Headlines

Heart Beat 10m Fountain

33' as I recall, but you should know that, aye? 10 meters = 33' or did they stop teaching you guys the english measurments completely? :sifone:
 
Art Lilly of Maryland raced that boat. He alway did well, that had some bottom work to it, I looked that boat over at a Pt. Pleasant, NJ race many years ago. 33' Fountain.
 
Art Lilly raced the boat it used to named Rock Solid and Heartbeat as well.... I know the boat as I have seen it for years but the only guy on this board that can give you the low down is Jim.... He was with Art during these years!!!!

Check MobileMercman website he has history and pictures of this and several other Fountain's and race boats...

Pat
 
Don't know about the "winningest offshore race boat ever" claim, because I definitely think that would belong to the 30' Shadow Cat "Black Duck"/"Boardwalk". Also, the 28' Manta "Fever" would be right up there IMHO. However, that 33' Fountain sure as hell won a lot of races in the early 90's. Art and his crew were definitely on their game!
 
I found this. A typical year. B class in those days was very popular. Art used to race against notables like Peter Meyer, Joe's Sgro and Latona, Doug Lewis and boats like Shockwave, Franks Marine, Jawanna, and many more that escape me right now. The second pic was taken in Virgina Beach Art Stoney and Mark Franz for right. it was the teams first race. Stoney surrendered to Art and never raced again after that day. He said, " If that is how hard you going to run that boat I will not be in it." The last is Art and I in Erie. Kilos US offshore had Kilo runs that weekend. That day Fever, Shockwave, Franks Marine and 1 or two others ran over 90.
 

Attachments

  • img068.jpg
    img068.jpg
    117.2 KB · Views: 52
  • Art, Mark & Stoney.jpg
    Art, Mark & Stoney.jpg
    111.4 KB · Views: 59
  • B-1 resize.jpg
    B-1 resize.jpg
    86.7 KB · Views: 53
Last edited:
It raced as 1st as NetworkExpress. Later as Heatbeat and Rock Solid. That boat had miles on it. It even did a Chicago to Detroit record run. Art would run it with the devil on his shoulder. There were faster boats but, no body went by him in the ocean. It ran from '90 to '93 or '94. What ever year Dragonlady. It won near 50 races in that time.

img069.jpg




That second place in 92 was to Peter Meyer in Lady L. Those two battled for nearly an hour in Sarasota on a bumpy day. The margin in the end was like 2 seconds.
 
MOBILEMERCMAN said:
It raced as 1st as NetworkExpress. Later as Heatbeat and Rock Solid. That boat had miles on it. It even did a Chicago to Detroit record run. Art would run it with the devil on his shoulder. There were faster boats but, no body went by him in the ocean. It ran from '90 to '93 or '94. What ever year Dragonlady. It won near 50 races in that time.

View attachment 53643




That second place in 92 was to Peter Meyer in Lady L. Those two battled for nearly an hour in Sarasota on a bumpy day. The margin in the end was like 2 seconds.
Click to expand...

Didn't Dragonlady come out in 96 ??
 
MOBILEMERCMAN said:
It raced as 1st as NetworkExpress. Later as Heatbeat and Rock Solid. That boat had miles on it. It even did a Chicago to Detroit record run. Art would run it with the devil on his shoulder. There were faster boats but, no body went by him in the ocean. It ran from '90 to '93 or '94. What ever year Dragonlady. It won near 50 races in that time.

View attachment 53643




That second place in 92 was to Peter Meyer in Lady L. Those two battled for nearly an hour in Sarasota on a bumpy day. The margin in the end was like 2 seconds.
Click to expand...

I first saw Art race in Atlantic City in the Joker boat (22 Velocity 2X200 outboards) in something like 6 footers, the boat would shoot straight up, fall back down, shoot straight up again, over and over. After cutting his teeth in that I suspect the Fountain felt like a Caddy on 5th Ave, regardless of how the water was. Of course the younger and "slightly" crazier factor has to be added in.....
 
[I'd heard it was the winningest offshore race boat ever.]

These two Great Lakes boats might give the Heartbeat a run for most wins. :bump: Jeff Hayletts [Parts Pluse, Great Lakes Caster, Yard Arm] 10 meter Fountain. But for longevity & wins this 30 + year old 1976 Magnum [Short Circuit] started life as a race boat, and raced till 2006 with out any major hull repair. :eek: Today she could still run with the best of them. :cheers2:
 

Attachments

  • mags at sc.jpg
    mags at sc.jpg
    304.4 KB · Views: 39
  • mag short c 19.jpg
    mag short c 19.jpg
    107.2 KB · Views: 28
  • GLC 10.jpg
    GLC 10.jpg
    37.8 KB · Views: 34
Well you know Stoney then. Cause after Virginia Beach in a bigger boat proved to be even crazier. It would take what ever you threw at it. Over 2 through one when it got really rough. There are so many stories that could be told.

How about in Pt when took 12 inches up the deck? He had turned his head to look back. When he turned forward again there was a 12' wall of water coming up the deck. It was more than half way and too late to duck. So it Pounded him into the bolster, winded him, and bruised his heart. He still won the race but left in an ambulance suffering from heart attach symptoms. He is one tough SOB. He checked himself out and went home. He eventually had a double by pass to repair his damaged heart.
 
Jeff and Art were racing at about the same time. Arts had more wins initially. Jeffs boat did eventually pass Arts for most wins. Art had sold his and was racing other boats. That Black boat was IT. When it was running for those 3 or 4 years. Those races than weren't a matter of how fast you went or drags to the first turn. They were battles decided by willingness and perseverance. Willingness to race deep in the gray zone and able to keep it up for about an hour.
 
Art still flys a little once in a while...
 

Attachments

  • 08CC4561 (Large).jpg
    08CC4561 (Large).jpg
    104.8 KB · Views: 55
Great shot of Arts flying Fountain from a 1991 Racer's Edge.:sifone:
 

Attachments

  • FOUNTAIN B-50.jpg
    FOUNTAIN B-50.jpg
    352 KB · Views: 39
Very cool. Thanks guys! Please keep it up! I think that maybe some of these old Fountain race boats don't get their due becuase of the negative perception people have of Lil' Elvis (Reggie) and I would really like to hear more about these boats.

I remember when Short Circut was for sale a couple years ago. Very cool boat. Still nothing like a 72 Mag as far as the "Look" goes...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Serious News
2014 Unlimited Season in Review
Replies
0
Views
3K
Serious News
Serious News
Back
Top