FURY was on display at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival at Hobart in 2007

Images(4)

Stern view of FURY showing the typical tumblehome in the topsides

Fury

Vessel numberHV000156

Vessel Registration NumberT 24

Builder Lewis Bros.

Designer Lewis Bros.

Vessel type Clinker Speedboats

Date1963

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 5.18 m x 1.75 m (17 ft x 5.75 ft)

DescriptionFURY was built for Mark Jessup of Launceston in Tasmania in 1963 and had great success on the racing circuit with the owner as driver. In its first season, 1963 to 1964, FURY broke the lap and racing records at all the major racing venues in Tasmania. It won the State Unlimited Championship as well, the first of many state titles, and in November 1965 it set a State Unlimited Displacement speed record of 70.2 mph. FURY was a consistent winner at the Devonport Apex Regatta's 'Cock of the Mersey" speedboat race, in 1965 then 1968 to 1970. This is still considered the unofficial championship of Tasmania.

FURY changed hands in Launceston in the mid 1970s, and the new owner then took FURY with him when he moved to Melbourne. FURY remained in Victoria passing through a number of owners over almost three decades before the present owner bought it and took it back to Northern Tasmania.

The speedboat remains in excellent condition and is used for private recreation. Previously it had been a race boat and ski boat, typical uses for these craft. Lewis Bros at Taren Point were one of the major builders of these craft and they had great success around Australia as race and ski boats. The shape and construction are generally typical of the Lewis Bros boats. It has twin cockpits with a mid-mount engine, and the Pacific maple hull planking is strengthened with coachwood plywood to stop it splitting during high speed racing.

The original engine was 327 cu in Chevrolet Corvette V8 with six Stromberg 97 carburetors and an Edelbrock X1 intake manifold, giving about 400hp output. FURY now has a 350 cu in Chevrolet V8 with six Ford 94 carburetors and an Edelbrock X1 intake manifold, giving about 350 hp.
SignificanceFURYis a racing speedboat that was built in NSW in the early 1960s. It is an example of the clinker racing speedboats built by the well known Lewis Bros. in NSW. It has a strong association with powerboat racing in Tasmania in the 1950s.

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