100 years of tethered hydroplane racing

Celebrating 100 years of tethered hydroplane racing

Norman Dixon and Fast Cat.

When Tom Clement, as a lad, wandered down to Paddy Freeman's Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the home of the Heaton Club, one of the members, Norman Dixon acted as Tom's mentor. Norman had a pre-war Westbury designed kipper-box hull with a 30cc petrol 2-stroke engine that he built around 1938. The engine was an EM 30, designed by W. Cooper and serialised in 'English Mechanics' magazine. The boat was called Fast Cat I. He also had a further two Westbury designed hydroplanes, Fast Cat II with his own designed 30cc 4-stroke petrol engine. The other Qwik Kit with another Cooper designed engine, the EM 15cc 2-stroke, all three boats would run at about 30mph.On all his hydroplanes he had the rear view of a black cat with its tail up.


J Covington and Norman with Qwik Kit	Fast Cat II at Paddy Freeman Park	Fast Cat I Tynemouth Lake 1944

Norman also ran a straight running boat called Camilla II. The hull was 5 feet 10 inches long, with a 34cc home designed 2-stroke petrol engine. This was the boat that Tom used when he started travelling to other regattas.

After Norman died Tom started running hydro's. He put Fast Cat I's EM 30cc engine into a planing hull and achieved 40mph with this combination.

Tom has remained a member of the Heaton Club ever since, and still has Fast Cat I's hull and engine which he intends to restore at some stage.

Norman Dixon's Fast Cat I with its original EM 30cc engine, both now 70 years old

Thanks to Tom Clement for text and photo's, and to Andy Humpish for allowing me to use the original pictures.