Racing Years Past.....And Rumors About the Future

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
by Jen Mitchell

The crew of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly getting ready to race. l to r, John Billings, Bill Dyer and Stevie Johnson. Lance Armstrong must have been in town loaning safety gear. Jen Mitchell photo

This story originally ran in the August 2004 Fishermen’s Voice

Maine lobster boat racing has been a summer pastime for many years up and down the coast and there are few people who would deny that one of its most colorful participants is Stevie Johnson of Long Island. This loud talking island native has been entertaining racing fans and racers alike with his brand of machine that can only be described like the man himself...Very Loud!

The past few years Stevie has dominated his class with the Hattie Rose a 36' Crowley Beal with an 892 Detroit under the box. Comparing the Hattie Rose to others, she is considered the good girl of the fleet. She hauls traps around Long Island during the week but when the eve of race day arrives you can usually find her being feverously worked upon by Johnson and his crew as they squeeze every bit out of the engine. No one is sure how he manages to get the extra horse power but it is not uncommon for last minute requests for quarters.

By Stevie’s own admission he loves to cause a scene and has been doing it rather successfully even before he entered the race scene. (Those are stories for another day.) All of the boats he has raced have been built by the master himself. The first two, the Serra Dawn and the Katie Jean got him started in racing but in the year 2000 Stevie decided he wanted something “spectacular!” Along came the bad girl of the fleet, the Kathleen II.

Stevie had a vision of building a 36' Crowley Beal with a big engine. He heard of a 1942 Packard-Rolls Royce engine which was in mothballs in New Hampshire. The story goes that it came out of a PT-111, had 1350hp, and was rebuilt in 1957. Stevie started making some phone calls. The gentleman who was in possession of the object of Stevie’s desire wanted a little more money than seemed reasonable for a boat that was racing for bragging rights so they made a deal. The engine went to Long Island on loan and the Kathleen II made the first big scene in Maine lobster boat racing.

Hate Me Rose, one of Stevie Johnson’s many summer surprises putting on a show. © Fishermen’s Voice photo

The only true drawback to the large engine was that she ran on aviation fuel. The Kathleen II burned around 250 gallons an hour and because fuel was approximately $4.75 a gallon Stevie towed her everywhere. He figured if he ran her to Winter Harbor the fuel bill would have been around $8,000.00 round trip. Needless to say the engine returned to New Hampshire after the race season and Stevie looked for a new boat to attract attention.

Only in the mind of this creative genius (or lunatic) could his latest wanna be lobster boat the Hate Me Rose have been built. This 28' glass boat now dubbed a “Jingle Johnson 28” was purloined from the burn pile on Long Island and painstakingly redone under the watchful eyes and skillful hands of Johnson. The months’ long project was squeezed into the shop between paying jobs and launched on June 17 just a mere 48 hours before the Boothbay Harbor lobster boat races.

To the delight of many, especially Johnson, she floated despite having an engine slightly larger than recommended. Another favorable aspect of the very limited Hate Me Rose sea trials was Johnson’s ability to keep the craft in relative control.

All of the lobster boat racing community eagerly awaited the maiden flight of the some what ugly step child of the Hattie Rose. (It has been widely rumored the Hattie Rose gave generously of herself to benefit the new race rookie.) The foot traffic traveling the lengths of Brown’s Wharf float to check her out have only been surpassed by the visit of our 41st president George Herbert Walker Bush. Johnson greeted his legion of fans, well-wishers and fellow competitors accepting the frenzy of “OOOHHSS,” “WOWS,” and “Holy Mother Mary of God...Please be careful!!” with his usual gusto.

When race time arrived the faithful watched as the crew donned their newly purchased life vests, borrowed bicycle helmets, and of course, never leaving anything to chance Johnson rigged a kill switch using a piece of bait twine. He took the helm and joined by fellow conspirators John Billings, Bill Dyer, and David Johnston headed towards their destiny.

The crew of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly getting ready to race. l to r, John Billings, Bill Dyer and Stevie Johnson. Lance Armstrong must have been in town loaning safety gear. © Fishermen’s Voice photo

The Coast Guard called a fair start and the smoke started to fly from the chrome straight pipes as the Detroit 892 roared to life hurtling the brave souls down the 3/4 mile track. All in the stern tried to mask their concern as they held on for dear life but were prepared to rush to either side of the rocket in order to right her if necessary. Bringing the RPM’s to a respectable rate Johnson recognized he still had some bugs to work out and he slacked her back. His crews white knuckles began to have blood flow through them again and the Hate Me Rose returned to her berth at Brown’s.

Although her inaugural appearance left them with a disappointing 2nd place against the only other boat in the race Johnson has pledged to his minions he will return to Long Island and diligently work on the slight stabilization issue. He was heard at the awards ceremony later in the day saying, “I really thought those boys would be just as good as trim tabs!”

So a word of advice to those looking for something to do on a lazy weekend day, find out where the lobster boat races are being held and come watch Stevie make a scene!

We’ll see you at the races!

After the initial writing of this story the Hate Me Rose has had a bit of a retro fit. She is a little wider and just about as ugly as a boat can get. Stevie surmised he could add a few inches (20") to either side of the Hate Me Rose in order to keep her upright and use the space during the week as lobster tanks. On the weekends the space comes in quite handy as extra beverage cooler space. The 2" Styrofoam lined tanks helps keep everything cold!

Maine Turnpike be damned, this widening effort proved to be well worth it as the Hate Me Rose finished in 1st place. Stevie proudly proclaims that the new version of the “Jingle Johnson 28” is called “Jingle Johnson 28 XU”... Extra Ugly!!!

Way Out West

James West’s Wild Wild West in mid flip at Searsport. West has pushed the limits of his boats and engines. © Fishermen’s Voice photo

Wild Wild West is between a rock and a hard place in late May. A fire at C&C Machine in Ellsworth has thrown a few wrenches into the works for James West and Glen Crawford. Glen builds the power plants that have shot Wild Wild West like a rocket across lobster boat race courses. He has worked with West for years, including West’s previous boat “High Hopes & Empty Pockets.

Empty Pockets set a 48 MPH speed record at Searsport a few years back. That is until Andy Gove at the same race ran his “Uncle’s UFO” to 48.7MPH, after, according to West, Gove threw everything overboard that was not very welded down.

The fire at C&C Machine damaged the engine, which was in the shop, said West. Damage to the boat has not been assessed. This is what prompted West to say, “Not sure,” when asked if he would be racing this season.

One of West’s most wild races was at Searsport in 2001 when Wild Wild West flipped over. West was not running the boat, he was at the Winston Cup races in Bristol, Tennessee. Joe Sargent was at the helm, pouring it on in winds and choppy conditions, when the boat laid down into a wave and didn’t come up. That sent the boat 180 degrees onto its wheelhouse.

Sargent was sent through the port window. He went down and was hit on the head by the vertical exhaust pipe. He stayed down until he thought he was clear of the overturned boat. West’s cousin, Dale Carter, was also on board and sustained injuries from which he recovered.

West runs in the races that include boats operating at the edge of racing regulations regarding the definition of “lobster boat”. They are required to have functioning hauling equipment, etc., but these boats are the drag racers of boat racing, and steroids are still OK in these machines.