1979 Squire Shop
Unlimited Hydroplane Restoration Project
The first of many...
Hey guys, a lot of progress was made this week!
First, the team traveled all the way up from Seattle to Port Hadlock (near the top of the state of Washington) to pickup the final remnants of the U-7 Thor Racing version of the hull..................the horizontal stabilizer. There is a chance we can salvage some of the internal hardware for use in the new "cathedral" wing we need to make at some point. A special thanks goes out to Ray Forsman for allowing us the opportunity to pick it up, thanks Ray!
This past Saturday, we held the projects first "quarterly meeting" for the restoration crew members. This is the first time we had nearly every team member all together at the same time. We discussed the journey it took to get to this point, as well as how far along we foresee the project heading in the coming months leading up to Seafair. Our next "quarterly meeting" will likely be in the late summer time frame.
We also reached a major milestone, as the team assembled its first frame assembly for the hull. Up until this point, we only had individual parts made. This is the first time we actually started assembling them together, so things will be picking up here real soon.
Dave Knowlen (original hull designer) and Norm Berg (original builder) were also in attendance to check out the progress, and both left with smiles on their faces.
The surprise part of the day was a visit from a local media outlet who wants to capture the project for a later segment. The best part about that is that the plan is start gathering footage now, and they will continue to do so until the hull touches the water again.
More to come on that later, but the media is now taking interest...............this is in addition to the visit by KNDU over in Tri-Cities a few weeks earlier.
Good stuff............
The latest report on the engine cowling repairs is that it looks like it will be ready to have a mold made in the next three weeks. After that is completed, the drivers cowling will be next..........which will be an even more challenging task.
There are a bunch of videos below to watch as well. You will see John Watkins at work assembling the frames, as well as a portion of what was said at the meeting.
The fun is really about to begin shortly......we can't wait!
First, the team traveled all the way up from Seattle to Port Hadlock (near the top of the state of Washington) to pickup the final remnants of the U-7 Thor Racing version of the hull..................the horizontal stabilizer. There is a chance we can salvage some of the internal hardware for use in the new "cathedral" wing we need to make at some point. A special thanks goes out to Ray Forsman for allowing us the opportunity to pick it up, thanks Ray!
This past Saturday, we held the projects first "quarterly meeting" for the restoration crew members. This is the first time we had nearly every team member all together at the same time. We discussed the journey it took to get to this point, as well as how far along we foresee the project heading in the coming months leading up to Seafair. Our next "quarterly meeting" will likely be in the late summer time frame.
We also reached a major milestone, as the team assembled its first frame assembly for the hull. Up until this point, we only had individual parts made. This is the first time we actually started assembling them together, so things will be picking up here real soon.
Dave Knowlen (original hull designer) and Norm Berg (original builder) were also in attendance to check out the progress, and both left with smiles on their faces.
The surprise part of the day was a visit from a local media outlet who wants to capture the project for a later segment. The best part about that is that the plan is start gathering footage now, and they will continue to do so until the hull touches the water again.
More to come on that later, but the media is now taking interest...............this is in addition to the visit by KNDU over in Tri-Cities a few weeks earlier.
Good stuff............
The latest report on the engine cowling repairs is that it looks like it will be ready to have a mold made in the next three weeks. After that is completed, the drivers cowling will be next..........which will be an even more challenging task.
There are a bunch of videos below to watch as well. You will see John Watkins at work assembling the frames, as well as a portion of what was said at the meeting.
The fun is really about to begin shortly......we can't wait!
Update #23 - Frames
Update #23 - Engine Cowling
Update #23 - U-7 "Thor Racing" horizontal stabilizer delivery
John Watkins at work - part 1/2
John Watkins at work - part 2/2
Time is of the essence...
Milestone achieved...
The gangs all here... (part 1/2)
Unfortunately, the video cut short in its entirety. I'll add the 2nd part once i get it transferred over.