Bill Hamilton (engineer)
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Sir Charles William Feilden Hamilton OBE |
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|---|---|
| Born |
26 July 1899 Ashwick Station, Fairlie, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Died | 30 March 1978 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Education |
Waihi Preparatory School, Canterbury Christ's College, Christchurch |
| Parent(s) | William Feilden Hamilton Cora Blakeney (née Cannon) |
Sir Charles William "Bill" Feilden Hamilton OBE (26 July 1899 – 30 March 1978) was a New Zealander who developed the modern jetboat, and founder of what is now the world's leading water jet manufacturing company - CWF Hamilton Ltd.
Hamilton never claimed to have invented the jet boat. He once said "I do not claim to have invented marine jet propulsion. The honour belongs to a gentleman named Archimedes, who lived some years ago." What he did was refine the design enough to produce the first useful modern jet boat.
Hamilton was born at Ashwick Station near Fairlie, New Zealand.
He survived an aeroplane accident returning to Rongotai Airport (Wellington) in poor conditions on 19 February 1936. The collision with the anemometer took the starboard wing off the Miles Falcon Six he was travelling in, and killed pilot Malcolm "Mac" McGregor.
At the age of 21 he bought the 'Irishman Creek' sheep station in South Canterbury. After a trip to England became fascinated with motor cars and raced a Bentley. He decided to develop his own heavy machinery. He built a workshop, developed an excavator with an earth scoop and built a dam to supply water for a hydro electric plant to supply power for domestic use and for his engineering projects, and started a manufacturing business.
In 1947 tourism pioneer Harry Wigley of Mt Cook airline fame commissioned him to design and build the first tow for the Coronet Peak Ski Field near Queenstown - New Zealand's first commercial skifield. In 1949 he completed a similar tow at Mount Ruapehu. Within a few years he had perfected the Hamilton Model B design that is still in use for nutcracker ski tows in New Zealand and Australia.
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