HTS / Apache
Designed by Don Shead for Ralph Hilton
Built by Souters of Cowes 1969 using double diagonal cedar and mahogany skin and fitted with twin diesel engines for the 1969 Round Britain Race.
World speed record and wins
1971 world water speed record. 1972 winner of London to Monte Carlo - still the worlds longest ever powerboat race. Went on to win Class in many more offshore marathon races
World Champion
In 1979 renamed Apache, larger Ford Sabre engines fitted, she was Class 2 World Champion.
National Powerboat Museum
1979 she retires.
After 10 years competing at the highest level, she retires to The National Powerboat Museum, described as the most successful raceboat.
Reborn
With the closure of the museum I aquired her in 2012 to restore and race again. So she arrives in Cornwall.
Sponsored by Perkins
Twin Perkins 300hp, 6.6l diesels are fitted, ZF 220 boxes, Lancing Marine surface drives, Clements shafts and surface piercing props. The hull was repainted, rewired, re plummed. In fact everything was done, no expense spared and back in her old colours.
We're racing again!
2013 The Venture Cup
4 days of marathon racing with a London Docklands pits and down the Thames to Guernsey. Continued racing around The Channel Isles, with a Poole finish. Class win and Environmental Trophy.
Cowes Torquay Classic
September racing in The Cowes Classic. Awarded The Sonny Levi Trophy for "Contribution to powerboat racing both historic and modern".
Racing hard
2014 we came second in class in the Cowes Torquay, beaten by the mighty Dry Martini 9 boat piloted by Mike Bontoft. 2015 we hit debris off Anvil Point, smashing a drive.
2016 ferocious weather saw just 2 boats finish The Cowes Torquay with many boats damaged.
2017 Falmouth for Class win and 4th overall.
2019 REFIT, APACHE 555
With Covid lockdown, I took the opportunity to refit and check her over fully. Engines were lifted out, taken back to my workshop, refreshed and impellors and fluid changes. I also wanted to lower the drives by 25mm which is a big job as it requires all transom holes to be plugged and re drilled lower and same to steering. I replaced the marine ply transom plate at the same time. New twin ram tabs now fitted, re profiled rudder blade too. Engines are now re aligned and the shafts rotate freely.
Full repaint and back to her 1979 class 2 world champion livery.