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World
Unlimited Electric Water Speed Record Smashed
On
November 1st 2005, 24 year old Helen Loney piloted ‘An
Stradag’, Henry Engelens 15ft electrically powered
hydroplane to a new World Unlimited Electric Water Speed
Record average of 68.09mph.
The
previous UIM record of 50mph had been set some 16 years
before by the same boat, then piloted by 75 year old
Fiona, Countess of Arran. The new record was set in
sunny calm
conditions on Coniston Water, in the English lake
district, at the very place where Donald Campbell had
crashed in Bluebird
K7.
Helen
Loney - Pilot
The
4 revolutionary electric motors, powered by 12 Chloride
Motive Power batteries, were designed by Cedric Lynch
and built by Agni Motors of Gujurat, India.
Helen
was accompanied by her cuddly duck mascot ‘George’
as she flew down the lake at 70.610mph on her first run
and 65.561mph on the return, giving an average speed,
and new record, of 68.09mph.
When
she got back ashore Helen said “I felt like I was
flying, the sensation was incredible. But I think we can
go faster still, it depends on the team working out why
my return run was slower.”
The
team plan to run several more times this week, if the
conditions are suitable, in an attempt to further
increase the record to over 70mph. For
further details of the An Stadag record setting team
visit their web site “www.electricrecordteam.com”
An
Stradag in her bright new livery
Full
speed ahead for British team’s World Electric
Waterspeed Record attempt
When
Henry Engelen purchased “An Stradag”, the boat
piloted by Fiona Countess of Arran, which set the first
World Electric Waterspeed Record, he certainly didn’t
expect that many of the original team involved in 1989
would still be around and moreover, would be prepared to
challenge once again for a new world record over 70mph.
Alongside
the boats original designer Lorne Campbell and electric
motor specialist Cedric Lynch of Agnimotors the project
will again be technically co-ordinated by the Thames
Electric Launch Company (TELCO). Additional sponsors
include Chloride Motive Power Batteries, Curtis
Instruments and Albright International who will be
supplying power, controls and technical know how.
Henry
Engelen (owner) Helen Loney and designer Lourne Campbell
While
Henry plans to take the helm during development trials
in early October, with weight being a critical factor in
the attempt, he has recruited 24 year old Helen Loney of
Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club. Helen, who has been
club champion over the last two years is the current
holder of the Donald Campbell Salver, so she should not
only have the experience required but also the pedigree,
as both her father and grandfather were championship
winning powerboat drivers in their time.
Over
the last few months the boat has been totally refitted
at Henwood and Dean’s boatyard in Henley, with the
installation of brand new motors, which, when coupled to
much improved batteries will provide over double the hp
of the original 1989 motors. Alongside these advances
will be improved controls, aerodynamics and propellers.
The
attempt itself will take place during the annual October
Speed Record Week, held for the first time this year on
Coniston Water in the English Lake District, the venue
of many world records for Donald Campbell’s Bluebird
K7, due to the introduction of a 10mph speed limit on
Windermere.
For
further details of the An Stardag record attempt visit
the teams web site at :-
“www.electricrecordteam.com” October 2005
TECHNICAL
Hull
Designed by Lorne Campbell An Stradag is a purpose built
15ft x 8ft hydroplane weighing just 210 lbs.Built
originally by Nick Barlow of Wilment’s shipyard,
Southampton she is constructed of cedar and Sitco spruce
stringers, gaboon marine plywood and epoxy resins which
makes her not only extremely strong but very light.
An
Stradag in original livery
Motors
Supplied by Cedric Lynch of Agri Motors they are
designed with a disc armature. They bring together the
advantage of a conventional wound armature formed into a
self-cooling flat unit which is highly powerful
versatile and lightweight. The disk armature has magnets
either side doubling the flux density which shortens the
magnetic path.
The technology is mostly un-heard of, but with a power
to weight ratio and power to volume higher than most
other motors it is extremely efficient. This time the
motors for the attempt have a dramatic increase in power
from the originals used in the 1989 An Stradag, which
with a similar total weight, well provide a
significantly more efficient motor unit for the new
attempt.
Batteries
Chloride Motive Power are the UK's largest supplier of
batteries for traction and motive power use. Part of the
giant multinational Exide Technologies Group, they drive
fork-lift trucks, airport tow-tractors, milk-floats,
boats - in fact anything that needs silent, safe,
non-polluting power. They offer a comprehensive range of
sales and service options, dealing in every variation of
lead-acid technology; traction, flooded cells, gel
cells, and AGM. The AGM, Absorbed Glass Mat, cells used
in An Stradag employ the latest spiral-wound technology,
with the acid held in an absorbent mat. The cells are
completely sealed, and will not leak if they are turned
over. The AGM technology gives maximum current,
deep-cycling capability, minimal gassing, and long
service life. They can be supplied for traction motive
power use or engine-start applications. The twelve 12V
cells in An Stradag will give a maximum 1000 amps for
one minute, enough time to complete the flying kilometre
at over 72mph on water- or 300mph in the UK world
electric car Challenger!
An
Stradag's propellors
Electronic
Controllers
Curtis UK have supplied the electronic controllers that
deliver the battery power to the motors. Part of the
multinational Curtis Group, their products are used
invirtually every application of electric motive power,
from cars to boats and fork-lift trucks. The controllers
use solid-state technology to convert the voltage of the
batteries to high-frequency current that allows
infinitely variable control of the motors, with minimum
power loss, and every possible safety feature. One
controller supplies each motor with a maximum 148V, and
up to 350 amps.
Battery
Master Switches
Albright have supplied the battery master switches to
the project, just one of their wide range of contactors
and switches up to 1800 amps used throughout the dc
electric power market.
REKINDLING
THE SPARK: Museum exhibit returns to record-breaking.
An
Stradag, the inboard electric hydroplane with which
Fiona Countess of Arran created a World Electric Water
Speed Record of 50.825 mph back in 1989, is to run
again. Since 1990, An Stradag has been on show, first at
the Motorboat Museum in Basildon, then at the Lakeland
Motor Museum in Cumbria. During this time, an American
electric hydroplane has lifted the WESR to 70.6 mph.
A Lakeland businessman, Henry Engelen, has now acquired
the boat, not as a museum piece, but to make it speed
again. While it will keep the name An Stradag (Gaelic
for “The Spark”) originally given it by Lady Arran,
new and more powerful engines and more efficient
controllers will be installed. Cedric Lynch, designer of
the original engines and now working with Agnimotors,
considers that from the lessons learned during the past
sixteen years, his permanent magnet, radial armature
engines can each attain 10 hp more than their
predecessors. Agnimotors, currently setting up a factory
in India to manufacture Lynch units, have agreed to
sponsor this update. With a total of 120 hp, An Stradag
should be able to bring the record back from the USA by
a good margin.
Additional sponsors include CMP Batteries Ltd, part of
Exide Technologies, who will be providing high-energy
quick discharge jet aircraft starter batteries and the
technology to re-charge or replace them after the first
of the two obligatory kilometre runs. The 12 battery
pack will discharge completely in 2 minutes during the
run. While co-ordination of the project is being carried
out by the Thames Electric Launch Company (TELCO), new
drawings have been made by the boat’s original
architect, Lorne Campbell, to refine both on-deck
erodynamics and propeller efficiency.
An
Stradag and famous signatures
During the summer, the re-fitting of the boat has been
taking place at the Henwood and Dean boatyard at
Henley-on-Thames. Propeller and engine trials will take
place on Chasewater Lake in Staffordshire. Challanging
for Lady Arran’s record is 24-year-old Helen Loney of
the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club, who has gained
many race victories at the helm of her Yamaha-engined
powerboat in the North of England while her husband, her
father and even her grandfather have raced powerboats on
Lake Windermere over the years.
At the time of its original record, An Stradag became
“the talk of the town” and was a special attraction
at the 1990 Earls Court Boat Show. Its appearance
on Dutch television sparked off a Dutch Electric Boat
Association responsible for the 5,000 electric boats
cruising the Netherlands today.
An
Stradag hydroplane hull
Recently,
the Lake District National Park officially decided to
allow the October Speed Record Week, now banned from
Lake Windermere, to take place on Coniston Water. This
will therefore be the venue where this silent and
non-polluting racer will make its attempt. There is
already a fleet of electric hire dayboats, and two
solar-powered passenger launches on Coniston, so An
Stradag will be among its own.
CONTACTS:
Electric
Record Team
Co. Lonestar Advertising Ltd
Cregg House,
Greg Street,
Reddish,Stockport,
Cheshire, SK5 7 BX
United Kingdom
Tel: 0161 476 6187
Fax: 0161 476 0868
email: info@lonestarad.com
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