MODEL HYDROPLANE CLUB

MODEL HYDROPLANE CLUB Club Secretary - Sonia Collins modelhydroclub@btinternet.com 020 8590 4318

The MODEL HYDROPLANE CLUB is affiliated to the

MODEL POWER BOAT ASSOCIATION

© Model Hydroplane Club & A V Collins

The history of the Model Hydroplane Club goes back to the early 1960s when a lake at Woburn, Bedfordshire became available for running tethered hydroplanes, with no model boat club established in the area the Woburn Club came into being. The Woburn Club continued until the lake became unavailable in the 1970s,with no other venue in the area to run at the club was dissolved. Club members however remained active as they were also members of other established model boat clubs. Unlike other forms of model boating tethered hydroplanes need very calm water and protection from the wind to run successfully. Also due to their high speeds a location where spectator safety is present. These factors precluded many of the older more traditional locations i.e. public parks. With these considerations in mind former Woburn Club members began the search for a new location, eventually a lake at Bradwell in Essex was found and the Model Hydroplane Club was established. Subsequently other locations were found at Milton Keynes, Farnborough and most recently at Althorne in Essex. Members compete at events organized by the club and those hosted by other clubs.

The club continues to promote the building and running of tethered hydroplanes, new members are always welcome with existing members keen to share their knowledge and experience. In order to encourage new competitors a Sport 40 class has been introduced, the idea being that this relatively easy to build craft uses an off the shelf engine and that any other components can be easily crafted using only basic tools. Full size plans are available. If SPEED is for you then contact the club secretary for further information.

2014 Regattas Althorne lake Burnham Road, Althorne, Essex April 13 - working party, May 4, June 8, July 6, July 19-20, Oct 5 Kingsbury Water Park Bodymoor Heath Lane, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands June 22, July 13, Aug 3, Sept 21 Rowden Lake Lindley, Nuneaton, Leicestershire Sept 6-7 Victoria Park Cadogan Terrace, Hackney, London April 27, May 25, Sept 14 Verulamium Park St Michaels Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire Aug 23 and 25

modelhydroclub@btinternet.com modelhydroclub@btinternet.com modelhydroclub@btinternet.com

To compare speeds the earliest model speedboats were timed over a straight course, but as speeds rose stopping a boat at the finish line became more hazardous. From 1908 competitors decided to run their boats tethered to a central point thus providing a circular course, apart from safety this method of running a boat offered the ability to easily calculate its speed. Once the benefits were appreciated this method became universally adopted for speed competitions. Various distances have been used to calculate the speed, but today 5 timed laps of a 100m circumference course is used. When a competitor is satisfied that their boat has reached its maximum speed and will continue for the next 5 laps they indicate this to timekeepers, who time the 5 laps and calculate the speed. Making the right judgement when indicating to the timekeepers requires close knowledge of the boat and is a great part of the fun in competitions. Initially hydroplanes were steam powered, then home built internal combustion engines and commercially manufactured engines were used. Various classes were assigned according to method of propulsion and weight. In the UK most classes of hydroplanes are still run, some classes have been renamed in accordance with the international body NAVIGA. Some of the most impressive hydroplanes to watch are indeed the steam powered classes, the current speed record for A/S class (steam powered, maximum weight 16lbs) is 129.33mph. However the overall fastest are A3 (10cc water screw) at 135.57mph and B1 (2.5cc airscrew driven) at a staggering 154.91mph.

The website for history and information about tethered hydroplanes and cars

www.onthewire.co.uk

The website for history and information about tethered hydroplanes and cars

www.onthewire.co.uk