Racing American Marc boats

Racing American Marc Boats

Closed circuit racing was very popular in Miami, Florida during the early 1960's. The drivers and their boats would go around and around for hours, each one trying to pass the boat just ahead of them. The stands were filled with cheering audiences. The "pit" would have the best mechanics and crews to ensure the motors kept running. The evening after each race would be a huge party with plenty of drinks and food for all the drivers and their families. They were tough competitors by day and friends at night. It was an exciting life.
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At every race, there was the media. They covered the races and told their stories. Their stories are what they saw or heard from the sidelines. The real stories are the ones the driver's tell. Here are some of each.
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The Starting Lines of Races ...

Racing was a tough sport and boats often got in the way of one another. In this case, Carl was about to pass between two boats when they decided to close the gap... so he climbed over the top of both boats and squeezed past. In reality, it all happened so fast, he couldn't avoid "the climb". No one was hurt, just a few dents in the other two boats.

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The Shot-Gun Start

The start of races was considered the most dangerous as 50 or more boats would be sitting still at the starting line waiting for the gun to go off.
One race, Carl decided he would do something different. He set his watch with a second hand to the exact time of the starting clock. He timed his movement from the starting line to back behind an island, out of view...20 seconds. 20 seconds before the start, he pushed the throttles full forward hitting the starting line at full speed, just as the gun went off. He was out in front of the pack of boats and all their wakes and turbulence.

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The Wet Noodle ... #503

The Wet Noodle was a modified catamaran with a step in the aft part of the bottom. It was built with very light decking on top ... all just for testing the effects of the step. She was taken to Lake X for rigging & set up for a race. The test drivers at Lake X took her out for a "spin" but could only get 3/4 trottle before the bow would start to lift. They would back off on the throttle. Frustrated, Carl jumped in the boat, street clothes and all, determined to reach full throttle and see what she would do. And he did. On the backstretch, Carl opened her up, and she broke their speed records. Then the bow started lifting up..... and over. Carl went swimming, but had a smile on his face considering it all a success.
When that boat was under control, she was the fastest thing around ... but slippery in the water, hard to control and hence the name, "Wet Noodle"

The Wet Noodle ... Again

This time, Jeanne was racing her in the Gold Coast Marathon, up the intercoastal waterway, from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale. At one point during the course, Jeanne was trying to pass another race boat that was weaving back and forth to keep her from passing. She swung wide, not noticing there was a channel marker in her path. She hit it, with it stopping just short of her feet at the stop-bar. She didn't think about the boat, only how mad Carl would be if she sunk the new engines. Finding the nearest place to beach the boat, she slowly wobbled that direction, the two hulls flexing. She did manage to keep the engines dry.

And Again ... The Wet Noodle gets Crunched!

The Wet Noodle was taken to the shop. On its first launch after the repair, Carl wanted to take the boat out for a test run in preparation of a big race the next day. As he was backing out of the lift area, another race boat swung wide going around a corner on the race course and creamed the side of the Wet Noodle.
Carl just shook his head, pulled the boat forward and lifted her out of the water. She was taken to the shop again for more repairs.

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Racing "Little Toot"

Jeanne Moesly saw in the newspaper an announcement about an up-coming tugboat race and asked Carl if she could enter. "Crazy" he thought. Jeanne took an American Marc Marine Raider, added used car tires hanging over the side, along with a signed labeled "Little Toot" and added a cardboard smoke-stack.
On the morning of the race, Carl told her to make sure she gets out in front of the BIG tugboats so she doesn't get swamped in their wakes. Actually, she ran circles around them and finished first. She was disqualified from the race because it wasn't really a tugboat, but the name SeaCraft was mentioned in the papers. Jeanne was happy with the publicity.