~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBPNews #131 - October 12,
2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News
>>>>>> (over 5000
members!)
========================================================
In this issue:
1)
Blue Sheets Racing Take the Zapcat Title
3)
Formula One PROP Tour Returns in 2010
4) Fountain Powerboats to reorganize through Chapter 11
5. Jonas Andersson Wins In Liuzhou Now Leads F1 Championship
6)
Shaun Torrente Clinches 2009 Champboat Championship
7) NEW Powerboat Design Software
V7.10 Released!
8)
Powerboat Racing on TV
9) Jimboat's NEW Feature Articles
******************** TBPNews
*******************
Check out review
of Jimboat's 13th Ed. "Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design" book in HotBoat
magazine!
1) Blue Sheets Racing Take the Zapcat Title
web.jpg)
The Zapcat Racing National Championship was decided at Round 13 at Watergate Bay, Newquay. Zapcat 03, BlueSheets Racing 1 Craig Davis and Rob Martin were favourites to take the championship going into the penultimate event and securing a place in the days final would cinch the deal.
Team Relentless got off to a storming start, with Zapcat 77, Exe Jets Rob Wickham and Graham Hay were taking high finishes in their heats along with Relentless –Nine Lives, Zapcat 35 Charlie Brickle and Adam Bushrod in their respective divisions.
Check out more at: zapcat-racing.co.uk
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
2) Great Powerboat videos
Check
out these great videos....
1971 Outboard World Championships
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
3) Formula One PROP Tour Returns in 2010
The Formula One PROP Tour, which conducted the top level of outboard powerboat racing in North America from 1995 through 2002, will return to the water in 2010.
Formula One PROP Tour was formed and directed successfully by the late Gary Garbrecht, a long-time team manager for Mercury Racing, advisor to Outboard Marine Corporation and a boat racing pioneer. He was a past vice-president of the Union of International Motorboating and was instrumental in the formation of the current world Formula One boat racing series.
The series is being revived by three veterans of the marine industry and boat racing, Greg Jacobsen of Seattle, Washington, Bob Schubert of Richmond, Texas, and Wayne Worthy of Nixa, Missouri. All three have experience in boat racing as drivers, team owners and administrators.
The Formula One PROP (Professional Racing Outboard Performance) Tour expects to conduct six to eight races next season for the Formula One, Formula Two (SST-120) and Formula Three (SST-45) classes of outboards. The races will be sanctioned through the American Power Boat Association (APBA), which has overseen boat racing in the United States for more than a century.
The 2010 Formula One PROP Tour season will open in Naples, Florida, next March. Formula One PROP is planning on a 6 to 8 race season in 2010. The season will open in Port Neches, TX. in May 2010.
Check out more at: f1prop.com
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
4)
Fountain Powerboats to reorganize with Liberty Associates
Fountain Powerboat Industries Inc. has been allowed to reorganize and retain its assets. Following a hearing held in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina on Friday morning, chief bankruptcy judge Randy Doub ruled in favor of Fountain and will allow the company to restructure its Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganize with Liberty Investments.
The investment group will be majority shareholders in the company, help finance the reorganization of the company and help the company pay off its creditors. Reggie Fountain will be retained as the sportboat company’s president and CEO under the new deal. Earlier in the year, Liberty became majority shareholders in two fledgling powerboat companies - Donzi and Pro-Line Boats.
The sportboat company will move ahead with taking orders, but Fountain cautioned that turning his company’s debt into a profit will be no easy task, especially considering that it’s the offseason in boating. The sportboat company is some $19.6 million in debt to the Oxford Investment Group. Oxford, under the name FB Investments LLC., was looking to obtain Fountain Powerboats’ assets at the bankruptcy hearing, but will now be treated as a creditor.
Fountain was on the witness stand for over an hour Friday during the hearing. He cited several key facts about the company and its economic impact on Beaufort County and eastern North Carolina. The company has made some $991 million in sales since starting over 30 years ago, and has paid over $247 million in salaries during that time, according to Fountain. At one time, the company, which is based out of a 65-acre plant on the south side of the Pamlico River, employed more than 400 people. Fountain hopes that Liberty will keep the sportboat company in the county.
Hustler Powerboats (NY, USA) had previously reported it was in negotiations to buy Fountain Powerboats in Beaufort County. Huster now reports its efforts didn’t work out.
Read more at: wdnweb.com
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
5) Jonas Andersson Wins In Liuzhou Now Leads F1 Championship
LIUZHOU, China - Swedish star Jonas Andersson of Team Azerbaijan powered his DAC from the second position off the start pontoon into first place on the opening lap and never looked back taking his second victory in the last three races and moving into first place in the U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship for powerboats in front of tens of thousands of race fans on the Liu River in downtown Liuzhou.
Taking second was three time winner in China Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy who started fourth and worked his way up and had a brilliant re-start to push into second on the 25th tour and chased Andersson all the way to the flag coming within 4.93 seconds at the end of the afternoon.
Pole sitter Sami Selio had his dreams of back to back victories shattered with a broken propeller on the13th tour while in the third position as he chased defending race and World Champion Jay Price of the Qatar Team who outraced Selio on the first lap and was in second only to end his day with an engine problem on the 25th lap. The American sits third in the championship with 55 points having not picked up any points in the last three straight starts. Selio of Finland is a point back in fourth with 54 heading to Shenzhen in ten days time.
So, the first half of the 2009 U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship has come to a close with two drivers within two points at the top of the table. As the season now shifts into it's second half 160 points are still up for the taking and it's anyone's guess who will come away with the ultimate prize in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates in mid-December.
The next round of the championship will take place for the third straight year in the small but exciting circuit in Shenzhen on the edge of the South China Sea near Hong Kong.
Check out more at: f1h2o.com
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
6)
Shaun Torrente Clincehs 2009 Champboat Championship
Miami’s Shaun Torrente clinched his first F1 ChampBoat Championship by dominating the APBA Nationals in Kankakee, Illinois. Torrente took the championship with a perfect weekend by taking the fastest qualifying lap, winning the first heat race, finishing 2nd in the second heat race and then easily went on to win the main event by more three seconds over runner up, five-time F1 ChampBoat Champion Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, MO.
Three-time F1 ChampBoat Champion Terry Rinker of the AMSOIL Racing team finishes second overall in the championship with his third place finish at the APBA Nationals, while Seebold takes the third overall spot for the second straight year. Canadian Brian Venton, clearly the most improved driver for 2009, charged forward to a fourth place finish in the championship with veteran driver Lynn Simburger coming in a fine fifth.
All in all it was a short 2009 season with the economy wreaking havoc on sponsorships and events, however 2010 promises to be a great season with several new events being added to the classics lead by a stellar new executive management team leading the ChampBoat Series well into the future.
See more at: www.champboat.com.
******************* TBPNews
*******************
[return to top]
7) NEW Powerboat Design Software V7.10 Released!
NEW
Version 7.10 NOW RELEASED!
BIG NEW FEATURE...YOU ASKED FOR IT...NOW TBDP HAS IT!....
*** full Vee Hull and Vee-Pad hull 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
******************* TBPNews ******************* [return to top]
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]
******************* TBPNews
*******************
[return to top]
9) Jimboat's Feature Articles
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
******************* TBPNews
*******************
[return to top]
See you next time!
/Jimboat
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
[Advertisement...]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RC TUNNEL BOAT
RACING VIDEOS - Love boat racing? Check out
Me Time Productions
High
Quality, RC Boat Racing Events
on DVD! Watch a preview of our newest release the "2008 World Tunnel
Championships"! The perfect gift for any boat enthusiast! Log on to
www.metimeproductions.com to see
our entire line of awesome DVD's.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tunnel
Boat Performance News >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Let us know ideas you have, requests for articles, questions or comments on TBPNews. Send
comments to TBPNews@aeromarineresearch.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Get your full, illustrated,
13th
edition copy of the world acclaimed "Secrets
of Tunnel Boat Design" book; "History
of Tunnel Boat Design" book, "Secrets
of Propeller Design" book, the "Tunnel
Boat Design" software for tunnel and high-performance Vee-hull design,
and "PropWorks2"
software for speed prediction and propeller selection at the AeroMarine
Research web site: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com