last901

During the early 70's, I was heavily into drag boat racing and a member of Seattle Drag & Ski Boat Association. I recently donated all of my old photos to a website in Oregon where a lot of these old memories found a great home (along with a lot of old drag racing photos - see WDIFL.com)

Anyway, I've managed to recall the details of most of my old photos for the website, except for one. It was a shot taken at Olympia's Capitol Lake in, I think, 1971 and is of a blown fuel hydro, orange and silver, that I believe was owned and driven by Dave Brumpton.

I can't seem to find a way to contact Dave for verification so am just taking a sort of shotgun approach to see if there are any of you who might have been around at the time and may be able to help. There were a lot of Corvettes in the parking lots at our races back then so I'm hoping somebody will remember.

I never have figured out how to post photos on this site so, but I'll be happy to share the photo with you if you provide me with an Email address.

Thanks

kRAZY KANAKA

I was a crew member in the 70's for don due and the krazy kanaka
we saw a lot of dave brumpton and his blown fuel hydro. I recently became facebooks friend with steve Reynolds from white lightning and miss circus circus. he is facebook friends with dave brumpton so dave is on facebook

last901

Wow, thanks for the note. So you were there during the crazy days of Seattle Drag and limited inboard racing. Surely you will remember Dwight Binge, Mike McMillen, Doug Klapstein and that bunch. When's the last time you heard from Don Due?

Brumpton's on Facebook, huh? Never thought of Dave as a Facebook kinda' guy. Will have to look him up. Funny, but after so many years of living in the south end and having to make the drive to Alexander's Resort for the events, we now live up the hill from where Alexanders used to be.

Have never left the boat racing scene completely. Have been spending a lot of time during retirement at the Hydroplane Museum in Kent.

So, if you're on the Forum you must have a Corvette, huh?

Mufflerbearing

[QUOTE=last901;
So, if you're on the Forum you must have a Corvette, huh?[/QUOTE]

Looks like he has been on the forum since 4/13/15.......today.

Perhaps he has a C7.

last901

Good point, but then how did he find my thread that dates back to 2007?

kRAZY KANAKA

Of course I remember those guys.. I spent many a night in the kanaka with dwight and doug putting the boat back together after Due fried John Garrisons motor which we found out after a year was because of Bob Reeds recessed water pick up which would not get enough water to cool the engine reed blamed it on garrison and vice versa..

I just tried to look up Klapstein and I drove by Binges house up in north seattle and it appears he still lives there as his big bus was there. I talked to Francos bartender Schultz and he said Due was in a rest home unable to converse anymore..

Still remember our mechanic Big Clyde..

I found Brumpton by accident after befriending my old neigbor " white lighning Steve Reynolds and saw they were facebook buddies.

Still remember Jim Codling as his dad and my dad practiced medicine together and I grew up near Herb Schoenfelds parents on MI.

I see the Jones brothers occasionally as they own a bunch of rqce horses. We bought one of the early jones starfires on lake washington. I still remember Steve coming by our house in a detuned race model and scaring the daylights out of my dad by taking him 85 mph across the lake to seward park..

I miss the old alexaanders beach races as that was a great place..

well anyway I do own a corvette my third in 40years. Its a 1998 c-5 with a 6 speed.. I am saving it in the garage for my kid who is ten and chomping at the bit to get at it.. LOL YES I married late

I just found this corvette site on sunday and saw your brumpton post

As my son and I were coming through portland sunday after going to the dunes i commented on how I was there on that tragic day when we lost chuck skaggs and how as a 19 year old I saw first hand the smell of death. It still hits me today how I had to sheild his family from the body being draggeds out






there during the crazy days of Seattle Drag and limited inboard racing. Surely you will remember Dwight Binge, Mike McMillen, Doug Klapstein and that bunch. When's the last time you heard from Don Due?

Brumpton's on Facebook, huh? Never thought of Dave as a Facebook kinda' guy. Will have to look him up. Funny, but after so many years of living in the south end and having to make the drive to Alexander's Resort for the events, we now live up the hill from where Alexanders used to be.

Have never left the boat racing scene completely. Have been spending a lot of time during retirement at the Hydroplane Museum in Kent.

So, if you're on the Forum you must have a Corvette, huh?[/QUOTE]

kRAZY KANAKA

I dont get on this forum much. I haven't seen Doug Klapstein in years since he was with the telephone company. I drove by Dwight Binges old house up near 175th and his motor home was still in the driveway. I didn't knock on the door. I didnt know Mike Mc Millen but remember our motor guy John garrison and the tuner Big Clyde and the guy who built the hull and the struts Bob Reid. I understand from Schultz who used to work at Francos or one of those places that Don was in assisted living up near 125 th and Aurora but unable to locate.
Our good buddy jack morton one of Dons friends passed away a few years ago. He was a great friend and boater

last901

Mike McMillen is a retired Alaska Airlines pilot. He and Klapstein stay in touvh quire often. I think Klapstein retired and moved to AZ. Haven't seen Binges in years, but he and Jim Spencer remain in touch. Jim was part of the old - let's call it - "Whatmore Tribe" and drove a blue Marlin flat bottom.

I've heard too that Don Due was quite ill, but didn't realize he was in Seattle.Of course, perhaps because of the boat's name, I assumed he was in Hawaii.

I took the librty of sharing our exchange of posts with McMillen and hope he will respond.

Beltfedbob

Not anymore a fan, if you know anyone wanting a sick fast 73 Sanger v drive with a Blown BBC. Let me know :-)

last901

Beautiful Boat! How I miss those days.

kRAZY KANAKA

I barely remember McMillen but the name is familiar. I kinda quit crewing on the kanaka when Don switched it to K Boat.I remember Don whatmore and his marlin. Don Due was from Seattle and he had his office over a gym I worked out in across from the paramount. Don owned national barricade of hawaii which was his only connection to hawaii. He later sold the company. .
Kind of ironic for me to be crewing on a Schiada when I owned a Steve Jones ski boat. I respected the Jones boys for what they did and became.

kRAZY KANAKA

PSS I just heard from Brumpton on FB. His house was wiped out by a earthquake near cabo and he is spending the next 6 months trying to rebuild.

kRAZY KANAKA

I googled dave Brumpton and your through all Googles analytics it brought up anything with dave Brumptons name in it including your post from 2007. Google is amazing

last901

Here's an exert I received from an Email Mike McMillan sent me a couple days ago.

" As an update, Binge finally sold his house where we worked on the boats. It took him a month to clean out his garage. They are in Arizona now. And Klapstein just sold their place in Tucson, and have a place in central California and on the water in Port Angles."

kRAZY KANAKA

Yes I figured Binges would finally sell that house and go someplace warm.I vaguely remember Mike but It was probably when I took a break from crewing. You can ask his if he remembers John Bourdeau. I google Doug Klapstein and he and his wife are involved with customizing old trucks. I remember Doug had a nice old truck back then too. I was going to look up Don but was told he wouldn't remember me or anything else from the good old days. Sad. I was thinking about some of the other guys from Seattle drag and Ski. Jim Codling whose dad was a doctor and Herb Schonfeld whose parents lived near me on mercer island...

ZO ZICK

Been to a Drag Boat event one time!