Who’s who in tethered hydroplanes.

                          Tom Clement..... ...................................................

Tom is currently Northern Secretary of the MPBA Hydroplane Section. He is also treasurer of the Heaton and District MPBC.  In 2007 Tom received an award in recognition of 50 years membership, of the MBPA

How did you start in Hydro’s?

The hobby started when I was about 12 or 13 and  I used to go to Paddy Freeman’s Park in Heaton where they ran a wide selection of model boats, including straight runners and tethered hydro’s. I joined the Heaton Club when I was 15 years old and have been a member ever since.

The Heaton Club was formed in 1910, based at the lake in Paddy Freeman’s Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Norman Dixon a club member used to run some really interesting hydroplanes. (More on Norman to follow) Norman also ran a Straight Running boat called Camilla II. This is 5 feet 10inches long with a 34cc home designed 2-stroke petrol engine. This is the boat, which I used when I started to travel to other clubs, taking part in straight running events, and achieved some success. 1969 European Championships in Bulgaria came 3^rd. 1971 came 7^th in Ostend. 1973 Czechoslovakia 7^th again and was top scorer in the British team each time. I was three times N E Coast SR Assoc champion, and club champion on several occasions. When the MPBA International came to Welwyn Garden City in 75 competing in class EX (Functional) I managed a maximum score of 300 to win Gold. It meant I qualified for entry in the 1977 Europeans in Russia but I never made the trip. However in 79 I did go to Duisburg, Germany as a spectator and was co-opted to act as a noise judge.

In 1966 I met Jimmy Jones of Birkenhead and it was due to him that I started to build my own engines. He gave me the patterns, drawings and a set of castings for a 10cc two-stroke ‘Conqueror’ engine, which he was running at that time. To acknowledge all the help he had given me I called the boat ‘Jump with Joy’ which was a play on his initials and he was delighted with that. Jimmy and I also worked together on a 15cc Schneurle port engine. When he saw my design and I showed him the assembly drawing, he insisted on making the patterns for it. We both made an engine and competed in B class, me with JayCee and Jimmy running SeaJay. Because of this we became really good friends over the years. Jimmy was still running and developing the 15cc engine right up until his death in 1993, although he left all the sailing of the boat up to me. JayCee came to grief at Birkenhead when it was doing about 85mph.

I also build 30cc engines, starting from scratch making the patterns and doing the castings. In the early days using scrap motorcycle parts and a home built back-garden foundry. The engines went into my boats I named Hell Cat, in memory of Norman Dixon. Running in ‘A’ Class, I sometimes find myself battling with Bob Kirtley and Pisces, flash steam versus IC, in the past I have managed to come out the winner. In 1997 Bob and I produced a two-hour video about flash steam and Pisces. The current Hell Cat is number seven, the engine for which John DeMott supplied some drawings and a casting. That was in 1995 but it took me till 2000 to finish building the engine and hull.

I also have a 30cc-engined boat ‘Doc II’; it’s the last one Dr English designed, and his widow Cindy requested that I run it in memory of Doc. The engine is awaiting a rebuild.

Do you have an engineering background?

My engineering apprenticeship started with British Engines and trained as a fitter and machine tool worker, involved in general engineering. The department I worked in specialised in air drills for the coalface, I left there when I qualified and became a journeyman. Worked for the Vickers Naval Yard and then various engineering jobs. In 1964 I worked for Sterling-Winthrop Laboratories in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a development engineer/draughtsman. Left them in 1978 and did contract work after that.

Do you have a current project?

The latest project is still in the computer, Hell Cat VIII, but it needs a bit of tweaking.

Is there any boat from the past you would have liked to run?

When we were going over to Czechoslovakia in 73 for the Europeans, I stayed with Arthur Cockman. He had the Innocent brother’s boat ‘Betty’ and we took it out onto his lawn to see if we could get it going. We managed to get it to start so took it to Victoria Lake and she did a run of 30mph.