TBPNews #83 - July 7, 2005~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News >>>>>>>>>>>>>> (now over 6000 members!)
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In this issue: 
1) "Grow Boating" $urcharge kicks in
2) FEATURE - Allison family marks 50 years of speed on the water
3) Brunswick Acquires Triton Boats 
4) Steve Curtis - Sporting Legend. Its Official! 
5) Suzuki forms boatbuilder group
6) Boating magazine revs up a full-throttle spinoff 
7) Jimboat writes Feature articles in HOTBOAT & F&PB magazines
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1) "Grow Boating" $urcharge kicks in

Manufacturers are on schedule to begin adding a surcharge to outboard and inboard/sterndrive engines effective July 1, 2005, to finance the Grow Boating Initiative. 

Apparently, all of the major engine makers are on board.  Engine makers will serve as a collection point for a NMMA surcharge that ranges from $1 per engine under 5 hp to $72 for sterndrive engines over 200 hp and inboard engines over 300 hp.

The funding program is expected to raise about $12 million to $14 million for an advertising campaign that will begin in 2006, as well as other programs to help dealers and manufacturers increase boating participation. The initiative stems from an October 2003 meeting of industry leaders, who then formed five separate task forces to address the marine industrys declining share of the recreational market. The task forces unveiled their plans during the Miami International Boat Show in February.

Bottom line...we can expect to pay more for boat engines.
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2) FEATURE - Allison family marks 50 years of speed on the water

From the time Edward Allison raced steamboats in 1915 to today's sleek and speedy racing, sport and bass boats, the Allison family has had boat racing in its blood. The company has come far. And it will mark that journey with a 50th anniversary celebration June 18 at Louisville Point Park, where a boat parade, music, food and boat show are planned. 

Edward Allison, the first to compete on the water, raced steamboats equipped with a flat-bottomed barge and motorcycle engines and ran at 12 mph, according to his son, Paul Allison.  Paul Allison put his boat-building hobby to work in 1955 when he made a wooden craft that "outran all other boats."  The family's interest in boat-making has continued for five decades, making Allison a recognized brand among boating enthusiasts and making the company one of the top independent boat makers in the area. Darris Allison, Paul Allison's son, helped his father build that first plywood racing vessel by installing the wooden screws.  

Allison Boats began when Paul Allison, now 80 and retired, built the wooden boat with then 8-year-old Darris. Paul Allison went into the boating business full time in Alcoa in 1958, making racing boats and competing whenever he could. He expanded to a Maryville building in 1962 and moved to another location in Maryville in 1963 and then moved to Friendsville in 1974. He retired from the business in 1977 and the operations were combined in Louisville, Tenn., where his son, Darris, was operating the family's boat business. Paul Allison and his wife, Lucille, now run Allison's Catfish Restaurant in Friendsville. 

Building at a fast pace Darris Allison, 58, now president of Allison Boats, built his first fiberglass fishing boat from a wrecked racing boat his father gave him in 1961 when he was 14 years old. He started his own business at same location as his father's business in Alcoa in 1961, He expanded to a larger building in Maryville in 1963, then moved to Louisville to be on Fort Loudoun Lake in 1969, where he remains today. 

"We had the first boat to break 60-mph, 70-mph, 80-mph, 90-mph, 100-mph, and 120-mph records," Darris Allison said. "We still hold the record for the world's fastest production outboard boat at 129 mph. We also hold the world's fastest bass boat record at 115 mph." Glenn Reynolds, a Harriman marina owner, set the 129-mph record in 1987 in an Allison XR 2002 racer on Fort Loudoun Lake, Darris Allison said. 

Racing boats aren't the only models built for speed. Bass boats are, too. It used to be that bass boats would line up and blast off at the start of a tournament to be the first to claim a favored fishing spot. Bass boats are now made faster for the competitive world fishing tournaments. Those fishing can cover a bigger area with a faster boat, Darris Allison said. 

The Allisons take credit for several "revolutionary" innovations in boating. Three main ones are the cupped or curled propeller, which makes the boat more efficient and faster; the pad V hull, where the bottom of the boat is shaped in a V before flattening across the bottom, allowing the boat to run faster; and the engine trim, which allows the boater to tilt the engine while the craft is under way for a more efficient ride. Allison also developed the first stabilizer wing on a boat, which stabilizes boats traveling at high speeds. Allison Boats holds many patents on innovations from hull design to propeller configuration. 

Growing the family business The Allisons are in the middle of an expansion - enlarging their 50,000-square-foot facility by 8,000 square feet to be completed this summer. They expect to double their 15-employee work force. The company declined to give revenue numbers. The expansion will accommodate the manufacture of larger boats - from 15-footers to 21-footers. The company builds about 100 boats a year and expects that to increase to about 250 annually with the expansion. 
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3)Brunswick Acquires Triton Boats 
 
Brunswick Corporation announced that it has acquired Triton Boat Company, L.P., a leading producer of fiberglass bass and saltwater and aluminum fishing boats.

Earl Bentz, Triton's founder, will continue as president of the division.  In addition, Bentz will become a Brunswick spokesperson concerning fishing activities, dealer development and alignment, and industry matters.  He will also provide advice and assistance in product development for fishing product, reporting to McCoy.  Long a leader and an innovator within the Boating community, Earl began his marine career more than 30 years ago as a race boat driver for Brunswick's Mercury Marine Group. Triton employs approximately 600 people, makes boats ranging from 12 to 35 feet, and has sales approximately $156 million in 2004.
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4) Steve Curtis  Sporting Legend. Its Official! 

Sunday Times (June 5, 2005) confirmed what all those within the close family of powerboat racing have long believed  that Steve Curtis, six times Class 1 World Powerboat Champion, is a motor sport legend!   
 
In association with Sky One entitled The Worlds Greatest Sporting Legends produced a top ten motor sport offering penned by Richard Rae, the Sunday Times Formula One correspondent.  Curtis name appeared in tenth place amongst the likes of Jackie Stewart, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher; a huge honour for Curtis who had no idea of this compilation. 

Indeed when Curtis is not racing his own 2000hp,170mph boat in the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, he is busy managing the largest offshore powerboat series in the world, the Honda Formula 4-Stroke Series. Curtis has been hugely instrumental in expanding this cost-effective and highly competitive area of the sport in an effort to encourage the man in the street to experience the thrill of powerboat racing.  Steve Curtis can be seen in action racing his Class 1 powerboat Hydrolift at the Honda British Grand Prix at Plymouth on 15/16/17 July.  The Honda Formula 4-Stroke series will also be in action as the support package to the Grand Prix. 
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5)Suzuki forms boatbuilder group

In a move it says is designed to keep pace with a growing boatbuilder customer base, Suzuki Marine has created a corporate business group solely dedicated to boatbuilders.

Gus Blakely, a 14-year veteran of Suzuki who has long been involved with its pre-rig program for boatbuilders, has been promoted to lead the new business group as its manager.  Suzuki Marines 4-stroke outboard sales to boatbuilders have doubled in 2004, over calendar year 2003.
Suzuki attributes the sales increase to continued introduction of state-of-the-art, high technology, 4-stroke outboards. The companys newest additions to the 2006 model year lineup  which ranges from 2.5-hp to 250-hp  are the Big Block DF150 and DF175 outboard motors. 
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6)Boating magazine revs up a full-throttle spinoff 

A new magazine catering to high-performance boating, Speedboat  Life at Full Throttle  will debut July 5.  

Published by Hachette Filipacchi Media, Speedboat magazine will showcase reviews, trends and new products in high-performance boating. The magazine is a spinoff of Boating magazine. About 30,000 copies of the new title will be sent to Boating subscribers, and an additional 50,000 copies will be distributed on newsstands.  Eric Colby, Boatings senior technical writer, will be Speedboats editor in chief, and Wade Luce, vice president/publisher of Boating, will fulfill the same roles for Speedboat. 
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7) Jimboat writes Feature articles in HOTBOAT & F&PB magazines

*** NEW *** 
Jimboat writes Feature article in Family & Performance Boating magazine.  'The Bottom Line'-"Why does a Pad make a vee Hull faster?" is the FEATURE in the F&PB September 2005 issue.
Get your copy of the full article at:
http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/adverts/F&PB_Sept2005.html
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and Recently published...

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

"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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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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