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THE "NEW" CALYPSO TOO E-1 / E-9 RESTORATION
(HULL #C-4)


(Clicking on any of the pictures* on this page will open a new window with the full size photo)


2/10/10: Frank and Jeff have spent the last two weeks working at the shop and have accomplished a lot.  The deck has now been fiberglassed, and a new rear cowling has been fabricated and is ready for paint.  By the way, that is the original cockpit cover from 40 years ago!

             

      



1/29/10: The boat's ready for fiberglass, and the original front cowling's been fitted.  For fun we put the damaged tail section to get an idea of what she'll look like.

      



01/28/10: THEN & NOW
The series of photos below are a set that were taken almost 40 years apart.  The photos below on the left were taken by Jim Willis in the Winter of 1970 at Ed Karelsen's shop as the boat was being built.  The ones on the right were taken by Jeff Schneider in the last two weeks of January, 2010 at Don Kelson's shop as the boat is being restored.

      

THEN: 1970
Ed Karelsen (r)
Frank Schneider (l)

NOW: 2010
Ready for decking
 

      
THEN: 1970      
Frank Schneider (l)      
Ray Forbes (r)      		 NOW: 2010      
Frank Schneider      
(behind the boat)      

      
THEN: 1970      
Karelsen's shop      		 NOW: 2010      
Ready for fiberglass      



01/23/10: In the past few months Jeff Schneider (the boats owner) and his dad Frank have been meticulously repairing the hull getting it ready for today.  That included replacing damaged pieces, refurbishing and polishing the original gas tank, putting in a new battery bracket, and much more.  Today Jeff, Frank, Don Kelson and Steve Parker all met at Don's shop to begin putting the deck on.  The day before, the deck pieces were cut out and sealer applied so they'd be reay for today.  Jeff and Steve put the epoxy on the frame prior to each deck piece being applied.  As we held the pieces down, Frank was securing it with brass nails at 3" intervals around the edge and 6" intervals along the middle of each front deck piece.  Some minor trimming needed to be done to the second front piece to make it fit perfectly, and it did.  We put some weights on certain areas of the deck to make sure the epoxy could do its job.

Ed Karelsen (who built the boat in 1971) showed up at the shop later in the morning, as did Bruce McDonald.  Bruce drove hydroplanes in the mid-60's through the 70's, including the 280 Ed Karelsen Special, which was built the year before the Calypso (hull#C-4).  There were some great stories being told as the work was being done.  You can see Don and Ed chatting away in a couple of the pictures.

             

      

      



11/25/08: Some of the framework needed to be replaced, as well as the non-trip wings.  That's Frank working on the underside of his old boat.

      

      



7/18/08: Dr. Keith Peterson, the boats original co-owner, brought the rear cowling from the boat and handed it off to the boats current owner, Jeff Schneider.  Jeff graciously accepted.  Note the "US1" decal still proudly displayed on the back.

      



The "New" Calypso Too (hull #C-4) was found and purchased by Jeff Schneider in August of 2006.  Jeff's father, Frank, drove this hydroplane in 1971, including breaking a world speed record.  Although the deck was missing and some areas had been modified, it was in remarkably good condition.  The wood was in great shape - little to no moisture damage, which is common on these old hydroplanes.  The pictures below show the condition.


      

These photos were taken the day the boat was purchased.  Jeff and his son Cory met at the boats location with Ed Karelsen (who built the boat 35 years earlier), his brother, Craig Magnusson (the previous owner), and Steve Parker.

             


Fortunately, much of the original hardware was with the boat.  It was in need of a good power washing - lots of pigeon droppings.  The original cowling was with the boat and in fair condition.  You could still easily read the World Record details that had been added 35 years earlier.

      



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