Water Craft magazine organised two tournaments at the annual Beale Park Boat and Outdoor Show earlier this month, for boats powered solely by cordless workshop power tools.
The event was sponsored by power tool and accessory manufacturer Makita UK, which has a range of over 500 products and accessories. The company offered victors the reward of a two-piece kit of
Makita 18V cordless combi drill and jig saw, with battery and fast charger. The reward was presented by Kevin Brannigan, marketing manager of Makita UK.
The Cordless Tender Challenge asked contestants to race the 350m of the lake in boats under 10 feet in length, pick up a passenger and ferry them safely back to the start. The race was won by Simon Smith in Pagan – a lightweight homemade pram dinghy, powered by two Makita DHR243 18V Brushless rotary hammer drills.
The Cordless Canoe Challenge was run as a series of 600m races for boats up to 16 feet in length, around a sausage-shaped course to test manoeuvrability, speed and endurance. The winner was Adam Brown in Brown’s Torpedo, a lightweight purpose-made canoe with black hull and yellow oilskin decks, again powered by two Makita DHP4546 18V combi drills.
