Evening star., 1939-08-06
pdec of Power Boat Records Follows Great Advance in Hull DESIGNS
Few Cupboard Marks
Intact, With Title
Races Still Due
Current Season Hottest
Ever for Motor Craft
In Competition
BY MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr.

BY MALCOLM LAMBORNE, Jr.
Here he comes. Are you set?"
"Yep"
MARX"
Within a few minutes the recorder
will have taken out his little book.
have completed his calucations and
then will announce, We'll, boys, it's
another record Jimmy Mullen,
50,336 miles on hour, Glass B."
To which the boys of the Race
Committee and of the press, will
reply. 'Ho hum
In one of the hottest competitive
seasons in speedboat history, drivers
are showing as much respect for
existing records as some countries
for their neighbors' boundary lines.
Outboard Marks Take Beating.
All but three of the official Ameri-
can hydroplane records for out
boards already have fallen this year
and there still are nearly two months
to 60 before American Power Boat
Association officials can attempt to
inscribe the marks in their books.
There is little more to do than just
relax every time mark is shattered,
for you'll no doubt find that mark
hiked even higher the next week
end.
Last week on Boston'S Charles
River there occurred race unique in
poWerboat history. Young Gar
Wood, jr., of Algonac, Mich. and
Clinton Ferguson or Waban, Mass,
wound up in a dead heat and when
the smoke had cleared it was found
they had set a new speed in Glass
c outboards. 1t was 53925 miles on
hour.
A reason for this epidemic of rec
ords. In few words, boat builders
are turning out near-perfect de-
signed hullS based on advanced
theories of hydrodynamics while me-
chanics are getting more r. p. m.
out of engines than ever was thought
possible.
Just few years back 80 and 40
miles an hour in those little cockle-
shells was top speed, speed they
said never could be bettered. And
what is happening today? Fellows
like Beford Davie of New York and
Jean Dupuy of Paris crowding on
the 80-miles-an-hour mark as
though it were just a tuneup affair.
Six of the competitive marks have
been broken in the fast racing that
has developed since regatta circuits
began in Florida in February. Both
the amateur and professional speeds
in Glass B have been pushed up be-
yond the 50-mile mark and the two
Glass F. standards have jumped
nearly 81 miles an hour.
About the only records left to
break this year are Glass A amateur,
Glass G professional and the Midget
Glass. and they are likely to fall
by the Wayside during the coming
divisional championships scheduled
prior to the nationals at Fort Worth,
Tex, September 16 to Is.
Title Series Soon Starts.
BY the time Friday, September %
the day devoted to outboards in
the power portion of the PRESIDENT
Cup Regatta-rolls around, there
won't be any meat left on the
choice shoulder of beef known as
the record books.
The Eastern divisional champion
ship at Red Bank, N. j., August
19 and 20 will touch off the titular
series. Red Bank, providing the
racers dreams of a perfect course.
is renowned for the number of
marks that fall each year, second
only to Washington Presidents
Cup Regatta.
For the lover of facts and figures
here is table of existing outboard
competitive marks made since 1888: