I used to race Minis, and the majority of people doing so would have overheating problems if running straight water, due to the small capacity of fluid, low boiling point of water and small radiators. The practice of 50:50 Glycol and water kicked in and nobody overheated.
I hardly ever see radiator hoses blowing, or falling off, it shouldnt happen if the engine isnt presssurizing the water, or the hoses are clamped correctly.
I also run an electric pump, and a large aluminium radiator in the Cobra, and I often have the opposite problem in that I cant get the car to warm up enough, and have a cover for the
oil cooler on cooler days.