TBPNews #48 - October 18, 2003
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In this issue: 
1) Mercury Project X 4-strokes coming soon  
2) Tony Esposito leaves Mercury Racing
3) Power & Motoryacht to sponsor NMEA event
4) Kourtsenovsky out of Singapore F1 race
5) New boating lifestyle magazine to be launched  
6) Greg Norman to promote Boaters World
7) Cavanaugh funeral scheduled Friday
8) 'Hot Boat' magazine - Save 51%! 
9) FEATURE ARTICLE - "Why do the boats create rooster tails?"
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1) Mercury Project X 4-strokes coming soon  
  
LAKE FOREST, Ill.  After four years of development, engine builder Mercury Marine may finally be ready to unveil the first of its Project X line of 4-strokes.  In April, Brunswick Corp. said the line of engines would be released in time for the 2004 boating season. Now, the company is suggesting customers may get their first glimpse of the engine line at the Miami International Boat Show this February.  Mercury has invested $100 million in the project, publicized as "very easily the biggest project Mercury has undertaken in its history".

Like most 4-strokes, the company says the engines will be quiet; however, Mercury also claims the Project X line will have high torque and lots of low end power, characteristics usually associated with 2-stroke engines. Mercury will release its highest horsepower models first, and that the company has already set up a new assembly line in Fond du Lac, Wis. 

http://www.jsonline.com/bym/News/oct03/176996.asp
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2) Tony Esposito leaves Mercury Racing

Mercury Marines manager of commercial and government sales is joining Mercury Racing in a realignment the company says will enhance its ability to meet market demands.

In addition to his existing title, Jeff Krueger of Fond du Lac, Wis.-based Mercury Marine has accepted the new position of director of sales and marketing for Mercury Racing in Taycheedah, Wis. He is assuming some of the responsibilities formerly handled by Tony Esposito, who left the company as director of sales and marketing to join Buckaroo Communications (publisher of Family & Performance Boating magazine), after nine years with Mercury.  Tony is very well-respected in this business, Krueger said in a statement. He has an outstanding team in place at Racing, and I think we have an excellent opportunity to expand the market.
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3) Power & Motoryacht to sponsor NMEA event  
  
Power & Motoryacht magazine is the sponsor of the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" event at the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Annual Convention & Exposition set for October 22-25 at the Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers, Fla., the association announced Friday.  The event, scheduled on Friday, October 24, will include a Jimmy Buffet impersonator and live band.  "Power & Motoryacht is a long-time supporter of NMEA and the convention," said NMEA President Beth Kahr. "We're delighted that they have added 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' to their sponsorship package, which already includes underwriting the canvas totes attendees of the convention receive."
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4) Kourtsenovsky out of Singapore F1 race

Abu Dhabi - Following the Malaysian Grand Prix, U.I.M Commissioners have issued a "yellow card" to Russian pilot Stanislas Kourtsenovsky for dangerous driving. Kourtsenovsky is 
championship leader Guido Cappellinis team mate at the Zepter Team.  The yellow card, Kourtsenovskys third this season, means he is not allowed to participate in the next round of the F1 Powerboat World Championship.  According to the U.I.M FI regulations, a driver who has received three yellow cards loses the right to participate in the following round of 
the current World Championship.  Stanislas Kourtsenovsky will not compete in the Singapore Grand Prix but will resume racing at the following event in November, the Saudi Arabia 
Grand Prix on November 28th.  7-time World Champion Guido Cappellini has now announced that Ivan Brigada (Italy) will substitute Kourtsenovsky at the Singapore Grand Prix.
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5) New boating lifestyle magazine to be launched  
  
Coastal Media, a subsidiary of magazine publisher Media Ventures, will publish a new magazine, Coastal Boating.  Coastal Boating will be more of a lifestyle boating magazine than one geared to sportsmen. The first issue is scheduled to debut in December or January and will start out as a quarterly magazine. After the first cycle, the company hopes publish the magazine up to six to eight times a year. Coastal Boating will be about 120 to 140 pages and will target ocean homeowners in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. The company is spending $1 million on the launch.  Coastal Media said it decided to launch a boating magazine because there seemed to be a void in the market. The magazine will have features about dockside dining, fishing day trips, entertaining on your boat, book reviews, and hotels and resorts on the Intracoastal Waterway, the Post reported.  
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6) Greg Norman to promote Boaters World
 
Golfing great Greg Norman, an avid yachtsman, has been named spokesperson for the Boaters World chain of accessories stores. Norman will promote all aspects of the Boaters World business, the company said, with a particular focus on fishing gear. Included will be Normans own line of fishing apparel, which is new to Boaters World.  The 48-year-old Australian has won a total of 86 tournaments in his career, including 20 PGA Tour championships and 66 international titles. His business acumen has enabled him to turn his Great White Shark Enterprises into an international conglomerate that grosses more than $200 million annually.  
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7) Cavanaugh funeral scheduled Friday

Funeral services will be held Friday for Dennis Cavanaugh, the Mercury Racing manager of propeller sales and manufacturing, who died Monday of injuries suffered in a fall last week. 
Cavanaugh, who was 57, died four days after suffering head injuries in a fall down a flight of stairs at his Oshkosh home.  He is survived by his wife, Susan, of Oshkosh; a son, Gregory, of Los Angeles; his mother, Marian Cavanaugh of Oshkosh; four brothers, Donald, Rick, Larry and Kevin Cavanaugh, all of Oshkosh; and two grandchildren.
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8) 'Hot Boat' magazine - Save 51%! 

We have obtained great deals on Powerboat magazine subscriptions. This month we have a great deal on the popular 'Family & Performance Boating ' magazine. 

Hot Boat is prop and jet driven boat enthusiasts bible. Each issue featuring tests, technical and product reviews, adventure travel, outboard and drag racing coverage, high performance tips, and outboard RPM tricks. 11 issues Published: Seasonal Cover Rate: $54.89 Our Rate: $27.00 (51% savings!) Get yours now at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/boating%20magazines%20discounts.html 
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9) FEATURE ARTICLE - "Why do the boats create rooster tails?"

FAQ: This question comes to us from one of our readers (DS)- "Why do the boats create rooster tails".

I've had many people ask about the "lost energy" in a performance boat's roostertail.  You are right, that there is a lot of energy to pump that much water into the air.  

Def'n: "Rooster-tail - A projected mass of fine particles, as of water or snow, having an arced shape similar to that of a rooster's tail."  

The rooster tail is the result of propeller hydrodynamics - the displacement of water used to generate the thrust to propel the boat forward at great speed.  The 200 hp or so of engine power is is converted through an outdrive to thrust of about 1300 pounds (or more) at 60 mph.  That load is pushing against the water.  Some of the water just can't stay where it belongs, especially if the angle of hte trim is trying to push the bow of the boat up - and hence the water at the rear up too!  So this is why thrust is more efficient when the motor drive is trimmed "in", with a "thrust-line" angling down into the water.

Surfacing propellers also contribute to "rooster-tails".  The surface piercing propellers run half in and half out of the water and usually display a rooster tail into the air behind the boat.  While these surface-piercing props experience much less drag and are much less susceptible to cavitation, they also expell a certain amount of water "normal" to  (straight up from) the water surface.  Since this happens as the prop also generates forward thrust at the expense of the static water, the result is a "flow" of water up and back from the propeller.

Larger diameter and/or smaller pitch props will usually generate lower rooster tails - but this won't always mean better performance.  It is most always, like everything in performance powerboating, a trade-off or compromise.

See you next time!

/Jimboat

