On 07/10/2011 03:09 PM, Ed Huntress wrote:
You might want to look up some things about the rum runners that were built
during Prohibition. A famous one was built around 15 miles from where I now
live. Her name was "Fleur de Lis." 52' long (IIRC), she was clocked at 55
mph with a full load of illicit booze aboard. She had three Liberty aircraft
engines, the predecessor of the Allison that powered the early P-51s. The
Coast Guard chase boat that was built to go after her had two Liberties.
That's why Fleur de Lis had three -- an advantage of the flexibility of free
enterprise over government bureaucracy.


There was a book called Rumrunner (ISBN 0-920501-94-X) that is full of
stories from a guy that was a rumrunner up around Puget sound and a
little south. It was written by the guy's niece (Marion Parker), based
on verbal stories. If nothing else it is an entertaining read.

There were a number of stories about outrageously powered boats.

BobH