1956 Miss Skyway U-7

 

  Boat Statistics

Boat Name:

 

Year:

Designation#:

 

Miss Skyway

1956

 

U-7

Owner/Driver:

 

Year Model Built:

 

Bryan Deatherage

 

2010

Builder:

 

Construction:

 

 

Bryan Deatherage

 

Plywood, Mahogany, fiberlass  and foam

Motor:

 

Speed Controller:

 

Scorpion 3026-1210

 

?

Prop:

 

Paint Colors:

 

 

Octura

 

Mahogany and white

Type of Graphics:

 Radio:

 

 

vinyl

 

?

The model:  Bryan added this boat for the "ugly boat project" at the Apple Cup for 2010.  The boat looks fantastic and ran well too.  Bryan is set to start tweaking this very short boat so that it will give him a better ride.  The boat is very unusual looking and is a great addition to the unique theme that some of the builders in CT adopted for 2010.  Great work Bryan!

The real boat:  This 1956 entry into the Gold Cup was powered by two Corvette Chevy V-8 engines mounted side by side and linked to the prop shaft with a unique belt drive system.  The boat was owned by Lyle Parks and was driven by Frank Taylor.  It measured only about 26 feet long.  It was nicknamed "the rubber band boat" because of the belt drive innovation.  Unfortunately the boat was only able to muster up about 40 mph and didn't qualify.  The next year it was outfitted with an Allison engine, but didn't do much better under the name of Sunnee. Later, it also campaigned as Miss Round Table and Miss Sammamish with little to show for it.