In the early 20th century, public interest in fast motorboats was growing rapidly, and builders were starting to push the limits on performance capabilities as engine technology progressed. The first motorboat race took place in 1903, and the sport became increasingly popular over the following decades. Of the competitors in the sport, perhaps none were as influential as American entrepreneur Garfield “Gar” Wood (pictured below), whose goal was to be recognized as the world’s speedboat king.

The first man to travel over 100 mph on water, Wood held the world water speed record several times during his racing career. Following his early success in racing, his company, Garwood Industries, started building boats under the Gar Wood brand in 1921, and Wood often engaged in public stunts to show off their capabilities.

In the photo at the top of the page from May 1925, Wood is pictured aboard Baby Gar IV, a 33-foot runabout with a 7-foot, 6-inch beam powered by a Liberty V-12 aircraft engine. With him are Motor Boating editor Charles F. Chapman, mechanic Orlin Johnson and R. R. Batson. Wood has just beaten the time of the Twentieth Century Limited, then the fastest train in the U.S., during a 138-mile race from Albany to New York City.

Wood was actually the second person to “race” the train on water, although the race was more a run against time, since the train was not allowed to exceed her scheduled pace. The first attempt took place six days prior, when R. F. Hoyt ran the course aboard Teaser, a 40-foot Sweep Stakes Runabout designed by George Crouch. Powered by a 600-hp Wright-Typhoon engine, Teaser made the run up the Hudson to the Albany Yacht Club in 2 hours and 40 minutes, beating the train’s time of 3 hours, 13 minutes.

The next day, Wood reportedly offered to bet Hoyt $25,000 “or any other sporty amount” that he could defeat Teaser over the same course. Hoyt refused the bet. Still, Wood arrived in Albany a few days later with Baby Gar IV and Baby Gar V, the latter to be captained by his brother George Wood, for this highly publicized race that drew thousands of spectators.

As the two boats sped onto the course, followed by multiple airplanes broadcasting the event throughout the country, Baby Gar V appeared to be running better and pulled ahead by the time they reached Hudson, New York. Wood signaled to his brother to slow down, and they swapped crews so he could be on the leading boat. As they neared Poughkeepsie, Baby Gar V broke a valve tappet spring and began to miss on one cylinder. They swapped crews again, and Baby Gar V withdrew from the race.

Despite the two crew changes, Baby Gar IV completed the run in 2 hours and 58 minutes, averaging 46.5 mph and beating the train’s time. Although Wood did not beat Teaser’s time, he left a lasting impression on the public about the impressive developments that had been made in the speed and reliability of motorboats. Today, Gar Wood boats are among the most sought-after classic craft in the world, and the Baby Gar remains his most famous model. 

February 2025