we learned to use the 0.077” surface gap plugs since the large gap provides a HUGE spark relative to a standard config spark plug. Yeah, I think it should work fine on a standard plug, but the ignition was designed for surface gap, and it POPS KAPOW with a surface gap plug, so we changed over to surface gap. Weird. Those of you who know these ignitions were aware of that already I’m sure……this is my first, so I struggle.
The light flywheel and small rotating mass of the drive train makes this thing grab revs RIGHT NOW when we crack the throttle. Hoo dahh !!!!
Merc 800 'lectric start powerhead is used on this unit, and is similar to the 650 art motor, 'cept MORE CUBES! This looks tall 'cause of the height of the Hubbell, the position of the moter mounts on the F hydro relative to the bottom of the boat, and the need for at least SOME driveshaft length (mebbe 4"?). Believe me, if we chould have made it shorter, we would have. We've rebuilt the SST120 starter which we need to start the motor to run backwards
A Stock Runabout (with B motors)
One of two small outboard boats I still have - the Sorensen in Idaho, and this A stock boat built by Steve Wilde....a little too much lift for a B/25 motor, but hooo does that make it an entertaining handful with B/25 motors.
We run this with a B Champion I have that was built for me by Cooper Jess, and several converted 20H and 25ss motors that I built.
Uncle Wayne pretending he's setting a kilo record
BSR wizard Dave Hamilton reacquainting himself with the ride of his prior life
In this second vid, listen carefully for the brief moment when I back out of the throttle going over a wake. "A" boat, not a "B" boat. So when water gets bumpier, the nose starts coming up even if you mash the steering wheel hard. I raced A and 25 runabout for 15 years, zillions of heats, 3rd in ASR and 5th in 25ssR at the nationals one year....so I can drive these.....but now I back off when it gets too hairy.
This is why I keep spare 20H powerheads and lower units in inventory.....when any of these dies, I'll still be in business.
The B Champ motor is so light that the handling of the boat is magic! Spectacular!
Scott Ingram playing chicken with nose height at mid-80s
SORENSEN DSH
FIRST PHOTO - Looooooooooong run at it on the back stretch!!! This is the craziest boatride I ever had. And I got lucky that someone got this great photo. Click the image and blow it up to full screen. I have an absolutely vivid recollection of this.....the speedo needle vibrating, the nose too high and walking spilling air, the lake whizzing by, the motor howling and trying to climb into the boat and kill me....
That's why I got the Hoban/Karelson boat. Less insane.
Look how far I am up over the steering wheel in the first photo....and the boat still has way too much air under it! And no way am I tucked in behind the cowl. Too horrifying!
Yup, boat's too small for a 44mod motor. 150lb boat, 180lb driver with jacket...just too small. I built a good 44mod with good crank, block, porting and Loyd Mize expansion chambers. Superb DeWald kilo prop. Not much punch below 70, but from 70-85 it punched well. I chickened out at around 89 since it started to walk around spilling air too much. Too much lift for that speed and driver weight. Carl sez he saw 90 and let off.....makes sense since he weighs more and the boat wouldn't be catching as much air as as it was with lil ol me. :O) . Carl NEVER lets off...but he did here.
When grabbing the throttle at, ohhh, 40mph the torque from the motor would twist the boat way off of level.
As is apparent with a few of these photos, if a 180lb driver holds the throttle on, the boat keeps climbing as it is packing more and more air until it starts to walk to spill air. Or maybe blow over backwards? We decided against walking around at 90, and bought the Hoban/Karelson boat presented further above on this page.
Boat is much more reasonable (sedate even, relative to the 44mod ride) with a D stock motor (55H) that it was designed for.
I built a stock electric start 44 motor for use in Coeur d'Alene at >2000' elevation...consistently saw 75 with that even though down on power due to altitude. I can't tell you how much I loooove push-button starting!
Boat is mucccchhhh more comfortable at 75 than at 89. But at 75 it's not on the edge. We like the edge, but..... always comes back to the "fear and good sense" thing.
This Merc 650 Art Motor was built by me for use by novice drivers who show up at one of the amusement park days, since on the F Pugh, it's slow (65mph) and very stable and safe. Novices don't belong in crazy-fast small stuff at the limits of control, so this provided the alternative. This rig ran fine on bumpy water, and it was electric start so we never got tired of launching it!
When you get a new (to you) boat, don't you throw it in the water as soon as you can?
"Mark 78H" ART MOTOR
Slowwwwww, but ART fer sher! Electric start, very cool sound (6cyl tower noise with exhaust above water....some of you know it), but waaaaay heavy! Takes two men and a boy to lift it! Art for art's sake. Built before 75H projects were ever possible at the Skunkworks....
Temporary cockpit sides and transom height extension were added to provide the freeboard needed.
Stock Mk78 tower sectioned. Billet machined adapter added to bottom to fit 45ss gearcase.
Dohktor Kahrl
One of the lead madmen in the team, and key enabler on the Norma. And Mr. Konig. And 44mod. And taught me TIG welding. And the machine shop in my barn that I built.....I would email Carl an eBay ad and ask "do I need this"? (some obscure piece of tooling for the lathe or the Bridgeport) and get a one word "nope" email reply. Try again.
Mr. Konig
700 cc Konig build by Dohktor Kahrl and me under the direction of Harry Bartolomei. Ran great with no load, but could't get it to work right under load.....Craig said we should see 110 with the 5blade he sold me....but fear and good sense held us back.
Rotary valve. Variable length expansion chambers. Crazy stuff. Loved watching Lee Bartolomie race this boat with such motors. Not meant to be for me.
KC launching Carl off into the great unknown. Couldn't get the motor to make power. Wizards speculated carb setup was to blame.
One more piece of evidence that not all of my undertakings are successful.
ONCE AGAIN, KC and Dohktor Kahl hard at work on my stuff, hoping for a ride. :-)