In 1875 most steam launch builders used engines that were miniature copies of those of larger steamboats or 2, 4, or 8 indicated horsepower stationary engines and boilers, with engines modified so that they could be connected to a screw or paddle wheel shaft. In the 1890's there were a steadily increasing number of specialist firms that undertook this form of construction and a considerable amount of research and development was undertaken by them in an effort to produce engines and boilers more appropriate to the task. Many of the launches on view at the Royal Aquarium in 1895 had been exhibited at the previous exhibition. Most launches exhibited used petroleum as a fuel, including a 22 foot mahogany boat built by the Liquid Fuel Engineering Company, East Cowes; a 24 foot yacht launch fitted with a Kingdom patent quadruple-expansion surface-condensing marine engine; and a 17 foot 6 inch Canadian canoe fitted with a 2-inch by 2-inch stroke one horsepower high-pressure condensing marine engine. Launches with petroleum engines were also exhibited by the Daimler Motor Syndicate of Leadenhall Street. The British Aluminium Company exhibited an aluminium naphtha launch (length 17 feet 6 inches, beam 5 feet; draught 1 foot 4 inches) fitted with a 2 horsepower naphtha engine built by Messrs. Escher, Weiss and Company, Zurich. Messrs. Desvignes and company, Teddington, exhibited a small steam launch (length 25 feet, beam 5 feet 2 inches; draught 17 inches) fitted with a three and a half inch by 3-inch stroke marine engine. Mr. Desvignes was the designer of the high-speed river launch Hibernia (length 48 feet, beam 7 feet 3 inches) fitted with a 130 indicated horsepower engine. Capable of achieving 26.75 miles per hour the Hibernia was used by the umpire of the Henley Regatta.