R. S. 2

Comment

Comment by Robert Frank on March 13, 2017 at 7:21pm

If you are speaking about the boat, it actually only lasted that first year as RS.  It was the only boat that Ted Jones ever had an ownership in, along with partner Kim Armistad of Norfolk, VA.   But then it became William Waggoner's first Maverick, U-12.  It became one of the real "hot dogs" of it's day until fire broke out on it during testing in the off season between 58 & 59.  That's when they built the "new" Maverick that won the Gold Cup and National Championship in 1959.  That one went on to become the first Tahoe Miss, the first Miss Budweiser, and the first Atlas Van Lines.  Kind of a distinction of sorts!  But after the fire, the Rebel Suh, a.k. Maverick, was no more as was burned clear to the waterline.

Comment by Richard Downer on April 3, 2016 at 7:00pm

I was inquiring about the boat it self.Thanks responding. Wished now i would have documented (photographed) what I seeing back then.

Comment by Robert Frank on April 3, 2016 at 12:40pm

Hi Richard;

By, "original owner", are you speaking of the flag, or the boat it's self?

Thanks, Rob

Comment by Richard Downer on April 1, 2016 at 8:16pm

I watched this boat being built. My mother was a cousin of Lester Studacher. We used to visit his shop alot. This boat was built at Lester shop in Kawkalin, mi. Before he moved boat operations to the beaver road building. On one visit the person the boat was being built for had sent a rebel flag to be used as sample for painting on boat. (I was told the flag had a real past.) Anybody know more orginal owner or what happened to it? Sure good to see.

Comment by Phil Lampman on January 20, 2014 at 5:18pm

Great picture. Thanks for posting it. The Rebel Suh! will always remain one of my favorite among Thunderboats. Perhaps because as a youth my parents would only watch the races on B&W TV (an Admiral cabinet model, as I recall) For god only knows for what reason my dad decided to drive us down past the pits a few hours after the races had ended. 

As we drove past the pits on Lake Washington Blvd I caught a glimpse of the recently sunken RS and I'll always remember it as the first hydroplane I ever saw up close and personal - and in color.

Didn't get much better than that back in the day.