1939 Ventnor Brochure

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The Ventnor Boat Works, Inc., were established by Mr. Adolph E. Apel in 1902 at Ventnor. Atlantic City. N. J. About this time gasoline motors were being built for .marine use and motor boat racing was in its infancy. Mr. Apel, realizing that radical changes in hull design would be necessary and advantageous in attaining better boat speeds in ratio to the horsepower developed by these motors, proceeded on this theory to devote his designing faculties and efforts to inventing bottom designs that would give outstanding performance. As the years went on, motor development was amazing, and by 1911 and 1912 there was sufficient power available in gasoline motors to propel boats at greater speeds. Mr. Apel, due to his research and experimental work in hull designing and building, kept apace with motor development and became successful in making phenomenal records with such boats as the Sand Burr, A.F.B., Crusader. and many others. By 1913 he had invented a design that proved superior to his previous models from which he built the famous Tech, Jr. for the late T. Coleman DuPont, powered with a 225 h.p. motor and attaining a speed of 60.3 M.P.H., which was a phenomenon in those days. This was the first boat in the world to make a speed of over one mile a minute, plus. Mr. Apel has had a continued interest in the designing of race boats as a hobby and has uninterruptedly devoted his time and experience to the development of fast boats and he has perfected models that have achieved outstanding success. As a result of this, Ventnor boats have been consistent winners and have made many new records since the pioneer days up to the present time.

In 1931 a new class was created by the American Power Boat Association known as the 135 cubic inch class. The first boat to establish a competitive record that year was the Ventnor-built Flying Eagle with a speed of 35.7 M.P.H. This same boat made a mile trial record of very close to 40 M.P.H. Since 1931 both the competitive and mile trial records have been boosted, always by well-known Ventnor hulls such as Emancipators II and III. Baby Pep, and Emancipator VI. The present records with the same motors have been stepped up to the amazing competitive speed of 51.458 M.P.H. and mile trial speed of 60.404 M.P.H.

The 225 cubic inch class was introduced in the season of 1934. Mr. S. Mortimer Auerbach, by lengthening the stern of his Emancipator II so that as a 135 it would be eligible to race in this higher class, established a new five-mile competitive record of 44.138 M.P.H. In 1935 Ventnor hulls continued to prove their superiority in design by winning the various divisional and national championships for the 91, 135, and 225 cubic inch classes. A new competitive mark in the 225 class was set with 56.4 M.P.H. at Red Bank. N. J., and a World's Record was established at Toronto by the Emancipator IV with 63.7 M.P.H. This record was increased to 64.75 M.P.H. by the same boat at Miami, Florida, in March, 1936.

The season of 1936 proved to be a very successful one for Ventnor boats in that all of the new records established in the above mentioned classes were made by Ventnor boats exclusively. The La Cucaracha made a new competitive record for the 225 cubic inch class of 57.877 M.P.H. at Red Bank, N. J., and the Miss Manteo, another one of our outstanding 225 class hydroplanes, made a new world's mile record of 69.215 at the President's Cup Regatta at Washington, D. C. 1937 proved to be another banner year for Ventnor boats. In the several runabout divisions both competitive and mile trial records were established by Ventnors. The Miss Quebec, built by our Canadian associates. Minett-Shields Ltd., won the World's Championship in the 225 cubic inch class. In March of 1937 at Miami. Florida, the Emancipator VI established new competitive and mile trial records in the 135 class, and Jack Cooper with his famous Tops II raised the world's mile record for the 225 class to over 73 M.P.H. At this same Miami regatta the renowned John Wanamaker Trophy was won by Mr. John Rutherfurd with his little 17 ft. Ventnor-built runabout against very keen competition consisting of some very high-powered runabouts. In fact, the official motorboat records show that all new inboard records were established by VENTNOR designed and built boats with only one exception and in this particular case there was no Ventnor competition. Ventnor designed and built hulls have proven their supremacy in speed, consistency, and seaworthiness, shattering the existing records in the various popular classes.

Particularly so in 1938, the various championships of the 135 and 225 class being won exclusively by Ventnors. The 225 class record was boosted to 75.39 M.P.H. and the non-supercharged Gold Cup record was boosted to 89.77 M.P.H. Also, new competitive records were established in one of the outstanding international events of the year, the very famous Duke of York Race held last summer at Torquay, England. There were many entries in this race from several countries, including two Ventnor 225 class hydroplanes from the United States and two Ventnor 225 class hydroplanes representing Canada, and all four boats showed their superiority in speed by winning the first four places, the winner being the Emancipator VII, owned and driven by Mr. S. Mortimer Auerbach. Juno, the Gold Cup boat originally designed and built for the Chinese Government, which was purchased and driven by Mr. John Rutherfurd, boosted the non-supercharged 732 cubic inch class record to over 90 M.P.H., and the My Sin, a new Gold Cup hull designed and built for Mr. Z. G. Simmons. Jr., and powered with a 620 cubic inch motor, showed in its unofficial mile trials a record of over 100 M.P.H. Ventnor boats are popular and successful in many parts of the world, having won in prominent regattas in Europe, South America and Canada.

The above accomplishments are the result of over thirty-six years' research work in the designing and building of special racing craft by Mr. Adolph E. Apel. As a veteran in the speedboat field he is devoting all of his time, experience and efforts to the development of faster hulls, and he has perfected models for 1939 that will be far more outstanding in speed, seaworthiness and performance than anything Ventnor has ever built in the past. Each Ventnor racing hull receives Mr. Apel's personal attention from start to finish during the period of construction, assuring the purchaser of a distinctive craft that will be outstanding in performance, showing individualism instead of standardization.

(1939 Ventnor brochure)