Nearly four months of breakneck work have paid off for Miss Madison Racing as construction on the new U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto is nearing completion at the Miss Madison shop on Milton Street.
With just three weeks left until the season opener in Evansville, the Miss Madison has yet to be primed or painted, but nearly all of the boat building is finished. About all that is left is to run the electrical into the boat and install hardware to the outside as well as a few other minor details.
"The guys have done just a tremendous job," said Miss Madison president Bob Hughes, who was on hand to inspect the boat. "We're trying to do in a few months what some teams take two years to do and they have pulled it off."
On Thursday, the crew spent the day sanding off the rough edges and installing the plexiglass into the canopy. Beginning next week, the boat will will receive a coat of primer before being painted with the team's distinctive Oh Boy! Oberto colors, a job that is expected to take nearly a week and a half.
"The primer will fill in some of the small pinholes," said Larry Hanson, the team's engine specialist and one of the many team members who have pitched in on the building process, said. "The one nice thing is that this boat has hardly any Bondo on it. We can do fiberglass so well that we haven't needed that much (Bondo). It's all original deck."
Once painted, the boat will nearly be ready to run, no small feat considering how little time the team had to get the boat ready. Preliminary construction of the boat began in September in Seattle, but it was just a shell when it arrived in Madison in late March. Since that time, the bulk of the work has been done to make the boat race-ready.
"These guys have worked seven days a week and nearly 12 hours a day," Hughes said. "I'm not sure the community realizes how much work these guys have been doing down here."
The U-6 team will unveil the new boat - the sixth racing hull in the history of the team and first since 1988 - at a Media Day Wednesday, June 27. Fans are invited to come see the new boat before it leaves Madison for the American Boat Racing Association season opener in Evansville.
Posted: Saturday, June 23, 2007
Article comment by:
David Douglas
I can't wait to see Steve in the new Miss Madison win the Gold Cup this year! If any driver has earned the right to win the Gold Cup it has to be Steve David. Best of luck,and see you in Detroit.
Posted: Sunday, June 10, 2007
Article comment by:
leonard feeback,nostalgic thunderboats
Have a great racing season. Remember no bondo for a while. Looking forward to one of my favorite teams.
