2021 NAMBA Nats Race Program

boating wise on the continent. The nationals were a time when we Hawaiians would be able to show the others what we had been working on the past year. Something like SEMA. Scale thunder boats, hand painted, lettered and striped by Gary. Crackerboxes with hand planked decks, lettered and stripped. Two crazy guys Keevan Inouye and Marashall Mizobe would change the design of the outrigger. The boat would have no skid fin, but the sponson sides would be angled to dig in the turns. Test and tune at Legg Lake, the boat had a hard time running in a straight line down the front straight. Both of us got a scolding from Jim Wilson for not driving straight. But it worked in Hawaii.... Same guys would change the design of monos. It would be a delta boat that banks in the turns! Just before the nationals, Ed Fisher releases his Northwind. He must have had spies in Hawaii. Great minds think alike! LOL??? San Diego, team marathon, Frank (Butch) Far and Charley Hernandez would come up with the crazy idea of running a .21 rigger in team marathon...They set a new lap record. Oceanside, Glenn Mattos loses radio, his boat lands on the island to the right! That’s the most birds I've seen in my life fill the air! Every night something was happening. Go cart racing, mini golf, BBQ. Seemed like people got more excited with what was happening off the pond than the boat races... Those were the "Days" will it ever be the "Same"? Sorry to be so long winded, just reliving memories....Making the 50th Nationals was always on my "bucket list" hope to make it, but at 76 years, traveling is not easy. Thanks for listening, From Keevan Inouye... I really don't know what the year was, but at our club meeting Gary Johnson said that an organization is being started that would supply us and our club with insurance. We would pay yearly dues for $12 a year, or we could for $150 become a life time member. Gary, Ernie Bob, Frank Hu, Joe Kaanapuu, Francis King, Doug Doiguchi, all had the funds to be life time members. I wish I had taken the opportunity for that offer. Who would think after all these years I would still be playing with "toy boats"! R/C boating in Hawaii was done on a pond with two 30 foot straight a ways and a 20 foot straight away in a triangle shape. Boats were Dumas SK 20, SK Daddle, Kushinada (Japan), and if you were lucky you had a Manu Kai which were made by Art Hammond and Charlie Pottle. Also had a few balsa Snoopy’s and a couple of Hughey with LARGE turn fins to make the 90 degree and 180 degree turns. Engines were of course K&B Veco. The Aloha Model Boat Club was led by Gary Johnson (Big Kahuna). We were it seems, the #1 social club with a little bit of RC boating mixed in. Everyone always had a good time at our (races?) food a plenty. Since Gary managed a hobby shop we always had parts and a place to gather and work on our boats. Some of the members also sailed RC boats therefore you see a sailboat on the NAMBA seal with Gary's # 37. At the nationals, Gary's room was always open and liquid refreshments were a plenty. Greatest NAMBA moment: Winning A Hydro at the Oklahoma Nationals in ‘75 against the "Greats" Fisher, Meelbush, Culpit, Stewarts,...Ran a foam Hughey with a laid down Veco with a brass shim tuned pipe using Wisniewski measurements. Was great to see Ed Fisher come to the waters edge to see what was making the funny noise! More memories of "The Crazy Hawaiians" at the NAMBA Nationals: In the early years there was no such thing as social media. Out in the middle of the pacific we had no idea what was happening Aloha... Keevan with mono in 1971, when only goal was to beat the “The Big Kahuna” a.k.a. Gary Johnson 2021 NAMBA Nationals Page 26