A W Martins flash steam hydroplane

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Flash Steam Years

At this point in our history, the plot really starts to thicken. For in less than a year, I would be the proud possessor of a Model Engineer Silver Medal, which was the Olympic Gold of the model world. This was for a 300 yard run, officially timed, at a speed of over 26 mph. To quote the Model Engineer ‘which must qualify as a world record for its class.’

It all started something like this. An announcement was made in The Model Engineer that the winner of the new lightweight class in their annual competition was a boat named Marocette – at a speed of 12 mph. To put it mildly, I was astonished at such a low performance. Why, with boats totally unworthy of the name ‘racing’ boat, I was already going as fast as that, and I felt sure that with a specially designed boat I could literally ‘lick the pants’ off it: and so the blue touch paper was lit: for time was at a premium.

By this time I had another small, but much larger than my midget; - lathe. It was old with ‘Briggs No 1 cast on the base, It is probable that he never got as far as No 2. This cost me a whole 30/- which with a similar sum for a 3 jaw chuck, cost a total of £3.00. On this machine – after rebuilding it – I did some extremely accurate work. I still have it, it is ‘old faithful’. If one now looks at the photos, it will be seen that it bears evidence of hurried finish. However the ‘bits that matter’ were not hurried. But it had a few teething troubles. Nor was the plant first put in this hull, but in a much heavier one called Tornado.

Following the loss of Sirocco, I fitted this boat with watertight compartments. This made the whole affair much too heavy, and so the featherweight Tornado II hull was quickly made. One or two more ‘mods’, and I had a really fast boat (for those times!) Nor was I at all ‘kind’ to it, for it would do 20 laps of the centrally tethered circular course at one filling – 2000yds, and many of these would be put in in a single evening, simply to entertain the spectators.

However, this was ‘playing at home’. The away game served to surprise some people.

The Club made its first ‘away’ visit to a regatta held at Farnborough in September 1935. It was here that I found out that the very surface of the water varied from lake to lake: and so my boat, which had never ‘gone under’ before now did so – twice.

However the Model press had some very nice things to say, such as a ‘startling turn of speed’ – ‘none who have seen this boat in action will any long question the possibilities of flash steam’. – ‘and the roar from its tiny single cylinder engine was exhilarating’. But I did not win, and however much my vanity was flattered, changes would be required. Also the gearbox on our borrowed car failed, in that selection was impossible, and much pushing was done on the way home – around Winchester!

However ‘winning’ was not far away, as this 1936 photo shows. I also had a visit from an Echo reporter, who splashed his story – not mine – into about a quarter page of the most sensationalised, inaccurate nonsense. No copy of it is shown, for it went straight into the dustbin, where it belonged.

I was asked by The Model Engineer to give an account of my exploits with flash steam boats. The word ‘flash’ steam simply denotes that there is no boiler as such is used, for water is pumped into one end of a heated tube and steam comes out of the other. Such steam can be hot, very hot. Any idea of steam as being ‘wet’ would soon be dispelled if one saw cigarettes being lit with steam, or steel wool glowing bright red hot when placed in a jet of steam. However its very violence would often destroy the engine that was put in its way. And the very essence of success was to find a way of taming the beast in such a way that would utilise such violence without harm to the engine. In this respect I did things that angels had feared – and got away with it – most of the time.

One of the engines, (seen above) complete with its three pumps had a long and successful life during which time it must have driven the boat at least one hundred miles – or even two.

Edgar Westbury introduced the readership of Model Engineer to Bert Martin in 1936 via a 7 part article entitled 'Suggestions for improving flash steam plants'. Although it appeared under ETWs name it drew very heavily on the work and writing of Bert. The name A. Martin would feature regularly in articles and regatta reports for many years to come. Throughout June 1944 Bert published The Further History of the "Tornados" in Model Engineer, describing 'The development of a very famous dynasty of flash steam hydroplanes'. This series started with Bert trying to solve the stability problems with his hull, virtually the same place as his own narrative continues here....

I was now face with quite a problem. For I had a boat that was quite stable on local water, however rough. But on other waters it would leap right out of the water and capsize: and no-one hands out medals to boats that were fast, but are now on the bottom. Also, one can experiment on local water as many times as necessary. But fifty or more miles is a long way to find out that something was no good. So what to do?

Now it so happened that on a visit to Victoria Park, I saw a boat that greatly impressed me, but was in the larger class. It seemed to run very smoothly indeed, and I thought – that’s for me. What I did not know, was that on other occasions, this boat would do quite a bit of aerobatics, possibly by being prone to being caught by the wind. For if a regatta was held, then you ran your boat, irrespective of the weather. And so Tornado III was dreamed up, but freely borrowed from a very cooperative Mr. A.D. Rankine – who promptly abandoned his boat, on account of its troubles!

However, whatever differences were brought about in my translation, I now had a hull that was totally free of temperament. It was remarkably stable, and never on any occasion, went to the bottom. This in itself could win races, for at one event, mine was the only boat to finish the wild and windy course. For the other nine boats went to the bottom – twice.

Now circular course running – the only way possible with fast boats was not done one against the other, but against the clock: one had to cover the distance, which was three laps of 100 yards each at that period, in less time than the opposition. Now such opposition was almost entirely petrol driven boats, both two and four-stroke. Such a choice had been made by their owners, on account of the fact that although the potential was there, by their very nature, had over the years proved to be unpredictable and unreliable. The very history of the adventures of many flash steamers was proof enough for anyone. Even my club mate Fred Marsh was plagued with such trouble, year after year. Although his craft was quite powerful, he was lucky just to make a second place.

And so it was to fall to my lot, to be the first one to prove that flash steam boats could be quite reliable, perhaps even more so than the petrol driven boats at that time. Whatever contribution I was fated to bring to the scene it was this: for I breathed new life into the corpse of flash steam, and inspired, others.

For I now had the best combination of all – an almost trouble free plant, and a hull that never sank. I had learned the hard way, the most important lesson – that speed itself must take second place to reliability. Now there are those that say that just to participate is enough reward. This is nonsense, it is just the placebo of those who are just plain unlucky. For I set out to win, and when I did win, time after time, it served to flatter my vanity, but not without compassion for the losers.

Now the class limit was 7lbs. But I had never taken full advantage of this and had now set myself an eventual goal of 40 mph. The photo shows the first public appearance of Tornado IV – all 6lbs 15ozs of it. Brand new, unlaunched, and held by the entire works staff – the designers, the draughtsmen, the workers, even the sign writers. (for I once earned quite a useful penny that way – it all helps!) As you can see, the man at the top is quite faceless, as they always are.

Of all the Tornados, this one was due to be the most famous of the lot. It was a popular boat, both with the spectators and those that wrote the words of flattery in the model journals. There was a reason for this, for all my boats provided both spectacle and entertainment. For some reasons, all things driven by steam seem in some strange way to live – they do not just go. Just think of railway locomotives – for diesels are only things.

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