Engine done for Miss Spokane replica

For retired airline pilot Murdo Cameron, flying is flying whether it’s in the air or on the water.

If he’s building parts for airplanes or hydroplanes, he’s using the same materials and technology.

The finest, he says.

The 62-year-old Coeur d’Alene man’s latest project is constructing a replica of the Miss Spokane hydroplane – a boat that was funded with community donations and first raced in the late 1950s.

While the boat is far from finished, its guts are done. Cameron restored a World War II-era Allison Engine for the project.

The engine will be on display this weekend at the Spokane Auto/Boat Speed Show. At 1,700 cubic inches, the engine is four times the size of a car engine, Cameron said.

It’s an engine used in boats and planes alike. The Wallace native has five of the engines in various stages of restoration.

While Cameron’s replica boat will look like its namesake, Cameron says the technology he’s using will make his boat even better.

Cameron’s boat will be built from carbon fiber.

“Fiberglass to me is a dirty word,” Cameron said.

The molds he’s using to build the Miss Spokane replica are made of carbon fiber epoxy because, Cameron says, “You cannot build a silk purse in a pig’s ear.”

He’s taking molds from the Hawaii Kai, a vintage hydroplane that’s eventually going to be restored by its owner. The molds he’s making cost 20 times what fiberglass molds would cost, he said.

Partners in Cameron’s project include students from the North Idaho College welding program, Forest Steel, Spectrum Powder Coating and Spundstrand Manufacturing.

He’s looking for additional partners and volunteers and plans to let everyone involved drive the boat. Or fly the boat.

He’s making T-shirts for his team that says “Flight Crew.”

Cameron’s Miss Spokane will go as fast as 200 mph – nearly as fast as the unlimited hydroplanes racing today.

“These are really flying vehicles,” Cameron said.