Bel Air III Re-Build
Bel Air III Restoration
Bel Air III’s last race was in Easter 1970 at the New Brighton Clubs South Island Championship. With Peter Knight Snr at the wheel, Bel Air III lost a sponson and ripped out part of the side of the boat while turning around a buoy at high speed in rough water. It was then decided to retire the boat and it hung up at the Knight’s workshop rafters since then until a few years ago until it was restored by Peter Knight Jr.
The Knights built the boat in 1965 and achieved several Australasian records in the late ‘60s and set a world record at Pleasant Point Christchurch on the 3rd July 1968 with a speed of 114.131mph.
Check out Les Roberts write-up for a boat magazine from this era. (Bottom of photos)
A truly unique speedboat preserved in the History of New Zealand speedboats.
