Old Classes

[HydroKyle93R]

Can anyone tell me what these classes were?

J MOD
15SS
35SS
36CI

[sam]

J Mod was just a J race run with other mod classes. There were a few differences between J Mod and J Stock, but it was minimal.

15SS was the 15ci Hot Rod, now the B. This was from the time when B was the 20ci Merc Mark20H.

35SS was the Merc 402X/35ss 32ci 2 cylinder motor on the D mid section and foot ... that motor is now a legal D Stock motor, but that is a joke since it is not competitive with the 44xs. It would make more sense if the 402x was a C Mod motor. Probably couldn't even really keep up in C Mod.

36 runabout was a gear shift motor class OMC's West Bends & Chryslers I think mostly run on C runabouts with extended height transoms

36 was poo-poo'ed by racing purists because it used off the shelf actual stock motors and ran a bit slower than other classes ... more than a bit slower than C using basically the same boats. Some went as far as to give 36 runabout the nickname "J for adults"

[Ron Hill]

The 402 XS, I think it was called, was 1/3 of an inline six Merc Around 1975, I convinced Mercury to build some more "D" Feet (Gearcases). They built 50, I had to order 25 to get them to build these gearcases.

Gary Garbrecht bascially started Mercury High Performance (Team Mercury), later called Mercury Racing. They called themselves a "COUNTRY STORE". They were looking at ways of making money.

I also convinced them to make .030 pistons.. Pistons were in short supply and they didn't see a need to build them. I told them, I would get .030 on the ballot, if they'd make them. (I told them everyone would NEED new pistons.)

After they made the "D" gearcases, they realized they still had the patterns for the mid section and they "DISCOVERED" that the 402 would bolt right up. VERY LITTLE, if any, testing was done with this motor before they built 50.

Several things were wrong from the get go. One, the two cyclinder motor was rough as all get out until they got to about 7,000 rpm's. (So rough it was hard to squeeze the throttle. Next thing bad was they ran the stock "FISHING" flywheel and when you backed off the throttle, they were like the old Evinrude/Johnson opposed Racing "C", they didn't slow down for the corner.... You had to back off way before the turn, or go in like a crazy man....(Several bad accidents resulted)...

But, I think the straw that broke the class's back was the blocks cracked. ...because we ran high rpm and it did have a tuner, or becasue the mid section was short, ALL the blocks cracked on the exhaust port side... (Cracked the sleeves too)...A new block was more money than finding a "FISHING" 55, and buying four .030 pistons...

So what happened, when you pulled your 402 apart, you junked the powerhead and built a good "D"...The "FISHING" "D" was a great motor. They ran 5-7 mph faster than a 402, they were smoother, and at eavery race there was a class...

Don't get me going about 36 Runabout....I loved the class... I didn't race it often but when I did I loved the competition, trust me, it WAS RACING. When 36 was "DROPPED" as a National Class our club lost our Commodore, race Chairman, Publicity Chariman, many of our workers, plus our (Extra) patrol boats.

Classes should NEVER be DROPPED, they should be allowed to combine (at races) with weaker classes and allowed to run FOR POINTS even if only one boat shows. (Even if it meant allowing 13 boats ina heat...)

****SAM and FYI:

BRAND NEW 15" Mercury, FOUR STROKE OUTBOARD, 2004....$2,800 on sale, electric start....theis is a Stock Motor....What ever happened to STOCK CLASSES???

[CSR4C]

36 Class started with the 25 hp, 35.something cu in Johnson & Evenurde motors on a 13' DU. When I started racing I figured the class name stood for two things: The displacement of the motor & the speed. After the introduction of the West Bend & Mercury speeds went up. The last time I saw them run was at the '79 nationals at Dayton. During testing there was one with a Merc. on it that I couldn't keep up to with my 20SSR. I bet they were a "hand full" to drive.