Dixie Baby - Classic Wooden Power Boat
Channel: Two Guys and a Ride
Date: 2020-01-31

Dixie Baby - Classic Wooden Power Boat is a 1921 Ventnor design stepped hull powered with a Hispano-Suiza WWI Spanish aircraft engine through a forward V-drive. The “Hisso” engines were used for aviation during WWI and a surplus of them were eventually converted for marine engines.

The racing history of DIXIE BABY is indelibly tied with L.A. Layne, the “Flying Wildcat” from Houston.

DIXIE BABY was originally owned and raced by prominent Houstonian L.A. Layne of Layne and Bowler. It was his father, M.E. (Mahlon) Layne, a self-educated South Dakota farmer who lit the initial spark of what would eventually grow to become the Layne Foundation.

The fascinating history of the Layne Foundation and the family that built an empire is captured in the works of R.H. Mason in 1983. Mason’s chronicles detail the rise of the family empire from its humble beginnings: “At the turn of the century, M.E. Layne, with a small crew and his home-made drilling rig, traveled the prairie states, living in wagons and tents to drill shallow wells for the farmers. His slogan, “Water or no pay” attracted many farmers”.

The phenomenal success which ensued from those early days typifies the American dream of that dynamic era. L.A. Layne eventually assumed command of the Houston plant of the business where under his leadership it grew and flourished. He went on to be a general partner in the Layne and Bowler Well Services Ltd., and was the director of the Layne Texas Company. During the 1930s, he also engaged in oil production, playing a large part in the development of the Damon Field, near Damon, Texas.

Layne was a prominent member of the Houston Yacht Club. While in his twenties and racing DIXIE BABY, the news coverage clippings from the racing events of the day in the 1920s heralded him as the ‘Flying Wildcat from Houston’. A key player of the Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association (MVPBA), Layne raced her to victory at many racing events.

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Music licensed from http://www.purple-planet.com and YouTube free music
Article and black & white and color photo attribution: https://www.woodyboater.com/blog/2016/04/04/after-95-years-dixie-baby-will-once-again-tour-the-nation/

Special thanks to Dave Bortner and the Legacy of the Lakes Museum for sharing this beautiful classic wooden Launch with us today! www.Legacyofthelakes.org

Special thanks to the Progressive Minneapolis Boat Show

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