WHISKY on the front lawn in Melbourne, before being acquired by the ANMM in the late 1980s.

Images(3)

Whisky

Vessel numberHV000099

(not assigned)HX 36

Owner Australian National Maritime Museum

Builder Colin Winton

Designer Colin Winton

Date1959

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 3.66 m x 1.37 m (12 ft x 4.5 ft)

DescriptionWHISKY raced with the Victorian Speed Boat Club (VSBC) from 1959 onwards. The plywood clinker hull was designed and built by VSBC driver and builder Colin Winton. The owner Colin Brown and his partner Roy Sampson installed the marinised BMC car engine. Like many speedboat enthusiasts, they were attracted to the sport through their keen interest in engines.

The 3.65m (12 ft) long craft was driven in the 95 cubic inch class, a popular size for club racing. It remained with members of the Brown family until gifted to the Australian National Maritime Museum in the late 1980s by Bill & June Faull, Lyn Flynn (nee Brown) and Helen McMahon (nee Brown). WHISKY is now part of the National Maritime Collection and was put on display when the museum opened in 1991. It is currently in storage until another opportunity becomes available to display the craft.
SignificanceWHISKY is a clinker racing powerboat built in 1959 in Victoria. It is an example of a typical club racing powerboat from the 1960s, a period when the sport was very popular and many amateurs designed and built craft for themselves and for other drivers.