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View Full Version : BROWNIE...do you know anything about this era?



oldLenny
01-08-2002, 03:23 PM
In the very early sixties there was a Company in Miami known as " Thunder Boat Company" building what I presume were offshore boats. The owner was
"Woody Woodson", connected with Jim Wynne at the time, working on the sterndrive game. Is there any correlation here and that company to a relationship (future) with Don A.?...other than the one with Jim Wynne?...Curious...

Formula Jr
01-08-2002, 05:19 PM
Len, they were not "Off Shore" boats in the sense of Deep Vee designs. They were mostly based on another Ray Hunt idea, that being the Cathedral Hull. I had read someplace that Wynne and Woodie were friends as teenagers and this is why Woodie let Wynne "Borrow" a boat to test a proto-type on in '58. Actual QuickTime Movie of this. (http://www.penta.volvo.se/t/events/movie_event/jim_wynne/Jim_Wynne_T1.mov) Wynne had also raced in one of the larger Cathedral type models. I think in 59. These boats were well known in the early 60s and one starred in the Flipper (http://www.fiberglassics.com/thunderbird/69thndr003.jpg) TV Show.

Woodie was the owner of Thunderbird boats which was bought by Genth. It was Genth's Thunderbird Boats that "Bought" Formula from Aronow to become Thunderbird-Formula. As an aside it is interesting to note that Wynne/Walters also designed the Bertram 25 around 1960, while also developing a little race boat called the Wyn-Mill. Wynne didn't meet Aronow till 1961.

ALLAN BROWN
01-09-2002, 07:51 AM
Mostly already answered. Thunderbird boats were designed by Dick Cole (who taught me to draw boats). The 25' Bertram was a Hunt Assoc. product. I was a T-bird dealer in Indiana in 1956. Woody went bankrupt in the recession of 1960, and Genth's boss, Merrick Lewis, bought it on the courthouse steps for $61,000. Outside of borrowing a boat to test the soon-to-be Volvo drive, I don't know of a connection between Wynne and Woody.

oldLenny
01-09-2002, 10:20 AM
Thanks for all the info! I love this #$%^hit biggrin.gif

EricG
01-09-2002, 12:19 PM
Wow - another one of those "life changing" bits of nostalgia tucked into a Donzi.net thread!! Whenever my dad asks me why I want a Z29 instead of just keeping and enjoying the Z21 - my answer is simple....that Formula from "Flipper". I want Twins....ever since watching Flipper re-runs when I was really young, I've thought about that clip they always showed of the 2 outdrives taking off, I've wanted twins. Thanks for the great memory Owen!! biggrin.gif

EG

ALLAN BROWN
01-09-2002, 12:56 PM
The Flipper episode that showed the chimp driving the Formula 233 over the boat and the dock, was pieced together from an actual event. Andy Devine came to my marina to borrow my 233 demo. He couldn't drive a boat for s#@t. When he got back to Interama Marina, where they were shooting, he couldn't find the brakes, and over he went. They just happened to be shooting. At that time, I was GM of Challenger Marine, North Miami.

oldLenny
01-09-2002, 03:19 PM
LMAO!!!...never thought I'd learn this much from a
simple question. Thanks for the history!

BigGrizzly
01-10-2002, 12:02 AM
My probem is I remember the origional shows not the re-runs.

Randy

Formula Jr
01-10-2002, 06:47 AM
Hey, Randy: That just adds to the weight of your knowledge........ and what do you care.... your wife is freaken beautiful.............. wink.gif