1903 Oshkosh Yacht Club Trophy Cup
The First APBA Race in the West
Power Boat Racing In The West
The first race in the West under the American Power Boat Association rules took place at Oshkosh, on Lake Winnebago, Aug. 26th, during regatta week, for a Trophy Cup given by the Oshkosh Yacht Club between H.C. Doman's speed launch Now Then and Elmer Lach's launch Merle.
Course, equilateral triangle of six knots, twice around.
| First Race | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Merle | 10:00:00 AM | 11:15:20 AM |
| Now Then | 10:13:08 AM | 11:17:20 AM |
Merle winning by 2 minutes
| Second Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Merle | 10:54:30 AM | 12:10:00 AM |
| Now Then | 11:07:38 AM | 12:09:26 AM |
Now Then winning by 34 seconds
| Third Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Merle | 3:10:00 PM | 4:22:00 PM |
| Now Then | 3:23:08 PM | 4:23:48 PM |
Merle winning Cup and race by 1 minute and 48 seconds
The time allowance, 13.08, was taken out at the start of each race.
Now Then had twin screws and two 13 h.p. engines, built by H.C. Doman, and the Merle was designed and built by Jones & La Borde with Fermatt & Monahan 12 h.p. Gasoline Engines, all of this place.
| Dimensions of Boats: | Merle | Now Then |
|---|---|---|
| Length over all | 40' | 40' 6" |
| Length Water Line | 37' 6½" | 35' 9 5/8" |
| Beam, extreme | 5' 7" | 5' 5" |
| Beam, water line | 4' 11½ " | 5' |
| Beam depth at 1-5 midship section | 10 3/4" | 9 7/8" |
| Engines | 4-cycle | 4-cycle |
| Cylinders | 3 | 4 |
| Diameter of Piston | 5¼" | 6½" |
| Stroke | 6½ " | 6" |
| Number of Revolutions | 410 | 614 |
| Rating | 33.345 | 39.33 |
Measurers, Mat Judson, Leroy G. Gates
(Transcribed from The Rudder, January, 1904, p. 43 )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. — LF]