It was Frederick William Lanchester who, in the 19th century, combined the screw propellor (invented in the 18th century) with the petrol engine and the first British powerboat was born. It was first tested in Oxford, England.
After resigning from his job in 1893 as a works manager to concentrate on his research, Lanch ester created a new engine which ran on b enzene at 800 r.p.m. This was made possible by the invention of the carburettor which allowed the correct mixing of fuel and air. In 1904, Lanchester built the first motorboat in the garden of his Warwickshire home. A flat bottomed launch was driven by the installed petrol engine via a stern paddle wheel. It was launched at Salter's Slipway in Oxford.
The invention of the carburettor was patented by Lanchester in 1905 as the 'wick' carburettor as the fuel was vapourized after being drawn in by a series of wicks.
If you would lik e more detailed information on F.W. Lanchester, there are still a few copies of The Life Of An Engineer by P.W. Kingsford available at amazon.co.uk.