The Press PLEASURE BOATING GUIDE

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32350, 16 July 1970, Page 10

The Press PLEASURE BOATING GUIDE

The Cook Brothers entry Easy Rider piloted by Stan Fisher and crewed by Hororata farmer, Harry MeKellow, won the Caltex-sponsored three-day jet boat marathon recently. The Christchurch designed and built boat, powered by a Chevrolet 327 V 8 engine coupled to a Hamilton two-stage jet, won the Mercer-to-Hamilton race along the Waikato River, the three-lap, 48-mile race round Lake Taupo, and the 144-mile race down the Wanganui River from Taumarunui to Wanganui.

Easy Rider was only headed once, losing the Taumarunui - to - Pipiriki (90 miles) section to Lance Sharplin, driving a single-stage jet. Stan Fisher said it was raining torrentially and he and Mr MeKellow just could not see. It was their first time on the river, and Mr Sharplin headed them to Pipiriki by six minutes because of his local knowledge of the river. The weather cleared at Pipiriki and Easy Rider cut out the 54-mile journey to Wanganui through broader reaches in 66 minutes to win easily. Unfortunately for Mr Sharplin, his engine broke down at Pipiriki and he could not finish the marathon.

Easy Rider has a hydrolift. gullwing hull designed by Colin and Gavin Cooke (patented). It has a flared bow, with concave to chine to 14 degrees deadrise. The “gullwing” design at the stern gives extra stability at both low and high speeds. The boat has a moulded fibreglass hull, with streamlined perspex windscreen; seating for six with four facing forward and two astern (essential for waterskiing). Easy Rider is 15ft 4in overall, with a beam of 6ft 4in. She has a top speed of 58 m.p.h.—using up to 15} gallons of fuel an hour—and cruises from 25 m.p.h. to 50 m.p.h., using 5} gallons of petrol an hour at 25 to 30 m.p.h. The twin petrol tanks (with automatic balancing of fuel) hold 16 gallons. The hull can be bought with soft-top, hard-top

to the start and the 55 boats roaring away up Lake Taupo—was the most spectacular part of the marathon, Mr Fisher said. The lake at the harbour end was fairly choppy, but Easy Rider handled the water well at 45 to 50 m.p.h. Some weed in the lake caused no trouble, and Easy Rider led from start to finish, beating the second boat by a minute. Torrential rain and a cold south-wester made the journey down the Wanganui from Taumaurunui to Pipiriki miserable. Floating logs were a hazard, some of them up to 2ft in diameter. Easy Rider was driven over the top of many of them without damage. The rain precluded any glimpse of the magnificent scenery, with the river in the rocky gorges only about 35ft wide in places, and the bush-clad mountains rising

steeply from the river, said Mr Fisher. The rain put the river in a fresh and it was 3ft above normal level, so that he hardly noticed any of 239 rapids between Taumarunui and Wanganui, he said. On the other hand, going downstream, with the rain reducing visibility to almost zero, for the first time on the Wanganui, made it an exciting and exhausting trip. “We did the TaumarunuiPipiriki section in two hours, averaging 45 m.p.h.— and this was pretty good,” he said. “In fact, when we arrived at Pipiriki, there was no fire in the shelter,, and no hot tea—the race] organisers had thought the 4 up to 90 minutes longer”! The journey from Pipi-1 riki to Wanganui was a I “piece of cake,” said Mr|| Fisher. A partial block in | the fuel system, which! caused the engine to “miss”!

for 10 minutes on the final stage, was the only anxiety. “I did not have to open the toolbox once during the whole marathon,” Mr Fisher said. “Fifty-five boats started, and virtually all of them used Hamilton jet units. Ninety per cent of the boats were Hamilton jet boats. “The marathon, the largest in the world, was extremely well organised, and there were few mishaps. Harry McKellar thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and we are hopeful that he will be entering Easy Rider in competitive events on lakes and harbours as well as rivers.”

(removable to convert Into" the open cruiser), or cabin top. The engine used in the race was a standard one, but had been balanced.

Easy Rider, in winning the marathon, demonstrated that the boat is a superb family one, stable in all conditions, fast and reliable, with excellent manoeuvrability. Her cost was just over $4OOO. Mr McKellow had Easy Rider or order when he agreed that she could compete in the marathon for Cooke Bros, and he also agreed to crew in the marathon. Orders As the result of winning the marathon, Cooke Bros, have already obtained 12 more orders for the boat, most of them from North Islanders. Mr Fisher said that the 49-mile race from Mercer to Hamilton along the Waikato was rather dull, with the scenery disappointing after boating in Canterbury. Sandbanks provided some hazards, as the river was low. Easy Rider won the stage by 70 seconds The Le Mans , start—with crew holding the boat, and pilot racing down the beach