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Home Page for Tethered Hydroplane Racing

REGATTA DATES 2024

April

 

Aug

 

13th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

4th

Kingsbury Water Park

 

 

10th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

27th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

12th-18th

World Championships, Bulgaria TBC

 

 

24th

Kingsbury Water Park MPBA 100th Anniversary

May

 

25th

 International Regatta at Kingsbury Water Park

11th Hall Farm Lake Maldon  31st Hall Farm Lake Maldon
       

25th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

Sept

 

 

 

8th

Kingsbury Water Park Midland & Northern Area Ch

June

 

14th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

2nd

Kingsbury Water Park  Start time 10.30 all meetings

 

 

 

 

28th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

15th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

 

 

 

 

October

 

July

 

6th

Kingsbury Water Park

6th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

19th

Hall Farm Lake Maldon

14th Kingsbury Water Park 'Grand Regatta'    

Hall Farm Lake Maldon off A414 CM9 6SN. All Hall Farm dates are Saturdays

Contact Details

Norman Lara Tel 07956423410   Steve Poyser  07771640132

Season's bridle colours for 2024 are Blue and yellow.

All boats must carry correct registration numbers. All waterscrew boats must be silenced to meet current MPBA noise limits. 


What, Who and Where?  

What is tethered hydroplane racing

Modern tethered hydroplane racing offers competitors a variety of classes and options with which to pit their skills against the clock. The tethered hydroplane is a purpose built model, designed expressly for high speed on water using either an immersed propeller or airscrew. Boats are connected via a pair of wire bridles and a line of set length to a rotating pylon. This will give a circular lap of known length, usually 100 yards or 100 metres. There is no steering or any other means of control. The boat, be it a flash steamer, sport or vintage, powered by a large capacity home-built engine, a high performance commercial two-stroke, or even an electric motor is connected to the line and the engine started with a cord round the fly-wheel.

When satisfied that the engine is producing maximum power, the competitor launches the boat, aided by a rubber bungee. The timed laps are signalled by the competitor when happy that the boat is at its fastest. The elapsed time for the required number of laps is translated into speed and the head scratching starts over adjustments needed to achieve an even faster run next time. This is the quest that has continued to challenge participants in this fascinating sport of tethered hydroplane racing for over 100 years.

Attaching boat to the cable Launching Boat running on the pylon

Information Sources
 

Tethered Hydroplane Contacts
Plans, Rules, Bridles,
Technical information

Current Classes & Records
NAVIGA & National Classes
Waterscrew & Airscrew
Hydroplane Related Links
Companies, organisations and individuals providing items and services

Racing Related Articles

A3 Tethered Hydroplane
Performance and Building information
Roger James
Airscrew Hydroplanes
History and current models
Mike Drinkwater
Resources
Magazines and books relating to
tethered hydroplanes

Venues

Kingsbury Water Park Staffordshire Country Park off Bodymoor Heath Road Tamworth. Parking charges apply, card only. Park and walk to lake  gps 52.561078,-1.700027 SatNav B76 0DY
Hall Farm Lake Maldon Essex Private Lake off A414 Maldon-Chelmsford. Park and walk to lakeside    
SatNav CM9 6SN

MPBA affiliated clubs with active hydroplane members

Model Hydroplane Club National Formed in the 1970s to promote the building and racing of tethered hydroplanes countrywide. Currently running regular regattas at Hall Farm Lake nr Maldon in Essex
Contact Angela Gullick email abhydroclub@gmail.com
Retro Racing Club National The Retro Club was set up in 1996, primarily to cater for the vintage interest and incorporated the Rushden Club. Contact: Peter Hill.  email arty.pole@gmail.com

Heaton

North East

The club celebrates its centenary in 2010 and while not being able to run hydroplanes at their lake, still has members who compete regularly.
Contact:  heatonmodelboats@aol.com
South Shields North East Home club of Bob Kirtley, one of the world's leading exponents of high speed flash steam tethered hydroplanes. Contact: Robert Kirtley 2, Datchet Road, Whitley Bay NE25 9UR
Kingsbury Midlands Formed in 1975 to take advantage of the newly opened water park. Members from other local clubs starting running hydroplanes in 1990.  High profile members, include Arthur Wall and John DeMott.
Contact: John DeMott, Peckleton Rd, Kirkby Mallory, LE9 7QH
Victoria London E Founded in 1904, The Victoria model Steamboat Club is one of the oldest in the country. A wealth of tethered hydroplane experience exists amongst the members, including current outright hydroplane record holder, Norman Lara and double record holder Ron Hankins.

Club contacts and web addresses correct as at 1/01/2024

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