TAUPO SPEEDBOAT GOES NORTH

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 120, 14 May 1954, Page 1

TAUPO SPEEDBOAT GOES NORTH

LES GRIFFIN TO RACE SUSAN LEIGH Mr Don McLeod's well-known speed-boat, the three-point hydroplane Susan Leigh, changed hands recently and was taken to Auckland by Mr Les Griffin, owner of Whirlwin, who plans to race her next season in Wellington in the Masport Cup and Griffiths Cup contests. These trophies are for | the N.Z. Unrestricted and the Australasian Open Unrestricted Championships respectively, both held by Mr Len Southward's Redhead. Susan Leigh is powered with an Allison aircraft V-12 engine of 1400 h.p. from a Kittyhawk fighter plane. The engine drives through a three to one step-up gear-box to the propellor. Susan Leigh was twice raced in Wellington in the events mentioned above, doing well on both occasions, but having propellor trouble which prevented her reaching her top speed. This was caused by the propellor alloy not being strong enough to stand the strain imposed by the high revoluI tion rate, which is up to 10,000 j r.p.m., so that on each occasion it "folded up" before the engine had reached its full output. As a result of this trouble the engine has not been fully opened out on any occasion. On an unofficial timed run in Taupo recently Susan Leigh "clockea" ninety miles per hour. Mr Griffin plans to overcome the trouble by using a propellor made from a higher tensile alloy.