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Hi All,

I am a scuba diver and wreck hunter here in New England.

A man recently told me about a boat that was supposed to have been powered by the Packard X24 engine-this wild X-like design with 24 cylinders-amazing.

Does anyone know anything about what I am calling the X24 boat(s)?

Part of the story is that they were prone to sinking because they would pop boards/planks on the hull. One that is supposed to be here in Lake Winnipesaukee sank more than once and was floated each time to run another day. I would guess too much torque on the hull, thus twist-and-pop.

I do have a wreck on side-scan-sonar that my buddy dove for me while my eardrum recovers from a puncture; He reported it has massive twin engines in it-I am thinking MAYBE it's this "X24" boat I am looking for.

Any help much appreciated.

Hans Hug/Exeter N.H.

Hans the diver, welcome to PackardInfo.com.

Packard powered almost everything imaginable, so far so true. But an X-shaped double engine? I believe that the story based on the "Miss America X", with 4 engines installed, everyone of them had 12 cylinders. They were synchronized, of course, but remained nevertheless as four separate engines.




The "X" in the name came from the Roman numerals, saying it is number 10. It was the most famous of the Miss America's and smashed the world record, becoming the first to do over 2 miles a minute: 124.915 mph.

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Although without side-scan-sonar, The Detroit News finally confirms the legend of the sunken experimental boat (see below), a former Miss America but again without X-engines.


video & pictures sources
pic #1 - swedishclassicboats.ning.com
video - bangshift.com
pic #2 - The Detroit News

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Yes! Now we are talking. Had heard some stories growing up but this is interesting. More info please. Are these merlin based motors? what year is this? Hot rod boats, cars. Make it faster is the name of the game. Why is modification taboo if Packard has a history in boat racing or did these engines just " fall off the truck" in the loading dock of a merlin plant into " the wrong hands".
1933? at1600 hp a piece? This is pre WW Merlin agreement? these are packard engines?

The Merlin aeroengine came from Rolls-Royce. What you see here is pure Packard.

Quote:

As may be imagined, no engine builder in the world has the power to develop a 12 cylinder, intended for a special race. Packard made it! To quote lesliefield.com:

"Gar Wood built the fastest hydroplanes from 1915 until World War II, and he couldn't have done it without Packard engines - indeed the resources of the entire Packard Motor Car Company. Unlike the Liberty which had to be converted to marine use, Packard developed special motor for boat racing. Wood's most famous craft, Miss America X, was powered by four 2,500 cubic-inch Packards. Supercharged, they turned over 2,600 R.P.M. and developed a whopping 7,400 H.P. Packard also built the "Sweepstakes 621" - the only engine ever designed expressly for Gold Cup boats. It was the most consistently successful engine in its class from 1922 thru 1936."

Here is more information about Gar Wood and Packard powerd boats
packardclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2627

Great. Thanks.
on the short video clip the statement was 6400 hp if I heard correctly

The different statements result from continuous development.


[source: Motorboating 03.1926, click to enlarge.]

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Miss America X is alive and well. I took these pix of her at the Packard Proving Grounds open house last month.

The engines are a direct development of the 1A-2500 aircraft engine Packard developed in the mid 20s. That model of engine was later developed into the 4M-2500 that powered PT boats during WWII

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Packard built (2) 1A-2775 24 cylinder "X" engines under contract to the Navy, for Schneider Cup racing aircraft. The aircraft never raced due to issues with the aircraft, unrelated to the engine. Various other X configuration engines were proposed or prototyped into the early 40s. Pic of the first 1A-2775 and patent drawing.

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Pics of the 4M-2500 on display at PPG. Almost a complete redesign of the engine that Gar Wood had used in Miss America X, but still retained some features, like the free standing cylinder barrels with welded on sheet metal water jackets, a feature shared with the Liberty engine of WWI.

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