Restoration of a 1965 Powercat
with member profile of Darrell Beaulier
Joe McCauley
Club member Darrell Beaulier has recently restored a 1965 Powercat powered by two ca. 1962 Merc 700s. Darrell is one of three former outboard racers who’ve joined the Texas Chapter in the last two years. The other two are Carlton Callahan and John ‘Meatball’ Murray.
Darrell bought the boat from Meatball at the Oct. 2013 Kingsland wet meet. That meet is always a lot of fun, and we’re always treated to a feast of seeing Meatball’s newest classic acquisitions.
Darrell Beaulier began racing in OPC soon after he came to Texas from Connecticut. He drove SE tunnels powered by 75 hp Johnson Stingers 1975 -1985 and beyond. He earlier drove V-4s, and once drove a V-8 for OMC at Pittsburgh. He drove many times at the Havasu Classic as well.
The two Merc 700s needed very little work. Darrell replaced the impellers and seals. I bought two 14×19 Merc 800 props on Ebay, cut them down to 13×19, reshaped and repitched them. I know this style prop from 1960 when I ran a Merc 800. Carlton Callahan, who has a very well equipped prop shop in Lufkin (and was fostered in prop work by Hopkins and Prickel) polished the props before the rig was exhibited in the Texas AOMC booth in the 2014 Houston Boat Show. Cornelia and I are looking forward to going with Darrell to test the rig near Houston as soon as warm weather arrives, and then watch it run again at Kingsland in April.
A more complete article with more photos will appear in the AO.