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Hurricane IV Restoration Nears Finish Line |
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008 |
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The luckless Hurricane IV never won a race, but she came close a couple of times and almost won the 1952 Gold Cup! Only six boats qualified for the race that year, they were led by the Miss Pepsi at 103.746 MPH followed closely by the Slo mo V at 102.564 then the Slo mo IV at 93 mph, the Such Crust IV at 91 mph the Hurricane at 89 and the Miss Great Lakes at 88 mph. The first heat saw the Slo mo IV lose a propeller and coast to a stop early in the race, then Slo mo V’s motor broke down and both Seattle boats floated haplessly as the Miss Pepsi won the heat, Hurricane IV was second and the Such Crust IV took third. The Great Lakes broke a gearbox and was finished for the day.
Gold Cup rules prohibited engine changes, so the Mo V was out for the rest of the race. Her propeller was put on the Slo mo IV, but Seattle was down to one defender. Only three boats started the second heat, The Slo mo IV, Pepsi and Such Crust IV all hit the line in a tight pack, with the Pepsi in the lead flowed by the Mo, and Such Crust bringing up the rear. Midway though the first turn the Such Crust IV exploded in a ball of flames. Driver Bill Cantrell was thrown into the water by the blast. The Coast Guard moved in to fight the fire as the Pepsi led the Slo mo up the backstretch into the north turn. Half way through the turn, the Pepsi slowed and coasted to a stop. Her gearbox was broken and she was out for the day. Slo mo, driven by Stan Dollar was the only boat left running. Dollar, seeing the pillar of smoke from the burning Such Crust and no other boats on the course, thought that the heat may have been canceled, so he pulled in to the official barge for clarification. He was told to continue racing. Dollar and the Slo mo won the heat, but due to his detour to the official barge, his average speed was a very slow 75.49 mph.
The only boats able to start the third and final heat were the Hurricane IV and Slo mo shun IV. Slo mo had 400 points and the Hurricane had 300. If the Hurricane was able to win the third heat, both boats would be tied with 700 points, and the victory would go to the boat with the fastest time. The Hurricane’s first heat speed was 86.318 mph, 10 miles an hour faster then the Slo mo, so if the Hurricane could just finish the third heat ahead of the Slo mo she would win the Gold Cup! The Final heat started with the Slo mo and Hurricane hitting the line at top speed and the Slo mo slightly ahead. The Hurricane held on and even challenged briefly before breaking her propeller shaft and going dead on the third lap. The poor Hurricane bobbed helplessly, lap after lap, as the Slo mo went on to win the race.
Now, over fifty five years later, history appears to be repeating its self! The Museum’s restoration of the Hurricane IV seems to have lost power just short of the finish line. For the last three years Roger Newton has led a group of a dozen or so talented volunteers to restore the Hurricane IV to running condition. Over the winter the restoration crew has dwindled down to Roger and a couple of hard core helpers. The project is now on its final lap, with only the paint and systems installation left to do. We need a big push to get the boat finished and out on the water. If you are interested in helping, please come down to the Museum on Tuesday or Thursday evenings and give us a hand! |
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