TYPHOON model available from Nicolle Associates

The Typhoon origin began with Edsel Ford. Edsel Ford was an avid race boat enthusiast. Knowing the background, and seeing the famous Teaser in action, Edsel Ford wanted a new fast boat just like it for his own personal use. He contacted the yard that built the Teaser and had an exact copy built, naming it the Typhoon. The Typhoon was a large brute, measuring in at 40′ in length, with a 2000 cubic inch Wright Typhoon engine. She had the seating capacity to seat up to eight adults, in three separate cockpits, but without the creature comforts and safety of any windshields.

Edsel Ford never used it as a pure racer, however. His primary use for the boat was as a commuter speedboat between the Ford factory and his home in Lake St. Claire.

In 1941, Ford sold it to Howard Hughes who kept it running during the war years, but soon sold it after the war. The Typhoon then went through a series of owners over the next few years ending up in Kentucky. Then in the late sixties, her current owners had her shipped from Kentucky to Seattle Washington. In the late 1960’s, at Bryants Marina in Washington, the boat that was docked next to the Typhoon caught fire. The fire raged out of control, and soon engulfed the Typhoon. The Typhoon was a total loss.