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The 725 Class Remembered |
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By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian |
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The Unlimited Class of the post-World War II era grew out of two pre-war racing categories: the Gold Cup Class of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and the 725 Cubic Inch Class of the Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association (MVPBA). The 725s were sometimes looked down upon as "the poor man's Gold Cup Class" in the 1930s. But they more than held their own as a vibrant category in their own right. In 1937, the 725 Class was invited to participate in the Detroit Gold Cup Regatta to put on their own race on the same weekend as the Gold Cup race. The previous year's Gold Cup at Lake George, New York, had been a fiasco. (Only two boats had started and one boat ran 89 of the 90 miles unopposed.) The obvious intention was to have the 725 Class delegation available on a stand-by basis at Detroit to fill out the Gold Cup field, should that become necessary. Fortunately, the Gold Cup Class had its house in order in 1937. The Gold Cuppers were able to pull their own weight without having to rely on the 725s for support. The 725 Class had headlined the MVPBA circuit for over a decade. There was a considerable fleet of them around the Cincinnati and Louisville area at the time. The majority were powered by 1914 vintage Hispano-Suiza ("Hisso") aircraft engines. They had names such as MERCURY, HERMES, WARNIE, PIN BRAIN, WHY WORRY, WHO CARES, MY BUDDY, BIG SHOT, and MISS FERN CREEK. HERMES III, one of the more prominent 725s, was a step hydroplane. She measured 22 feet by 5-1/2 feet, had a sharp curving bow and a deep notch across the bottom amidships. The craft utilized a three-bladed brass propeller that turned 3600 revolutions per minute. HERMES III had a 15-gallon fuel tank and used one gallon of fuel every three-quarters of a mile at racing speeds. The V-8 Hispano-Suiza developed 240 horsepower. Although intended for 1800 rpm, the Hisso did 2400. The gear ratio was one revolution of the motor for every one and a half revolutions of the propeller. The Hisso engine was intended for use in the Spad aircraft during World War I. The Hisso's design concept was later used as the basis for the V-12 Allison and Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. HERMES III could do about 60 miles per hour on the straightaway and posted heat speeds of over 50 miles per hour. Unlike the Gold Cup boats, which used the "G" designation, the 725s utilized an "I" racing numeral. HERMES III, throughout its career, carried the number I-100. Often referred to as the "Haywire Class," the 725s were a fine example of low-cost grassroots level boat racing. They met the minimum requirements for the APBA Gold Cup Class, but were in no sense Gold Cuppers as boats of that class were generally thought of being. The "G" boats were more expensive and more exotic-looking than the homebuilt 725s...and usually faster. Throughout its history, the MVPBA tended to attract the "blue collar" participants, while the APBA was more "yacht club" oriented. Socially, the APBA and the MVPBA was not a good mix. Upon arrival in Detroit, the 725 Class people were assigned their own pit area (actually, a parking lot) and were denied access to the Gold Cup Class pits. A Detroit newspaper reporter, Harry LeDuc, had chanced to witness a 725 Class race on the Ohio River at Louisville. LeDuc had been extremely impressed with the level of competition among the 725s and strongly urged the Detroit Committee to include them on the program. A number of prominent boat racers made their first impressions in the 725 Class. These included the likes of "Wild Bill" Cantrell, Marion Cooper, and George "It's A Wonder" Davis. The three 725 Class races run in conjunction with the Detroit Gold Cup in 1937-38-39 were won by Cooper in HERMES III, Jim Anderson in WARNIE, and Cantrell in WHY WORRY respectively. All three races were well received and provided the 725s with their finest national showcase. After the war, the 725s and the Gold Cuppers combined and changed over to the Unlimited Class to take advantage of the huge supply of Allison and Rolls-Royce Merlin engines developed for the war effort. By that time, power plants such as the venerable Hispano-Suiza were no longer available in quantity. Today's Thunderboats are the direct descendants of the sporty little 725s that made their competitive presence felt in the years between the World Wars. Throughout the Great Depression, the 725 Cubic Inch Class helped to keep big-time boat racing alive during a time of great economic uncertainty. |
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