A Tribute to Paul Allison

A Century of Speed and Innovation: Honoring Paul O’Neil Allison and the Legacy of Allison Craft Boats.

The marine racing world mourns the passing of a true American original. Paul O’Neil Allison, visionary inventor, artist, and co-founder of Allison Craft Boats, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2025, at the age of 100.

For more than six decades, Paul was a leader in boatbuilding, a pioneer of racing innovation, and a beloved figure in both his industry and community. His legacy lives on in every hull design, propeller tweak, and racing team still chasing the speeds he helped make possible.

The Allison Legacy: A Family Tradition Rooted in Craftsmanship

The Allison family’s journey in boatbuilding began long before fiberglass, outboards, or competitive drag racing. In 1917, Paul’s father, Rev. James Allison, built the very first Allison boat.

That spirit of craftsmanship passed to Paul, whose own story began in earnest in 1955 when he was given a rotten wooden boat. He salvaged the hardware and used it to construct his first racing hull—a sleek, handcrafted vessel that outperformed anything he had previously raced.

Encouraged by early success and recovering from a life-altering hunting injury, Paul decided to leave his auto body business behind and pursue boatbuilding full-time. That same year, he and his wife Lucille, his partner in life and work for 76 years, founded Allison Craft Boats in Friendsville, Tennessee.

Record-Breaking Speeds and the Rise of Allison Craft Boats

By 1959, Paul had built his last wooden boat—but not before making history. That year, he became the first to break 60 miles per hour in a production outboard pleasure boat, setting a straightaway speed record of 61.8 mph with just an 80-horsepower motor. This breakthrough would define the Allison legacy: fast, efficient, and engineered for excellence.

In 1960, with fiberglass technology emerging in marine construction, Paul designed and built his first 14-foot fiberglass boat. This lighter, faster, and more aerodynamic craft became the foundation for decades of high-performance innovation.

The Allison team’s appetite for speed only grew. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Paul’s boats continued to set new benchmarks:

• 1962 – Surpassed 70 mph

• 1964 – Surpassed 80 mph

• 1968 – Surpassed 90 mph

• 1969 – Surpassed 100 mph (twin engines)

• 1975 – Surpassed 110 mph

• 1984 – Surpassed 120 mph

• 1987 – Reached 129+ mph

These were not experimental race machines—they were real boats, using production components, pushing boundaries year after year.

Engineering Innovations That Redefined the Water

Paul Allison wasn’t just building boats—he was shaping the very future of performance boating. From the 1950s through the 1980s, he pioneered a number of now-standard marine technologies that forever changed how high-performance boats were built and handled.

In the 1950s, he introduced the cupped propeller, a revolutionary change that improved bite and control at high speeds, eventually catching the attention of Carl Kiekhaefer at Mercury Marine. Around the same time, Paul also developed the first hydraulic power trim, allowing for dynamic control of boat attitude under throttle.

The 1960s saw Paul’s development of the first V-bottom hull with a pad, which dramatically improved lift and tracking—particularly at high speed and during acceleration. This design remains foundational in bass boat hull architecture to this day.

During the 1970s, Paul took marine aerodynamics even further. He introduced wing stabilizers, front foils for tunnel boats, and the cupped skeg—each contributing to better lift, reduced drag, and precise tracking under extreme performance conditions.

Paul’s relentless experimentation became legendary. On many early mornings, he could be found at a Tennessee boat ramp, applying Bondo to the bottom of a test hull, making temporary shape changes, running test passes, then chipping or sanding the material off to evaluate the results. These hands-on techniques were years ahead of their time and didn’t go unnoticed.

One of those who observed Paul firsthand was Rourk Summerford, who would go on to found both Laser Boats and STV Boats (Summerford Tunnel Vee) after working. As a young man, Summerford watched Paul at those ramps with admiration, witnessing his process of refining bottom designs in real-time.

The experience left a lasting impression. In tribute to Paul’s impact on his life and career, Rourk named one of his daughters Allison—a heartfelt nod to the man who helped shape his future in racing and performance boat design.

OPC and APBA: The Golden Age of Racing

The 1960s and 1970s marked the golden age of OPC racing—Outboard Pleasure Craft, which later evolved into Outboard Performance Craft—and Paul’s boats were at the heart of the action. Under the sanction of the American Power Boat Association (APBA), Allison Craft boats became a dominant force.

What made OPC racing special was its accessibility. Enthusiasts could walk into a dealership, buy a production Allison Craft boat, pair it with a stock Mercury, Johnson, or Evinrude outboard, and head straight to the racecourse. Competitors raced in popular classes such as E Class, G Class, Family Sport (FS), and Family J (FJ)—and Allison boats were consistently at the front of the pack.

This era showcased not just the speed of Paul’s designs, but also their reliability, handling, and pure racing DNA.

Drag Boat Racing: The Next Frontier

In the early 1980s, Mod VP and drag boat racing rose in popularity, demanding a different type of performance—one that emphasized acceleration over handling. Allison Craft Boats met the moment, once again becoming the vessel of choice for serious racers.

Their lightweight construction, aerodynamic efficiency, and hallmark pad-bottom hulls helped racers consistently hit triple-digit speeds down the quarter mile.

From casual showdowns to sanctioned national events, Allison drag boats are still to this day feared, revered, and nearly unbeatable in the hands of skilled pilots.

A Life Beyond the Water: Family, Farming, and Friends

Paul’s contributions weren’t confined to propellers and hulls. He and Lucille also operated Allison’s Catfish Restaurant, a beloved local landmark that reflected the same family values and attention to quality that made their boats famous.

He was also a gifted artist, known for his attention to detail and love of creative expression. At home on his farm, Paul’s favorite pastime was building waterfalls and digging in the dirt with his Bobcat—a joy he carried into his later years with childlike enthusiasm.

Paul was preceded in death by Lucille and his parents, Rev. James and Ressie Allison. He is survived by his children—Darris (Nancy), Denise (Mike), Danette (Steve), and Donna (Donnie)—as well as a large and loving family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and countless friends from both the racing and restaurant communities.

Honoring a Legend: Tributes Across the Racing World

Paul’s influence continues to be felt in race pits and boat garages across the country. Racers and fans like Buckshot Racing #77, and countless others, are paying tribute to the man whose designs helped them reach new levels of speed, safety, and competitive excellence.

Whether racing bass boats, OPC, Mod VP tunnel hulls, or drag boats, competitors knew one thing: if it was built by Allison, it was built to win.