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70 MPH in a Vintage 50s Speedboat
I
magine going 70 mph in a 19’ 9” long by 6’ 5” wide classic wood speedboat! That’s way faster than a classic 20’ 10” Chris-Craft Cobra. Like a Cobra, this Ancarrow runabout is nearly flat-bottomed. You’d definitely want an extra cushion under you if you encountered much of a chop. To deliver that amazing speed, she has a replacement 427 supercharged Ford engine with a vee-drive. This Consul model’s original stock engine was set-up for a 60-mph boat. Imagine
46 February 2022 PropTalk.com
Chris “Seabuddy” Brown
how incredible it was back in the 50s for pleasure boaters to travel at these speeds. The Consul hull was designed for high speed and high performance. Her vee-bottom has built-into-the-hull, anti-trip chines that are excellent for cornering or changing direction in a wave. Plus, she has trim tabs that have been added for more control. White oak framing on a boat has been a popular construction method then and still is today. This
oak is durable, stiff, strong and hard, holds fastenings very well, and is rot resistant. The Consul model offered white oak framing with Makore African Mahogany hull sides and either fiveor seven-ply African Mahogany boat bottoms. This Consul runabout was the hit of the 1959 London Boat Show. She held onlookers breathless and in awe as the fastest boat at this event. Here’s how Ancarrow Marine described it: “Yes, speed’s her forte. Speed, and the build to take it... smoothly, easily, with no bounce or back-talk. Those pure, flowing lines seem to ##19’ Consul runabout put her in motion... even at rest.” Wealthy, worldly boat buyers surged to obtain one of these boats from the small company in Richmond, VA, that built them. Newton Ancarrow was the founder and genius behind the company and the boats that bear his last name. He was a chemical scientist who graduated from the University of Richmond. After college he applied his chemical science expertise, working initially at American Tobacco. Later he took a
