Off-Shore Racing Bid Suffers Set-back

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32265, 7 April 1970, Page 17

Off-Shore Racing Bid Suffers Set-back

The mishap to the 24! foot jet racing boat off the Sumner bar on Saturday afternoon has put C. W. F. Hamilton Marine out of the Auckland 100-mile off-shore race to be held next weekend.

The off-shore racing boat, with deep-vee hull, had been raced at almost 70 m.p.h. in trial runs. Powered with aj seven-litre Chevrolet engine! driving the three-stage Hamilton jet, the boat would have had an excellent chance of winning the Auckland race. The winner will probably have to average at least 65 : m.p.h. “It is just one of those things—a minor set-back but, unfortunately, it has put us out of the running for the Auckland race,” said the manager of Hamilton Marine (Mr M. Sandeman) yesterday.

The shell for the off-shore racer was built by Mr D. Robb, of Timaru. The decking was put on by Hamilton Marine and the racer thoroughly tested for balance and other factors in the big .test tank at Hamilton 'Marine.

The fuel tank moved in the racer when it was struck beam on by a wave, and the tank holed the boat

Mr Sandeman and Mr A. Dick, a high-country farmer and jet boat enthusiast, were to have driven the jet racer at Auckland. “We had just ironed out the teething troubles encountered in all new boats. We will be back in off-shore racing this season and hope to be well and truly tried and ■tested for the Auckland race next year,” Mr Sandeman said. In New Zealand outboardpowered boats have taken the lion’s share of honours in offjshore racing. Inboard craft have proved unreliable in comparison with outboards, although smaller jet boats did well in lake and harbour racing in the South Island last season.

Jet boat experts now consider that full value in power, and reliability, is not obtained from big jet boats until speeds between 70 m.p.h. and 100 m.p.h are attained.

They are confident that jet boats will soon challenge the other types in off-shore racing under all conditions.