How Did Campbell’s Bluebird Compare With Modern Speedboats?

If you have a modern boat, you will be able to enjoy a combination of strength and low weight that makers of past boats could only dream of. This is true for both sailing boats and fast boats, where lightweight, robust carbon fibre is the ideal material.

Also used in Formula 1 cars, carbon fibre is therefore a dream material, much better for speed than metal.

It also means that if there is any damage, the carbon fibre repair work undertaken by specialists like us will be very different from the metallurgical tasks of the past.

A prime example of this would be a famous boat like Bluebird, the hydroplane used by Donald Campbell for his ill-fated attempt at the world water speed record on Coniston Water in 1967, which cost him his life as the boat crashed and sank.

Bluebird was raised from the lake bed in 2001 and restored, its aluminium frame fixed and new parts added. It will be driven at high speed down the lake again this May by Australian David Warby, son of the current holder of the world water speed record, Ken Warby MBE.

Why Is Carbon Fibre Better Than Aluminium For Boats?

Poignant and spectacular though this sight may be, the materials technology has advanced a very long way since the 1960s, so there will be no chance of a world record passing from father to son.

The superior qualities of carbon fibre compared to aluminium are stark:

·       It is 40-50 per cent lighter

·       It has far greater tensile strength and rigidity

·       It cannot corrode, making it ideal for the water

The sole advantage aluminium has is being simpler to fabricate, which makes it cheaper and more practical for those working in lower-tech situations.

However, for a high-quality boat, there is no doubt that carbon fibre is better. If he were here today, Donald Campbell would undoubtedly love speeding down the lake in a craft made from it.