David Burgess – Master Boat Builder

I left school at the age of 16, in 1961 and started a boatbuilding trade apprenticeship at Bill Shakespeare’s workshop in Tewkesbury. Shakespeare was a leading circuit boat racer at the time, and I was involved in Building his, and his friends, race boats. I worked at Shakespeare’s until 1969. I started on flat bottoms, progressed to deep V hulls and then onto cats.

The cat progression came about two years later than the continental challenge, as the RYA, under the stewardship of John Reed, deemed them too dangerous.

In late 1969 I was approached by Fred Miles, to work for him designing and building race boats. That was very successful in as much as the ON boats were going to the right people, in Europe and the USA. Fred raced one himself, mainly in the USA. After about two and a half years, Fred was racing in the Parker, USA event, where he flipped the boat. On his return, he promptly said he was finished and would close the boat building Miles Master Company. He said to me there are four or five outstanding orders with deposits. If you want to take them on, I will transfer the deposits, rent you the workshop, and away you go.

So, in 1972 Burgess Racing Boats was born. Things progressed very quickly; I was building SE, OE, OI and ON boats all through the 1970s. the SE and OE boats were very successful with European and world Championships.

John Hill Strongbow Burgess OI Cardiff 1975

In 1978, one week prior to the Bristol weekend, on the Monday morning, I decided I would build an NF boat in wood for the forthcoming Bristol race, bearing in mind I only had five days. I set too and designed and built the boat. I built the boat on my own and my painter, Leapy Lee, painted it on the Thursday evening/night. On the Friday morning I rigged it with a Mercury 650XS I borrowed from a customer on the understanding that his friend, Peter Balmford, drove it. Peter had not driven a boat for a couple of seasons. We loaded it on the trailer and off we went to Bristol. I gave good old Charlie Sheppard the sob story, that we had had a flat on the way, and said sorry for being late for testing and qually. Charlie said that after everything had finished, we

Roger Hedge, Burgess monohull, Bristol 1979

could have two laps. After the two laps, Peter had put the boat on pole and won all four heats over the weekend.

The following weeks the phone never stopped ringing for NF boats. That’s when I made the GRP NF boat and sold about 50 of them; many are still around today. The NF/T850 was a very successful boat, winning the Bristol Grand Prix countless times in the

Walsall Litho Burgess Chase Watersports Stand. Photo Pat Ainge Archive

hands of Roger Hedge, Arthur Mostert, Jan de Vreng, Wiepe Torenvliet and Richard Wood. As with all things the orders eventually dried up and I sold the moulds to Wiepe Torenvliet, who was a customer who had bought several NF boats from me and continued to build the NF boats.

In 1980 I built an OZ boat for Alfie Bullen, which was quite successful. He ran a 2.6ltr OMC motor. Later that year I was in Parker, USA with Alf, just spectating the seven-hour race. On the way back OMC kindly took us on their private jet back to O’Hare airport, where we met up on flight with OMC Race Director, Jack Leek. I asked him if we could have a loan of an OZ motor for the development of an OZ boat. His words were. ‘You don’t build a bad OE boat, but there are better, and there is no way you will build a quick OZ boat.’ This is, where my customer and friend, Welsh Wizard, Roger Jenkins comes in. The 1981 season saw Roger racing a Velden boat and one of the new OMC motors. During the season I did a few small to the Velden. In 1982 things changed for the better. Roger got backing from Carlsberg and could lease his own V8 and he came to me for a boat as we had worked together on his SE and OE programs. I was a little apprehensive at first as the OMC Race Director said there was no way I could build an OZ boat. The rest is history – Roger going on to be the 1982 OZ World Champion.

At the same time I was still building the new F3 Class boats, with a list of who’s who in boat racing buying my F3 boats and winning world championships; Roger Jenkins, Lars and Lennart Strom, Danny Bertels, Andy Elliott, John and Steve Hill, Michael Werner, Ken McCrorie and Ian Andrews.

Roger Jenkins Pittsburgh1982. Photo Tim Schroer

Burgess Race Boats workshop

SE/F4 Was going well with Tony Williams, Dave Giggins, Duarte Benavente, Owen Jelf and Andy Elliott, all winning either European or world championships. Then there was ON/FONDA. Customers worldwide used these boats; John Hill, Chris Bush, Jon Jones

and Don Johnston – all won either World or APBA Championships. 1994 and 1995 we were F1 Constructor’s Champions, while Jerry Peachment and Marc Rolls won F2 World Championships. Not forgetting national championships in UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, France and Portugal.

The best two drivers I worked with was Chris Bush and Andy Elliott; Chris because he understood motors and would not tread through one when it was not right, and Andy Elliott was just sheer talent.

Chris Bush, F1 Winner, Bristol 1988

Andy Elliott F3 Burgess

In 2002 I decided to call it a day. I really could not see my future building plastic/composite boats. I wanted to build and develop boats, not produce the same thing year in year out. To me, full composite boats have ruined boat racing; they may be safe, but they last too long. The wooden sponson/composite centre section was to me the best way. International drivers would buy new and keep it for a or 18 months, then replace it and sell the old boat on to a national driver, who would move his old boat on to a club racer. That way it kept the grass roots alive.

So that’s my brief resume on Burgess Racing Boats. 47 World Championships with my designs and still not quite enough to get into the Powerboat Hall of Fame???

Ps. Must try harder.

Don Johnston, Bristol 1987

Jon Jones

Burgess Championship Winning Boats