The Beside The Barn Find Lil’ Racer Needs A Name

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This past week as you are already aware from yesterdays story, Wayne Bomb and I got the little race boat out from beside the barn. And boy oh boy, her story just kept getting better and better. She is a 1958-1960 Rich-Line 12 ft Speedster. She is rated for a 25 max engine, but ohhhh no that wouldn’t do. so it has a 1960 Mercury 300 on her. 4 Cylinders of 35 HP In other words she was used for one reason. Racing!

So? Where? What? Well it turns out they used to race here on the Northern Neck near an area called Glebe Point. And this little beast would tear it up. BUT, and it gets better. She was in a serious showdown race, and hit a wake and flipped the driver out. And the Racer just kept going. No kill switch back then. And it took off, and after some more wakes, she ran right into a Pembrook Yacht. BAM.  Ya, it left a mark.

The Pembrook wound up at Butlers Railway, yes now HQ And the little Racer went to Haynie Products for some repair. And they literally just formed another aluminum bow on her. And so it goes. She got painted blue and black and green and .. And now we have her.

The plan is to bring her back to her original Race Red, with white, and little guy. And keep the welded on bow. The outboard will be restored and brought back to it’s original White glory.

After some cleaning, and light sanding, we found the red, and the area near the transom that curved down.

So now you know the real NOT MADE UP story. And the plan is to have her here, and possibly try and recreate the local races here.

She Needs A Name. I thought Scarface, but the reference is too 1980’s she needs a name from her time. Ideas?

Couple of themes to consider.

12 ft Racer

Over powdered

It will have a scar on the bow area. It’s a noticeable repair.

Glebe Pt was her racing area.

 

45 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Not sure about a name, but any race boat needs a number on the side. That red and white thing looks like a fishing boat!

    Why is Sweet Pea on the rails? Did you think I would not see that in the video?

  2. Steve G
    Steve G says:

    Budweiser, the ‘King of Beers’ was likely the number one selling beer in the world when the boat was racing. It’s likely that the drivers enjoyed a post race “Bud Tall Boy” in 16 oz aluminum cans. Bud was affectionately referred to as “Red Can”(at least by my buddy’s Dad-who drank quite a few of them). I suggest “Red Can” as the name. She’s aluminum, red & white, and from the pre micro-brew era: RED CAN is perfect! (Red “Can”-as in ‘Red can do it’-is a nice little double entendre)

  3. Troy in FLA
    Troy in FLA says:

    I think I would deep her black & blue and name her as such.

    “Black & Blue”

    You could go with “Back in Black”. In which case she would have her own song.

    Greg the video’s have been accumulated over time, so who knows when they were shot.

    • tparsons56
      tparsons56 says:

      I was also thinking about “Speed Racer”. I’m sure with your artists skills [which I have none of] you could make a pretty nice graphic.

  4. Andy in Middletown
    Andy in Middletown says:

    Billet Boat
    Aluma-McBoaty Face
    Woody’s Revenge
    Zip-Yap
    Aluma-Bolt
    Silver Bolt
    AlumaLiner
    Beavers’ Bane. (Not wood and we can all giggle at the word ‘Beaver’)

  5. Captain Nemo
    Captain Nemo says:

    “Al” the periodic symbol for aluminum. Maybe the just the symbol plastered on the hull side.

  6. Greg on Indian Lake
    Greg on Indian Lake says:

    Leave it alone. Embrace the “Patina”. Call it P.O.S………goes nicely with Stinky.

  7. Jim g
    Jim g says:

    If the scar on the bow is fairly noticeable. I would stick with scar face. If you left the weld exposes with no paint on it. I good air brush graphics guy could paint a burn mark around it. So it would look like it was freshly welded.

    Also. If you can find a copy of the book Iron Fist. Its a good read. Basically a biography of the founder of Mercury written long after he was gone.

  8. Murdock
    Murdock says:

    HHmmmmmmm……
    “Beer Can Alley”
    “Rin-Tin-Tin”
    “AlumaCan”
    “AlumaCanRacer”
    “Kid Racer”
    “Kidney KIller”
    “NotSafeAtAnySpeed”
    “AluminumXTaSea”
    Uh oh. I need breakfast…..going downhill quick here.

  9. Sleepless in Seattle
    Sleepless in Seattle says:

    TRICKY
    Cause everything about that little boat is tricky. Its history, its crash, its repairs, its survival, that suicide shift motor, definitely drivin it and all the fixin of it all. Tricky.
    Kinda goes with Stinky nice too. 🙂

  10. Dick Dow
    Dick Dow says:

    “Bruiser” 🙂

    I’m curious what the streamline boat about five docks down in the video is. It appears to be a mahogany raceboat of some sort…

  11. Randy
    Randy says:

    I’d say get the Pembrook cruiser back to the Railway and then name the little guy “Rerun”.

  12. briant
    briant says:

    Zeus
    (on account that he has that Thunderbolt engine on the stern)

    Lil Sport

    Pembrook’s Pimple

  13. Ray
    Ray says:

    A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away….., I saw this “Italian” name on a 12 ft, high powered V8 direct drive speed boat (no tranny, just start and go): “pissonya”.

  14. don vogt
    don vogt says:

    Art’s suggestion is great. rin tin tin. also is period appropriate for those old enough to remember.

  15. DK in TX
    DK in TX says:

    Jumpin aboard. Love this site. It’s like waking up to the smell of bacon.

    I would keep your rendition but paint the nose from the scar forward fighting lady yellow and call it butter face.

  16. Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P)
    Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P) says:

    Been on the road all day. I just tuned in. I think the name Rich Line Racer with some 100 bills painted after the name.

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