An engineer has spoken out about the reasons he took the engine out of Bluebird K7 before her return.
Geoff Beck also offered what he says is the 'quickest' way for the craft to get back onto Coniston Water.
Mr Beck qualified as a pilot at Bournemouth Flying Club, owned by designer of the Bluebird Ken Norris.
Donald Campbell was attempting a new water speed record in the vessel on Coniston Water in 1967 when it flipped and disintegrated, killing him instantly.
Engineer Bill Smith later recovered Bluebird K7 along with Campbell's body and race suit.
Mr Smith and his volunteers painstakingly restored the hydroplane with no cost to the Ruskin Museum over the course of 20+ years with the Bluebird Project in North Shields.
In 2007, Mr Beck received a call from Mr Smith asking about some small engine parts.
Mr Beck, managing director for an aircraft restoration business, oversaw the return to flight of eight ex-military jet aircraft - including a former Red Arrows Folland Gnat.
Mr Beck said: "After hearing about the project in full I was satisfied with Bill's technical competence and offered him the loan of the Orpheus engine under very specific conditions and that it be fully restored to run on water."
In 2018, the craft successfully completed trials on water at the Isle of Bute in Scotland.
Plans were proposed whereby Bluebird would live at the museum for nine months of the year and released to Bill for demonstration runs for the other three.
Negotiations broke down however and a bitter legal battle ensued in which Bill claimed a stake in ownership after restoring half the craft with the other half built 'from scratch'.
In late 2019, court papers were issued by the Ruskin Museum to get Bluebird K7 back to Coniston.
"When Bill told me that the museum had wanted to recover the craft I emailed the museum to make them aware it was my engine.
"I also offered to speak to Bill and try and get everyone around the table.
"I understand things have been said in the heat of the moment but as an engineer, I knew Bill had respect for my opinion.
"I was told by Vice Chair Jeff Carroll that too much had been said and that there some concerns about the craft being damaged if it went back out on water following the trials."
Mr Beck added: "I asked the museum for credentials of the new engineering team and they were unable to provide them.
"You wouldn’t lend your car to someone without a licence and in the same way I felt I had to take the engine back.
"It's being treated as if I've taken my football back home with me however these things, if not treated right, go off like a mini-bomb and it's also my £20,000 engine at the bottom of Coniston if things go wrong."
Mr Beck still believes that a solution is possible that could get Bluebird K7 back on Coniston water by July.
"This is a complex project with over 40 engineering disciplines involved. It's not like a Ford Escort Mexico where you can source parts easily," he said.
"It's highly complex and needs the people who've known it for over 20 years.
"The sheer testing the craft will have to undergo again. The insurance underwriting test assurance alone will take this far beyond 2026.
"If hatchets could buried, Bluebird K7 could be back out on the water by July - it's a win-win for everyone - and get her to her full potential for the public.
"The issue of ownership is dead now, and if the project is doable, I will provide that engine rather than it being a loan."
We approached The Ruskin Museum about Mr Beck's proposals.
A spokesperson said: "There was dialogue with Mr Beck in the past but we now have our own engine and things have moved on."
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