July 21, 1974, Kennewick, Wash., (AP) — Dave Heerensperger, owner of the Pay 'n Pak unlimited hydroplane, has seen $3,000 worth of his propellers sink to the bottom of the Columbia River this week.
But, with Heerensperger and the rest of the Pak's racing team here for today's World Championship Regatta, it isn't the money but the principle of the thing that bothers them.
The Pay 'n Pak, like most other unlimited hydros on the circuit, use props — also called "wheels" that are hand-forged in Italy and cost about $1,500 each. The Pak lost two in the first two days of qualifying for today's regatta.
"We're not breaking them," Heerensperger said. "They're just coming off."
Pay "N Pak driver George Henley said, "we've had no problem all season until this week."
The problem, Heerensperger and crew chief Jim Lucero decided, must be in the propeller shaft rather than the prop itself. So, they decided late Friday to switch to a different kind of shaft — a kind Heerensperger feels is potentially weaker and more likely to lead to a break in the prop were it connects with the shaft.
But, "we can't take the chance it will happen again," Heerensperger said as he discussed the disappearing propellers.
