As this trio of Jones Designers, built some of the
Sports most famous boats…
You never know when Father Time’s going to ask
you to “Bring your Torch”. As Ron Jones Jr. died at the relatively young age of
67 this past April 24th. With “JR” being the third generation of revolutionary
Unlimited Hydroplane designers and builders of these unique racing boats.
Ron Jones Jr’s Grandfather, Tudor Owen “Ted”
Jones shocked the Boating world when driving His radical “three-pointer”
Unlimited Hydroplane to win the 1950 APBA Gold Cup in Detroit, Michigan. During
an era when the winning Yacht Club got to Host the following year’s Gold Cup
event.
As Ted Jones was the first to successfully
employ the skimming technique of an Unlimited running with it’s propeller only
partially submerged and skimming the water on it’s two sponsons, when He
designed the Slo-Mo-Shun IV for Stan Sayres in 1949. And with this boat’s
superiority, the sport would never look back!
As Ted Jones Slo-Mo-Shun IV and V Hydroplanes
would dominate Unlimited racing for a five year stretch. Winning the gold Cup
between 1950-54. Before
Lou Fageol spectacularly barrel-rolled the
Slo-Mo-Shun V during Gold Cup qualifying on Lake Washington in 1955!
Miraculously Fageol survived this backwards
flip some fifty-feet in the air, albeit forcing His retirement from boath
racing! Which ended the Slo-Mo-Shun’s dynasty, before owner Stanley Sayres died
of a Heart attack in 1956.
Having regaled Y’all Wayback’ many Moons ago with
Lou fageol’s connection to Mother Speedway in the following No Fenders yarn…
http://www.nofenders.net/2015/09/hydros-drivers-with-speedway-connections.html
As Ted Jones designed and built Unlimited
Hydroplanes with such legendary names as Miss Thriftway, Miss Century 21, Miss Wahoo
and the Hawaii Kai III. Being just a few of the names that saw Ted’s boats win
a staggering 75 major races, 14 APBA Gold Cups and ten consecutive National
High Points Championships between 1950-66, according to former Unlimited Hydroplane
Historian Fred Farley.
While Ted is also credited with spotting a
promising driver named Bill Muncey, who went onto become one of the sport’s
legends…
Although Ted’s most famous Hull arguably has to
be the Green Dragon, His 1962 Miss Bardahl. Which won the National High Points
Championship and Gold Cup three consecutive years in-a-row between 1963-65.
Which was also Ted’s last “Hands On” Hull He was involved in, before retiring
from racing.
Ted Jones died at the age of 90 on January 9,
2000.
Ron Jones Sr. was brought-in over the winter of
1962 to fine tune the Miss Bardahl’s sponsons, with obviously dramatic effects.
Before taking over the reigns from His father, ironically having built the 1958
championship winning Miss Bardahl His father designed.
This was the first Unlimited He built, whilst
ultimately building over 500 estimated boats of all classes, including some two
dozen plus Unlimiteds during His lifetime.
Ron had been chomping at the bit to design a
Cabover Hydroplane, with the driver’s cockpit being placed ahead of the engine.
Which Ole Bardahl let Him do for the 1966 season. Yet sadly, thru no fault of
His own. Ron Munsen lost His life when the boat threw a propeller and dove to
the bottom of the Potomac river, killing Munsen instantly. The sport’s darkest
day, when three drivers met their maker during that year’s Presidents Cup in Washington
DC.
Yet Senior would be vindicated when Tom D’Eath
and the Miss US, a Cabover “Picklefork” design of His won the 1976 Gold Cup,
for which every winner since has driven this same forward cockpit design…
The elder Ron was the Designer of two legendary
Unlimited Hulls. First what was known as the “Winged Wonder”, the 1973 Pride of
Pay n Pak, which won 22 races enroute to the National High Points Championship
between 1973-75.
And my All-time Numero Uno Unlimited, the 1980
Miss Budweiser Griffon! Which also won 22 races and was basically unstoppable
between 1980-84. With it’s only major blemish being Dean Chenoweth’s death at
Tri-cities in 1982.
Senior was also responsible for implementing
the now de riggour cockpit canopies following the death of Chenoweth. Which was
first used successfully on what was known as the “bubble Bud”. The team’s third
and final version of it’s legendous’ Rolls Royce Griffon Hulls.
As new “bud Man” driver Jimmy Kropfield was the
first to compete in a enclosed cockpit raceboat in 1985. Although the Bubble
Bud’s canopy was actually composed from vacuum-formed plexiglass and opened
skywards, pivoting forwards vs. traditional F-16 canopy style.
As this ushered in the now long ago mandatory
use of surplus F-16 canopies. Which Ron Sr. introduced on the first turbine
powered Miss Budweiser and 7/11 Unlimiteds in 1986.
Ron Jones Sr. died at age 84 on January 19, 2017.
Ron Jones Jr’s accomplishments were a little
harder to discern initially. Other than He spent the majority of His lifetime
working on boats until His last project, the U-88 Unlimited in 2011. Having been
diagnosed with Stage-4 emphysema and COPD, due to a genetics disorder described
as Alpha-1 Anti-Tryplsin I believe.
Ron Jr. began working in the family’s boat
building business in earnest during High School, when He would cut and prepare
all of the wooden parts used in the building of Unlimited Hydroplance. With His
Grandfather Ted being the Shop Foreman. Before His Dad Ron Jones Sr. introduced
the widespread application of aluminum honeycomb composite to Unlimited
Hydroplanes, first upon the 1973 Pride of Pay n Pak.
JR worked on all aspects of building Unlimiteds
for His Pop’s Ron Jones Marine business, including the implementation of the
F-16 enclosed cockpit canopies and migration to turbine power…
JR met and apparently interacted with Dave Villwock
prior to His being chip Hanauer’s Crew Chief upon the Miss Circus Circus,
before His Driving career began. And worked with Scott Pierce and the Evans
brothers Mark and Mitch amongst other drivers.
As JR rebuilt the Hull that previously was the
Miller American Beer wagon of 1985, which began life as the ’84 Atlas Van Lines
Hull in 1984. Becoming the brand new from the waterline up U-50 American Spirit
in 1992.
Ron Jones Jr. also was a team owner three
different times. The first being the building of the Coors Dry in less than 60
days! Which rookie driver Villwock, making His Unlimiteds debut won first time
out at San Diego in 1992! With JR noting this two wing boat was seeing a top
speed of 218mph in Hawaii!
JR also rebuilt the former Miss Circus Circus
after it caught on fire in Hawaii, which ran with a triple rear wing. Although
villwock destroyed both boats in ’93 and Rone Jr. and Villwock split under
bitter terms. While JR’s final ownership was in a not so enjoyable partnership
with Dr. Ken Muscatel
As thanks to the ingenuity of All three generations of Jones, the sport of Unlimited Hydroplanes would have never been the same without them!
