New Jet Hull for speeds of 170 mph Plus?

[Jet Boat Guy]

Jet boat hull technology has not kept up with the engine power of today's engines. Today in drag boat racing there is little reason for newcomers to enter the sport in the Fuel Jet or Pro Gas classes. In the late 1960's these classes were some of the most exciting classes to watch. As engines began to make more power the hulls simply could not handle the power and fatal crashes almost destroyed the sport. V hulls were banned because they chine walked and got real squirrely above 90 mph. Gull Wing hulls like the TX -19 Youngblood were introduced and solved the problem up to about 100 mph. The Earle Smith 16 ft.Texas Tunnel came along and solved the problem up to 110 mph but if the engine quit at that speed, the driver often was ejected over the deck or the boat hooked and threw the driver over, or through, the side of the boat. In the fuel classes, along came the Southwind hull, that pushed the envelope up to 140 mph fairly safely. The big problem with this boat was it needed tons of horsepower to go fast. In the mid 1970's Roger Weiman decided to solve the problem of accidents and built the Rogers Dragster. None ever showed at tendency to hook or blow over, and none ever crashed to my knowledge. He and a friend with a good engine got together and built a shallow runner bottom tunnel boat that ran 150 mph totally safely. Others took notice and Freddy Bray built his Rogers Dragstar called "Gotta Go". It would totally destroy a Placecraft in the quarter mile. However there was a big problem. The drag boat races, at that time, did not have the current starting system they have today. They just had m.p.h. timers and could not record E.T. Qualifying was based on mph not E.T. and the Rogers hull was a couple miles per hour slower than the Placecraft, which had a deeper tunnel hull and narrower keel with less parasitic drag at high speed.. This meant Freddy could not qualify, even though he routinely beat all the Placecrafts to the finish line! This was because the Rogers boat had a much better holeshot due to the flatter bottom which produced more hydraulic lift and planed much faster. This discouraged Freddy and he built a Placecraft which was also called "Gotta Go". Eliminator then developed the 19ft Daytona and pumped speeds up to 115 mph, but blow overs became such a big problem they were seldom used in blown fuel classes. By the 1990's power developed further and Eliminators, and Cheyennes were blowing over constantly. I had two close friends in Pro Gas Jet killed and over half the 16 boats in the class blew over in the following two years. On the Fuel Jet side, Placecrafts were also crashing right and left. Ray Lumbert hooked and crashed twice in the same year. Rusty Young crashed, Rich Bitch crashed, Jerry Wallace crashed. In a span of a couple of years five drivers were dead and the jet boat classes were almost gone. More recently Tom Papp redesigned his Steath hull. It was a "take off" of the Cheyenne, to reduce blow overs, although it helped a little, the blow overs have continued. Today, safety ratchets and capsules in jet boats have reduced deaths and saved the sport, but the hulls have a long way to go. It has been rumored a fellow in Illinois is redesigning the bottom of the Rogers Drag Star to reduce drag and increase the top end, which should allow this hull to run 170 mph safely. The boats shallow tunnels, narrow sponsons, and banana shaped keel reduce lift and the tendency to hook. I believe this could be the salvation of the sport and have my fingers crossed. Attached is a photograph of the old Rogers Dragstar which was modified and is the foundation for the new hull design. In this photo the boat ran 150 MPH and ran a 7.42 e.t. on just alcohol. Click on thumbnail below to enlarge photo.

[Charger200]

nice first post.

[Jet Boat Guy]

Nice boat!

[Tom@JBP]

Good information Welcome ! Tom

[Jet Boat Guy]

Thanks, Tom

[Old fiberglass]

Jet Boat Guy, sounds like you have been around jet boat racing for a long time. Do you currently race ??

[sleekcrafter]

The PlaceCraft has been north of 186 mph 6.69 and had even ran faster mph during testing. Most of this was pre 1993 well before the advent of onboard data collection. Going fast in the placecraft was not the issue, it was losing a motor, and or shut down. Ralph Mills, and Donny Lebon, will be back in the game soon, as is Dan Kirkman, should be exiting to see these guys back in action.

[Jet Boat Guy]

Not to much lately. Owned a Rogers Dragstar Top Fuel Jet, on alcohol only, several years back. I had been helping Frank Nagore with his Top Fuel Jet, to a small extent, until just before his Tom Papps "Edge" blew over and seriously injured him. That boat had my old Brad Anderson Hemi and the safety capsule: out of my old Rogers Dragstar, that was built by Advantage Boats. I have been working with the new owners of my old Company, ARS Marine, developing a new Top Fuel Jet that will have little tendency to hook, barrel roll or blow over as Franks "Blue Thunder" did. It is a modified Rogers Dragstar built in a original Rogers mold with inserts we designed to step and narrow the keel for added MPH. The new boat made its first trip to the lake last month at the St. Louis Drag Boats Associations race at New Athens, IL. Using a almost stock Chevy LS6, we managed to win our first race with the new hull! We have named the new hull design the Chi Town Dragstar. It ran 12.31 and 80 MPH in the River Racer Class, but with some dialing-in it will easily run in the 11 second range. The boat "hole shoted" every boat we raced by up to two boat lengths.

This boat was strictly designed to prevent jet boat crashes, when the engine quits or the wind gusts at high speeds. It makes a very safe and quick bracket boat and has the classic Rogers look. The inspiration for the new design was Franks crash, along with Rogers death last year. We dedicated this first win to Roger, who was far ahead of his time and a inspiration to myself and many others. He was truly a real pioneer of his time! This winter we are building the first new Fuel Jet which we hope will be completed this up-coming summer. Attached are a few photos from the race. The boat was driven by George Pataki the current owner of ARS MARINE.

[user]

Very Nice looking boat Who is building the hull?

[Jet Boat Guy]

The boat is being built by ARS Marine in Morris IL. The first boat was built 2 months ago and on its first trip to water at the St. louis Dragboat Association in New Athens IL. It won the river racer class. It ran 80 MPH with a stock 454. With a little dialing in it will go faster! ARS in on the internet. The hull was made from the original Rogers mold with inserts to narrow and step the keel. It is called The Chi Town Tunnel.

[mirage243]

Hate to break the bad news to you and all the S&F family, but................................................I'm screaming BULL SH*T to the top of my lungs.

[the Shocker]

Hate to break the bad news to you and all the S&F family, but................................................I'm screaming BULL SH*T to the top of my lungs.

LOL,nice! i shur wish i could of ran the SLDBA this year! After taking a 2nd place in lake racer class last year in my bass boat and missing races,Dam i could of taken a 1st this past season.

[Jet Boat Guy]

Here are pictures from the race at SLDBA

[jphii]

OK, is this a 170mph jet boat or an 80 mph jet boat? Title says 170 and I'll call bull**** on that too. 80 sounds about right....

[Jet Boat Guy]

The new capsuled boat is being built right now. It will have a 3000 hp Brad Anderson blown, injected, 526, all aluminum hemi. Not 480 hp like the one that went 80mph! The heavy prototype boat ran 151MPH. I guess we will see next spring at Firebird if it will go 170! I do not think it will the first time out.