Herb Mendelson

Herb Mendelson Question

Herb Mendelson receives 1935 President's Cup
Herb Mendelson receives 1935 President's Cup

QUESTION:

Before Notre Dame owner Herb Mendelson entered Gold Cup Class competition in 1935, he raced a series of Limited boats in the early 1930s. What can you tell me about these boats?

ANSWER:

Very little information is available about Mendelson's Limited boats. He owned at least five of them--all named Madoshumi. ("Mada" was short for Madalyn, his wife's name [other accounts have "Marie" as Herbert Mendelson's wife's name]; "shu" was Herb's nickname for his daughter Shirley.) I did come up with the following.

Mendelson's Madoshumi IV, a product of Chriscraft, won the 1930 and 1931 Jack Dempsey Trophy for 250-horsepower runabouts at the 8th and 9th annual Washington Birthday Regatta at Palm Beach, Florida. The driver was Clell Perry who won the 1937 Gold Cup with Mendelson's Notre Dame.

In 1931, Perry and Mendelson additionally won the Runabout Free-For- All at the Washington Birthday Regatta with Madoshumi IV.