In the 90's feather weight hulls were thought to be the item, today it seems that the heaver hulls, set forth by Anderson/Patton/Meyers are the way to go quicker and faster.

 

Based from this picture from pro mod 115 of his Fineline pro mod airing it out and knowing how fuelers thought the same and pushed the limits of the single screw during this period of time, is it conclusive to say today…

 

Heavy Hot Pounding Fiberglass Twin Screw Nitro Drinking Fire Snorting Hydroplane are the way to  “git ur dun”?   

I dont know the real answer. but my dad always said in a fuel boat heavier the better, his thought was the heavier you can make it the more load it will keep on the motor, the more load on the motor the more power and less chance of dropping a cyl.

---

NOTHING TURNS ME ON LIKE NITRO AND DIRTY STRIPPERS I LOVE THOSE STRIPPERS

CAPSULES WHO NEEDS THEM

I think it's more like the ability to stay together at speed and rough water. Although I concur to a certain degree that the weight could help with loading the motor. This can also be achieved through gear/prop combinations. I do know this, the cars guy's spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the absolute lightest things they can get their hands on. weight & mass x acceleration. Getting back to areo or aquadynamics. There is probably a lot more left on the table than we will ever figure out.

Eddie thanks for your input, aquadynamics... great pun on words!!!

All we need is $$$$$$$$$$$.

Padgett, if you and pops ever feel like puttin that trucking sticker on the side of a hydro let me know. Speaking of which, we could sure use a transporter and a driver.

---

Eddie Knox Racing

I'll take a stab at this.  I think Hydro refers to hydroplane.  And from the best of my knowledge “hydros” have a ride plate attached to each sponson to lift the boat at speeds.  While some do trap air I think the plate enable the proper angle so that they can trap air.  So going by this it might just mean that any boat with two plates might be considered a hydro.  So that is how the Outriggers are still considered a Hydro.  There are several different types of hydro hull out there.  I have no clue how many but they all are a little different.

I cant really speak for other race cars but TF dragsters have a weight limit w/driver and they are also limited to rear spoiler angle. The amount of tire spin is absorbed thru clutch managment.

---

Sean Barnes
Physi-COLE ATTRACTION
BLOWN ALCOHOL FLAT
TAF/316
Canyon Boats
TAF 535

An outrigger is basically just a hydro with no wing(airtrap).They could be made lighter,as they are less affected by airflow. The first couple that I have built are overkill(3000+wet),There is alot of room for weight savings. Also the complaints I have gotten from engine tuners is,the boat is too efficient so we can't keep 8 lit. This tells me an outrigger could stand more gear and prop(load). This has been a HUGE learning curve, fuel boats are strange beasts. I applaud all those that can get one down the track.

By definition, a hydroplane is a motorboat that has been designed to skim long the surface of water.

 

 

          Here it comes BARNES!

   (Non contact torque sensor)...OK... Like D. E. said if it floats its a boat..if it has sponsons its a hydro!...Im not speaking for D.E. because his boat was designed after the Radio control boats which are more of a true Outrigger. I built mine to my own specs because I knew they would be a hard sell, the first person ever get a look at my idea on paper was Harold Kindsvauter and he tore it apart.

  The sponsons shoes and gliders are almost the same as (Wolfies) just a little longer...they measure the same distance over the top as the bottom...equal area so I consider them neutral as for lift. On a run the boat rides on the shoes, very little but on the shoes. The Big advantage D.E.s boat and the BULLET have over the Barndoors is.... (They spill air and are a lot more forgiving in case of big problems).... like breaking a prop shaft off at 250 plus unloading and returning to the water to race again. Or the rudder going full left, putting the boat 90 degrees to the coarse and not crashing...Luck is a factor but show me any other boat that has gotten away with any of these stunts and not crashed. It seams as though everything that could happen has happened to the BULLET, Daryls in the seat driving and Dennis throwing money at it, and its always their at the end of the day for the finals.

   TEAM...DRIVER...BIG D...OUTRIGGER...if it floats its a boat nothing special just a hydro!

   

Wildside lost strut and prop shaft on a 246, 4.77 run in Phoenix '01, ended up on the beach but stayed straight.

Regarding the non contact torque sensor / magnetic brakes, if keeping the motor loaded really is a problem for TF boats, and the same clutch setup that’s used on cars doesn’t work in boats, then the torque sensor and magnetic brakes would be a solution (certainly not the only one).  Its the first thing I think of because that’s my professional background (electrical / computer engineering), although now I play with planes.

If you want to see something similar to what I was thinking about, do an internet search for 'Futek t5400'.

It is rated to 10000 in/lbs of torque...  I haven’t done enough research to say this is what would work, but the interface/design is similar.

The output of the sensor (voltage) is read by a micro computer which in turn controls the magnetic brake (by limiting the power applied to the magnets).  You could put one brake on the driveshaft (next to the torque sensor) or maybe on the output of the w-drive (or wherever there is room).

There are probably a ton of ways to do something like this, I was trying to think of a way to remove the mechanical interfaces so parts wouldn’t wear out.

Of course, if this isn’t a problem, then consider this just an academic exercise.

if you ever need a drive i am sure we could work out that padgett sticker on the side