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TBPNews #130 – June 2, 2009
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>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News >>>>>> (over 5000 members!)
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In this issue:
1) Mercury Powers Top Nine Finishers at 24 Heures de Rouen 2009

2) Great Powerboat videos
3) Magic/Sleekcraft Boatbuilder Closes its Doors
4) Quad Yamaha V8 Power Selected for Tassie Eco Tours

5. St. Louis Grand Prix Cancelled fror 2009
6) Genmar files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

7) NEW Powerboat Design Software V7.10 Released!
8) Powerboat Racing on TV
9) Jimboat's NEW Feature Articles
******************** TBPNews *******************

Check out new review of Jimboat's 13th Ed. "Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design" book in HotBoat magazine!
 

1) Mercury Powers Top Nine Finishers at 24 Heures de Rouen 2009

Mercury Marine won the 24 Hours of Rouen endurance powerboat race in Rouen, France. The top nine finishers were powered by Mercury outboard engines.  Rouen tests both man and machine as boats run nonstop, with the exception of fuel stops and driver exchanges, for 24 hours.

Drakkar Inshore #3, a Mercury S3000 race outboard-powered DAC hull, won the 46th running of the world’s most demanding powerboat race. Pilots Franck Revert, Phillippe Dessertenne, Jerome Ruffin and Pierre Lundin completed 760 laps for the win overall, and first place finish in Class 3 competition. Drakkar Inshore #3 finished a mere three laps ahead of Mercury S3000 race outboard powered Team Vauban Humanis. Tech Motor Racing, Drakkar Inshore #2 Team TC4, Team Touax and Team Performance rounded out 3-7. All were powered by Mercury S3000 race outboards.

The low-emissions Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard-powered Navikart, a Moore hull piloted by Sebastien Lemoine, Eric Doublet, Tony Bourdin and Franck Delambre, completed 657 laps for a first-place finish in Class 2 competition and eighth place overall. The 2.5 Liter, 200 h.p. Mercury OptiMax 200XS SST race outboard powered Navikart finished an astounding 47 laps ahead of Team Passion, a Molinari hull powered by low emissions Evinrude
E-Tec Class 3 race outboard, which finished tenth overall (ninth in Class 3 competition). Results by Category:

check out more on the race at: 24heuresrouen.com

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2) Great Powerboat videos

Check out these great videos....

The Complete History of Mercury Marine at Scream And Fly

4 Point ELAM Hydroplane Crash

Champ Boat Ride - See what it is like in the cockpit of a Champ boat as it skims across the Saginaw River at over 100MPH

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3) Magic/Sleekcraft Boatbuilder Closes its Doors

Power Marine and Motor Sports Inc., the manufacturing corporation behind Magic Powerboats and Sleekcraft Powerboats in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., closed it doors after 15 years of building performance boats.

The longtime owner of the Lake Havasu City-based manufacturing plant and sales office would not comment as to reasons surrounding the company’s closure. Moyes is the immediate past president and one of the founders of the Lake Havasu City Marine Association.  A farewell letter that will posted on the company’s Web site (now out of order) included the message “We never imagined that we would be writing this letter to our amazing customers and friends. With tremendous hesitation and heartache we are closing our doors". The builder, which also had operations in Phoenix and Southern California, offered catamarans and V-bottoms. The company marketed its boats to the family oriented performance boater. Long Beach Yacht Sales in Southern California is the court-appointed remarketer for Magic Powerboats. There are reportedly as many as 150 boats-the majority without engines-that will have to be sold. Several companies are offering power plants and will rig the boats.

check out more at: boating-industry.com

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4) Quad Yamaha V8 Power Selected for Tassie Eco Tours

Hobart Cruises has put into service two brand new coastal expedition vessels, each both powered by four Yamaha V8 350hp outboards on the transom. With 1400 hp installed to these two identical 4m aluminium RIB’s, Hobart Cruises has established a new benchmark for the burgeoning eco-tourism industry.

Operating out of Hobart’s Constitution Dock area, Hobart Cruises’ new Bruny Wildlife Adventure takes customers on a unique boating experience into the Great Southern Ocean where wildlife frolics the way it has for centuries. The mission was to achieve a boating experience that offered the utmost in passenger comfort, uncompromising safety and a rapid ride.

A 14m long RIB with seating for 48 passengers was deemed the optimum configuration. Included in the design brief was under floor heating, an exceptionally appointed bathroom, remote operated under water video camera and on-board plasma screens which allow passengers to view the sea life from the comfort of their boat.  When it came to power for the boats, the big V8 Yamaha F350s were the obvious choice.  Performance wise the Yamaha F350 engines deliver all the power needed. Loaded up with the full manifest of 48 passengers plus crew, each expedition boat tips the scales at 14 tonnes. The Yamaha V8s are the largest cubic capacity outboard on the market. This allows us to achieve our optimum cruising speed of 25 to 30 knots with engine revs hovering around 4000 rpm.' This just shows the power and torque these impressive engines generate.

see more at: powerboat-world.com

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5) St. Louis Grand Prix Cancelled fror 2009

The St. Louis Grand Prix, the oldest and longest running watercraft race in the WORLD, that has been organized by the Concord Village Lions Club for the past 37 years, has been Officially CANCELLED for 2009.

The race was held at George Winter Park in Fenton from 1972 to 1999, and then moved to Creve Coeur Lake in 2000. The tentative dates were August 1st and 2nd, 2009. However, the Concord Village Lions Club could not secure enough sponsorship money to host the event.

Racing legend, and Concord Village Lions Club member, Bill Seebold, said, “Thank you to all of the friends and fans that have supported our St. Louis Grand Prix for all these years, and a special thanks to the members of the Concord Village Lions Club, and their wives and families. Without them, this event would have never happened, and certainly would not have lasted for 37 years. It has been a tough few months soliciting companies for sponsorship and realizing that our June 1st deadline was getting closer and closer. It breaks my heart to tell my son, Tim, our crew; all of the other F1 ChampBoat drivers, owners and pit crews that the St. Louis race is off.”

The Concord Village Lions Club and the F1 ChampBoat series President, Mike Schriefer, have already begun talking about 2010. They will be evaluating the race location, the dates, and developing a marketing plan for 2010.

see more at: stlgrandprix.net

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6) Genmar files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

According to reports in the Minneapolis based Star Tribune, Genmar Holdings Inc, makers of 13 boat brands, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection under federal bankruptcy laws. Some of Genmar's brands include Four Winns, Ranger, Triumph, and Stratos amongst others.

Genmar's founder and largest shareholder, Irwin Jacobs, told the Star Tribune that the credit collapse and weak economy have decimated sales of everything in Genmar's product line.  According to reports the company's Chapter 11 petition filed in a US Bankruptcy Court listed assets of $237.5 million and liabilities of $216.5 million.  Jacobs said the bankruptcy petition does not include more than $400 million in intangible assets, whose values were determined recently by Wells Fargo & Co., its lead banker. Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank are the only secured creditors, owed $75 million.  Genmar said tighter requirements from its banks propelled it into bankruptcy

check out more at: marinebusiness.com.au

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7) NEW Powerboat Design Software V7.10 Released!

NEW Version 7.10 NOW RELEASED! (May 15, 2009)
BIG NEW FEATURE...YOU ASKED FOR IT...NOW TBDP HAS IT!....
*** Vee hull and Vee-Pad hull simulation wizard - full performance analysis - one-button click that changes inputs to simulate a vee bottom hull.
*** Porpoise Analysis - We have developed a new analysis tool! XPorpoise is an engineering tool developed by AR that predicts your hull's inherent susceptibility to porpoising...and shows how to fix it!
* New 2009 Motor database, with over 750 OEM engine specs!
* Centerpod Wangle input - now you have the ability to represent a special angle of attack (trim angle) of the hull CenterPod that is different than the angle of the Sponsons.
*** Free Expert Analysis Reports (4) included shows how you can apply expertise to your design/setup.
* Cuddy Cabin Cockpit option added to design considerations.
* TBDP now calculates hydrodynamic drag of ANY lower unit design; includes standard design specs for 19 OEM drives.
* NEW enhanced HELP Manual with over 50 pages, over 17,000 words of tutorials, over 70 pictures & HELP illustrations.

...AND Lots more new great Features in V7.10 TBDP software!
...check out the new TBDP software V7.10 at: aeromarineresearch.com

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8) 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
***"IHBA Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing" Series on SPEED TV - Check next show at speedtv.com
*** "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 - See: www.waterchannel.com; [see web site for other show times]
*** "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 - See: www.waterchannel.com or americanpowerboat.tv
*** "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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9) Jimboat's Feature Articles

Watch for upcoming articles by Jimboat in "Performance Boats" magazine!

NEW Jimboat Article Announcement! - Author Jim Russell explains 'How Do Tunnel Boats Fly?'

Check out full article at: aeromarineresearch.com

Jimboat writes Feature articles in HotBoat, Family&Performance Boating, Performance Powerboat, World of Powerboats, Extreme Boats magazines.

- Tunnel Vision - 'How Do Tunnel Boats Fly?' - HB Nov/Dec 2008
- 'Why Do Boats Create Rooster Tails?' - HB-August 2008
- '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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