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TBPNews #120 – July 9, 2008
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>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News
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In this issue:
1)
Fountain Sweeps
Powerboat P1 Races in France
2) FEATURE ARTICLE
- "10 Safety Mod's & Tips for High Performance Go-Fast Boats"
3) Honda F4SA Rocks
City Water
4)
Crash Data Recorder
for F1 Powerboat Worlds boats
5)
Torrente Wins
F1-Champboat at Pittsburg
6) NEW Powerboat History & Design Books On-line
7) Powerboat Racing on TV
8) Jimboat's NEW Feature Articles
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1) Fountain
Sweeps Powerboat P1 Races in France
Behind its first double-win event, the Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com team
gained the Powerboat P1 points lead after last weekend's racing action in
Marseille, France.
The 43-foot Fountain, driven by James Sheppard and throttled by Craig Wilson, finished first in both Saturday's Sprint race and Sunday's Endurance race. Despite a collision with the Honeyparty.com boat in Saturday's race, the team still managed to finish 90 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor.
The leader in points coming into France, the Lucas Oil Skater was forced to retire from Saturday's Sprint race with drive failure problems. Owner and throttleman Nigel Hook looked to make amends in Sunday's shortened Endurance race, but he and pilot Shelley Jory were unable to finish, earning 50 points for completing the minimum 70 percent of the race. Their bad luck knocked them out of first place they are tied for second with the GFN Gilberto Metamarine, 90 points behind Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com.
The SuperSport class saw five teams docked 40 or more points after the races for improperly fitted engine sensors. At the end of the weekend, however, the Conam Yachts team maintained its lead over the VoomVoom.com team, although that lead has dwindled from 100 to 40 points.
check out more at:
www.powerboatp1.com
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2) FEATURE ARTICLE: "10 Safety Mod's and Tips for High Performance Go-Fast Boats"
In
order to drive fast, and do it more than once, you need to also drive safely.
Installation of these safety features will provide reliability, and stability to
your hull setup - which will allow you to drive faster, and do it with safety.
There is an old saying..."if you can't drive it fast, you can't win".
Using the right performance safety mod's will help you achieve that optimum
speed in your boat. Here are some features that can be considered the 10 basics
of performance accessories.
1. Dual Cable/hydraulic Steering - This is a must to provide good control and reduce boat wobble - especially on vee-bottom hulls. Hydraulic control also has better driving comfort especially at low speed.
2. Wheel Trim Switches (3) - You
will need to keep hands on wheel to go fast. Trim switches on the dashboard is
just not good place for it because requires hands off the wheel. One rocker
switch on wheel is good solution. But as the steering wheel turns, you will want
to have switch near your hand at all times. So three (3) switches on wheel is
even better. An alternative is switches on a floor-mounted footplate - one up
and one down.
3. Solid Mounts - OEM motor mounts reduce vibration, but they can reduce control at high speed. Replacing these with solid motor mounts adds boat control and driving ease, especially with jacked up engines in rough water. Cost is usually minimal at approximately $100. The lower set of mounts is relatively easy to change, while the upper set requires powerhead removal - but it's really worth it.
4. Foot Throttle - Below
50mph standard hand throttle not too hard to control (although I still feel it's
not as safe as two hands on the wheel). Faster boats definitely need more
concentration and control. Attention to trim, balancing the hull with steering,
etc. will need both your hands on the wheel. A foot throttle allows hands on the
wheel where they belong.
5. Balanced Weight - At high speed, balancing a vee-bottom on the pad can be tricky and takes experience. This is much easier to accomplish when your boat is balanced. When most of the dynamic lift and support of your boat is on the rear pad, any imbalance on one side or the other will tilt the boat to that side. Your battery, fuel, trim pumps, oil reservoir, etc. should be moved to the position that will help balance your normally set up rig. You can also move your seat and steering to the center of the boat if really needed.
6. Kill Switch - This isn't really an option, and should be standard equipment on all boats especially high performance boats. The kill switch should be mounted near driver with strong lanyard that clips to the driver's life jacket or belt so that if he is thrown from the rig, the engine will stop running immediately. Many motors come with them now. If you don't have one, you should...this is a 'must have'. An even more important...you must use it!
7. Life Jacket/PFD w/collar - You would be crazy to drive fast without a good life jacket (Gentex, Lifeline). If you've ever come out of your high performance boat, you know how important this is. Even the best swimmers will need some help in such a situation.
8. Helmet - Similar to driving fast without a life jacket, a certified helmet is the other half of the story. It is very easy to hit your head when hooking in a corner, or during a propeller blowout. As a driver, you are not usually "locked" in to seat, so it is easy to get banged...and if you fall out? Yes, you need protection.
9. Water Pressure and/or Engine Temp Gage - These gages can save your engine from disaster, but that's not what this is about. If your engine does lock up from overheating, it can be extremely dangerous. And it's easy to do when trying to get the most out of your rig. When it happens, it can happen in a big hurry. Your boat can hook and spill you out easily. Either water pressure or engine temperature indicators or both are the best warnings. Both are easy to install. The WP gage installs in the cooling loop to the powerhead, and then to the gage. The engine temperature gage installs easily with a small thermocouple mounted to one of the bolts on the engine block. These can save your engine, and your life.
1
0. Nosecone & Torque-Tabs - The low
water pickup should be used when water pressure is insufficient. The nosecone
can help with lower hydrodynamic drag but more importantly the prevention of
"blowout" when speeds
above 70 mph are required. These devices are usually epoxied or welded to the
front of the lower unit bullet. Prevention of blowout can be a tremendous safety
enhancement, and one that you should consider strongly if you intend to drive
your boat at speeds approaching blowout velocity. A nosecone can also allow a
low water pickup to extend the intake of water-cooling flow inlet to lower on
the gearcase. This ensures enough water flow to keep engine cool also. If your
rig needs excessive trim to achieve top speed or it is currently suffering from
premature prop ventilation, then a nosecone would help. Along with nosecones go
torque tabs, those little add-on skeg wedges that not only help our gearcase
track straighter, but also keep you from big-time arm therapy after a day on the
water. Torque tabs simply rivet onto the starboard, rear of the skeg.
See more Performance Articles at:
aeromarineresearch.com/articles.html
Read more about Tunnel Boat & Vee hull design and setup in the
world acclaimed "Secrets
of Tunnel Boat Design" book
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3) Honda
F4SA Rocks City Water
The
UK's largest Off-shore powerboat series The Honda Formula 4-Stroke Association
(F4SA) put on a dramatic display yesterday (Saturday 5th July) at the Royal
Docks of London.
The water which is normally closed due to air traffic was opened up to the series as part of the London City Airport's fun day. The F4SA were given the exclusive opportunity of being the only water based display at the event which is in its 12th year.
The series allowed three of its 150hp powerboats time out from their UK tour to put on the spectacular show for the crowds. Locamotion, Claygate & Spirit of Octane from the 150hp fleet were let lose onto the otherwise private waters to show London that handling a Honda Formula 4-Stoke powerboat isn't for the faint-hearted.
check out more at:
f4sa.co.uk
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4) Crash Data Recorder for
F1 Powerboat Worlds boats
In
a joint effort to improve the safety of F1 powerboat racing, Inthinc, a leader
in driver safety solutions, has joined with U.I.M and F1 Boats to implement a
'black Box' Crash Data Recorder in the boats racing in the F1 Powerboat World
Championship.
The Witness™ has been used for several years in the United States in NASCAR’s top 3 sanctioned racing series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Trucks) and has contributed to safety improvements through that sport. Implementation of the Witness™ is the next step in a long line of measures the U.I.M. has taken to improve safety for its racers.
The Witness records the dramatic forces acting on a boat in a crash. Following a crash, the recorded data can be immediately accessed and analyzed. The information is then compiled and examined to help design even safer boats and more effective safety devices. All data is stored by inthinc and available for analysis through a web-enabled portal. The Witness™ is virtually maintenance-free and is self-powered with a battery life of several years. It objectively measures the magnitude and direction of the forces experienced in a crash.
For further information visit
inthinc.com and
powerboat-world.com
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5) Torrente Wins
F1-Champboat at Pittsburg
July
4, 2008 - Shaun Torrente earned the pole and never trailed by surviving a final
two lap shootout and winning the 27th Three Rivers Regatta in downtown
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The driver from Miami, Florida earned pole
position after finishing 3rd and 1st in his two heat races and led from the drop
of the flag around the 4-pin 1.25 mile course on the rough and wide race course
that has seen F1-ChampBoat racing since its inception in 1982. Torrente, held
the inside of the first lap forcing two time Pittsburgh winner Tim Seebold of
the Bud light Seebold Racing Team to the outside and in chase mode for the rest
of the afternoon, finishing just 1.2
seconds behind Torrente. Torrente had build up an 8 second margin when two laps
from the end
both Lynn Simburger and Billy Joule came to a stop coming out of both turn one
and turn two on the west end of the race course on the 48th tour. Shaun and the
rest of the race field was forced to go back to the start dock for a final two
lap “dash for cash” to determine the winner of the Grand Prix.
Shaun got the start just right holding off Tim and past winner Terry Rinker of the Amsoil/Rinker Racing for the final 2.5 miles to take his 3rd straight victory of the season and his 4th of his 4 year career. Terry Rinker’s 3rd place has him now 90 back of series leader Torrente who leads the drivers championship with 1711 points.
The F1-ChampBoat Series heads off to another
historic race event for the Bud Light St. Louis Grand Prix for the weekend of
August 2nd and 3rd at Creve Coure Lake.
Check out more at:
champboat.com
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6) NEW Powerboat History & Design Books On-line
Most complete supply of over 50 specialized performance powerboat history, design and racing books...
check out the new book additions:
Powerboat Design & History books
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7) Powerboat Racing on TV
*** "Thrill Zone: Extreme
Powerboats" -
National Geographic powerboat show.
Author Jim Russell (Jimboat) is powerboat design technical consultant on a new
National Geographic special for "Thrill Zone"
series...
Details at: (channel.nationalgeographic.com)
check out next show date at
AR's website! aeromarineresearch.com/NatGeo_thrill-zone.html
*** "Streaming Motorsports" on Speedbox.tv - Parker ENZED Jetsprinting Championship - - Check at: speedbox.tv
*** "Champ Boat Grand Prix Series" - on SPEED Channel - Check next show at: www.champboat.com or at: www.speedtv.com
*** "F1 World Championship TV Show" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** NEW "War On Water" TV Show" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** "Powerboat Showcase" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** "Offshore Classics" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** "American Powerboat Television" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** "Honda Formula 4-Stroke Powerboat Series" - Check it out at: honda-racing.co.uk
[Ed. Note: The Water Channel is available
on The Dish Network]
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8) Jimboat's Feature Articles
NEW
Jimboat Article Announcement! - Author Jim Russell details the secrets of Chine
Walk in performance powerboats- why it happens & how to fix it!
Check out full article at:
aeromarineresearch.com
Jimboat
writes Feature articles in HotBoat, Family&Performance Boating, World of
Powerboats, Extreme Boats magazines, H2O FullThrottle.
- 'What
a Blow Out!' - "Gearcase & Propeller Blowout- Why it Happens & How to Fix it" -
HB-June 2008
-
'Walk on the
Wild Side' - "Chine Walk - Why it happens & How to Fix it" - HB-Jan
2008
- 'Hump
Zone' - "Why does your Boat Porpoise?" - HB-April 2007
-
'The Bottom Line'-"Why does a Pad make a vee Hull faster?" -
F&PB-Sept 2005
- "10
Smokin' Speed Secrets Revealed..." -
HB-Feb2005
-
"Winterizing your Performance Outboard" - F&PB-Jan2005
-
"What a Drag" - 'Trim Angle & Engine Height Can Reduce Drag and
Increase Speed' - HB-Sept2004
-
"10 Safety Tips" - 'Ten Safety Ideas for High Performance Go-Fast
Boats' - HB-Aug2004
- "Flight
Path" - 'Where does Lift Come From?' - HB-April2004
- "Rocket
Science" - 'How To Increase Your Hull's Design Speed With Aerodynamics' -
World of Powerboats-Winter2004
-
"Tunnel
Vision" - 'What Factors Influence Tunnel Hull Performance' - Extreme
Boats-April2003
- "Step-by-Step"
-
'Step
Design in Powerboats' - TBPNews #88, October 2005
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See you next time!
/Jimboat
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