Lee Taylor & Hustler

Lee Taylor's New Boat [1968]

With 13,000 pounds of thrust in a 6000 pound hull, a new over-water record becomes an almost foregone conclusion. Lee Taylor could set a new record straight up with this kind of power. Lee calls this new boat a guided water missile; let's hope he's right. Ultra-sophisticated radio and instrumentation will completely telemeter and record every run. At present Lee is shopping for a sponsor..

bullet Big Wind on the Water [1964
bullet Hustler's Accident [1964]
bullet Lee Taylor Hurt in Record Run [1964]
bullet After the Accident
bullet New Assault on Speed [1966]
bullet Lee Taylor Record Run [1967]
bullet Lee Taylor's New Boat [1968]
bullet Rocket boat : Search Continues for Driver [1980]
bullet The Growl of Thunder [1989]
bullet The Fastest Boat
bullet Lee Taylor Hustler/Discovery II Photo Gallery
See also:
bullet U.S. Readies Jet Boat Assaults This Year On Water Speed Record [1965]

Not satisfied with his 285.213 mph World Water Speed Record, Lee Taylor of Downey, California, is presently shopping for a sponsor to build a new boat, one with a bigger Pratt and Whitney jet engine, in an effort to push the record even higher.

Incorporating the knowledge gained in the construction and operation of Hustler I, Lee's new design seems to present more of a problem in flying over water than in achieving a higher speed. With a weight of 6000 pounds and a thrust of 13,000 pounds, this could prove to be the major obstacle.

Lee calls this boat a guided water missile, and we tend to agree with him. His original sponsor, Harvey Aluminum, is supplying the aluminum and titanium for the semi-monocoque hull and superstructure. This project represents a compound study in aero-hydrodynamics and has been brought up to the present state of design with the help of the NASA people at one of the space missile centers. Needless to say, it makes wide use of current aerospace technology, with its ultra-sophisticated radio and instrumentation installations. The Motorola Corporation has donated in the neighborhood of $7000 worth of electronic gear to fully telemeter every run.

Hull dimensions are 40 feet long, with a beam of 8½ feet. This is 12 feet longer than the original Hustler, designed by Rich Hallett. The original three-way control system will be retained by using an air rudder and a water rudder, in conjunction with thrust deflectors in the jet stream. After his catastrophic experience of running up on the beach with the first boat, Lee has installed hydraulically controlled dive brake panels, in addition to the Deist chutes in his hull. Another fail-safe feature is an autopilot that will take over in case of driver malfunction.

(Reprinted from Eric Rickman's "Rooster Tales" column in Hot Rod Magazine, October 1968, pp.130-131)


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