A HYDROPLANE BOAT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 309, 4 January 1908, Page 3

A HYDROPLANE BOAT.

A novel but successful combination v. itiiiHHLl and waterboat lias recently bee.. eiiecieu >»y two Italians (A. Uruccu a»«. O. ivieaiuoio;, wm> nave succeeded •»,. a oi'ver auaplatiun of Ue aeroplane pr.n (.lpr. 1 tn maKiiig a boat wliicli, as mk 'Muieib speeu, leaves 'the water am. skims along above the surface. it a: hoat is 20U. .Jin. long, and 111 appjaraua me hull resemljK's an ordinary siiurpOowed nat-sterned launch. Jier ns.uu faculties are dm* to aeroplane miderueatli her bottom and two aerial propellers mounted on arms or frames projecting upwards 'and outwards Irom lite deck alt. The planes are lilted at the bow and stem only, and are V shaped, their ends rising almost to the water-line un either side. They are made of plated' steel, as are also the principal member* of the frames supporting them. The propellers have two blades each, and an l made of doubled aluminium plating, their weight being about 121b. eacli. Their pitcn can be altered while running, and Hiey can be reversed. The motive power is supplied by a SU-IUO horsepower motor, having two cylinders, and working at a speed of 1200 revolutions per minute. Including all her machinery, fuel, etc., and with two men on board, the vessel weighs 33001b. When running the boat risen so that thG'huil is clear of the water, ai\d at the speed of 43.5 miles per hour, which has been i obtained with tnis novel form of vessel, 1 says a London magazine, the hull is about 18 inchc* out of the water as stilted. Trials of a length u1'3.73 miles have been made on Lake Braeciano, near Rome, and sharp turns have Imhti made while running. After a certain amount of experimental running the inventors propose to put the boat through sti'l more exhaustive trials, mule? an varied conditions as possible, and if the rcsul s are as satisfactory as anticipated, who shall say we won't see a "Hying fish" fleet added to the various other "Heels'' that grace the harbor on regatta day.