Caporn (Dickie Dixon's) Vintage Outboard Runabout

[MERCMAN]

Hi Dickie,
Your stories sure make good reading indeed.
My Dad use to call me all the names under the Sun for almost pulling our boat over. We had a Savage Pursuit set up with a bridle. At the age of about eighteen and I had been skiing for around six years and it wasn't too hard at all to give the old man a big fright every now and again.

He refused to drive for me in the end.
 
It was only four weeks ago when I was having a beer with Dad and his mate, he brought up the same subject up again.        He's still not over it!

What year did you sail back from the USA?

MERCMAN.
 

[Dickie]

Hi Mercman.     I sailed to USA in 1955. I worked over there for fifteen months,and returned in1956.    At that time I was very keen on Buick motor cars,so when I arrived there,I bought myself a 1953 Buick Super V8 two door in Flint Michigan,for 1500 Dollars.  It had only 2o,ooo miles on the clock. I drove the car to L.A.  I worked there for six months,and decided to drive to New York  I did this via Acapulco Mexico,a distance of about 6,000 miles, in three weeks. That included a week in Acapulco. I did bring the car home with me when I returned.  This was apart from a 1956  Buick Century for my Dad. I ended up wrecking the 53, but that's another story.  I hope this is not too boring stuff for you.       Dickie.

[Chair]

 
RE(About the purchase and import of the 30 HP Johnson.  I was in America for over 12 months, which enabled me to bring back an outboard motor)
 
Yeah, and as I have stated before, I made a cubby house out of the box, until it rained. I was about 8 years old.
I remember the revving noise of that dockbuster as the prop left the water. You were about one mile along the beach and the wind carried that sound. ROOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRR, BRRRRRRPPPPP.
Hey! what about the time the 30hp Johnson removed itself from your boat at Edithvale.
David

[Javelin]

Hi Dickie

Definatley not boring, Love the storys, Keep them comming 

Javelin

[Dickie]

I found a picture of me and my fiance (wife to be Billie) at Chelsea beach Vic. 1958, thought you might like to see it. I don't look so good now but Billie (my wife looks the same
Very diplomatic don't you think?
Dickie

[Dickie]

Yes David.   About the  30 HP Johnson Jumping off the transom near Edithvale.  I was trying to impress a young lady by giving her a ride in a skiff type boat with the 30 HP Johnno on the back. It was mounted without remote controls, just tiller type steering. The sea was a bit lumpy,and I jumped off a wave and when I came down the motor came off the transom. I was still hanging on to it by the tiller.It was just balancing ovwr the stern on the transom.I was trying to lift it back on to the transom when another wave lifted the bow of the boat up which made me lose balance,and over the stern went the motor,with me still hanging on to it.Both me and the motor went into about six feet of water.      With the motor lying on the bottom on its side,I hooked my foot under the gear lever,and was able to keep my head just above water.Every wave that came along,I had to take a breath,because it went right over my head. The girl was still in the boat calling out,what about me?  I knew she was OK because the boat was drifting into shore anyway. I called out to a friend John O'Connor Who had seen what happened, and got him to bring out a ski tow rope which I had on shore.    The poor bugger nearly drowned getting it out to me.  In the meantime, others had managed to get the boatback out to me, so I dived down and tied the ski rope to the motor,and we were able to lift the motor up to the boat. although it was still submerged.  We were able to push the boat and motor back to shore.  Back home I mounted the motor on the back fence,took the carby off, cleaned it out,and flushed out the magneto with petrol.  I then primed the carby with fresh fuel ,and after three or four pulls on the starter cord, it started. I ran it for a few minutes,and it was as good as gold from there on.

[Chair]

Just remembered about reading in the local Chelsea Rag the headline "Speedboat Menace" I'm sure it was you as you had the only speedboat of the day.
David

[Dickie]

The worst outboard that I ever had was a 12 HP Evinrude.  I cant remember if I am repeating this story,but I would take a run in it and nine times out of ten I would have to row back home. The motor was made during the second world war.  Outboard motors in those days had a bad reputation for being unreliable.It had four cylinders horizontily oposed.  The pistons were only about one and a half inches diameter. anyhow I had some new rings made for it, replaced the coils etc. and it still dident run any better. That comment in the paper,about the speedboat menace probably was me,although I dont remember menacing anybody.      I remember one day brother Frank was towing me on skis and there were hundreds of jellyfish in the water, so I beconed him to turn back. He put the boat into a tight turn,and I could'nt believe when I heard the motor running rough and missing. I knew there was plenty of fuel in the tank, but it stopped,and I ended up in the water amongst all those jellyfish. I got stung quite a lot.  Why did the engine stop?The fuel line was a little bit too short,and in a very tight turn,it kinked and blocked off the fuel flow.  I lenghtend the fuel line and fixed the problem.   See Ya.   Dickie.

[Galaxy]

Thought I'd revive an old post I found just for something different.

This is my Pa's old Caporn Scout that used to live down in Mt Martha on Port Phillip Bay VIC in the late 50's early 60's before he bought the Caribbean Galaxy that I have in 1967. That's my mum laying in front of it in one of the photos.

My Pa's name was Maxwell Eley if anyone's interested, and the boat was called Robyn, my Galaxy is Robyn II, Cheers.