The "Switzer Wing"









A HUGE Thank You goes out to Mr. Bob Switzer of Switzercraft Boats for providing this great information. I would also like to thank all of those who responded to my Cat House page with other valuable information.
 
 

MY Favorite Picture

I had the pleasure of finally meeting Mr. Switzer in person on the weekend of June 17th at the Fiberglassics boat show held in Rockford IL. Here's our picture. If your in the neighborhood in 2001 we're gonna do it again! watch Fiberglassics for details. Mr. Switzer graciously showed me a picture of his latest design (another WILD CAT) is in the works..:0)
 
 






I hope you enjoy the site and thanks for visiting!!

Jeff Bowman.. Cat House proprietor
 

If you would like to contact Mr. Switzer personally he can be reached via snail mail.
His address is:  Bob Switzer
                           2525 Knob hill Road
                           McHenry, IL. 60050
 
 


Wing #1 the U4

Owner: Switzercraft Boat Co.
Year: 1961
Make: Switzercraft
Model: Switzer Hydro Cat  aka.. "Switzer Wing"
Boat's name: U4
Power: Twin Mercury 800 DR's.
 

Specifications, construction and population information.

Dimensions of the early wooden "Wings" were 18 ft. long and 8 ft. wide. The lightest one, was the one we built
for Mr. Kiekhaefer, (U6 / U106) it tipped the scales (with out engines, gas tanks and batteries just bare bones), at 970 lbs. There were 5 wooden ones built in all, and then we pulled a mold off #1 (U-4) and started making an 18 ft. version in 1965, there were 42 of the 18's made in all. And, a couple of years later, we tooled up a 20 footer, with a lower profile wing that was actually ahead of it's time.  It actually needed faster engines. There were only 20 of the 20 footers made in all. Two of the 20 footers were fitted with triple engines. Kenny Kittson drove a silver one in the Orange Bowl Regatta and blew off all competitors including a Special Jones triple Cat that I believe Carl Kiekhaefer had Ted Jones build for him.

As to the construction, the Glass ones were all balsa core constructed, and most of them were controlled by Mr. Kiekhaefer, who actually purchased the tooling of the 18 ft. Glass model and gave us a blanket order of 30 and he was in full control of who got them.

The 20 footer on the other hand was not under Mr. K's control, and some of them found there way into the OMC Camp, with the exception of the one 18 footer that also was fitted with the OMC Johnson 115, GT's driven by Ernie Threlkeld that went on to have a one way run at Portsmouth Va. of 112 m.p.h.
 
 

History page:   "The Day I Flew a Boat" by: Robert  Switzer

Pictorial History:  Includes description and commentary by Mr. Robert Switzer

Photo's from friends gallery


 
 

    The Switzer "Shooting Star" 

 
 
 
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