HTS/Apache

[Mike Lloyd]

I think this has been covered before somewhere but I am curious as to whether HTS, which won the London to Monte-Carlo race in 1972, became the famous Class 11 Apache and if so what has happened to it/them since Basildon closed?
ML.
.

[Jim Brooker]

Originally Posted by Mike Lloyd

I think this has been covered before somewhere but I am curious as to whether HTS, which won the London to Monte-Carlo race in 1972, became the famous Class 11 Apache and if so what has happened to it/them since Basildon closed?
ML.
.

Yes you are right it's the same boat, David Hagan removed the hull from Basildon when it closed, he has the lovely old boat at his house and in a bran near Sway.

[Mike Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Jim Brooker

Yes you are right it's the same boat, David Hagan removed the hull from Basildon when it closed, he has the lovely old boat at his house and in a bran near Sway.

Thanks Jim, I know David and will contact him. I would love to see that old boat once again for several reasons.
ML.
.

[Rob Gray]

Hi Mike

Please indulge my ignorance and allow me to ask you a bit about the background of HTS Apache. What a beautiful craft.

Best wishes,

Rob Gray

Ps did you hear that I bought Andy Macateer's Tecno 40? Bring on the white coats .......

[Mike Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Rob Gray

Hi Mike

Please indulge my ignorance and allow me to ask you a bit about the background of HTS Apache. What a beautiful craft.

Best wishes,

Rob Gray

Ps did you hear that I bought Andy Macateer's Tecno 40? Bring on the white coats .......

Hi Rob,

Am answering your question re HTS/Apache by PM which will have to be later!

Re the Techno, yes I had heard. Great boat and great history to it. I have film of it running on the last leg of the RB08 if you want it. They were moving fast that day and crossed the line first overall but missed the final turn buoy which cost them!!!!
Best rgds
Mike.
.

[Martin The Talker]

This Souter built boat was originally built for Ralph Hilton, who ran a transport (lorry/truck) company in the eastern part of London in the 60's.
He chose the race No. 858 as it was the area dialling code for that part of London, & the two-tone blue & white livery was that on his company vehicles.
It was, to my humble memory, the only race boat to be powered by Leyland diesel engines, of 200 hp originally. (Something to do with Leyland truck engines & a link to Hilton's business I belive).
The Leylands were not the best, but did power HTS to a stage win, on the east coast of Scotland, (Inverness/Dundee ?), in the first Round Britain Race in 1969.
The boat was re-powered with Ford (Sabre ?) diesels later, & a new boat [HTS 2] shorter on oal was also built, before Mr Hilton stopped racing & the boat was sold. (Do I remember correctly that RH spent some time at HM's pleasure ?).
HTS (1) did, of course, distinguish itself in the London/Monte Carlo Race in '72, & after the name change, in David Hagan's ownership, won the World Class 2 championship off Italy.
Along the way it gained a second place ( I Think) in a CTC race, & many other great acheivements.
One of the classics, thats for sure.
MJN

[Jim Brooker]

Originally Posted by Martin The Talker

This Souter built boat was originally built for Ralph Hilton, who ran a transport (lorry/truck) company in the eastern part of London in the 60's.
He chose the race No. 858 as it was the area dialling code for that part of London, & the two-tone blue & white livery was that on his company vehicles.
It was, to my humble memory, the only race boat to be powered by Leyland diesel engines, of 200 hp originally. (Something to do with Leyland truck engines & a link to Hilton's business I belive).
The Leylands were not the best, but did power HTS to a stage win, on the east coast of Scotland, (Inverness/Dundee ?), in the first Round Britain Race in 1969.
The boat was re-powered with Ford (Sabre ?) diesels later, & a new boat [HTS 2] shorter on oal was also built, before Mr Hilton stopped racing & the boat was sold. (Do I remember correctly that RH spent some time at HM's pleasure ?).
HTS (1) did, of course, distinguish itself in the London/Monte Carlo Race in '72, & after the name change, in David Hagan's ownership, won the World Class 2 championship off Italy.
Along the way it gained a second place ( I Think) in a CTC race, & many other great acheivements.
One of the classics, thats for sure.
MJN

Yes Martin you are mostly right, but missed out 3 owners.. Ralph Hilton sold both boats to David Blackford he raced HTS 1 a couple of times and sold the two boat on to Charles Gill, I fitted the Stern Drives and Engines from HTS 11 in to HTS 1 which Charles called (I Like it ) he raced the boat for a year very successively.
It was then owned by John Craxford he put the boat back to the original HTS colours he race it for a year. Then David Hagan bought if off Craxford and called it Apache.
I rigged and looked after the two boats from new and right through to their retirement. 1968 to 1980's ??? The speed ranged from 45 mph to 79mph.
Mike Lloyd's photo at the top of the thread was when it was owned by John Craxford.

[FLYING FISH]

The said craft in the course of building (right,2nd down),when wood was king.

The same hull lines were used for Avenger OO7 and Miss Dunhill/Unohoo boats,and even the same deadrise of 25 degrees used on some old hooker called Unoembassy!

Fancy Rob thinking it looked good,and having a boat from the same stable.Spooky!

Oh,and it was built 1969.10yrs of your life Jimbo well spent.Better than that nice rivetted cat you had nightmares over.

BTW a wheelhouse shot for `The Catweazle` also appears.

[Jim Brooker]

Sorry Graham I was 1 year out !!! it was such a long time ago.
It was when wood was king, I remember when the boat was stopped from entering as Class 2 Cabbing Cruiser, !!!!! I remember removing so much wood from the interior of the hull, that with engines and drives but dry she was 3 tons 18 cwt

[Rob Gray]

For an old hooker she sure is a good ride with her 25 deg deadrise!

[Delta28]

In Apache warpaint...

[Delta28]

From Powerboat & Waterskiing, Dec 1979...

[Delta28]

And the rest...

[littlenige]

Fish pic?

[FLYING FISH]

Those Souter hulls had 4 lams of 6mm cedar in their hull skins,and still with main girders,whereas I think the cougar cats had 6mm ply with stringers from memory.Ok cats don`t take as much of a bashing,but even so,real old tough boats those Souter builds,and they burned quite well too.

[FLYING FISH]

Originally Posted by littlenige

Fish pic?

Correct.

Taking up watercolours then ,now no races to go to.You`ll have Marco putting in an order for a complete set of 36ft ciggys for Xmas.

That top pic is the Aga Khan`s dayboat with superstructure styling by Pinnafarina.Built by Souter.Always remember Mike Souter putting some West epoxy in the middle of the frames for extra strength,which we all had a laugh about.He thought in the middle of a strength member was where to put it,not the extremities of the section where all the tension/compression was.

The bottom pic is King of Spain`s gas turbine 50kt Fortuna, built by Palmer Johnson in Canada.

[Jim Brooker]

Here is something some of you may not know, when going racing throughout some of the years of HTS and Apache's race life, we would injected oxygen into the Turbo Chargers and tow the boat up on the plane behind any boat we could finned to help, it was all a bit dangerous, all the photos you see of Apache close behind a boat, it has just been tow on the plane.

[olli]

Originally Posted by FLYING FISH

That top pic is the Aga Khan`s dayboat with superstructure styling by Pinnafarina.Built by Souter.Always remember Mike Souter putting some West epoxy in the middle of the frames for extra strength,which we all had a laugh about.He thought in the middle of a strength member was where to put it,not the extremities of the section where all the tension/compression was.

Nice boat:

[Martin The Talker]

Originally Posted by Jim Brooker

Yes Martin you are mostly right, but missed out 3 owners.. Ralph Hilton sold both boats to David Blackford he raced HTS 1 a couple of times and sold the two boat on to Charles Gill, I fitted the Stern Drives and Engines from HTS 11 in to HTS 1 which Charles called (I Like it ) he raced the boat for a year very successively.
It was then owned by John Craxford he put the boat back to the original HTS colours he race it for a year. Then David Hagan bought if off Craxford and called it Apache.
I rigged and looked after the two boats from new and right through to their retirement. 1968 to 1980's ??? The speed ranged from 45 mph to 79mph.
Mike Lloyd's photo at the top of the thread was when it was owned by John Craxford.

Quite right Jim.
I "simplified" the "history" for the sake of time/space.
I remember Charles Gill in the boat (then coloured red & white), & as you correctly say, David Blackford & John Craxford were the other owners.
Thanks for your expert memories on a fine boat.

[Martin The Talker]

Originally Posted by Jim Brooker

Here is something some of you may not know, when going racing throughout some of the years of HTS and Apache's race life, we would injected oxygen into the Turbo Chargers and tow the boat up on the plane behind any boat we could finned to help, it was all a bit dangerous, all the photos you see of Apache close behind a boat, it has just been tow on the plane.

I remember hearing about this.
Am I right in thinking I heard the same technique applied to John Craxford's alloy cat too ? (Or am I thinking of when John had HTS ?)