Liberty V-12 in action

[smellmyfartgas]

nothin like breathing exhaust gases in the morning! i like historic machines kinda gives perspective of then vs. now

[guitardudeify]

This boat used to be Greg Rogers boat My grandpas friend and owner of St. Marys cement back int he 60s. Used to be called the CLAIREE

[SFConifer]

Arsenal of Democracy plying the water

[american23t]

We can build a V12 for your boat. Check out You Tube videos at American23t

[aaronzack14]

10 people are mad because their conoe cant catch up

[SMGJohn]

Sounds like. A tanks from WWI

[justforever96]

Weren't these wooden racing boats really dangerous? That is what this is, right? I can't picture anyone but a gearhead enjoying flying around a lake with 10 million decibels and a bunch of oil and exhaust in his face, unless they were competing! ;)

Seriously, I remember reading about several men who died in these ultra-lightweight wooden speedboats, because if they hit a little wave just wrong they'd break up and/or flip. Maybe those were speed-record boats I'm thinking of?

[bigbad302]

is it a plane is it a bird? no its a boat lol awesome boat by the way!

[bermudaclassics]

badass!!!

[jonnykemp11285]

if this boat has 4050 hp, i would actually kill myself.

NO CHANCE! Since when could a small boat and a woodern one at that hold it... it couldnt

[subbass32]

this boat isnt that powerful, i think the liberty 12 was around 450hp. WWII PT boats however, WERE that powerful, but of course much bigger. this boat is 25-30 ft more or less. its been about 10 years since I took the video

[cobra96svt570]

@subbass32 The P-T boats came with twin packard v-12s correct?

This engine may only make 450hp, but it can run alll day like that, it was made to run long distances,at open-steady rpm. thats why they had low rpms, its similar to a diesel, the way it can run full tilt', making that 450hp steady all day long.

[pismo10]

450hp is not that much in a boat wooden or otherwise..It would be fine.

[justforever96]

@pismo10 450hp was a lot in ANYTHING back in 1920. If you're going to compare numbers between something that's from 90 years ago (but still cooler!), and some high-tech ultra-fast modern junk, obviously the modern machine will make the old one look weak. Trick is to look at this baby with the eyes of some guy standing on the dock in 1923...to HIM, this was a damn Formula One racing car! Hell, in 1925, school boys dreamed about flying P-1 Hawk fighters, which were "hot shit" with 435hp/155mph.

[aserta]

@jonnykemp11285 they said the same thing about the sprooce goose. wood is an amazing material IF done right.

[jaymanxxxx]

@jonnykemp11285 typo



[makebelieveballroom]

Boys, The Liberty aircraft engine was a radial, built by Packard. These marine engines were also built by Packard. They were used exclusively by one of the best "speedboat" builders and racers of the 20's. His name was Gar Wood. Packard also provided their V-12 marine engines In 1350 h.p. configuration, for the first PT boats in WW2. There were 3 in the engine room for a total of 4050 hp.

[subbass32]

No, the Liberty was an inline, or Vee type engine, not a radial. It was modular and designed to be made in 6, 8, and 12 cylinder versions. It was designed by Jesse Vincent of Packard, and E J Hall, or Hall-Scott. It was manufactured by a number of companies, including Packard. Gar Wood raced several boats that used 4 ( ! ) of these engines, with zoomie stacks like this one, and it sure must have sounded good!

[makebelieveballroom]

I stand corrected, subbass32, the L-12 was designed as an aircraft engine. I agree that Gar Wood's boat would have sounded terrific! Thanks for catching my "oops". Willie D.

[subbass32]

No worries! I think Gar Wood's Miss America X had 4 PT boat engines!!! Look for videos of the Lockpat on YouTube, that has a PT boat engine, I think.

[kolbpilot]

@subbass32 Yes, an inline indeed. Plus, these things were meant to be spun 2000 rpm or so.

[JtsGreene]

Liberty had inlines and V's. There were radials as well, of course, a radial would be interesting and tough to put in a boat...

[justforever96]

@JtsGreene What do you mean by "Liberty had inlines and Vee's"? Maybe you just phrased that awkwardly, but if you're thinking that "Liberty" is a company or something, that's wrong. "Liberty" was a name given to a specific engine pattern, like the Rolls Royce "Merlin". The "Liberty" was cooler though, because, like you said, it could be an I-6, a V-8, V-12, whatever (but NOT a radial). If it was made with those cylinders/valves/crank-pattern­, it was a "Liberty", regardless of configuration.

[subbass32]

Yes the Liberty was a 'design' as opposed to a company. I was trying to differentiate between an inline 6 and a V-8 or a V-12. Airplane engines are referred to as 'inline' ( vs radial ) whether they are in a true inline configuration or a Vee type. Auto and marine engines are generally referred to as 'either' an inline 'or' a vee. I dont think the Liberty design was produced in any numbers other than the V-12, or L-12 as it was known. 

[justforever96]

@subbass32 True. I guess the reason that "inline" has different emphasis is that there have been VERY few radial-powered cars! Although, interestingly there HAS been a couple, for racing. As for the Liberty, it was also known as the "L-6" and "L-8" in it's 6- and 8-cylinder configurations. The "12" just denotes the V-12 version, which was by far the most common version. Interestingly, the original prototype was a V-8. I like the "modular" design...it could be a V-12, V-8, I-6, or even I-4!

[justforever96]

@subbass32 BTW, it is interesting that the L-12 was 1,650 cubic inches displacement...exactly the same as the famous Rolls-Royce "Merlin" of WWII. In fact, one version of the L-12 converted to run as an "inverted-Vee" (i.e upside down) was given the designation "V-1650", which is what the American (Packard) built Merlin was called during WWII. By the 1940's, the inverted L-12 would have been called an "IV-1650", or just "I-1650".

[Brough1111]

for chasing boot legers no doubt, oh wait wrong side for running rum for Al Capone no doubt.

[anelkcityrodder]

I love the zoomie headers , I have a stepped set on my boat. And as you can tell the hearing protection is mandantory. These kind of boats say, "F'' eveyone but me hahahhahahaha.

[Ogsonofgroo]

A beautiful watercraft with guilded lungs :D

That old V12 is just putting along, no sense to wreck such a classic but I'm willing to bet the old girl has plenty of throttle left, just listen to a plane using Libertys at take off (there are vids out there).

Regardless, simply a fine boat!

[crazyhugs]

dude , its a vintage engine

[1boatracer]

Yeh right in regards to geobm818

[malangope]

Sounds like an airplane.

[subbass32]

It should, the Liberty was a World War One aircraft engine.

[McLarenMercedes]

and a very good one too, it found its way in most bombers and was later used in land speed record cars like the Sunbeam which Henry Segrave took to 203mph in 1927 and several water speed record boats...

[mageac]

its from the 20s...

[legonoitall]

that thing owned the other boat. I know it can  go faster though, Its a fricken V12 :)

[nofukenway]

sweeet!