Bolens Diablo Rouge and Hus Ski Discussion Forums

Steve, deep stuff. Wow, do you mean snow. It was only tested in the field beside our plant. It was summer and it was nice to drive on our dirt track.

Some one, I think it was a distributor in the western U.S. reported that this *%#*^&@ of junk did not go on snow. We did other testing and the 600 double track base was designed and manufactured in record time.
I was chosen ( like the army) to travel all around Ontario, parts of Quebec, the Maritime prov., and New York state to train dealers on the correct method of converting the model 600 single track to a model 600 double track.
We shipped 600 double tracks, one right side up, one up side down, steel strapped together, to every distributor for every machine he had received.
We paid them one hours labour for the change and it was my job to show them how it could be done in one hour.
I was like the guy on pay T.V. I had a mechanic doing the work and I would stop him to point out some things and three hours later we had a 600 single track with a double track. We followed the demo with a dristibutor paid beer and pizza party, and every one left happy. I did not feel like a flim flam man because it was possible to make the conversion in one hour if you had the air tools, a new model 600 and the twin track base in place.
When the dealers tried to make the change they learned that we had a brand new 600 single and they had a rusty 600. The one hour change often became a three hour change and the you know what hit the fan.
The last conversion demo I did was at Red McDevitts, Syracuse, N.Y. on Dec. 31, 196??? sorry I can't remember.
We were driving with all the tools in my MGB and when we arrived at Canadian Customs about 10:00 P.M. the mechanic told them he had about six bottles of booze, one was allowed. I started to tell him that I had French perfume, etc. and he said get out of here and have a happy new year.
I arrived home at 11:30 P.M.
This was typical of my career at Hus-Ski, I worked lots of 15 hour days and seven day weeks.

I have an original "HUS-SKI NEWSLETTER" from Red McDevitt, Inc. It says " This new model 600 has been tested on snow in both Banff and northeastern Canada and five test models are leaving this week for testing on the snow in the foothills of the continental alps and in Argentina Every indication is that this will be a most superior and desirable vehicule." What a load of bull! It continues to say that the 600 will sell for $825 and the 200-A for $665.

Red McDevitt was a real old fashion snake oil salesman. I liked him because he was alot of fun but wow could he talk you out of your drawers.
The prices you have are interesting. Do you have any of the original Model 200 brochures? They had a printed retail price of $ 499. But we never sold any at that price. Don Jones had done the costing based on a Lachute pre production protype with a plywood seat. I drove that thing, in the summer, for a few hours when I started complaining about a sore butt. Lachute agreed and we put a hold on production and had a padded seat made.
We never sold any machines with the ironing board.
Retail was $ 499 plus $ 19 for a "DELUXE" seat, for a total of $ 518. Distributors paid $ 310.80 and dealers paid $ 388.50 to the distributor. Every machine was sold through a distributor.
In New England the distributor was Stantial-McCulloch a chainsaw distributor. The companty was owned by Stan Stantial a great guy. He flew his own twin engine plane and came to Pointe Claire often.
Once we had a new model intro, I think it must have been the model 444 and I flew to Boston, S-M head office. Stan drove me to New Hampshire for a press conference he had set up.
We were in a large conference room in a hotel with the Hus-Ski and all of Stan's staff and about 12 members of the press.
I had 10 minutes to talk about the new machine and explain how to drive. The members of the press were all given proper clothes and Stan had 12 new machines ready to go. Then we went for a two hour trial ride on a marked trial with me in the lead.
Then we had a first class lunch.
Stan had chosen members of the press with some snowmobile experience. The comments were not a surprise. Wow, it turned every time I wanted to turn.
It did not oversteer on the corners and all the other things we know about driving a Hus-Ski.

Here is a photo Ed wanted me to post. I'll let him explain who is in the picture.

Thanks Barrie,

The photo is one of my demos. My eight year old sister Ellen Mackisoc is driving, then me Ed Mackisoc, my now wife of 46 years, Ruth and my cousin and fellow Hus-Ski employee, Wes Doyle. The slide is marked "Winter 1963".
I will bring a 11X14 colour copy of The Toronto Star Weekly dated December 19, 1964. It has a photo of Wes racing a Hus-Ski wearing a blue football helmet. The race was in Peterborough, Ontario. When Wes arrived he was told he needed a helmet so someone went out and bought him the blue one. As you can see from the other photos, helmets were not required.
The company did not have the money to send me so I got permission from Ruth's parents to pick her up at 4:00AM ( young ladies did not stay out overnight in 1964) and an employee named Red drove our chief inspector Gordon Butler, Ruth and myself from Montreal to Peterborough. I think it took 7 or 8 hours.
We watched the races and then drove back to Montreal to arrive early monday morning.
Then we all went to work at the normal time.

Ed

Dude, I have seen that picture of Wes racing! In the Star Weekly, right? On the cover is a crowd watching a Ski-Doo jumping. He was racing a 400 Hus-Ski, Cool action shot!

Yes I believe it was the Toronto Star Weekly. I must check it out.
I have other photos but I cant seem to copy them to this site. Thats why I sent the above to Barrie.

Ed

EDIT !!!!!!

Yes, the photos were in the Dec. 19, 1964 edition of the Star Weekly. The photos were taken by Horst Ehricht and the story was written by Jerry Wolfram.
I will bring copies to show at the meet and greet.
Ed

Yeah i know what u mean about putting pictures on here. i cant do it either, it keeps tellin me to resize them but just cant figure it out. I got pics of my fresh restore i want to put on here if someone has suggestions of how to do it??

The way i do it is click on your pictures file and bring up your pictures while they are still in that small frame with the rest in that file and right click on the picture.A list of things will come up third down on that list should say edit left click on that.Then at the top left will be a menu and you should see Resize left click on that.Then pick Pixels delete the number in the firts box and change that number to 600 then click on ok then save.Your picture should now be the right size to add to the fourm.

Sean