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What is a Powerboat?
There are only three basic ways to propel a boat through water. The first method uses oars or paddles operated by human power. This is sometimes humorously referred to as the Armstrong Propulsion System.
The second method, sailing, uses the wind to drive the boat. In the tongue-in-cheek rivalry that exists in the boating world, sailing is called Rag Bagging by power boaters.
The third method of boat propulsion uses generated power. A powerboat employs some form of mechanical device to develop horsepower, using steam, electricity, gasoline or Diesel fuel. Power is then transferred to the water so that the boat is propelled either forward (ahead) or backward (astern). Powerboating is often called Stink Boating by sailors.
On August 17, 1807, Robert Fulton's invention, the Clermont, became the first working commercial steamboat (powerboat) in the world. For the next 100 years, a steam engine was the only available way to mechanically drive a boat.
When the relatively light-weight, simple and small internal combustion engines were developed, someone quickly figured out that they would be great for moving a boat through the water. This concept was developed and promoted by such famous powerboaters as Charles F. Chapman, Chris Smith and John Hacker. Chapman was the chairman of American Power Boat Association (APBA) for 25 years, and also authored Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, which is often called the boater's bible. Smith was the founder of Chris-Craft, while Hacker designed and made Hacker Crafts.
Today there are millions of power boats chugging or zooming all over the oceans, lakes, and rivers of the world.
Whether you are the operator of a 6 foot pram with a 1HP electric motor or the captain of a 20,000 HP mega-yacht, you are powerboating! Welcome aboard! If you''''re fortunate enough to be boating, keep in mind the feeling among many powerboaters is that the hours we spend messing around in our boats are not subtracted from our time on earth! WORLD ARTICLES
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