Ted Jones (hydroplanes)
Tudor Owen "Ted" Jones (died January 9, 2000) was an American hydroplane designer and builder. Based in Seattle, he was a skilled marine engineer who helped create the modern hydroplane, a fast boat that uses two buoyant side structures called sponsons for stability at speed.
One of his boats, the Slo-Mo-Shun IV, won the 1950 Gold Cup and set a water speed record of 160.323 mph on June 26, 1950, at Lake Washington near Seattle, breaking the old record of 141.740 mph by nearly 20 mph.
Jones designed several other unlimited hydroplanes that won the APBA Challenge Cup. His son Ron Jones, Sr., and grandson Ron Jones, Jr. also had distinguished careers in unlimited hydroplane racing. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:29 (CET).