Roostertail Talk
A show dedicated for preserving the history, breaking down the racing and looking to the future of the incredible sport of Unlimited Hydroplane racing. My name is David Newton, and I will be bringing you a weekly show in which we will discuss the boats, drivers, owners, crew members, legends, fans and anything that is involved with the sport that I love; hydroplane racing.
Fans you can now sign up for a subscription service for the podcast! As you can imagine, running a podcast can be pricey (from hosting fees, website fees, travel, equipment, etc.). You can help the podcast by subscribing to our new service, Roostertail Talk+. The podcast is still free to all on our website and through all major podcast platforms (such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Castbox, etc) but with Roostertail Talk+ there is more you can enjoy ! With this service you will get early links to new episodes, enjoy access to extra content, raffle prizes and more. This is a new service that we will be adding to as we move along. As always your support to make this show grow is very appreciated! TOMORROW, there will be an announcement for the first prize for subscribing to Roostertail Talk+.
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Roostertail Talk
Episode 163: Charlie Grigg, Part 2
Charlie Grigg takes us behind the scenes of hydroplane racing sponsorship, revealing how what began as financial support for the U3 team evolved into profound friendships and becoming part of the racing family. The conversation with Charlie and co-host Mike Hall explores the human side of boat racing that fans rarely glimpse. Charlie shares how simple comforts like providing chairs and shade for the team created what they jokingly called their "palatial estate" at race sites. Through these small gestures and his growing curiosity about the technical aspects of the boats, Charlie transformed from sponsor to integral team member. Charlie's story reminds us that beyond the roostertails and racing, it's the relationships that make this sport truly extraordinary.
Help the podcast by subscribing to our new service, Roostertail Talk+. The podcast is still free to all on our website and through all major podcast platforms (such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Castbox, etc) but with Roostertail Talk+ there is more you can enjoy ! With this service you will get early links to new episodes, enjoy access to extra content, raffle prizes and more. This is a new service that we will be adding to as we move along. As always your support to make this show grow is very appreciated! https://www.buzzsprout.com/434851/supporters/new
Ruchetel Talk, the podcast dedicated to everything about the sport that we all love. Hi, drew Blain-Reason. I am your host, david Newton, and it's time once again. So sit back, relax and welcome to Rooster Tail Talk Hail Top. Hello race fans and welcome back to the podcast.
Speaker 1:Today is September 23rd 2025, and this is episode 163, part two and the conclusion of the interview with Charlie Griggs. Now my call joins us once again. We're going to pick up where we left off last week and we're going to talk to Charlie more about his sponsorship and about his passion with hydroplane racing, but this episode will have more stories and anecdotes around the sport of their involvement with hydroplane racing. Now, if you haven't heard part one of this interview, please go back to episode 162 and listen to that before continuing on today. But if you have listened to part one, let's continue that talk and listen in to the conclusion of the interview with Charlie Griggs, alongside co-host Mike Hall. Well, in recent years I've noticed that over in the tri-cities there's more boat owners. We got daryl vanessa strong, you've got uh ratchford now owning a boat, and I noticed that cooper's selling, um, his stuff. I'm just wondering you're gonna maybe, you know, become an owner as well, and bring that program there no, not a chance I don't have.
Speaker 2:I don't have the uh. No, not a chance I don't have. I don't have the uh. Well, number one, I'm a hands-on guy. So if if I was going to own it, I would have to be working on it and knowing more about it. I've asked every question under the sun and I'm sure it looks at me sometimes like what are you asking that for? But I have to understand how they work.
Speaker 2:I couldn't work on an Allison. I'm not a mechanic. He's had me tear the front end of the engine, everything off of it, because we were going to switch engines, and I said I can take it off but I'm not putting it back on. If I'm putting it back on, someone's going to look over my shoulder and make sure I do everything right, because I don't want to blow this thing up. I just don't have that knowledge. Um, I say it would be fun if I won the $500 million lottery. I would. What I would do is let them have the money and and let them run the boat, but then they wouldn't have to worry about fixing it, hauling it, all those kinds of things. So if I could take that kind of money and let Ed do it. I would probably do that, but not me owning it.
Speaker 3:You know those times that you know you got in a couple thrashes with us and we were taking things apart. But that's what makes that team so special, because it's not like a turbine where it's a one or two-guy job. I mean to take that engine apart, you got five guys working on it. And those are the times I remember more than anything just the jokes going back and forth, just the small talk, the jokes going back and forth, just the small talk. And that's what, to me, that's what made that team so special and that's why it's always been so special to me, is just all the friends and all the stories I get to hear. I've heard the same stories 20 times and you know it's okay because they're just as fun and everybody respects each other and it's just yeah.
Speaker 3:And Charlie fit in so good with us. You know, like he came in and was taking stacks off and cleaning oil hoses. I remember I was telling David earlier, like you know, the first year we came there, you know you helped and you had some gloves on. Well, the next time we came back you had stuff set up so it would be easier for us to do jobs, like it would be easier for us to clean the oil tank, it would be easier for us to do that and that went a long way and we really appreciated everything you did. You know had chairs set out, had a little tent set up and all that type of stuff went a long way with the crew guys and yeah, we just loved having you around. I mean, it's so fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Well, it was. It was funny when Rick, when I asked him, I mean we had everything set up and he said, is there anything I can do for you guys? And he said, well, could you bring some chairs and maybe some shade? And I thought, what do you mean? Just chairs, some shade? And I thought, what do you mean? Just chairs and shade, that's all you need? I said, yeah, I can bring chairs and shade. And I didn't know the story, that stuff, it just wasn't allowed in the hauler. I mean, somebody sneaks a chair in. They had to get to a rest stop and find a chair. You'd throw the chair out. It wasn't riding with you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I guess that was it. So if it showed up at the race side, as long as we didn't have to haul it I guess you know he we were able to have it and we got to try cities. It was like we had this palatial estate.
Speaker 2:I mean it was.
Speaker 3:It was pretty awesome. I know barb appreciated a lot because barb hung out at the table a lot and just uh that, just like it's that sense of community and family. Uh, yeah, that made that so much fun, yeah, well and all I did.
Speaker 2:I mean I would take it back, I would just store it in the warehouse, everything in in the uh on the pallets. So the next year I had my list of everything that needed to be brought. When we discovered that we needed something like that steam cleaner to clean that ding oil tank, I just had it loaded. It was there. If we needed it. We were going to clean it quick. I didn't have to go get it. Sometimes you have it just in case, or maybe to ward off the bad, the bad juju on uh having the motor blow up.
Speaker 1:It's here, we're ready, so you no need for you to blow up well, mike, you talk about all these great stories that you'd share at the races, but you got to have a charlie story you could share real quick oh boy, there's a couple that I don't really want to share though.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I have to think, um, let me think about that when I come back to you. Um, but yeah, Charlie, we've got it. We've got some really good ones that, uh, they're kind of nobody else would get them.
Speaker 3:Uh, I will bring up this one. I don't know if it was the first or second year we were out there. We sucked all day. We did terrible. I don't know what happened. I was a little bit grumpy I mean not grumpy to other people, but we get at the end of the day, and somebody that had consumed more alcohol than two of the engines that we blew up that day did at the end of the day, and he was wanting to ask who the head hydrodynamic engineer was on the team. So Charlie just looked at me. Well, it's him, that guy right there. And Charlie probably knows the end of this because I just like I lit into the guy. I'd had a bad day and I didn't feel like hearing it. But he was wondering why we had the propeller on the was it. Did he wonder why we had the propeller on the bottom of the boat?
Speaker 2:Yeah, why it was on the bottom of the boat. It should be up on above the boat so that it can push the boat through the air.
Speaker 3:That one was. And Charlie, every time he just like I never seen you get mad before. I was like, well, I wasn't really mad, I was just like I'd had enough. Like we blown two engines up, we sucked all weekend and you know, just wasn't used to that, I mean, and I'll tell you what. So it was when, when ed kind of set out that period of time, you know, by the time we got to Tri-Cities we had a lot of the kinks worked out and the boat just ran so good.
Speaker 3:Well, with that being the first race I mean in any team, I'll tell you that, like you know, we we struggled quite a bit, uh, but when it did run, it ran really well, but yeah, so that first year out, I mean, we just struggled and uh, so yeah, so Charlie got the. Charlie really never got to be in it when it was like just hauling along and we didn't blow up anything and everything went well, it was. He was always that first race of the year where we're kind of fighting through some things, uh, but yeah, that was one of the funnier things. And Charlie, to this day, I saw him in San Diego last year and he's still riding me about that. So good fun, good fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you snapped, I snapped, you were having none of whatever he had to say. I'm like whoa, mike, mike, mike, oh, just chill.
Speaker 3:I'm typically not that way, but yeah, I'd had enough that day.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean things aren't going right. But the cool thing about it is it's not going right together, and I mean all of us, all of us were in it together either. It works, it doesn't work. But you know, nobody's mad at anybody, it's everybody. You know when, when, when a prop breaks, joe is the first one, that's. I mean, god, I picked the wrong one, it just broke. I mean it's not your fault, it just it just broke. Um, but you know, nobody got on anybody about anything like fault. It just broke, but nobody got on anybody about anything like that.
Speaker 1:We were just there having a good time putting on a show. Well, in recent years I've heard that you've had a bigger role with water follies. I'm curious what your role has been and what you've done.
Speaker 2:Not really with not really with water follies that we've been putting on the Richland regatta, which is which is in June, and that's a limited boat race. I I do help out with the water follies. I mean they've asked. I've had different ones asked me do you want to be on the board? Nope, that'll ruin all my fun, fun. I'm having a good time down here with either ed or with mitch. But I mean, like the uh, the rescue group.
Speaker 2:The rescue group is helping us with the regatta and they came out and volunteered and did a great job. Well, I want to make sure that they're appreciated. So anything that they need I've been taking care of For their meals and stuff. I wrote them a donation when they need parts for their rescue sled, be able to tow other things. They call me. I'll go down to the store and get what they need at night and bring it back to them so they're ready for the next day. And bring it back to them so they're ready for the next day. But as far as water follies, I'm having fun with my friends down there. I really don't want to get super involved with it, where I have a responsibility and take fun. I mean I've got lots of responsibilities at work, and for me this is a break. I'll be able to go down with my friends and do something that is actually fun. It's not work.
Speaker 1:Well, that is fun. I mean, you're indirectly helping in a lot of ways, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll do anything. I mean if they need something. I mean if they need something, I'm happy to help need something. I mean if they need something, I'm happy to help. I just don't want to be responsible for for running anything, because I do. I mean I do that every day, right, every day, all day right.
Speaker 1:I haven't had a chance to go to the richland regatta yet. I'm hoping to maybe next year go to that. For whatever reason, it's always have something else going on the same weekend.
Speaker 2:Well, we've struggled with it because we've had it at the first of June, we've had it at the end of June.
Speaker 2:Everywhere we put it. If we put it at the first of June, we run into weather. The flow starts coming out of the mountains and we've got too much water flow. We've had it at the end and now you're conflicting with we were conflicting with Guntersville and you really don't realize how many people that have limited boats that are working on unlimited boats. So if Guntersville race is the same weekend, you're automatically missing half the boats because they're all in Guntersville.
Speaker 2:So we've been chasing that, we've been talking, we're trying to figure out a better time to do the race. Although John and Culver and I are probably getting closer to being done running the race, then we just need to find other people to step up for it. Culver and I are probably getting closer to being done running the race than than, uh, we just need to find other people to step up for it. Um, it's, it's a lot of work. It's fun to do. It's fun to see the fans come out and enjoy a free race. Uh, it's televised. I mean, we're doing all the stuff. That's. That's right for the sport, but it takes a lot of effort from a few people to get to the race weekend. Then we end up with a lot of volunteers that help during the race and then they're gone and it's back to a couple of us doing a lot of it. So we're trying to figure that out as to whether we're going to keep doing it or just let the race either someone else step up and do it or be done.
Speaker 1:Well, hopefully it's not done. Hopefully someone will pick up the torch and help you with that.
Speaker 2:Sometimes you have to quit in order to get somebody to step up and I've had to do that with other endeavors. They're just fine with you doing it and you have to tell them look, this is the last meeting. If someone else doesn't take over, we're done. And then people tend to jump in but we may be at that point having to say someone else's turn. And I took over for John Mosteller when he died. I had no intention on running a race, but when he passed away, everyone was kind of looking around like, all right, now, who's going to do it? And it ended up being me.
Speaker 3:Did you find the same enjoyment of running the race as you did as sponsoring the boat? No, that was quick.
Speaker 2:The same enjoyment of running the race as you did is sponsoring the boat. Uh no, the again that becomes. I mean, it becomes a job and and I, when I do something, I want to do it well. And again, same with john. I mean, we're, we're doing, we're putting that race on and we're trying to make it the best race that you've ever been to. When we don't, it's hard. I mean, every year I've got a list of 20 things that we need to improve for next year. Then, like I say, you put a lot of work into the race and the racers show up and their racers and owners are whining about how come you did this, or why did we have to run heats first, how come we couldn't be second? Oh, my God, man, we're trying to do something for you and, uh, you, you're, just you're, you're barking at us and that takes the fun out of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and unfortunately, whatever, whatever class of racing it is, you can never please everyone.
Speaker 2:I found that out over the years no matter how much you do, and and usually I mean if you take the time and say something to them and I've had that before someone's just chewing me and it's like you know, we're putting a lot of work in here for you to come race your boat, it's, I'm not getting anything out of this, and and they usually yeah, you're right, I'm sorry, it's Otherwise you don't have a race. But you have to point it out to them and you don't like to do that, but sometimes you just add it up Like being the hydrodynamic engineer.
Speaker 3:So Charlie is the hydrodynamic engineer. I relinquished that title once I got chewed out and lost my mind, apparently that Charlie is the hydrodynamic engineer for the U3.
Speaker 2:From now on, and that's what I always say when people ask me what I do with the three I'm in charge of making sure that water is wet. I go put my hand in the river. It's wet. I did my job.
Speaker 3:You know, and I've even noticed, so you've picked up duties. You know, because I didn't come out with Ed the last few years just with family obligations and other things that I've got going with the Grand Prixs and now formed the F1 with Dylan Like I just couldn't make that commitment for that weekend. But I've noticed like you've picked up, I mean you're doing a lot of different stuff on the boat now. So you're, as far as being a crew guy, you're doing as much as everybody else is. So and I'm sure that that must be neat for you. I'm sure you must enjoy that.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I mean I love it. It's it's a lot of hard. I mean hard work when you're down there it's hard, it's all those things, but at the end of the day I had a great time. I mean I'm learning stuff. Like I say, I ask Ed probably the dumbest questions in the world because I'm not getting it why something works the way that it works, and he just keeps explaining it to me until it finally goes oh all, right, now I get it Well.
Speaker 3:and then one thing about Ed is as I had him in school.
Speaker 3:I had him in school for two years and he is one of the top three teachers I ever had, and that still goes to this day. So he's very patient, and that's another thing. People think Ed is a cantankerous old man and all this, but he's a very patient person. He's a great listener, yeah, and I think Charlie would tell you the same. I mean, he doesn't mind answering dumb questions. And Charlie, you don't really ask dumb questions. I think you're being a little hard on yourself. But yeah, I mean it's just stuff. If you don't know, you don't know hard on yourself. But there, yeah, I mean it's it's just stuff. If you don't know, you don't know and as, as crew guys and guys that work on boats, we love answering that stuff I mean I, I love I, and david would tell you this.
Speaker 3:You know david, and david didn't know me from adam till like last november and I talked to david all the time.
Speaker 3:Now so we've become good friends and it's just that common. You know that common thing of this this whole boat thing in the community and all of my best friends, like the, my best friends in the world are all from boat racing. Now, you know, and I couldn't have said that 20 years ago but the people that I know that care about me and I get calls when I was hospitalized and all that. Then that's the people that called me and checked up on me and do I need to fly out, do I need to do this or you know whatever to help you. And so that's the coolest thing about this whole boat racing thing and I think Charlie's probably got the same experience as me is just these lifelong friends. And you know you're good friends with Mitch Evans too. Now.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Mitch was the first one that I met.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and what a just the best guy in the world. So just I saw on. You know you had told me about you getting a ride in the blue chip. You want to talk a little bit about that Because that's something Mitch is going to. He's my son, mitch, who I named. You know I named my son after Mitch Evans and Mitch is wanted to take my son out in that boat. And I saw you got to take a ride in Tri-Cities. Was it everything that you expected it to be?
Speaker 2:There's a story that goes along with the story prior to it. I got to ride in the Miss US with Jack Schaefer.
Speaker 3:I didn't know that, I didn't know that.
Speaker 2:That was up at Mahogany and Merlot and they called and asked if I wanted to go for a ride. And I said, sure, I'm in. And they said that they were doing it because Ed had been so helpful to them in getting their boat running. And Ed wanted nothing to do with riding in the boat, but I had been helpful in getting Ed back. And they wanted me to go for a ride. I said, sure, I'm in. And so Mahogany and Merlot, they're explaining to me how everything starts. I mean, here's the switches, here's how you start it, here's how you stop it. And I thought, man, they're going into this in way more detail than I thought they would. And so we get out in the boat and Jack takes off and all of a sudden Jack cuts through the course where he wasn't supposed to turn and the guys in the rescue boats eyes were big as saucers as he's buzzing their boat and I'm like I don't know what he's doing, but he's, I mean he's way off where he's supposed to be.
Speaker 2:We were out in the swim buoys on one side and it was all over the place. Mitch was, mitch was behind us and I'm looking over my shoulder trying to see where mitch is trying to point at buoys for for jack and I say it was the. It was the craziest thing I'd ever been a part of. And we get back and Jay asked me about it. He said tell me about that ride. And I said, oh, he was everywhere.
Speaker 2:Well, that was Jack's last drive. I mean the dementia had started and they wouldn't let him drive anymore. That day I think Mitch ended up driving the boat for him the rest of the weekend anymore. That day, I think Mitch ended up driving the boat for him the rest of the weekend. So this time, going with Mitch again the first one was a little scary because I thought I may have to stop, I mean pull the kill switch on the boat, because I wasn't sure I mean I was steering to keep him going straight. He's trying to turn and it was just the weirdest thing.
Speaker 2:So this time with mitch uh, number one being the first guy that I met with the three team, uh, and him being a friend, it was so much, it was so much more fun just because of our friendship. Uh. And then I he knows me, I know him. He's like how fast you want to go? I said as fast as you want to go, I mean, I'm good with it. However, if you want to put the hammer down, you're gonna feel safe yeah yeah and and uh.
Speaker 2:So the only thing we had to do is try and keep the uh, the other boat that was out there at 180 degrees from us, so we had to be at the opposite point for the course. But when we came around the second lap, we were finishing the second lap or we were at the end of the corner and they were just they were still in that same corner. So we came off at that point but I don't know what we were going. 130. He said. But it was. It was so much fun just because it was riding with Mitch and you know, seeing the tri-cities from that, seeing the tri-cities course from the boat, and how quick everything was going by, was was awesome. I recommend it to anyone who wants to do it.
Speaker 3:So when you were out there, did you have any? You know this. You know, like when I was a kid out in the driveway, you know it's five seconds to go and I've got a. You know I've got the ball and I'm going to shoot the winning shot. I mean, was there anything going through your head like that, or was it just pure? Hey, I'm getting a ride with my buddy Mitch.
Speaker 2:It was more than I mean. I was so relaxed. I mean I had my arm on the outside. It's like you had your arm up in the window when you're riding down the road. I just had my arm sitting on the one side and the other arm around his shoulder. We're not small guys trying to get two guys in that cockpit. I never had. It was just a great experience. It wasn't scary, it wasn't too fast, it was just like I say with a friend of mine, riding in a hydroplane was awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, as I say, it's a good thing you weren't thinking about all the different spots in the course where boats crashed over the years. This is where the tide went over. This is where the gram went over. This is where the bud went over. Yeah, and remembering all those Like, this is where the tide went over. This is where the gram went over. This is where the bud went over, you know.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, and remember in all those. I mean that no, I didn't. I didn't think about it once it was just I was looking at the shore and saying that I grew up over there and you know he's got a bigger skin fit on that boat than was on it when they were original. So that thing just turned nicely.
Speaker 3:It hopped a couple of times but it was pretty well glued to the water. Yeah, he's done a really nice job of every year making that boat better. And he didn't know if he was going to get to run it in Tri-Cities, so I'm glad that he did. I'm glad that he was able to. Well, both did happen, made that happen, and so yeah ed and mitch.
Speaker 2:Both were calling me. Hey, I want to go. And so I called waterfall isn't talking to aaron, I said, because aaron stevens is the race director, john culverver is back helping Aaron. And so my sales pitch was Aaron, if you don't get Mitch's boat there, then Ed and I and a whole bunch of other old guys don't have anything else to do except for bother Culver. And he called Mitch the next morning and said Mitch, you're in.
Speaker 3:Well, I remember Aaron used to help. He was a young kid helping John when I first started going to Tri-Cities, so I didn't realize he had taken over that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's race director and John has gone back to helping as race director so that Aaron can do, you know, helping as race director so that Aaron can do. You know, now there's two of them doing the job and John refuses to go to board meetings and things like that. He's doing what he enjoys.
Speaker 3:put the race on and then home at 6 o'clock. Yeah, because Tri-Cities has always been the seems to be one of the most well-organized and everything just always seems to be right, and it's because guys like John Culver are there. So that's good.
Speaker 2:That's good to know I did want to tell you. So we were having a conversation about you know how many boats were in the Tri-Cities seven this year, and there used to be. You know how many boats were in the Tri-Cities Seven this year and there used to be. You know, in the teens and we were having a conversation about how much that H1, or the boats, get paid to show up at a race and apparently in the 80s they're still getting paid the exact same number of dollars from the 80s that they're getting paid in 2025. And I looked at it they were getting paid $8,000 a race to show up, tow money, and there was prize money.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I looked at it, they're still getting paid the $8,000 or so. And but if, if you've had equivalent money for me from the eighties to now, they would be getting $30,000 a race to show up. And if they were getting that $30,000 and say they had a just even a sponsor in each city, all of a sudden there's enough money that you're going to have 17 boats, but at $8,000, I mean that doesn't cover airfare or gas to get somewhere. So I mean people look at the decline of it and wonder why that is there's no money there of it and wonder why that is there's no money there. It's a good thing that Daryl and Ratchford have stepped in and bought boats because they have the money to do that, but it hasn't always been that way. It's been guys that I mean they were making money racing the boats. They had their tow money and then there was prize money and they could make it. And now it's just you're just spending money.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I remember the first race that it was really my first big road trip was down to Houston. I think it was 89, 90, 89 or 90. I can't remember, but we had qualified in the top three and we had actually finished in the top three. And I saw the check. I'm not going to tell you what it was, but it was way bigger than we probably got for an almost an entire season seems like. And I remember Ed taking us to a place called the flying Dutchman in Houston. We were eating. We were eating shrimp meals for shrimp appetizers and yeah, I mean we just had a great time, but we only had three crew guys. There was three people, that was it, and we ran the whole team. And now you see a boat and it's an army of 20 guys. Yeah, and the sports just changed. It's just changed and I don't know if it's evolved or devolved or whatever, but it's just different now yeah, for the, for the good bad ugly, it's, it is what it is.
Speaker 1:It is what it is. But that's why you would see, like in the 90s, like fred leland, he would as many boats as he built, he would bring them all to Tri-Cities and Seafair because the tow money would cover a lot of that stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, like I say, a minor sponsor. But if you got your in the 80s, you got your $8,000, you won $20,000. You could leave there with $28,000. In the 80s it was a lot of money, I mean that's. But $28,000 in the 80s it was a lot of money, but $28,000, if you could leave with $28,000, or if you got $28,000 in 2025, not a lot of money. It's tough to go out there and again, with Ed you break the boat. There's a lot of expense in him fixing expense in time and fixing a boat, um, and that's can he. Would he race, uh, if he didn't have to worry about, uh, you know, busting the boat up? Maybe? But I mean, I think again, I he's, he's just's done. I hope somebody buys it, whether they turn it into a turbine or do it with Allison, I just would like to see the boat out there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean you've been around the boat to know. I mean it's a beautiful piece. I mean there's not another one like it, it's super light. I mean there's not another one like it, it's super light. Yeah, I just wish somebody would step up and buy it, because it would still be one of the better boats out there regardless.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, I mean it's nice if you could take a turbine and put it in it. You don't have to worry about it. You can run that same motor all year and never take it out of the boat, but again it loses the. For me, what makes the boat are those Allison's, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I got one last question for you, charlie. You talked about your power to get the Mitch's boat out here for Tri-Cities. You got to have some and you have some power with that, but you got to have some power with Mitch. Is there any way you can get him to paint that boat or put a?
Speaker 2:wrap on it, so it's not just white and blue. It was actually the family with and I can't think of the name of the tooling company, but they're the ones.
Speaker 3:Dick Gordon is the Gordons from Fairlane Tool.
Speaker 2:They're the ones that sponsored it, so they had it wrapped because they wanted it at Detroit, so he hauled it out to Detroit and his dad had driven that boat, so that's why it stays as the blue chip.
Speaker 1:But there was more paint on it when it ran as a blue chip. It was yellow and it was blue and it wasn't just white like that.
Speaker 3:So, david, let me tell you a little bit about the u3 and paint. So when we first had it, we had a company called alvy sign company paint it for us and it had this zz top type type theme. So if you look back in 88, you look at the sponsons, the guy that painted it was a big zz top fan, so he painted basically that ZZ Top on the side of the boat. Okay, and we didn't have to worry about it. They painted it.
Speaker 3:So, but when I started taking over the painting and Ed started, when we started doing it ourselves, all of a sudden it started losing colors. It went from red, yellow, orange and white to just red, yellow and white, then red and white and now just red. And Mitch was part of that and he doesn't like painting as much as the rest of us. So I can't speak for Mitch, but I don't think you'll see any other. We all can paint, but if you live in Indiana and you try to paint something, you have to deal with the heat, the humidity, the bugs, everything else, and yeah, so that's why any boat that's associated with the U3 will probably only have one to two colors on it.
Speaker 2:I saw a picture of them painting the boat.
Speaker 2:I found it in mitch's facebook stuff and it was he had, they had the forklift and tad dean laying on a pallet, laying on the pallet and they're spraying and mitch would back up so he could spray and then he'd push forward and back up and push forward. But uh, yeah, you find those again. And I met the Buffalo Brothers and their sticker is on the blue chip too. But if I can remember the Buffalo Brothers when I was a kid in the 70s and they had that land yacht and I'd see them up there partying on that land yacht and I wanted to be one of the cool kids. And now if you walk down we go down to their tent area Again they're all my age or a little bit older and they're down there just having a great time. But it's funny that, being a part of the three-team, what it has led to with other groups and getting to know them.
Speaker 3:Yes, the three-team is well-welcomed at the Buffalo Brothers.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's like you walk in and it's like, hey, it's like Norm walking into the bar and cheers yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, fun Well. I really appreciate the time we've taken today. Charlie, it's great talking with you. And again, great having you on Mike as well.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, Thank you. All right, Knuckle and again great having you on Mike as well.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, thank you. Alright, knuckleheads once again. That's all the time we have for this week. I hope you enjoyed the talk with Charlie Griggs alongside co-host Mike Hall. It was a lot of fun to get to know Charlie more. I've always seen him in the pits and seen his name on the boats and I know he has a huge impact on the region of Tri-Cities. But it was great to get a better understanding of his background, his passion of the sport and just knowing all the support he's given the sport in the past decade plus Really appreciated having Mike Hall on as well. Love having a guest host on it takes some of the pressure off, but just love having people on the podcast that share that same passion for hydroplane racing. Hopefully we have Mike Hall back on as another co-host as I feel it gives another flavor to the podcast. Well, we've got one more week in September.
Speaker 1:I've got some fun surprises along the way. Over the summer I tried to stockpile some interviews. I've got a Gold Cup legendary driver who I interviewed back in July. He'll be coming out next month on the podcast. I also found digging through my archives. I found an interview that I forgot that I had made back in my first year in 2019. I'll get that out there as well next month, and a few other surprises along the way. I'll get that out there as well next month, and a few other surprises along the way. In the meantime, check us out online our website's, rucheteltalkcom, and on social media as well, on the platforms of Facebook and Instagram. Well, that's all I got for today, so until next time, I hope to see you at the races.