2021 NAMBA Nats Race Program

Many boaters assumed that Tom bad named his hydroplane design. the White Heat, after the James Cagney movie of the same name. But it was actually a jazz record that Tom first heard in 1936 that inspired the boars name. Tom describes the record as lots of just noise. While Octura could supply the modeler with a set of plans. hardware. and an O&R engine, there was a problem finding model propellers. The response to the Popular Mechanics article was so good, that Tom had to find a propeller supply. In 1962, Tom designed a propeller line. He made the original master propellers and sent them to Germany. where a company molded plastic copies. Both Octura and Graupner sold the plastic propellers molded from Tom's designs The White Heat 5 reached speeds of28 miles per hour. Later White Heat designs were faster. In 1965, the White Heat 14. a three point hydro, which was never available in a kit. turned speeds of 39 miles per hour, using the O&R engine and a surfacing propeller. Most model boat racers were using glow engines. Airplane engines converted to model boat applications were popular. Tom reduced the size of his White Heat models from 42 inches long to 36 inches long. And powered these smaller boats with a Rossi 60 engine. In 1964. a White Heat 60 with Rossi power set the I MPBA oval record. Refining the White Heat design. Tom introduced the White Heat 4-60. This boat with a Rossi 60 set a record average two way pass at 59 miles per hour. Propellers continued to be a problem. The plastic props could not stand up to surfacing applications. Tom didn · t like the finished plastic props he was selling, but they were props and they were available. He worked on a design of competition propellers, and in 1968 Octura introduced the 2-Series propellers. Between the time that Tom designed the 2-Series and when they became available, he had designed another line of props, the 1400 Series. These props were only available in plastic castings. Tom wasn't satisfied with the quality of the props, and the fact that they could not stand up to surface applications. He decided to mold metal props. This required a new set of master originals and new molds. By 1971. Octura was not only making metal propellers, but a new design. the X-Series, had been developed. While Tom had designed a series of hydroplanes and many different model propellers. he always wanted to be one step ahead. In 1967. Tom attended a race in Buffalo. New York. A White Heat 4-60 made a 67 mile per hour pass. then went Reprinted in part from the 1996 Nationals Program. As an outboard motor mechanic and a model tether boat hobbyist, Tom Perzentka has a broad background in two cycle engines. model boats, and propellers. His experience as a draftsman for a model airplane company, and later in product design for other companies, added to Tom's background. In 1954. Tom and fellow tether boat racer. Chuck Watkins, purchased a dormant company which had offered castings and blueprints for model gas and steam engines. They operated this company as a mail-order supplier. On a part time basis. In late 1958, they contracted to design a 16cc, two cycle engine which would operate on propane. About the time that they provided the successful prototype. the O&R (Olsen & Rice) industrial compact engine was announced. This was a two stroke gasoline engine with a recoil starter. The introduction of the O&R canceled their project Tom Perzentka had worked on the 16cc propane fueled engine project on a full time basis. He continued to work at Octura full time. Chuck Watkins left Octura to take a technical position at an atomic research lab. Chuck left the company in 1960. He took some blueprints and molds as his share of the company. Tom took over Octura full time. He had attended a model boat regatta at Racine, Wisconsin in 1957. and saw the need for reliable boat hardware Using the O&R engine and his own hardware designs, Tom developed a model hydroplane for radio control. Tom wanted the boat to be large enough to not be considered a toy. yet still small enough to fit into a car· s trunk. The White Heat 5 hydroplane was the result. To improve the engine's performance, Tom designed and built a new rotary valve intake for the O&R engine. He also incorporated a special exhaust manifold and steering strut into the White Heat 5 hydroplane and in 1962. Popular Mechanics ran an article on the White Heat 5. Tom offered a package of plans, hardware. and the motor to the model boater. The modeler had to supply his own radio. Tom's first White Heat 5 used a 3-channel Marcytone radio. The driver could steer and operate the throttle. but not at the same time. Octura Models, Inc. Tom Perzentka and Octura have brought many innovations to the model boating scene. The White Heat 60 was the holder of numerous records over the years . 2021 NAMBA Nationals Page 30