Slough Run 2010...

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

If it's decided that the club should Do the Slough again in 2010, I think I've got a suitably disposable boat for the event--a cheap little 12-foot plywood runabout I dragged home a few weeks ago. (Price was definitely right.)

Not sure what to do for power. It came with a 25hp Sea King of unknown condition (presumed dead until proven otherwise), but fortunately the little runabout could get up on a plane with maybe 10hp, so something will turn up.

For the uninitated, the Slough Run usually takes place in late February or early March, and involves running the length of Lake Sammamish, down the Sammamish Slough (an 11-mile-long challenge involving submerged objects, overhanging willow trees, prop replacements, etc), and then a dash down the length of Lake Washington to Coulon Park, in Renton.

- Marty

[Helmar]

If it's decided that the club should Do the Slough again in 2010, I think I've got a suitably disposable boat for the event--a cheap little 12-foot plywood runabout I dragged home a few weeks ago. (Price was definitely right.)

Not sure what to do for power. It came with a 25hp Sea King of unknown condition (presumed dead until proven otherwise), but fortunately the little runabout could get up on a plane with maybe 10hp, so something will turn up.

For the uninitated, the Slough Run usually takes place in late February or early March, and involves running the length of Lake Sammamish, down the Sammamish Slough (an 11-mile-long challenge involving submerged objects, overhanging willow trees, prop replacements, etc), and then a dash down the length of Lake Washington to Coulon Park, in Renton.

- Marty

Cool

Never seen that one.....Looks as that hull could be pretty fast with a 25hp on it........

[halffast32]

Slough Rat 2010 version

I hope the run happens. I just put together our ride for it. It's a 1961 Texas Maid 14' aluminum fishing boat. Complete with original mini console and cable/pully steering (very cool). Fit it on the trailer that was under a G-3 I got from a member (thanks again Chuck!). Put a little 1962 45hp merc shorty on it and rigged up throttle/shift controlls. Got her sparking and pumping and running (I think it was one from Marty). It is a pull start only, but after 4 days of a back ache, I might round up a starter/battery (although I hate weight)! Seats are those cheap little folding plastic ones. The idea was to build this thing with stuff I had laying around and not spend any money. So far I have $22 in it for some fresh cable and a couple cable clamps. I'm thinking this little boat should fly!!Pictures after we get some sort of paint on her. Looking forward to getting this one wet!

[Lootas1]

What machocist(s) came up with the idea of the slough run?
Sounds like way too much fun.

[Tim_Mattson]

Slough Run Hopeful

I am trying to get together my g-3 with maybe the top shell, as is, so scratches won`t bug me too bad.I hope the top shell install doesn`t grow into a big deal as I did bump up the transom so I could run a longshaft.....maybe a 55 hp 2 cyl Yamaha would be enough ,with a manual tilt bracket it would let me know when I got too shallow.I even got a spare prop and lower unit assy so it pretty much is a no brainer.
Of course,x-mas and the icy part of winter is coming so funding the project ,may get tricky as usual.
Time for floor and transom capping,then a splashwell morphing as the short shaft set-up would put two bolts in a bad place,but steering cable routing has to be addressed too......
Many hurdles to cross before even dodging the first rock.
TimM

[Helmar]

What machocist(s) came up with the idea of the slough run?
Sounds like way too much fun.

Don't know who came up with it but they have been doing that since we were kids. They used small Hydros back then too.

[Skagitguy]

Tim, After all of that work you are going to take it thru the Slough ? Tell me i'am wrong ! If the weather is not bad i will take California Girl ( otherwise the Farallon ) but only at the end of the Slough run by Kenmore. Chuck

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Slough Run History

Jerry -

The Slough Run masochism started way back in the 1920's, when I think they held the first races up and down the Sammamish River. (I was doing some research earlier this year and found an early photo of Jerry Bryant, owner of Bryant's Marina in Seattle, shot in the late 1920's when he was involved in boat racing. It shows him roaring down the Slough in a little wooden racer, and the story implied that some local racing buffs had recently discovered that the Slough made an interesting and challenging race event.)

For all I know they raced boats on the Slough from the 1920's on, but I believe that the 'modern' Sammamish Slough Race became more popular as a spectator event after the Second World War...and especially through the 1950's. At some point in the 1950's the Sammamish Slough Water-Ski Race was added to the regular Slough Race, and I remember competing in the Water-Ski Race two or three times...first as a driver and then, later, as a skier. (This would have been during the 1959-'61 period. We ran a Class D racing runabout with KG-9 Merc outboard and ran almost the entire route wide open. Of course, this was before the Corps of Engineers built the concrete fish weir at Marymoor Park, forcing modern-day Slough Runners to drift through that section with the lower units up.)

The Slough Race and Slough Water-Ski Race were both cancelled sometime in the early 1960's. I don't know who made the decisions regarding cancellation, but the Water-Ski Race in particular was deemed too dangerous after one skier was either killed or badly injured (I forget which) smashing into a bridge piling in the Bothell area of the river...and there were concerns about spectator safety with the regular Slough Race when fast hydros and racing runabouts would occasionally become land vehicles--missing turns and flying up onto shorelines that were sprinkled with spectators (who naturally were drawn to the most dangerous turns in the race course).

The Pacific Northwest Chapter of ACBS (Antique & Classic Boat Society) started running the Slough in maybe the late 1980's or early 1990's, with a just-for-fun midwinter event. The event was organized by member Bob Haynes for years, and included a hilarious variety of waterborne contraptions. One year Dick Dow attempted the race with a hovercraft or air boat (Dick, you can clarify the details). Another year John Flaherty--father of NWCBC's Brian Flaherty)--took a Century inboard runabout down the Slough, protecting the stern's rudder, strut, prop and shaft by jamming innertubes under the stern of the boat before drifting through the shallow fish-weir area. I don't know if he made it the whole way under his own power, since today you'd expect to run aground several times with any inboard. Yet another year the "Three Amigos" (Bob Haynes, Fred Bush and Denny Johnson) showed up with a ratty old outboard boat with three (count 'em--three) antique outboards for power. I think at least two of them kept running the length of the Slough...and all the way down Lake Washington.

Most of us who have participated in the Slough Run for awhile have personal stories to tell, usually involving breakdowns or sinkings. Dick Dow sank his tunnel-hulled outboard several years ago, right in front of Bill Gates' house on Lake Washington, after catching a big powerboat wake. I had a small hydro overturn in the willow run area just below the fish weir when the hull was caught sideways by a large willow branch and flipped upside-down, trapping the boat (and my camera and cell phone) on the bottom of the river. Lon Racus performed a slow sinking maneuver a year or two later, just down from the willow run, and countless entrants have had engine breakdowns, broken props, unplanned beachings and rocks sucked into impellers of jet drives.

In my own experience, I've only seen one serious situation. In about 1999 or maybe the year 2000, two old geezers decided to run the Slough in an inflatable. (I think one of them was a friend of an ACBS member, and neither had experienced the Slough before.) Several of us were concerned about them, so when it came time to drift through the fast-flowing fish weir/willow run area, we went first and then pulled out on the shore to see if they made it okay. Well, they didn't. After awhile we heard some muffled cries coming from upstream, so Fred Bush and I motored back up through the tangle of willows to find a submerged and badly-punctured inflatable, and two older guys clinging desperately to overhanging willows. They were already in early stages of hypothermia and pretty weak in the first place, so it was a chore to get them in the boat, out of the situation, and then downstream to a place where they could get some fresh clothes, blankets to warm up, etc. The inflatable was a goner, but its owners were just happy to be alive.

About 5-6 years ago the Slough Run became a joint event between ACBS and FiberGlassics Northwest. Gradually, ACBS participation fell off and now the event is primarily organized by Northwest Classic Boat Club, with some ACBS members like Tom Horn or Portland participating every year.

When compared with the original Sammamish Slough Race of fast hydros and racing runabouts, our modern-day Slough Run (not a race!) is pretty slow, but it's still a huge thrill to run our boats at speed through some of those tight turns, bringing back memories of great times in the 1950's when the Slough would be lined with spectators instead of condos and the many homes we now see along the lower river.

The photos in the posting below show Harold Tolford racing his D Class runabout in the mid-1950's, with a crowd above on one of the bridges; Jerry Bryant with one of his racers in the late 1920's; a flying Calkins Craft racing runabout in the 1950's, and Brian Flaherty and friend negotiating the willow run during this year's Slough Run.

- Marty

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Slough Run History--Photos

(See the posting above for a brief history of the Slough Run...)

These photos show Harold Tolford racing a Class D runabout in the mid-1950's, with crowd above on one of the many bridges; Jerry Bryant aboard one of his racers in the late 1920's; an airborne Calkins Craft racing runabout in the 1950's, and club member Brian Flaherty and friend dodging willows during this year's Slough Run.

- Marty

[Lootas1]

Thanks Marty. Interesting history. Even 20 years ago I probably would have been crazy enough to join in. Thank God for old age and a certain small amount of wisdom. It never occurred to me that a boat might make it from Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington.

[Tim_Mattson]

Sorry Chuck

Tim, After all of that work you are going to take it thru the Slough ? Tell me i'am wrong ! If the weather is not bad i will take California Girl ( otherwise the Farallon ) but only at the end of the Slough run by Kenmore. Chuck

Hey Chuck ,
I can fix the G-3 easier than I can fix the Plywood Crackerbox I once thought of using,it would look cool but doesn`t look like I`d have enough hull to float with the needed Fuel for the whole trip.....unless I went ultra light and went with a kicker as a main,which would be easier to heft over rocks and debris,and float a little shallower.
I`m doing all this work as Insurance I make it thru ,still floating if not still motoring.
I`m toying with placing some UHMW skid pads on the bottom more for keeping the current damage from growing.
The upper shell is already pretty buggered up,so the plan is to do the Run as a test and to verify the weight balance before doing a full re-painting of the topsides this spring.
If Brian Francini can still smile after doing the willow Run in his nice Reinell Jet,then I won`t be as crazy as some(maybe just less educated.....).
Thanx to Marty for the rundown and historical perspective.
TimM

[FINS]

I can't locate any pictures of the wooden boat that Tom Horn takes every year on this computer, but it was his heckling this that pressed me into doing it. My plan with the Playmaster was to launch at Sammamish and run over to the fish wier to watch the fun, then turn around and load up and drive to Coulon for the finish. I watched Tom go down in this beautiful BLACK hulled wooden runabout and the peer pressure kicked in. I looked at Cole and said "want to give it a try?" Of course he had no clue what we were in for and agreed. The willows section tore the windsheild loose and we beached the boat in 2" of gravel on a missed turn about 3/4 of the way down the slough. We made it to the pit stop in Kennmore dirty, but in great spirits. The Slough section was fun, but the length of Washington in a 14' boat was a little daunting. We tried to follow Tom Horn who quickly outpaced us and soon we were by ourselves in the Lake. We ran out of fuel in front of the Gates home (next to an Argosy cruise boat!) but still had the reserve tank which got us to within 400 yards of Coulon. We sat for about 3 minutes before Tom came roaring around the corner with an extra fuel can. It was a blast and something I have wanted to do for quite a while. This year I can be a bit more prepared! If you are on the fence, go for it. Give me a call or e-mail and I can give some pointers and suggestions for equipment!

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Slough Run '09 Photos

Brian -

Here are a few shots of Tom Horn's jet-driven mahogany runabout, along with a photo of you and Cole drifting through the willow run.

- Marty

[jayg]

boats ready for the run

I will be there again this year, Last year we ran the "band aid boat" This year I will have my 1970 fiberform that we took on a few other runs last year. The boat is ready to go.
Jay G

[slo-mo]

choose your weapon...

This event is the only legitimate reason that I have to justify the exponential growth of vintage glass speedboats in my neighborhood.

We are preparing our "well used" 1961 Stiletto with Homelite power, to get us to the finish line...we will be wearing mosquito repellent since our engine doesn't provide a built-in smokescreen...at least fuel won't be an issue!

Are there Trophy girls??