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THIS PICTURE IS ACTUALLY CIRCA MAY OR JUNE 1978, SELF CREEK, LAKE GREESON, AR WHO ARE THESE GUYS ANYWAY? WELL, I BELIEVE IT IS OUR OLD BUDDIES FROM DALLAS, J. D. SIMMS, GARY SMITH, LARRY MORDEN AND I'M NOT SURE ON THE LAST ONE... IS IT WAYNE RUSSELL? |
| THIS IS THE FIRST TX-20 PICKLEFORK TUNNEL HULL THAT JIM YOUNGBLOOD AND ROBERT WITTENBURG CONSTRUCTED IN THE WINTER OF 1978. JOHN SULLIVAN OF COMPETITIVE MARINE PURCHASED THE BOAT IN THE SPRING OF 1979 AS A DEMO. ADGER SMITH RAN THE BOAT ON THE LAKE A GOOD PORTION OF THE SUMMER OF '79 AND THEN JOHN SOLD THE BOAT TO MARK NORRIS OF ATLANTA, TX. MARK RAN THE BOAT FOR A FEW YEARS AND IN THE MID '80'S SOLD THE BOAT TO CHRIS WOOD OF TEXARKANA WHO HAS OWNED THE BOAT SINCE THAT TIME. AS ALL THE FIRST OF THE SERIES YOUNGBLOODS, THE BOAT IS WHITE GELCOAT WITH A JACUZZI RACE PUMP AND CARIES THE SERIAL NUMBER 0001. |
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HERE IS GARY SMITH FROM DALLAS, TX AT LAKE GREESON IN '79. OVER THE WINTER HE DITCHED THE OLD BLUE AVENGER PICTURED AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE AND HAD YOUNGBLOOD BUILD HIM THIS RED, ORANGE & YELLOW TX-19 NARROW DECK THAT HE NAMED "LONG GONE". THE LAST TIME I SAW GARY HE HAD SOLD THE BOAT AND WAS RUNNING A RACE CAR. WHERE ARE YOU NOW BUD? |
| THIS BRONZE & MARSHMELLOW TX-19 SHOWED UP FROM CORSICANA, TX. THIS BOAT WAS SEEN FOR SALE ON THE INTERNET RECENTLY FROM THE SECOND OWNER OUT OF THE SAN ANTONIO AREA. I'LL SEE IF I CAN LOCATE THE PRESENT OWNER INFO IN MY FILES. MOST OF THE TRAILERS FOR THESE EARLY BLOOD BOATS WERE BUILT BY CABOT INDUSTRIES AND MARKETED AS PANTHER TRAILERS. |
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THIS WAS THE #3 20 FOOT PICKLE TUNNEL BUILT. IT WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED BY JOHN SULLIVAN OF COMPETITIVE MARINE WHO THEN SOLD IT TO RODNEY JONES. RODNEY IS THE GUY WITH THE YELLOW CAP WITH THE DINGLEBERRY ON TOP. ALSO SHOWN IS STUART SMITH, JOHN SULLIVAN, DON BRITT, LEON ARTERBERRY & JONES' SON WALKING BY. |
| THIS BEAUTIFUL RED, BLUE & SILVER TX-19 BELONGED TO MICKEY SMITH OF LITTLE ROCK, AR. MICKEY WAS TRYING OUT SOME NITROUS THIS WEEKEND AND HIS BATTERY WENT DOWN ON HIM WITHOUT HIM REALIZING SO. HE WAS RACING ARTERBERRY'S OUTBOARD AND HIT THE BUTTON AND THE LOW VOLTAGE CAUSED A MISFIRE WHICH BLEW FIRE RIGHT OUT THE SCOOP AND FRIED SMITH'S ALREADY FRIZZY HAIR. SMITH WAS DEJECTED AS THE THOUGHT HE BLEW HIS ENGINE AS IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER WITH THE DEAD BATTERY. WHAT A HAPPY GUY AFTER A CHARGE! |
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AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. AT THIS TIME THERE HAD ONLY BEEN SEVEN TX-20 BOATS MANUFACTURED AND FIVE OF THEM WERE RIGGED, RUNNING & PRESENT THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE #2 SILVER & BLACK THAT PERFORMANCE JETBOATS OF DALLAS HAD GONE TO AND JOHN SULLIVAN OF COMPETITIVE MARINE HAD JUST RECEIVED THE RED, BLUE & SILVER #7. |
| THIS SILVER & BLUE TUNNEL WAS THE FIRST EXTREME LIGHTWEIGHT RACE BOAT VERSION OF THE HULL AND WAS CONSTRUCTED FOR RICK HENDRICK OF NASCAR FAME. RICK WAS AN OWNER & DRIVER DURING THE BOAT YEARS. PRESENT AROUND THE BOAT IS CLOCKWISE YOUNGBLOOD'S DAUGHTER, UNIDENTIFIED, HENDRICK'S CREW MAN, UNIDENTIFIED, GARY SMITH, JIM YOUNGBLOOD, JOHN SULLIVAN, STUART SMITH, RODNEY JONES & DON BRITT. |
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JIM TAKE A SMOKE BREAK JUST PRIOR TO TAKING A BLAST DOWN THE LAKE! ALSO PRESENT THIS WEEKEND WERE JIMMY & DIANE HOSMER AND POCOHANTAS (NANCY). |
| HERE JIM YOUNGBLOOD TAKES HENDRICK'S RACER OUT FOR A TEST RUN IN WHAT IS NOW A "NO WAKE" AREA BLAST UNDER THE BRIDGE AT SELF CREEK LANDING ON LAKE GREESON |
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IT WAS A GREAT & FUN WEEKEND. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS COOL, CLOUDY & HIGH WATER, THE YOUNGBLOOD BOATS KEPT COMING AND OUR SPIRITS WERE NOT DAMPENED. |