Jazz & Reflexx / Unlimited 17 & 19

A lot of people have been visiting e-tabitha lately, obviously looking for more information on four particularly rare boats built only in the 1993-98 era. The Jazz and Reflexx mini-jet boats were built by Bayliner during this period, and Four Winns produced the Unlimited speedboat in 17 and 19-foot lengths in 1996 and '97. All four of these models have always been some of my favorite boats, and you will not find any more extensive coverage of these rare models than in Ker-Splash 2: The High Performance Powerboat Book. In fact, they were singled out for attention simply because so little has ever been written about them.

Bayliner introduced its open-bow Jazz as a very simple, bare-bones sort of jet boat in 1993. The Jazz is the only one of these four boats that was produced during the entire period from '93 through '98. Its companion closed-bow model was built only in 1994 and '95. I assume that some Reflexxes were powered by the 120-horsepower four-cylinder in '95, but I have never seen one. The Jazz model began with the 90-hp Triple and the Four became standard in 1995, even as the Reflexx continued with the smaller engine. An all new hull and interior was introduced in the 1996 Jazz and the new V-6 became standard the following year.

For a brief period in the mid-Nineties, the same parent company owned both Four Winns and Donzi. The decision was made to offer a Four Winns version of the Donzi Classics. There were many similarities and differences between the Classics and the Four Winns Unlimiteds. None of the same hull sizes were duplicated, and the Classics were more expensive, while at the same time more traditionally dated in their styling and features, however all these models were very similarly shaped, designed, and powered speedboats. The Donzis have of course been continually produced for decades, but the Unlimiteds were built for only two precious years. Coincidental to the decision made by Ford to step out of the marine engine market after the 1996 model year, the first-year Unlimiteds were powered by Fords and the second year by Chevrolets. Since Four Winns employed Volvo Penta drives on all Unlimiteds, the models equipped with the Duo-prop option became particularly rare and interesting.

To read a lot more about the Unlimteds and the Bayliner jet models, as well as extensive details about all the brands and models of mini-jets built back in their exciting heyday of The Nineties, get a copy of Ker-Splash 2: The High Performance Powerboat Book. It is available at Amazon, B&N, and other online sources in both print and Kindle versions. The print version offers all the photos in their original sizes and print quality levels. The Kindle version has a few minor typos removed and a tiny number of informational changes made available in the short time frame between the release of the two versions.

Santa Rosa Island

One of my favorite spots in all of America is Santa Rosa Island, aka Pensacola Beach aka The Redneck Riviera. This small barrier island off the coast of Pensacola FL has some of the whitest sand in the world. The sugary white stuff is only sixteen feet above sea level, and when the bad hurricanes hit, the Gulf waters wash over the island into the Santa Rosa Sound on the north side. Hurricanes have periodically been delaying or altering wonderfully affordable vacations for ordinary middle class Americans for many decades. The consistency of the hurricane damage has always kept the development from exploding: SRI has maintained a small permanent population of a couple of thousand. Mix a large quantity of oil into a hurricane and you get a little more than temporarily delayed vacations, though.

My wife and I made a vacation trip to Santa Rosa Island back in 2000. She had never been there before. Like many native Texans, she was familiar with that state's own coastal areas, but the only time she had been to Florida was when we flew to Miami to catch a cruise ship for our honeymoon. Growing up in Mississippi, my family members were some of the rednecks who enjoyed the hot beaches and recreational pursuits of the island. I am so glad that my Texas wife got to experience the area while it was still pristine. In fact, we stayed in a lovely little Clarion Suites village with its own quiet beach area and romantic, two-story suites. Hurricane Ivan destroyed that quaint little resort in 2004. When I first visited the island in the very early '60's, there was only one high-rise hotel there. Little one-story motels lined both sides of the highway, particularly on The Sound side, where it was cheaper and quieter. Over the past years, I suppose building technology has developed to a point at which expensive high-rise hotels can withstand the force of the surging waves. When we were there in 2000, the place we stayed was one of the few quiet, small hotels. The high-rises lined the beach, with the prerequisite crowds on the white beach area within each hotel's parameters.

After renting jet skis in The Santa Rosa Sound, Miss Pamela took a high-flying parasail ride over the same area. The seafood was cheap and plentiful and so was the shopping and sightseeing. Just as in the '60's, The Redneck Riviera was alive, well, and affordable. After a few days on the island, we cruised eastward in our new Mustang Convertible, pausing briefly to visit the planned village community of Seaside, where The Truman Show had been filmed a few years earlier. We were going to Panama City, where we had made some special reservations weeks ahead of time. Shell Island is another small barrier island off the Florida coast, but its distinction is not beach tourism. The water near Shell Island is home to the largest colony of Bottlenose Dolphins in the world. Flipper was a Bottlenose, so you know the species. Rented boats and special tours of all sorts leave Panama City daily with tourists wanting to see and swim with the dolphins. You can have a close encounter with Flipper from a jet ski to a large cruise boat full of tourists. We researched the situation on the net far ahead of time and booked a reservation on a boat that took out only six people or less. The experienced tour guides took us to just the right spot to spend a lot of time in the water with the dolphins.

Seeing the news reports on TV about the relentless oil spill in The Gulf is one thing, but the loss of The Redneck Riviera is quite another. Of course the millions of environmentally aware Americans realize that the loss of the Louisiana wetlands and its horrific effect on wildlife will damage us all in the future in ways we cannot now imagine, but the loss of a favorite tourist playground is in your face in a manner even the uninformed rednecks will not be able to ignore.

Special Speaking Engagement Offer!

For a limited time only, the legendary author, blogger, and commentator Floyd M. Orr will be available for speaking engagements at the low introductory price of $15.00 - $30.00 (plus travel expenses, of course) at your special event! The controversial commentator has just been signed to a one-year-only contract, so act now!

Floyd M. Orr is available to speak for approximately one hour on any one of many subjects. These include Sports and Muscle Cars of the Sixties, High Performance Powerboats, American Pop Culture and Nostalgia, and of course, Feminine Sexuality & The Class System. Mr. Orr has been married only once (to a heterosexual woman) and he has no secret babies on the loose anywhere (that we know of). He is a Certified Abstinence Specialist, and he writes his own books, blogs, and articles. He has impeccable credentials as a graduate of only one university, also too.

We always offer suggestions for speaking topics to our customers. Floyd M. Orr is nothing if not opinionated. He has never approved of teenage drinking or drug use: these activities should be reserved only for individuals over 21. Home vandalism and destruction of private property are always frowned upon. All babies should be raised with complete and accurate knowledge of the identities of their parents.

For booking information, please contact Fester & Karbunkle's Real American Speakers' Agency.

TVR Tuscan

Yes, Martha, I am a car nut. I have been one since I was old enough to identify cars by their taillights and fins in the early '50's. Back then I was drawn to big Cadillacs, Buicks, and Pontiacs with enough square footage to quote like a realtor. As the '60's dawned with more emphasis on drive ability and performance, my automotive tastes began to mature, but it wasn't until I began carpooling to high school with a guy who had an old Morris Minor Convertible that cornered on rails that I began to really appreciate the entertainment value of small cars. This soon led to an obsession with sports cars of all sorts, but particularly those that cornered on rails.

The bottom of the market began with the Austin-Healey Sprite and the Fiat 850 Spider, the latter of which I purchased as my first new car literally on the way to the dealership to choose an example of the former. That was in 1968, when I would have gladly driven home a British Racing Green Triumph TR-250, if only I had had considerably more money in my bank account.

The car pictured here is one of the rarest of my favorite cars. It makes a black plastic '77 308 GTB seem absolutely common! The TVR Tuscan was produced from 1967-70 with a choice of six different Ford small-block V-8's, three in the early Tuscans and three in the later ones. The early models used the Mustang 289 with a two-barrel and single exhaust producing 195 horsepower, 225 horsepower with a four barrel and dual exhausts, and 271 horses with solid lifters, high compression, and other fun stuff. The later Tuscans utilized the Ford 302 in similar specifications with 220, 250, and 290 horsepower respectively. The car pictured is one of only a few produced. TVR researchers do not completely agree on exactly how many were built with each engine, but the biggest number is 73 total Tuscans with Ford V-8's. There may have been as many as 21 Boss 302 Tuscans built and as many as 24 with Mustang K-motors (that's 271-hp versions to you non-motorheads). There were 28 powered by the less highly tuned V-8's. These numbers are disputable because other factors are involved. TVR first began constructing Tuscans on a beefed up version of the standard TVR tube-frame chassis. Then the company extended the wheelbase five inches and built some more, and then they widened the lower portion of the body and built yet a few more. On top of these issues, the production was split roughly evenly between left and right hand drive versions. The bottom line is that there may have been about six Boss 302 Tuscans shipped to America and one built to stay in England, and that's about how rare the little screamer pictured really is!

Any motorhead worth his greasy thumbs knows that the Boss 302 actually pumped out considerably more than its advertised 290 horsepower. Most think 350 was closer to the truth. With a dry weight under 2300 pounds, the Boss 302, and its earlier SE (Special Equipment) version with 271 horsepower, was a truly high performance small car. This little squirt with a 90-inch wheelbase had a claimed top speed of up to 160 mph with a quarter mile time in the 14's and a zero-to-sixty in the 7's.

Most, if not all, of the Tuscans built for the home market had Ford 2.8 and 3.0 sixty-degree V-6's of about 136 horsepower. This is the same engine we saw in the Ford Capri V-6 model of the early '70's. TVR quickly discovered that the cost of building V-8 Tuscans was surpassing the retail price and they were all gone by 1971. TVR continued building the larger chassis and body the company had developed initially for the Tuscan, but all models shipped to us after 1970 used the 2.5-liter inline six from the Triumph TR-250/TR-6. If you remember the bad old days for cars in the early '70's, federal regulations in the U. S. caused us all a lot of grief. However, while many of our favorite high-performance cars from Europe disappeared from our shores, TVR soldiered onward by adapting already certified engines for their models. If you recall, the Ford 2.8 Capri, the Boss 302, and a lot of other interesting cars disappeared from our market in the early '70's, but the TR-6 is one of those that continued. TVR managed to find a stipulation in the U. S. laws that allowed them to piggyback onto Triumph's certification of the TR-6 engine, so that's what they did. To this day, TVR 2500M's are a lot more common in the U. S. than are the vaunted '60's Tuscans with Ford V-8 stomper motors.

The Babygate Game

1. How many ears are involved?
(a) Two (b) Four (c) Six (d) Eight

2. What is a Mother Duck?
(a) Mother (b) Sister (c) Babysitter (d) All of them

3. Who was an unplanned father?
(a) Curtis, Jr. (b) Brad Hanson (c) Todd (d) Levi
(e) Johnny Chandler (f) Chuck Heath (g) Keith Johnston

4. Which of these is much worse than a teenage prank?
(a) Pulling a dormitory false fire alarm
(b) Cutting brake lines on a fleet of school buses
(c) Taking a small child to a burglary
(d) Breaking, entering, and vandalizing a house
(e) Guessing someone's e-mail password

5. Some of the babies involved are:
(a) Brothers (b) Unrelated (c) Legally Adopted (d) Secretly adopted

6. Medical records should always be kept from the press to conceal:
(a) Abortions (b) Vasectomies (c) Hysterectomies (d) Birthdays (e) FAS
(f) Drug Addictions

7. A baby should always be carried facing forward because:
(a) He needs to see his adoring fans and show off your anti-abortion credentials
(b) He might drool on the expensive clothes the RNC bought for you
(c) Your mother always carried you like a sack of potatoes
(d) You don't care much for a baby you were forced to adopt
(e) You want to make sure Todd gets the message that you don't approve of his affairs

8. What's the best TV show to watch to get new ideas for political schemes?
(a) Seinfeld (b) Sex and the City (c) Desperate Housewives (d) The West Wing

9. What's the best way to keep a co-conspirator quiet after the fact?
(a) Bribery (b) Blackmail (c) An accident (d) Depends on the situation

10. How does such a slick political scam begin?
(a) Boost your doctor's career and set her up
(b) Develop connections with The Christian Mafia and they will help you
(c) It was all my brilliant idea from the start
(d) Let your kids go wild with booze, drugs, sex, and general delinquency
(e) Elbow your way to the top and don't let anyone get in your way!

We Want OUR Country Back!

This has always been my favorite image of President Obama, giving one of his legendary, inspired speeches on the campaign trail in a downpour. Although I utilized this photo in an earlier post, it bears repeating. The Tea Baggers are always saying how they want their country back, but we all know what they really want, and it's not freedom, but white power and control. First of all, they cannot stand the fact that our President is a Democrat, and secondly, they cannot stand it that his skin color blends with his jacket.

I am a Southern Christian white male and I want OUR country back. The USA doesn't belong to me or only the people who look like me. It belongs to all of us. I don't want to return to an earlier time when some Americans were repressed so that others could live the easy life. I want this decade to become The New Sixties, a time of rapid, progressive change. It should be a time of hope and revelation, not of depression and despair. The time has come to rally our troops against the oppressive wishes of The Backward People. It's time to take OUR country back for ALL of us!

To all my visitors who missed the opportunity to read or copy the private Palin Babygate Timeline last night, I plan to open it up again sometime tomorrow, 4/26/10. In the meantime, please note the link to the Jotman Timeline in the left column of this blog. Jotman offers a lot of material not yet present in my timeline, but I hope to integrate some of his entries into the timeline soon. These will be noted with a (JM) at the end of each. Thank you for your support!

Palin Babygate

I want to especially thank Kellygirl, LisaBeth, and the others from Palingates and The Immoral Minority for responding to my rallying cry in But Seriously, Folks.... I have been working for several months on a detailed timeline of Babygate and some of SP's related shenanigans. This timeline is posted in a private blog entitled Palin Babygate. Much of the material in this timeline is inflammatory and unsubstantiated. That is why I have kept it private. Until now, only Palingates and my wife have had access to it, but the time has come to release the hounds a bit.

The creation of this timeline has several purposes, but the most important one is to allow a forum in which all the anti-Palin tribe can participate in a somewhat different manner. Right now the blog contains only one very long post. Anyone who has more accurate information, or even somewhat speculative information, can comment on the many details contained in the timeline. Whenever comments are shown to be relevant, and at least more accurate than what has been noted, I can update the timeline with the new information.

The purpose of the blog is to expose SP as the fraudulent candidate and celebrity that she is, in all her incarnations. Like many others, I have felt for nearly two years now that Babygate is the string that will unravel the Plastic Public Palin Persona. Of course I would like to think that the proprietors of Palingates are correct, and that they will become the Woodward & Bernstein of this millennium, but I have my doubts. They are, after all, across the pond, while I live in the heart of Palin Country. For all the people who want to wave the racist flag at the Tea Baggers, I lived very close to the hot spots of the Civil Rights movement of the '60's, so I am familiar with that scenario as well. The foundation of how an attractive American can rise to an unforeseen level of sociopolitical power was described in my third book, so I have been studying this angle for a long time, too.

I am not sure what my next move with the Palin Babygate blog will be yet, but for now, I am opening it up to public access for two hours only. It will be returned to its private access at midnight tonight. You may comment only with a Blogger username (Google account) on any of my blogs. If I use my real name, you can at least make up an alias. Anyone who wants to study this material at length is encouraged to copy and paste the current status of the timeline into a Word document. As I said, I am uncertain what the future of this project holds. Thank you.