Does this pose look familiar?

The Austin Healey boat.

Donald Healey didn't just produce exceptional sports cars. The production of the Healey "Sports Boats" by Donald Healey Marine was not exactly insignificant.

First produced in 1956, they built 1750 examples over the next 6 years.
This is the cover of a comprehensive 1957 brochure.

These all-wood speed boats were pretty classy.

Take a look at the dashboards.

The most powerful was the Healey Marine 707, a 15' 9" boat powered by a triple carburetered  Austin-Healey six cylinder engine good for 118 hp. There was also the Healey Marine 75 and 55 which were powered by 1500cc MGA marine engines with twin SU H4 carburetors developing 80 hp.

There were outboards as well. Here is a 1956 ski-master all-wood boat designed specifically to tow 2 skiers and provide seating for up to 5 including the pilot.

Outboard motors included Scott-Atwater, Evinrude, Johnson and Mercury.
There was also a small boat called the Sprite (of course) which was constructed of fibreglass.
Each boat came with a trailer made at the Donald Healey Motor Company with chassis number on an ID plate.

Dinky model no.796 is a Healey boat and trailer.

I know of at least one Healey boat in Australia, a 1959 "75" sports boat which was imported from Canada in 1996. It is hull number 1144 and has its Healey Marine trailer with original mechanical brakes and DHMC I.D. plate. It has the Healey Marine forward/reverse/neutral transmission and the Healey Marine inlet and exhaust manifolds and twin SU carbies on its BMC 4-cylinder motor. Until about a month ago it was owned by Melbourne Austin Healey stalwart, John Gray.

Bay to Birdwood

This year was the oldies' year. Not a Bolwell in sight (except for Campbell's orange one inside the building, now sharing the company of the white Giocattolo). In addition to the club members doing their usual good job at both the start and finish, there were at least a couple of others taking part in the run. Immanuel entered his Falcon Knight although I must say I missed seeing him among the other 1250 entrants. I wonder if he spotted the supercharged Auburn there. I didn't miss Trevor in the Overland though.

Don't they make a lovely couple, under their lap rug and wearing their leather flying helmets?

Among the Jowetts and Bradfords was this Jowett racer.

As you know their engines are horizontally opposed 4s and you can see it sticking out between the headlight and the front wheel. Next to it is a Javelin with the bonnet up. I saw a man looking under the bonnet and not noticing the motor deep down in the bowels and seeing nothing but a radiator, telling his friend with some authority that these cars were rear engined. I know that Alvin Jenkin was there on the day. I saw his feet sticking out from underneath his Javelin.

Kapunda - week 54.

Takes you back doesn't it?  Sounds good too. I reckon I'd get more enjoyment out of an FJ like this than an expensively restored one on skinny 15s. Bob Marshall had a matt black one when he was about 16. Must have been ahead of his time.

Remember this?

Really they didn't have a lot of opposition.
These were actually Prince R380s before Nissan bought Prince out.

Nagari bar mirrors.

The Bolwell Car Club have been quietly selling these bar mirrors for years and years at $70.00 each. Now they are dropping the price to $45.00 each plus postage. Take advantage of this new price now. $10.00 should cover postage. If you wish to use your credit card to purchase, you can do that through Beven Young's Automotive Bookshop website, or you can email me for the SA Bolwell Club's banking details on
vidstud@gmail.com

From Stacey

I walked thro the door to get the 4 off the floor, now it's in the air , all bare, ready for more care- if the damn thing goes to the floor again, I'll go to the Buchanan straight and plain

 

1964

So there was a Mark 7 brochure.

Of sorts.
In 1970 Linley Hughes, manager of Kadala Australia, thanked Bruce Tonkin for his enquiry and enclosed a brochure.

Bruce purchased his kit soon after.

Recognise anybody?

Upstairs in a double decker bus going off to dinner one Easter. The bus driver was the designated driver.

What year? Who are they all?

Trident

I said "Trident" not "Triden", Wayne.
The Neptune Racing Team. Ah! They were the days!

Love the old Chev truck.
Thanks for the photo Duane.

Another "Where is it now?"

You may recall we traced the history of the Milano GT that Dick Willis built and owned twice (and is now for sale in the Albury/Wodonga area). One of the former owners was a South Australian, Bevan Hill, who crashed it rather badly at Mallala. Well, Bevan (with an "a") is an old mate of Beven (with an "e"). Beven discovered that Bevan, when he was in the Navy and stationed in Perth, owned and drove a Bolwell Mk.7 and asked if he knew which one. BevAn isn't sure, but here are some of his recollections.

"Remembered items.

The car was "burnt orange" colour.  Holden 6 cylinder motor. 

At the time, it was professionally finished inside.  Excellent seats, proper floor carpets, good trim around the transmission tunnel, etc. 

The windows only wound down about half way, and as a result, it got quite hot inside in a WA summer.  I had organised for an air conditioner to be fitted to it, but I got moved to Canberra before I had it done.  I believe the new owner did get it installed at the arranged supplier after he purchased it.  The supplier was the chief mechanic at the BP garage on the south west side of the Canning Highway at Palmyra.  Sorry that I cannot remember his name.  However, I would guess that very few Bolwell's of that time had a/c, so this might be a clue. 

The rego number was UZK-161.  Possibly a clue there.

I owned it from about Nov 1974 till Jul or Aug 1976.  My understanding was that the builder (the only previous owner, sorry I cannot remember his name) had only used it as a weekend drive.  I drove it to work (about 5 km) only in good weather, and we also used it mostly for day trips, down to Serpentine Falls, or Mandurah, or such (Note Mandurah was a smelly stinky little fishing village then; it is now a bustling tourist and boating city of at least 75,000).  When the baby came along, it really was pretty useless, even though we did put the bassinet in the back a couple of times (this would just not be acceptable now), and when I got posted to Canberra, then it really had to go.

Sorry, I don't have any photos.  They have disappeared in one of the 13 moves we had in the Navy after we left WA.

That's about it.  I hope it is of some use.

Cheers,
Bevan "

Now for the Sand Gropers to go to work.