Guess who is at the helm of this turbine powered beast? Yup, it's Jim ! Jim has a very interesting history with Chris Craft, having developed the outdrive, the deep V hull, holding the patent on the lifting strake, and generally being one of the alltime boating racing enthusiasts. He designed the hulls for the Lancer, XK-19, Commander SS, Commander 23, XK-22 just to name a few accomplishments at Chris Craft. Here he is winning the world record in a turbine powered boat! Sheesh, the guy got around!
Jim Wynne passed away in 1990, but his impact on the boating world lives on.
NMMA Awards Gallery
1989 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
James R. Wynne, 1929-1990 - A Closer Look
One of those fortunate people whose work and passion seem perfectly matched, Jim Wynne began racing powerboats as a hobby during his school years. He made the union between hobby and career official when he obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, a Master’s from MIT and took his first job as chief test engineer for Kiekhaefer Corp. Jim supervised testing of Mercury outboard motors in Wisconsin and Florida until 1958, when he crewed on the first transatlantic crossing by an outboard-powered boat, traveling from Copenhagen to New York in a 22-foot boat.
The Atlantic crossing was one of many firsts in Wynne’s career. He designed the first turbine-powered Thunderbird, the first production boat for Don Aronow, the first Formula, the first Magnum, and in 1968, the first commercially success sterndrive propulsion system. Working in his parent’s garage with old outboard parts, he constructed and patented a working model of the sterndrive unit and put it into production with Volvo Penta.
Applying an engineering perspective to the sport of powerboat racing, Jim surfaced as a prominent figure in offshore racing. Jim holds several world powerboat records, and won the World Offshore Championship in 1964 and 1966 in boats of his own design. In 1966, his 24-foot Ghost Rider withstood the pounding seas better than its engineer, who suffered two broken legs during the race.
His raceboat experience and engineering background eventually led him to consulting work. In 1965 he established Wynne Marine, Inc., a firm specializing in the design of powerboats, yachts and commercial vessels. Designing models for more than thirty manufacturers, including Carver, Chris-Craft, Cobalt, Cruisers, Inc., Donzi, Grady-White, Hatteras, Larson, Stamas and Trojan, Wynne Marine has been acclaimed as one of the most influential independent design houses in the boating world.
Jim Wynne, inventor of Volvo Penta’s aquamatic drive, is the most influential person in the motor boat industry, according to a ranking in the highly regarded British boat magazine Motor Boat & Yachting.
Thanks to a series of revolutionary technical solutions, Volvo Penta has a world-renowned reputation as one of the most innovative companies in the marine industry.
These innovations include the aquamatic drive, which was launched in 1959, and the counter-rotating duo-prop drive from the 1980s.
Volvo Penta’s position is confirmed by the British Motor Boat & Yachting magazine, which in its May issue has ranked the most influential people in motor boating in the 20th Century.
The list is topped by Jim Wynne, the man behind Volvo Penta’s aquamatic drive.
According to the magazine, the “Aquamatic drive is the 20th Century’s single most important development in small-craft technology, which made the mass production of cheap, fast, inboard sportsboats possible."
The Motor Boat & Yachting list also includes Harald Wiklund, the man normally referred to as the founder of the modern Volvo Penta. Harald Wiklund is ranked 16th on the list.
The magazine stated the fact that Harald Wiklund was the first president for what it describes as “the world's pre-eminent leisure marine diesel manufacturer," is justification for qualifying for the list. However, the magazine also highlights in this context the decisive efforts made by Harald Wiklund so that the venture with the aquamatic drive would be realized.
The story seems to come full circle now. Thompson Boat Company of New York was a leader in outdrive technology in the early 1960s. Jim Wynne was involved with this technology, and he was soon hired by Chris Craft (immediately after Chris Craft was acquired by NAFI, National Automotive Fibers, Inc., in 1962) to design a fast hull for the new and upcoming Lancer, XK boats, and two Commander models (the 19' SS and the 23' Commander). When CC got Thommpson, they hired Jim Wynne, and they got all of their outdrive technology and deep-v racing technology in one real nice package. These early boats are directly from a very tried and true racing program.
Regards, Paul