"Cracker Box History"

"The California Cracker Box is a racing runabout design popularized on the American west coast shortly after the Second World War. The design places a 283 ci. small-block Chevy engine (originally cannibalized from wrecked Corvettes) in the middle of a flat-bottomed boat, with driver and engine man sitting behind it with their backs almost against the transom. Power hits the water by way of a straight propeller shaft exiting the bottom of the boat. As the class developed boats got faster, and presently race in the 80 to 90 mph range. In recent years the Cracker Box hull has become a favorite with radio-controlled boat modellers, powering 1/4 scale versions with grass trimmer engines."