Back about 1956-1960 I was spending my Summers, mostly on the Hudson River in NY. In 1959 I bought, and then extensively modified, a small wooden 3 point hydroplane that had been designed and built for use with a 10-15 hp outboard motor. But my modifications were to convert it into a hydrocart, a floating version of a racing go cart. I installed two McColough MC-10 chain saw engines chain driven through centrifugal clutches to the inboard propeller shaft with one racing type propeller and a DIY rudder made from brass. A close friend of mine was racing modified go carts and I was helping him modify his engines, so made two for myself. The engines were heavily modified for use on go carts, which included two carburetors on each engine. they were set up to burn alcohol and nitro methane like the pro dragsters. Dymo tests on engines configured this way showed that they produced 30-35 hp each at 18-20,000 rpm, so much of my modifications to the hydroplane involved significant strengthening of the design and lots of fiberglass.
It was absolutely necessary that the river be almost dead flat before I could put my hydrocart on the water and use it. 70-90 mph and sometimes 100 mph was possible, but only on near glass flat water. I'm surprised that I lived through some of the incidents that I had with that thing and I sold it the end of Summer Season in 1960. This was the reason why I studied the river and looked for when it would be dead calm. I could never use the hydrocart unless it was dead calm. So this was the only reason and time when I studied the river and attempted to predict when the water would be calm and I could use my hydrocart.
I just thought you all might find my reason for studying the river and it's wave patterns interesting. Although I was into photography back then, my reasons for studying the river had absolutely nothing to do with photography. Doing things FAST was mostly the only thing on my mind back then. I'm actually a bit surprised that I lived through my FAST times.
Charley
