TBPNews #77 - March 28, 2005
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>>>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News >>>>>>>>>>>>>> (now over 5500 members!)
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In this issue: 

Elements of Boat Strength by Dave Gerr 

1) Powerboat P1 World Championship Calendar! 
2) 4-stroke supply was one key to ITC decision
3) Boat Racing on TV
4) ABRA adds more thunder to 2005 schedule
5) Putting the pink into power boat racing
6) Jimboat writes Feature articles in HOTBOAT & F&PB magazine
7) Book Special - The Elements of Boat Strength - Save 37%  
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1) Powerboat P1 World Championship Calendar! 

Locations steeped with powerboat history, glamorous resorts, stunning Mediterranean backdrops and even a Swiss lake; the 2005 U.I.M. Powerboat P1 World Championship calendar has it all.

KBL Powerboat Management Limited, the rights holder to the World Championship, confirmed the Powerboat P1 2005 racing calendar naming seven first class venues, all of which are expected to become annual events for the Championship:

6-8 May............. : MALTA, Grand Harbour Valletta 
10-12 June....... : ITALY, Anzio
1-3 July............ : GERMANY, Travemunde
29-31 July........ : ITALY, Gallipoli
26-28 Aug........ : GREAT BRITAIN, Cowes
16-18 Sept....... : SWITZERLAND, Concise
30 Sep-2 Oct... : SPAIN, Marbella

Building upon the successes of 2004, Powerboat P1 powers off its season with the Grand Prix of Malta at the beautiful Grand Harbour Valletta Waterfront. A round-Malta race will be a major feature of the Grand Prix where the teams will gun to break the World Record created by P1 in 2004 and won by Team Thuraya. Powerboat P1 also returns to the Provincia di Roma  this time at Anzio  for the Grand Prix of Italy, the home event for many of the Italian fleet.

Included among the new events are venues that have strong powerboat traditions. The event in Germany takes place at Travemunde, a popular seaside and cultural resort on the Baltic Coast that has played host to several powerboat events over the years. This event will introduce the Powerboat P1 World Championship to one of Europes great motorsport audiences in one of the marine industrys most important markets. The British Grand Prix will move to Cowes in 2005, one of the oldest and most renowned venues in powerboat racing. 

A second race in Italy, at Gallipoli, underlines the excellent support that the Championship enjoys from Italian teams, suppliers and manufacturers, and their importance to the sport. The Grand Prix at Concise on Switzerlands beautiful Lac Neuchatel will provide the P1 teams will a different kind of race, testing their abilities and requiring technical adaptations to the boats. And the seasons finale is set for Marbella in Spain, one of Europes finest resorts.

Visit http://www.PowerboatP1.com for further information.

FREE download: http://www.powerboatp1.com/2004videoclips.ihtml#
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2)  4-stroke supply was one key to ITC decision 
 
The United States International Trade Commission has issued a 180-page report explaining its 4-2 vote earlier this month that U.S. manufacturers of outboard engines were not injured by pricing margins on Japanese imports.

The majority opinion blamed falling market share of U.S. companies primarily on their inability to meet increasing demand for 4-stroke engines, as well as to quality problems with some of the 2-stroke engines they did supply. The two dissenting commissioners, meanwhile, argued that pricing was a major factor and that this underselling caused some degree of price depression.

The majority points out that more than 30 percent of responding purchasers indicated U.S. product was inferior to the imports in regard to product consistency, product range and quality.  These commissioners found that only a small portion of the market  most notably bass boat users  exhibits a clear preference for 2-stroke direct injection engines over 4-stroke engines. They said the market share of bass boats has declined, contributing to lower demand for 2-stroke direct injection engines relative to 4-stroke engines.

During the ITCs Dec. 14 hearing, Mercury officials claimed the Outboard Marine Corp. bankruptcy in December 2000 was due in part to Japanese companies selling outboard engines at less than fair value. However, the majority of the commissioners said that was not the case. The majority commissioners go on to say the OMC bankruptcy created a significant opportunity for the remaining companies to increase market share, and expand dealer and boatbuilder networks. Mercury, however, had quality problems with its early 2-stroke direct injection OptiMax engines, they said.

Commissioners agreed that imports undersold the domestic product, more often than not, but found this did not depress or suppress domestic prices to a significant degree.
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3) Boat Racing on TV

http://www.apba-racing.com/Events.php?TV=

Friday, April 1, 2005 Time: 6:00 AM Eastern; TV The Outdoor Channel - SpeedZone - ChampBoat Series racing from Windsor, Colorado; Outboard Performance Craft  

Saturday, April 2, 2005 Time: 5:00 PM Eastern; TV The Outdoor Channel - SpeedZone - ChampBoat Series racing from Windsor, Colorado; Outboard Performance Craft  

Friday, April 15, 2005 Time: 6:00 AM Eastern; TV The Outdoor Channel - SpeedZone - ChampBoat Series racing from San Diego, California; Outboard Performance Craft  

Saturday, April 16, 2005 Time: 5:00 PM Eastern; TV The Outdoor Channel - SpeedZone - ChampBoat Series racing from San Diego, California; Outboard Performance Craft  
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4) ABRA adds more thunder to 2005 schedule

When the 2005 unlimited hydroplane season gets under way not one, but two boats will be bringing thunder to the water.  The American Boat Racing Association has announced that a new hydroplane team will compete in all eight races this season and like Ed Coopers piston-powered U-3, it is sure to make a lot of noise.

The U-7 will debut at the season opener in Evansville, powered by two supercharged big block V-8 engines and sporting a cutting-edge hull design. The boat is designed by Ron Jones Sr., one of the giants in the industry who designed the current Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison. The baot is scheduled to be piloted by Wayne Howard and Gus Foster will serve as the crew chief while Tim Shaddock will be the team manager.

With the U-7s inclusion, a minimum of eight unlimited hydroplanes are now committed to race at each of the series 2005 events.  The U-7 announcement was the biggest news to come out of this weekends meetings in Seattle between the boat owners and race sites that make up the ABRA, the new governing body of the sport.  This season, there will be eight races on the 2005 ABRA schedule including seven points races and one exhibition. The season kicks off June 24-26 in Evansville and concludes Sept. 16-18 in San Diego.

2005 ABRA Season Schedule

June 24-26 Evansville, Ind.
July 1-3 Madison, Ind.
July 8-10 Valleyfield, Que.*
July 15-17 Detroit, Mich.
July 29-31 Tri-Cities, Wash.
Aug. 5-7 Seattle, Wash.
Sept. 9-11 Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 16-18 San Diego, Calif.
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5) Putting the pink into power boat racing

Annalisa Graziano from Lynn is included in the first all-girl team to contend the 'Zapcat Racing' national powerboat championship in 2005. 

'More torque racing', based in Lynn and run by Lex Wood, are currently looking for sponsorship to back the girls on their 14-round challenge.  Tony Compson, winner of the 'city championship' and top 10 finisher in the 2004 Zapcat national championship, is training the girls who will compete in Division Two.  Tony hopes to put the girls in prime position to be this year's rookie champions. 

In excess of 80 boats are expected to be fielded this year.  The first round of this year's championship is set to be Port Rush in Northern Island in June (date to be confirmed).
Kate Kempton from Devon, Jessica Miller from Cornwall, Laetitia Breuil from Bourn-emouth and Annalisa have already been out in the boats, even flipping in large seas and high winds, off the coast of Brancaster, doesn't seem to have deterred them.  Lex Wood and Tony Compson move on to race the awesome 5.7ltr V24 series alongside the pro-vee offshore European circuit (dates to be confirmed). 

For more information, check out http://www.ukpowerboatracing.com
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6)  Jimboat writes Feature articles in HOTBOAT & F&PB magazine

"10 Smokin' Speed Secrets Revealed..." - Jimboat has new article in February 2005 HOT BOAT magazine. "If you don't want to make expensive modifications to your hull or engine setup, then here are some tips for getting the most performance from your current setup.  By Jim Russell, author of "Secrets of tunnel Boat Design" [editor-HB]
Check it out at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/adverts/HB_Feb2005.html

and Recently published...

"Winterizing your Performance Outboard" - Jimboat has new article in Jan2005 issue of Family & Performance Boating.  Check it out at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/adverts/F&PB_Jan05.html

"What a Drag" - Trim Angle & Engine Height Can Reduce Drag and Increase Speed", by Jim Russell, author of "Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design book [editor-HB].  See September 2004 issue of HOT BOAT Magazine.  Or get your own copy of the feature article at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/adverts/HotBoat_Sept2004.html

"10 Safety Tips" - The author of "Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design" offers ten safety ideas for high performance go-fast boats [editor-HB].  See August 2004 issue of HOT BOAT Magazine.  Or get your own copy of the feature article at: http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/adverts/HotBoat_August2004.html
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7) Special Boat Design book - The Elements of Boat Strength - Save 37%  

The Elements of Boat Strength - by Dave Gerr 

"Certain books, because of their thoroughness, tend to become industry standards; such is the case with Dave Gerr's latest reference volume, The Elements of Boat Strength. The book details construction methods and recommended scantling dimensions for fiberglass, wood, aluminum, steel, and composite...".  List Price: $34.95 - OUR PRICE: $22.02 (You Save 37%)  

http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/boating%20books%20discounts.html#new
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See you next time!

/Jimboat

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Note: The articles presented in TBPNews are edited excerpts from the "Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design" book, by Jim Russell, published by AeroMarine Research.  The STBD book explains the theory in full, and outlines example design calculations, step-by-step.  The "Tunnel Boat Design Program", software, does all the force calculations, dynamic force balances at all speeds, and reports the analysis automatically, including complete graphical performance results for any tunnel or modified vee hull design.
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