Australian Bullet's

[Oz Dude]

Look forward to the pics - good luck with the project!

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Hey Guys, Can any1 give me some History about an Aussie 1650 Bullet called "Azatak"? Im pretty sure it was Yellow n White. I know it Has been raced since 1982 in the Southern 80 but just want some more history about the boat and Pics if possible?
Cheers Boyz

[TroyWoodF1]

olmo40, We are located in Brisbane and are the local Merc hp
Dealers. We have full rig and machine and glass shop as well.
If you need any assistance please feel free to call. We specialize
in Formula 1 and Ski Race Boats and we also have a powerhead Dyno!!
0400 016017. cheers Troy

[olmo40]

Thanks Troy !!!. I will see how we end up.

[shook]

Ya'll got some good looking rides downunder, just wanted to say hello and keep hauling!!!!!!
Shook
shookboat.net

[Oz Dude]

Hey Shook - thanks for the props dude!

You're welcome on our little Island any day :)

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Does any1 Know any good Fibreglass Repairers in Sydney? My Transom has the white flag out and decided to retire :(

[Oz Dude]

Hey Matra.

The only guys I'd trust are Fibreglass Repairs out at Riverstone. Ph: 9627 4622.

They did an awesome job with my boat. Reglassed the transom, foma filled and reglasssed my swim platforms, joined them to the boat, added a bulkhead for a watertight compartment in the nose, and relayed the floor. Every part of the job was beyond excellent.

They are the quiet achievers when it comes to boats. Notable hulls that have seen service there include Greg Houston's Connely "Stinga" which had the bow taken out from underneath and refinished to new, and Brett Lurhman's "The Gun" which had leaking in floor fuel tanks that had to be cut out and redone. Full new floor in that one and you wouldn't know it had ever been touched.

The guy who runs it is called Auker (pronounced Ocker) and he's a great bloke. I can't speak highly enough about them with the work they did on my boat.

Go forth and glass my son :)

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Hi guys, i just picked up a 1750 bullet and have added a 175hp Evinrude 21' prop. i want to get some speed out of it but am having trouble finding a larger prop to run, all the props advertised are for mercury. will a mercury race prop fit? where does anyone with Evinrude go for props without spending crazy money on new stuff

[jarrahtin]

picked up the hull and trailer on the cheap, rewired and dropped on a 175hp evinrude, cant wait to test out on the hawkesbury river

[Oz Dude]

jarrahtin - that looks nice and tidy - well done!

I personally am not sure about Merc props on Evinrudes but if you look around the boards here there will be plenty of information on it.

Let me know when you're gonna dip you new play toy in the water and I'll come down to the river. Are you new to chine walking or a previous Bullet owner??

Cheers,
Oz

[jarrahtin]

i'v been around boats and always wanted a bullet but held off till i could afford to get the new shape. used to race when i was young but i was the skier. we had a Haines hunter 1800SO with a 2.4L (very heavy ) but would eat up the rough races. i have friends with an 18 ft bullet called Peter Pan, a black and yellow thing. looks great sitting on the motor at top speed

[Oz Dude]

Bullets Rock - that is so true on so many levels :)

Is yours a lightweight?

Oz

[jarrahtin]

yes, lightweight, 110L tank in the rear, soon to have outrigger steering
i dont have a low water pickup so i will be limited to the hight of the motor but i would still like to beat my step brothers connelly of 75 miles thats my aim....

[Oz Dude]

Yeah - get some proper steering on that thing before you go ripping down the river. Remember, the open bit stay pointing toward the sky :)

Not sure what your rev limit or gearbox ratio is but assuming 6,000rpm and 1.75:1 box, you're gonna need a 25P or better to rip it up your step bro. That 175 is gonna be working it's azz off!

Oz

[jarrahtin]

thats why i am looking for a 26' to try but i have only come across merc so far :nonod:
also dont get it..... what points to the sky??

[Oz Dude]

The cockpit (the open bit). I've seen a few get pretty wild over the years. Last thing you want to do is have the bottom bit pointing up and the top bit pointing down :)

If the Merc props do fit (I really don't know - sorry) then I have a few you could try.

Oz

[jarrahtin]

i'll have a look around and do some research. if merc's do fit it would be good as they are everywhere. i'll be in touch cause if they fit it might be good to try yours so i know the best one to get

[jarrahtin]

if i had the choice i prob would have gone merc but i picked this motor up for $1000 with even 120PSI. so cant complain

[Oz Dude]

Well I've got:
21P Quicksilver (Big Hub)
23P Laser II (Big Hub)
24P Laser II (Small Hub)
26P TE Cleaver
26P Mazco Solid Hub
28P Trophy Plus

It's really gonna come down to how hard you wanna push that Rude.

Also, as you have been a skier in a past life, you're always welcome to come along for a training run with us either looking backwards or hangin on.

Oz

[Oz Dude]

if i had the choice i prob would have gone merc but i picked this motor up for $1000 with even 120PSI. so cant complain

It's a good starting point. You can always grab a Merc bargain when one presents itself. While I love my 3 Litre on mine, it is also a bit heavy. The lightweight 1750's are better balanced with a 2.5.

Oz

[jarrahtin]

OOO where do you guys ski from, i have a van up on the hawkesbury, Lower portland and unfortunatly i dont get to use it as much as i want (sometimes it gets hard to get a crew)

[Oz Dude]

We ski out of Pitt Town and I'm just up the road from Cliftonville. One of my guys also has a place at Lower Portland.

You sir will be playing in our back yard :)

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Do you know what used to be "Souths Juniors" we are the park next to that some know it as "childs play" others know it as "Newells Ski Park"

[jarrahtin]

we will be heading up at easter for the break if not sooner. keep an eye out

[olmo40]

Hi guys, i just picked up a 1750 bullet and have added a 175hp Evinrude 21' prop. i want to get some speed out of it but am having trouble finding a larger prop to run, all the props advertised are for mercury. will a mercury race prop fit? where does anyone with Evinrude go for props without spending crazy money on new stuff

Re the prop check your splines, 13 i think on that sucker ,then go to Ebay USA ,there are stacks of cheap props for sale .:thumbsup:

[spirit5.6]

Re the prop check your splines, 13 i think on that sucker ,then go to Ebay USA ,there are stacks of cheap props for sale .:thumbsup:

Im in Melbourne and have a 27 Shooter balanced and blueprinted you can buy if you like. Good all round OMC prop.
Dave G.

[17_Matra_Missile]

For a 1650 Light Weight Bullet with a 2.5l Merc With port work and a CLE, What prop would be a good allrounder?
Cheers

[jarrahtin]

Im in Melbourne and have a 27 Shooter balanced and blueprinted you can buy if you like. Good all round OMC prop.
Dave G.

i have a 175hp, do you think it will spin it ok? how much?

its a 15 spline..... Does anyone know if a merc prop will fit? does anyone run an evinrude with a merc prop?

[17_Matra_Missile]

Another Pic of my Bullet ( Sorry for not shutting up on this forum but i love Bullets lol)http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=251&pictureid=2523

[Oz Dude]

Matra - step up over the side dude - you're gonna sink the poor little thing :)

Did you sort out your transom??

Oz

[jarrahtin]

You'd want to hope you automatic bilge is left on cause by the looks of it even a tinny would swamp the back

[17_Matra_Missile]

Oz Dude - LOL She LOVES it! Haha

Yep i pick it up on thursday, Turns out i was over exadurating and it was just a little over powered, These poor little light weights dont like motors over 200hp! That problem is now in the past! lol! :D

[Oz Dude]

Who'd you end up getting to do the work on your boat??

Most Bullets are only butt jointed at the transom which over time just gets weaker and weaker. My transom is now fully glassed over onto the deck and I have an extra couple of layers of glass on the floow lapped up onto the transom inside. THe back of mine ain't fallin off any time soon :)

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Haha, A mate of my farthers is doing the job, Ben fibreglassing n working with alloy for the past 28yrs so im pretty confident in him

I just want it back out on the water!!! lol

And i also need a prop if u know any1 selling one, Preferably 28p+ Cleaver or chopper.
Cheers

[Oz Dude]

I thought Bullet 1650 had a 28P Cleaver for sale...

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Ive waited too long n missed out i think.
Im also after an Offshore Midsection aswell
Cheers

[Bullet 1650]

I had a 30 TE cleaver and it sold recently. Also had an offshore midsection i just sold. You just missed out on both unfortunately.

I do have a 28 Yamaha and a 32 Mazco RE3, both in perfect condition. Anyone interested PM me.

Come to think of it i know someone with a 28 or 30 (i forget which pitch) TE cleaver copy. It has been used maybe 3 times max. If your interested in that PM me and ill get his details to you. Takes a flo-torque hub so will fit anything.

Cheers

Adam

[Oz Dude]

Hey Adam,

Thanks for chiming in - knew you'd be here somewhere :)

Glad to here you found a home for the TE. I would have like it but I bought 3 props over Christmas and the boat budget bank book copped a bit too much damage !

From what I heard last night, there might be a couple of more guys looking around for 3L mid sections after the weekend. Boats don't look there best when flinging gearboxes at skiers :eek:

Oz

[Bullet 1650]

Oz,

When you coming down for a blast on the Georges? I'll organise a few Bullets etc to come along, makes for a good day.

Adam

[17_Matra_Missile]

Hey Adam, I seen u out on Sunday With the River Rocket and the Bullet, They Alll loot awesome but ur STV Sets it off! How was the day?

[Bullet 1650]

Matra - Day was alright a bit choppy from the wind / other boats. Best boating is mid week or early Saturday morning.

I dont think i saw you, what boat were you in? Where you up near deepwater?

[Oz Dude]

Adam,

We will definitely organise something for sure. Have been a bit side tracked lately and last night was the first time I touched the boat in weeks. Got a few little things I need to tidy up, etc but it's getting there.

We're going for a training run on the Hawkesbury on Friday (weather permitting) so that'll give it a chance to stretch out for a while. Although I must admit, I'm getting less keen by the day. Rain = debris!

How's your STV going??

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Adam - I was at the races (Deepwater0 Watching on the banks. How is ur STV going?

[Bullet 1650]

OZ / Matra,

STV is going great, fast enough yet doubles as a comfortable social boat. Combined with the reliability / efficiency of the Etec i have no complaints. Been playing with setup a bit lately trying different props etc. Most the time i have been running the Trophy on it as it carries a boat full of mates / esky very well.

Ran into the high 90's with my Mazco, going to try ET's next (3 and 4 blade). Limited on engine height due to no LWP, running below the pad for now. Would be nice to hit 100 with a totally stock green motor.

Was planning on going out Friday afternoon, but worried about all the crap floating in the river due to this rain lately. Will have to organise a day out there soon

[Oz Dude]

Adam - I must admit the more I think about logs the less keen I am about Friday. I'll be interested to hear how ou go with the 4 blade ET. I'd really like to try one on mine to see if it worked.

One of the boats at Cliftonville last Sunday threw an entire gearbox at one of their skiers and they don't think they hit anything (although they had thrown an ear off a prop in an earlier race so the 2 could be linked).

I don't need to be wondering why I'm revving but not going anywhere!

Oz

[jarrahtin]

i dont have a Low water pickup on my gearbox, however i would like to raise as far as i can....... does the whole water pickup need to be below the running plane or can i go higher, your prob all running LWP's being extreme speed chasers........

also OZ Dude - did you get any photos worth posting from the weekend

[Oz Dude]

jarrah - I uploaded em to my computer last night. Have to have a closer look at them though. I didn't notice but one of the settings on my camera was off so there mightn't be many worth showing :mad:

I didn't have LWP on my old motor and we used to run 1" below the pad but I don't know how the pickups are situated on your Rude. If they're similar to a 3L Merc then you'll be fine...

Oz

[jarrahtin]

just to clarify... thats the prop shaft 1'' below pad???

[Oz Dude]

Yup.

Oz

[jarrahtin]

wow, thats heaps higher than i thought, thats cool, that with a 27 shooter should go well. is there an advantage of a jacking plate other than the ability to raise above standard holes????

did you get any photos of the "exploding gearbox"???

[Oz Dude]

I'd left before "gearboxo explodo" but one of the guys who skis with me told me last night that it landed 20ft in front of one of the skiers :eek:

Jackplate - if it's mechanical then it's only there to provide you with extra height and locked off where you need it. My old setup was like this and it's a compromise between top end and holeshot. If it's hydraulic then you have 80mm of vertical travel that you can play with. I've found different props like the motor at different heights and also different speeds = different heights for the "sweet spot". I started off making big adjustments becasue I couldn't see anything under 20mm adjustment making "that" much difference. WRONG! I played with one prop in 3mm adjustments up and down for about 20 min during one run until I found it's happy spot. All of a sudden the boat was more balanced around bends and required less input to keep out of the walking. Of course the downside to a hydraulic setup is more weight hanging off the back of an already ass-heavy boat...

Oz

[jarrahtin]

true that, from what i can see with mine everything is in the back.....
i am having friday off to finish the sterring and put everything back in the boat, so with a bit if luck and weather permitting i will be up the hawkesbury on Sunday for the initial test :):):):thumbsup::thumbsup::D.

oh yes, you see right - thats 3x smily's, 2x thumbs up and 1 cheezy grin.... cant wait...

[Oz Dude]

Did you need a hand with anything?? I'm around until about 3 or 4 on Sat and probably most of Sun. Happy to help...

:cheers: :cool: :D :cool: :cheers:

Oz

[jarrahtin]

i'll keep that in mind, cheers,

Were you towing your 1750 Rager with a red ute on sat cause i think i past you comming back from the river.....

[jarrahtin]

Jackeplates also alow for more setback which will allow you to run your motor higher without loosing water pressure.

Good to know, i'll keep that in mind during testing

[Oz Dude]

i'll keep that in mind, cheers,

Were you towing your 1750 Rager with a red ute on sat cause i think i past you comming back from the river.....

No, that would've been "Raging Bull". It lives in my area but is a Lab.

With regard to Jackplates, the biggest plate you will be able to run will be a 4"setback but if you're going mechanical then I would suggest sticking to 2" only.

These boats are just too back end heavy (with lightweight transoms) to be hanging that motor too far out the back.

Oz

[olmo40]

These are my test posts ,I a week or so i will have the complete Twin side ram gallery and hopefully some running shots of the 1850
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Octek/LOCALS%7E1
/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpgfile:///C:
/DOCUME%7E1/Octek/LOCALS%7E1/
Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpgfile://
/C:/DOCUME%7E1/Octek/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpghttp://i40.tinypic.com/2hq6vye.jpghttp://i42.tinypic.com/ok9bo9.jpghttp:http://i40.tinypic.com/2hq6vye.jpg//i39.tinypic.com/2evcfg5.jpghttp://i43.tinypic.com/zwnewm.jpghttp://i43.tinypic.com/23seqlk.jpghttp://i44.tinypic.com/98bypy.jpghttp://i40.tinypic.com/20qhs1c.jpg

Ok I know these are not great,But im am a virgin photo poster ,who has been under the deck of that boat glassing the hull and deck together ,plus i threw myself out of a 10ft tinnie at 40mph .All is good im still laughing from watching the 'Castle 'on tv last night ,probably old news to you guys !!!!STANDBY .Just to re cap have added Bobs 6 inch hydraulic jack plate and dual ram Hydraulic steering is in the post ,We hit 82Mph with a 29 Tempast with no engine height when we last ran.1850 Bullet with stock 200 Efi LWP.

[Oz Dude]

Olmo - :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, go back into your post and hit the "Enter" key after every IMG code description. That will get all of the pics to fiit under each other instead of how they are now. You also need to fix a broken link or 2 but you're getting there :thumbsup:

So, you watched The Castle last night. Welcome to Oztraylya my friend :cheers:

I was actually thinking that film should be mandated viewing for any of our USA friends as it gives a funny but somewhat strangely accurate pictorial of average suburban life in Oz :D I'm gonna get nailed for that comment :leaving:

With regards to the Bullet, nice work you got goin on there so far. I like the entry point for the cables in the well. Very unusual as most Bullets run em at the front. Try and seal that as good as you can because the wells in Bullets always fill up at rest and you will get some ingress through there (that's why they're normally at the fornt and mounted high up). Same goes for the steering lines. Seal, seal, seal!

And just to keep you smiling - How much does he want for it??? $600... Tell him he's dreamin...

Oz

[olmo40]

Thanks for the posting tips Master !!!
Yeah i dont like the low entry points either ,Just wait till you see the new pics.There was acompromise between repairing and using existing holes.The low entry points are now the jacking plate hoses and sealed ,steering as you suggest will be higher up the well.

Ahhhhhhhh the Serenity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Oz Dude]

Bugger the serenity - fix the screen!!!!

Each post is 48feet wide :p

Oh, and "Tell to get stuffed" - Did you need an interpreter for any of it?? hehe

Oz

[olmo40]

Didnt know you were serious , is that better Master ????

[powerabout]

I think there is 3 companies at present in Australia making Bullets of various qualities. Thats why so many blokes buy back their old original hulls, made by the original Bullet Boat Co.
I think there is a civil or criminal negligent case up north at present due to injuries occuring in a relatively new boat.
Rigging a 5 out of 10, yeah, I know what you mean! If it is hidden it is good.
Good luck. Oh, Kim Bull down here in Vic has a brand new 27 or 29 TE Cleavor if you need one, Don has his number!

So when did the Bullet Boat co stop making boats?

[woodduck]

The original Bullet Boat Co, think the guy lived around Moorabin somewhere. I think I got a ski pole off him in the late eighties or very early nineties. Isn't there a story about the molds going to asia, some of them anyway. Then they all headed north. Almost sounds like an everingham story!

[17_Matra_Missile]

I Heard they sold to Asia and Australia recently bought back and are now building up in Queensland.
Not sure how true it is tho

[powerabout]

Ok I live in Asia so where do I look?
Dont tell me Everingham met them same fate???
Sounds like its all gone to sh1t on a shovel since I left OZ
in the 80's

[jarrahtin]

Yeah, bullets were coming out of asia somwhere (same as connelly and a couple of others as it was half the price to produce the hulls in asia), not perfect with the details, but back in the 80's sometime, a big group of asian workers were trained up to make the hulls and one day they were all heading to work on their company work bus when it crashed and they all died. thats why the 80's were a big time for bullets, they were what force is now (the next biggest thing at the time)

thats what i heard anyway.........

[Oz Dude]

Didnt know you were serious , is that better Master ????

haha - no! :rolleyes:

Bring up your post as an edit. Where you have 2 pics side by side, click the screen between the pics and press "Enter" so that the second pic moves underneath the first. That will bring the thread back to a more normal width.

C'mon you can't keep blaming "fiberglass brain fade" :p

EDIT - never mind - it's back to normal now :)

Oz

[Oz Dude]

a big group of asian workers were trained up to make the hulls and one day they were all heading to work on their company work bus when it crashed and they all died.

Ok - I'm calling conspiracy :D


I can remember going to boat shows and looking at boats like Kaos for $16K in basic format (plus power). Boats are now way over priced. I know the cost of labour and materials has gone up but $70K for a 19 Foot anything (regardless of "name") is ridiculous!

With the Connelly Hulls - I saw one about 18months ago - brand new (but I don't know which company it came from) at the repair shop because the deck was full of bubbles and the boat hadn't even been wet!

A lot of stories doing the traps about this boat and that boat and all the problems. I think I'll hold on to my 17yo Bullet for a while longer!

Oz

[powerabout]

What happened to Dancraft

[17_Matra_Missile]

They got the bullet's Spot on when they built them man. 20yrs later n they are still pushing 100+mph! Im Happy with my old girl :)

[Oz Dude]

I still see the odd Dancraft around here and there but I'm with Matra, the design was very advanced for it's day. Look back at the 1981 B2B footage. "Plus One" was a 1750 Bullet and they were looking to run at 100mph+. They hit a submerged log and came home with a prop that looked like a pretzel but it still drove over the finish line at decent speed...

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Yep n that was back then! Even today its still pretty hard to hit that 100mph mark! Classic not Plastic lol! :P

[olmo40]

I still see the odd Dancraft around here and there but I'm with Matra, the design was very advanced for it's day. Look back at the 1981 B2B footage. "Plus One" was a 1750 Bullet and they were looking to run at 100mph+. They hit a submerged log and came home with a prop that looked like a pretzel but it still drove over the finish line at decent speed...

Oz

This is Olmos mate Bulldog here :I gave him a slapping for those photos.yesterday.He is not a bad guy considering his origin :cheers:
Sorry to question your post i think Bullet One and Del Rio were the fast 1750 tunnel decks back then ,Pat Bourke owned Plus One which i remember as a Connelly and think there were a few Plus Ones about from memory ,Got to go the Old Bloke is waking up from his nanna nap zzzzzzzzzz.(Its my boat he is working on)

[17_Matra_Missile]

Does Any1 Know any Histry on my boat? Its the old Azatak (1650 Light Weight Bullet). I know i asked before but ppl have been saying to goes way back n just wanted to know if any1 knew anything about it.
Cheers

[fugazied]

What happened to Dancraft

I saw one when I took a trip to Australia last year. My mate tells me they are solid boats.

[Oz Dude]

This is Olmos mate Bulldog here :I gave him a slapping for those photos.yesterday.He is not a bad guy considering his origin :cheers:
Sorry to question your post i think Bullet One and Del Rio were the fast 1750 tunnel decks back then ,Pat Bourke owned Plus One which i remember as a Connelly and think there were a few Plus Ones about from memory ,Got to go the Old Bloke is waking up from his nanna nap zzzzzzzzzz.(Its my boat he is working on)


Nice to meet you Bulldog :cheers: Don't be too hard on the "old bloke" or he might drill a couple of extra drain holes in the bottom of your boat!

I was certain that the "Plus One" I was talking about was a standard 1750. It had a Johnson outboard on it. I'll have to see if I can find the video footage.

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Ok - I'm calling conspiracy :D


I can remember going to boat shows and looking at boats like Kaos for $16K in basic format (plus power). Boats are now way over priced. I know the cost of labour and materials has gone up but $70K for a 19 Foot anything (regardless of "name") is ridiculous!

With the Connelly Hulls - I saw one about 18months ago - brand new (but I don't know which company it came from) at the repair shop because the deck was full of bubbles and the boat hadn't even been wet!

A lot of stories doing the traps about this boat and that boat and all the problems. I think I'll hold on to my 17yo Bullet for a while longer!

Oz


Oz - you got that right, they dont make them like they use to.....

[olmo40]

Didnt Dancraft become Firefly ?? at some stage ,What happened to Tenessee

[17_Matra_Missile]

Speaking of Tenessee i have one for sale if any1 is interested :)

[olmo40]

Tenessee are a great little boat !!! The guy i am staying with owned a Tunnel Deck back in the 90s.Called Tennessee Chief.

[17_Matra_Missile]

Yeah mynes also a Tunnel Deck. Unsure of the name or its History tho

[Bullshot]

I had a brand new 154 Dancraft built for me 26 years ago by Superdan Marine.
They were based in Sydney some where.
I,m still part owner of a tunnel deck 15footer which is currently used for circuit racing.
In the Victorian Outboard Club there are currently 2 15ft open cockpit boats, 2 tunnel deck 15ft,ers and one 17ft open deck Dancraft.
If any one knows where there are any tunnel deck Dancrafts for sale please contact me.
We need more:thumbsup:

[Oz Dude]

Didnt Dancraft become Firefly ?? at some stage ,What happened to Tenessee

Hey omlo - you're awake :) Bulldog kept us company while you were napping :D

Bullshot - are you only interested in tunnel decks?

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Anyway, back to Bullets - They rock....

anybody got any new pics to post

[17_Matra_Missile]

Whats every1 doing Easter Long Weekend?

[woodduck]

Skiracing at Mildura then dilling out the rest of the week at Echuca skiing with the kids.

[Oz Dude]

Good Luck on the weekend Woodduck.

Maybe next year for us!

Oz

[Bullshot]

Bullshot - are you only interested in tunnel decks?

Oz[/QUOTE]

Yes, Tunnel deck Dancraft/Bullet,s any condition.:thumbsup:

[17_Matra_Missile]

Aye boys, I have a Standard 20inch mid on my boat and a Alloy Welder asked if i wanted to Make it a Offshore mid with a few Mods but assured me it would not crack. Is it safe to do so?

[gmjim]

The firefly is a flop of a dancraft hull! Very different in its finished form!!
I have been chasing the dancraft & the firefly moulds if anyone knows any info please pass it on!!

[Boatboy58]

Hi guys. This is my 1st post. I owned an 1800 Bullet 30 years ago with a 175 merc and did a heap of skiing on the Nerang River (gold coast), but career and life got in the way. Recently acquired another 1800 of the same vintage...you know the ones, late 70's with the perspex windscreen, stylized instrument console and the running plank which was created by putting a blank into the mould.
My question...Has anyone bothered to set one of these old girls up properly?
I've got a reco'd 80's 2.4litre 225 offshore, a bobs engineering nosecone on it way from the USA and a 6" setback manual jacking plate. I'm thinking a 28" chopper would be about right.
Does anyone have a plan/design to build the steering arms to suit twin hyd. steering, or is it best to stick to cable steer? Or perhaps bulhorn with solid engine mounts?
But mainly, I have to do the full rebuild of the boat - Transom, floor, (girders OK) blue print hull, repaint, new seats, steering etc etc. Should I bother, in the performance sense? The actual work I enjoy and find quite theraputic!

[power of one]

Boat boy just sent you personal message with contact number :)

[power of one]

i to am in the process of buying a bullet 1850 any one with set up tips my hull is 680 pound kevlar hull slightly warm 225 evinrude vindicator any help will be great :cheers:

[olmo40]

Power ,

I am half way thru setting up a Lightweight 1850 on the Nerang river with Dual side ram Hydrolic steering and a 200 merc for power . .I am posting some pics in a week or so once i finish and the new performance figures

[power of one]

Olmo sounds good look forward to the outcome :thumbsup:

[keanos bullet]

Hello to all of the bullet owners out there; i have just recently purchased a 1650 bullet from a good freind of mine ( hull only) in good solid condition no rot. cracks or scratches and have just finished fitting up a 140hp johnson v4 looper with a 4blade shooter prop and solas jacking plate. this is my first ever skiboat and by reading some of the posts on here at scream and fly . is yes you do S&*% yourself if you have driven one of these boats for the first time; even with a 140hp motor. It is currently doing 85kms top speed at 5400rpm but it gets a horrible chine walk up when i trim the motor. i have a 24"p 3 blade chopper type prop to go on but i tried it once and the motor only revved to 4300rpm but i have not jacked the motor up yet. its set at std height at the moment. Can anyone tell me how to set one of these motors up at all eg; engine height trim revs it should be able to do and can this size pitch prop work or is it to big to use, any advice would be greatly apprieciated

[jarrahtin]

Hello to all of the bullet owners out there; i have just recently purchased a 1650 bullet from a good freind of mine ( hull only) in good solid condition no rot. cracks or scratches and have just finished fitting up a 140hp johnson v4 looper with a 4blade shooter prop and solas jacking plate. this is my first ever skiboat and by reading some of the posts on here at scream and fly . is yes you do S&*% yourself if you have driven one of these boats for the first time; even with a 140hp motor. It is currently doing 85kms top speed at 5400rpm but it gets a horrible chine walk up when i trim the motor. i have a 24"p 3 blade chopper type prop to go on but i tried it once and the motor only revved to 4300rpm but i have not jacked the motor up yet. its set at std height at the moment. Can anyone tell me how to set one of these motors up at all eg; engine height trim revs it should be able to do and can this size pitch prop work or is it to big to use, any advice would be greatly apprieciated


sounds like a fun little toy, do you have any photos you can post?:thumbsup:

[Oz Dude]

Hello to all of the bullet owners out there; i have just recently purchased a 1650 bullet from a good freind of mine ( hull only) in good solid condition no rot. cracks or scratches and have just finished fitting up a 140hp johnson v4 looper with a 4blade shooter prop and solas jacking plate. this is my first ever skiboat and by reading some of the posts on here at scream and fly . is yes you do S&*% yourself if you have driven one of these boats for the first time; even with a 140hp motor. It is currently doing 85kms top speed at 5400rpm but it gets a horrible chine walk up when i trim the motor. i have a 24"p 3 blade chopper type prop to go on but i tried it once and the motor only revved to 4300rpm but i have not jacked the motor up yet. its set at std height at the moment. Can anyone tell me how to set one of these motors up at all eg; engine height trim revs it should be able to do and can this size pitch prop work or is it to big to use, any advice would be greatly apprieciated

G'Day :thumbsup:

Welcome to Chine Walking :cool:

You say the motor is set at "standard height" - not quite sure what "standard" is. Measure your motor height this way: Trim your motor so that the prop shaft is parallel to the bottom of the boat. You can figure this out by getting a stick of timber and holding up to the bottom of the boat so that it sticks out past the engine.

Once your prop shaft is level to the boat, use the same stick of timber and measure the height from the propshaft centreline to the bottom of the boat. When you hear people talking about 1" below, or 1/2" above, etc, this is the measurement they are referring to.

Not sure if your motor has low water pickups so you don't want to raise the motor too high. You'll run it out of water and paddling a Bullet just isn't as much fun... As a guide, try starting with your propshaft 2" below the bottom of the boat and see how you go.

You will need to be able to trim your motor up and down as you drive so either steering wheel mounted controls or floor mounted buttons are recommended. As you have found, when you start to air the boat out, it starts to walk around on you. You will have to learn to feel the weight of the boat shifting and then counteract it with the steering. Kind of like a pendulum movement. If you don't have a passenger with you, try adding a bit of weight to the other side of the boat to help even out the distribution a bit better.

You don't mention what sort of steering you have. If it's not dual cable or hydraulic then you need to look at investing some money and put one of these sort of systems on it.

The big thing is practice... Air the boat out a little bit then lean on the throttle, once you feel it starting to walk, counteract it with the steering. When you can keep it settled, then go a bit harder.

Now... Photos Please :cheers:

Oz

[Oz Dude]

sounds like a fun little toy, do you have any photos you can post?:thumbsup:

Hey Jarrah, did you get your motor sorted??

We're now running in the 1-up ski race so if you're atthe river that weekend, don't forget to wave as we go by :cheers:

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Hey Jarrah, did you get your motor sorted??

We're now running in the 1-up ski race so if you're atthe river that weekend, don't forget to wave as we go by :cheers:

Oz

i will wave.......

also no, i have not taken it apart yet
am keen to just not sure if i can complete it before we move house (4 weeks). as i dont have a shed to work on it at night i have to compete with no daylight savings and the rain.

also i dont want to transport it accross in 10,000 pieces.

lifting the powerhead is also a worry as i dont have a ring to lift from.
last time we strung rope around the flywheel but i would rather not do that again unless we have to.

what class are you in for the one up???
do they run 1up before the boat races or after.

my step bro is racing the boat race in smoc (white 21ft connelly)

i will try to rangle a camera and get some happy snaps as boats fly past...... Good luck

[keanos bullet]

Thank you so much for the advice there Oz Dude; we are going to take the boat out this Anzac weekend on the brisbane river so i will do what you have advised and also take some photos as well and post them. it doesnt have a LWP so i will look out for that as well. and it has a teleflex none feedback cable steering rated up to 150hp. post you next week and have a good long weekend.

[Oz Dude]

i will wave.......

also no, i have not taken it apart yet
am keen to just not sure if i can complete it before we move house (4 weeks). as i dont have a shed to work on it at night i have to compete with no daylight savings and the rain.

also i dont want to transport it accross in 10,000 pieces.

lifting the powerhead is also a worry as i dont have a ring to lift from.
last time we strung rope around the flywheel but i would rather not do that again unless we have to.

what class are you in for the one up???
do they run 1up before the boat races or after.

my step bro is racing the boat race in smoc (white 21ft connelly)

i will try to rangle a camera and get some happy snaps as boats fly past...... Good luck

Yeah, you got enough on yer plate at present! The water gets better in winter anyway cause there's nobody about :)

This will be our last race in 60mph which is good and bad. Good because it means we can step up next year, bad cause it was also kinda fun. Pity we didn't get to run in more races but there have been some logistics issues with the team this year.

As for order of running, power boats are first, ski race after that. Ricky Howard will leave Brooklyn at 8:30 so you should see him flash by around 8:40 - 8:45. Don't blink cause he will be up it for the money!

I'm guessing 60mph class will be last off and, as we were a late entry, I'm guessing we'll be THE last boat! Just gotta make sure I don't break 60 this time. You're trying to stay as close as you can but the balancing act is harder than it sounds. Might have to run at 57.5 to be safe.

Good luck to your step bro!

Oz

[Oz Dude]

Thank you so much for the advice there Oz Dude; we are going to take the boat out this Anzac weekend on the brisbane river so i will do what you have advised and also take some photos as well and post them. it doesnt have a LWP so i will look out for that as well. and it has a teleflex none feedback cable steering rated up to 150hp. post you next week and have a good long weekend.

No probs. Like I said, just take it one step at a time. When I was learning to drive mine, I "found" the weight of the boat in my hands one afternoon while we were social skiing. Dropped a skier off at the shore, turned around, gave it a squirt, and then it was just there. I did 3 laps of the bay right up on the tail with the ski rope bouncin along the whole way. Couldn't wipe the smile off my face for days :)

You really need to save up some coin and ditch that steering. It's gonna end badly otherwise. Bullets are all about fine adjustments and Teleflex don't cut it! Just my $0.02.

Have fun learning :cheers:

Oz

[olmo40]

169553

169554

169555

169556

I just had to Post something while we are waiting waitnig for all the parts to arrive , to complete dual side ram fitup.

Good to see some new owners here .:cheers:
The first 2 pics are just work work in progress ,My mate says you can pat those Lizards in the 3rd and 4th pic and they will purr like a kitten :confused:

[Oz Dude]

Hey Olmo - Not exactly the part of town I'd go for a midnight stroll in but by all means, I hope you and Bulldog have a wonderful time "patting the lizards" :)

Oz

[keanos bullet]

:thumbsup:Hey there everyone took the bullet out over the weekend: i wound the jacking plate wright up and put on the 23" prop and it made a hell of a difference" the revs have picked up and it should rev out to its 5500-5800rpm limit but at 85-90kms it got the dreddded chine walk.I tried to work the steering but i had troubles. i guess its because of the steering it has on it being cable instead of hydraulic like it should have. So anyway after recieving kevin 07s cheque in the mail i am now on the look for a steering system. so if anyone has any suggestions of what to get eg (whats the best type to buy) Thanks again for the advice Ozdude it was very helpful". here is a photo that i took at the boat ramp before the pwr run out on the camera i will post more photos later on.

[powerabout]

Take a photo of the steering setup at the motor
Is it twin cable, parallel entry?
What year is the motor

[17_Matra_Missile]

Hey Boizz, Bridge to Bridge this weekend, Anyone Racing or Going to Spectate?

[Oz Dude]

keano - well done on the setup change. Glad you're happy with the speed so far. Like I said, dancing to the chine walk takes a little time to learn. As for steering, mine has twin cables and I'm happy with it so I won't be moving over to hydraulic, but I know there's a guy in Qld who does them. I'll find out and get back to you.

EDIT - THe place is called Marine Control Systems and they're at Labrador. A mate of mine put a side ram system on his Haines and it's been pretty good. Back service from the place is also A1.

Matra - we're in...finally. Late entry for the ski race and got accepted. We're the last boat off for the day! I hope it's not too windy cause that little Bullet is gonna dance around like nothin else :)

If anyone is going to the river to watch the powerboat, remember that the big hydros leave Brooklyn at 8:30 on the dot. The first one will be over the finish line at 9am so don't be late or you'll miss the real go fast boats.

Ski racing starts at 11am from Brooklyn so expect the first Superclass boats at the Windsor Stadium at about 11:40.

Last 60mph race for us so I'm gonna have some fun :D

Oz

[jarrahtin]

If anyone is going to the river to watch the powerboat, remember that the big hydros leave Brooklyn at 8:30 on the dot. The first one will be over the finish line at 9am so don't be late or you'll miss the real go fast boats.


Oz

will be there with bells on... hopefully borrowing a good quality camera and get some photos as you all go shooting past our park, dont forget to wave or give us a thumbs up :thumbsup:

[canabl]

Hey guys,
I bought this bullet about 4 months ago from boatsales, was told it ws a 1650, had a blown pulled down 140 johnson on it.
Searched ebay and was finally pointed in direction of an old 235 johnson at a steal.
Now i have had it fitted up, put hydrive bullhorn steering system on it and got it out on the water a few times. mainly go to nepean river for a thrash and went to pit town few months back after picking it up from blakes marine (old bullet 235 johnson racer)
now im new to boating and this is my first ride (as such) and not found much help out there getting this to run ok. using a stock prop 14 1/4 21p she is slow out of the hole and will not rev over 5250. with a 14 1/2 19p she hits 6000 but just has no top end. What should the motor be trimmed at, flat in relation to the water? the motor has 120psi comp on all cyl and is believed to be an ex racer with some work performed in past.
what height should the motor be set at in relation to the pad on the hull?
I got the bullet on ebay at the moment to see if there is interest although i want to keep it an rebuild over the cooler period for summer.
i also just bought another 1500 bullet that has a blown merc on it that i plan to build up if not sell off to fund a later model motor for the 1650.
heres a few pics.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00126-20090329-0934.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00128-20090329-0934.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00080-20090202-1858.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/BOc0OiQBWkKGrHgoOKjQEjlLmVoWOBJuvP0.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/BOc0lswWkKGrHgoOKjIEjlLmYd13BJuvRkS.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/0757_1.jpg
the choockfoot was supposedly an ex bridge racer from way back and has got dual tanks with selector and all the wizbang gadgets for bilge pump, steering and such. gelcoat bit crazed on the bow but now getting rubbed back and ready for painting, just want to choose good paint scheme.
Let us know your thoughts guys
cheers
Adam

[jarrahtin]

there will be people on this forum who cam give more info than me and prob correct me if i go wrong but here we go:thumbsup:

1. 1650 bullet is a different shape to yours i am under the influence you have a 1600 bullet which is the "social" version (same length but is much heavyer)

2. the motor looks to be as low as it can go..... i'm no expert but i would imagine you rig would plough through the water instead of sitting on it. to let the prop spin the need to jack that thing up.

3. as far as i am aware the older motors like the 235hp johnson are not designed for mega high revs, i prob would not go past 5500 without checking with someone who knows those motors, i have a 175hp of the same era and i was told it will sit all day at 5500 but any more and the motor just wont last

it also depends on the prop you run, ther are heaps of different props designed to do different things, if you are running a cheap prop it might not have the performance you need for the results your after.

others will add more info if i have missed anything but keep that in mind and have fun doing it

[canabl]

the motor is mounted so that the area the planing tab is mounted is level with the pad of the boat, making the shaft of the box about a foot below the pad as i read earlier in the post. The boat actually gets up on the pad easily (got few pics somewhere) and does walk around when the hammer is down.
Im not looking to get into any form of racing with it and plan to have it for social ski and tube action and the weekend thrash with some of you guys when the time comes.

[Oz Dude]

Haha - sometimes you get tunnel vision and don't even notice the people on shore. Especially when I have to keep watching that bloody GPS!

We're boat No 90 and in the last grid of 6. I'm hoping for a quick, clean start so we can forge ahead of our grid and beat them into the river proper. That way we can pick out own racing lines.

The boats in the grid before us are:
- It's Contagious
- Tripple JJJ
- Too Ezy
- Buckshot
- Voodoo
- Broken Arrow

Our Grid is:
- 4-T-Plus
- Matahary
- Crackn
- Go Racen
- Pumped Up
- Rage (us)

Fingers crossed we have a nice clean quick race and I can keep my heavy foot under control! I'll try to remember to wave

Oz

[Oz Dude]

making the shaft of the box about a foot below the pad

Dude, that's about 10 inches lower than it needs to be :eek:

Go back and read my earlier post about measuring so you can figure out for sure where your prop shaft centreline is compared to the bottom of the boat. As long as the water pickups will still grab water, bring that thing up till you're 2" below the pad and go try again. Revs should improve a bucket load and it should feel lighter to drive.

Bear in mind though you're gonna have the same issue as I have with the 3L Merc - a high centre of gravity due to all that motor being stuck up in the air. Once you get the hang of balancing it, you'll be able to chuck it around a bit better.

Oh, and I'm not overly familiar with the "social" Bullets, but that boat looks more like a Pride Cheetah to me than a Bullet...

Oz

[Bullet 1650]

Curved bottom on the 1600 also isnt it? Really need that Pad to get them going.

Adam

[jarrahtin]

the motor is mounted so that the area the planing tab is mounted is level with the pad of the boat, making the shaft of the box about a foot below the pad as i read earlier in the post. The boat actually gets up on the pad easily (got few pics somewhere) and does walk around when the hammer is down.
Im not looking to get into any form of racing with it and plan to have it for social ski and tube action and the weekend thrash with some of you guys when the time comes.


even so if you are after that little bit more you are able to get it without sacrificing social requirements.......
we have a haines hunter (which is prob a bit heavyer that yours) with a 200hp which will sit at 60mph with no drama about 5700rpm with a 21pitch prop and can still pull 2 adults out of the water

get the motor up as far as you can, which will prob only be 2-3 inches without a jacking plate but that might be all you need for what you want to achive.

[canabl]

my 1600-1650 has got a flat section (pad) starting from half way on hull to a 10" wide section on the rear of the transom.

[powerabout]

Something seriously wrong if a 235 cant pull a 21" to 6k on that boat
5850 was the top end of a 235 powerband but no problem to run them to 6400 they just use tonnes more fuel
What year is it ( model numer) or take a couple of photos of the powerhead and we can work it out

Tilt the motor down until propshaft parallel with the bottom and take a photo for us from behind

I'd probably lose the nose come as well

Unfortunately the donk may not be stock so you might have to check out the porting to see if its been played with.

(It does look like a cheetah doesn't it, even so a 235 on a cheetah would still be a weapon as in not easy to drive)

[jarrahtin]

Tilt the motor down until propshaft parallel with the bottom and take a photo for us from behind

I'd probably lose the nose come as well

Unfortunately the donk may not be stock so you might have to check out the porting to see if its been played with.

It does look like a cheetah doesn't it, even so a 235 on a cheetah would still be a weapon

i do agree it does look like a cheetah but if you look at
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2984124

the link is for a 1700 but you can see the similarities.
you can see there was an era of bullets came out looking like that shape

there was the 1600 1700 and i think 1800 (also they stopped making these a while before they stopped making the others)

and then the "sporty" 1650 1750 1800 1850 shape

like sports car vs family car i suppose

[canabl]

It has got the bullet boat co badge on it and been told it is an old shape hull, have seen a few around for sale that are the same design.
I will get a shot tonight of the motor mounted position.
May invest in getting a short leg for the motor so it does not sit up so high.

[jarrahtin]

It has got the bullet boat co badge on it and been told it is an old shape hull, have seen a few around for sale that are the same design.
I will get a shot tonight of the motor mounted position.
May invest in getting a short leg for the motor so it does not sit up so high.

not required

once you are going along the rope will still sit up above the motor........
might look high now but you'll see.

[Oz Dude]

canabl - don't invest any more dollars into that Johnson. It will work fine in a social setting which is what you intend to do with it. Measure the motor to the bottom of the boat, and set it up as described and all will be good. Once the prop isn't buried under all that water, it will spin more freely.

As for the motor and spending money - you'd be better served doing a trade in on something newer than spending money on that one. Realistically on a 1650, something like a 200 Merc would be sweet for social.

Oz

[canabl]

the motor is a 235 johnson 1978 model. The age of this motor equates to a 175 at the prop give or take loss for running time.
It has got no corosion internally or externally and is like new as it spent last 5 years at an old guys shop before he passed on after removing from his sons bullet ski boat, drove and Picked up from towoomba QLD and only needed to fit up the old school fuel pumps as they were removed, and fired first go. The motor was linked and synced by Blakes and they tested the bullet once done and said nothing regarding the mounting of outboard.

[powerabout]

78 235's went really well as they had the high ring pistons ( assuming they are still in it) in them
It would be well more then 175 at the prop more like 200+

If a Merc 225 went back to 200 then a 235 must be???

I remember Reg Cowrie and the 'Tack' ski racing back in my day with one of those.

The 235 did have a bit less down low than the 200 or the 175 but it has bigger carbs and the better exhaust than the others for more go up top.

[Oz Dude]

I'm sure I've seen an old Bridge to Bridge video (perhaps 1981) of Plus One - a Bullet with a 235hp Johnson on it and they were doing 100+mph :)

They hit a submerged log part way through the race and finished with a prop that looked like a pretzel.

I wasn't saying that your motor was no good, rather that it probably wasn't the ideal configuration for that setup in a social environment.

Oz

[canabl]

here are a few shots of the bottom of the yellow bullet and one of the distance the prop is lower than the pad section.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00157-20090429-1656.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00154-20090429-1654.jpg
what effect would the motor being so low have caused on this.
Now that i can lift it up higher, is there any issues having a gapped area above the transom where the mount is to slip over it on the motor? do i need to put a tube in there possibly to fill this gap? i think i will have to redrill holes for the mount as there is only 3 or so inchs movement in the mount and im already at the top of the transom for top bolts? whats the best way for me to fix this up?
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00160-20090429-1719.jpg
here is a shot of the steering setup now.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00161-20090429-1719.jpg

[Oz Dude]

Two words for you - Jack Plate.

Just get a mechanical one that you can adjust manually. They weigh less and you can get them as thin as 2". You need the thinnest one you can lay your hands on as you don't want that motor any further back than it needs to be.

That motor needs to come up a long way yet and you could do with removing that piece of ply. You do not need to insert a tube between the motor and transom.

With the motor as low as it is, the boat will be sluggish and it will not like turning, rather it will feel "heavy". It won't be so noticable at social speeds (and will appear normal) but if you want to go for a dash up and down the stream, you need to get that motor up so you can control the boat properly. You already noted that you couldn't turn a prop at high rpm - there's most of your culprit right there.

On the other hand, the steering seems to be a modern hydraulic setup, and, while the front mount is not the preferred option for high speed stability, you are using the boat as a social runner so it should be fine.

As a rough comparison for you, have a look at my motor height. The motor was still trimmed up for transporting but you get the idea of how much higher my centreline is than yours. I have a hydraulic jack plate on mine. At it's lowest I'm 100mm below the pad, 20mm at highest. I find great stability and neutral steering weight with the height between 50 and 55mm below (depending on prop type) up to about 70mph. At bigger speeds it wants to ride higher again. At lower speeds, it likes it a bit lower (as deep as 70mm below for one prop). While you won't have the "on the run" adjustability I do with a mechanical plate, I ran one for years with the boat in a social setup with the odd blast required and it was ideal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF3181.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF3180.jpg

Oz

[powerabout]

I'd go straight to the highest hole with that one.
The gap under the clamps does nothing so dont worry

[powerabout]

Nice rig Oz Dude

[Oz Dude]

Powerabout - thanks. I'm really, really proud of my little boat. I bought it 10 years ago as a worn out racer and there isn't much left of the original version I got, save for the name on the screen and both sides, and the colour spray at the nose. Everything else came out of my little peabrain. Right down to the embroidery on the seats and my mascot. The whole interior is custom made and the seats are the best I've ever sat in. They guys who made them for me still have the moulds and any Bullet owner who wants the best for their boat just has to contact me and I'll give you the details. Not trying to sell anyone but they are damn good pews!

We even rebuilt the trailer last winter and with the help of a couple of awesome mates - it looks damn sharp.

Front
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF3179.jpg

Side
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF3177.jpg

Dash
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF3182.jpg

Trailer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF1703.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/DSCF1694.jpg

Bridge to Bridge Last November (60mph class)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/2008BridgetoBridge02.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/OzDude/Rage/2008BridgetoBridge04.jpg

Oz :thumbsup:

[gmjim]

Oz dude is right, you need oo go up, up, up!!! My rig was spinning a 21 inch to 5000rpm (it was like a brickwall!) with my motor 8 inches under, now i am turning a 26 pitch over hub 4 blade with heaps of cupping to 6000rpm with ease!! ( the 21 became useless, just spun up super easy to silly rpm!) New height is still 2.5 inches under! Absolutly everything with the boat improved when i lifted the engine, it was like a new ride!!! (waaaaay better!)

Can't wait to lose a bit of the cupping on the prop!

[woodduck]

Yeah, lift it to the top holes for starters but junk that piece of ply quick smart but if there is a clearance issue that the ply solved, pinch your mums chopping board or get a pice of 15 or 18 mm inch aluminium in lieu of the ply. Use it, the ply as a template.

See how it feels and see how the water pressure reacts. If you want to go higher again, get the ply back out and drill another four holes down from your existing holes in the spacer plate, say 50mm down and then you will need another 4 bolt/nut/washer sets. Gonna have to drill 2 new holes thru the transom this way.

Otherwise you'll have to buy a jackplate. Depends on how much money you want to spend.

Any of you bullet guys want a 27 TE cleaver?

[Oz Dude]

Hey Woodduck - what diameter is the Cleaver??

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

And How Much $$??

[canabl]

I left the marine ply on it from the last motor s it is pretty well stuck to boat. I am planning to strip it all down and rebuild if i do not sell it in the next few days. Money is not a major concern as i have now made this my new project after years of drag racing and show cars. Sold all my toys off and just dabbling with boats to see if i like it.
I love it so far and need the speed as i run 9-10 sec street regoed cars. I would love to do something even a bit more than just social with boating so hopefully this can be a good start and learning package.
so anyone selling a jacking plate?

[Bullet no1]

hey any body know where i can get a 12'' mid section trim ram... bloody like rockin horse **** in AUS

[17_Matra_Missile]

Try Watersports Marine, I Heard trhey Have a Mid n Sportsmaster Box Sitting there, Unsure if its still there

[Bullet no1]

thanks mate.. where abouts are they?

[17_Matra_Missile]

Watersports Marine Pty Ltd
Sales: 76 Sunnyholt Rd BLACKTOWN 2148 Phone 02 9676 1400
Service: 11 Binney Road, KINGS PARK 2148 Phone 02 9676 1944
New South Wales, Australia Fax 02 9676 7588
info@watersportsmarine.com.au
(info@watersportsmarine.com.au)
Hope that Helps, Cheers

[Bullet no1]

thanks ill try'em

[woodduck]

For the 12" trim ram try Don at Advantage Marine.

Its a 14 x 27 TE Cleaver. Got it back when I had a 1750 with a BP. Only used it for hooning and some point scores. The rest of the time I ran a torqueshift! Say $400.00

Got a new in box, never used OMC Shooter 4 blade, 13 1/4 x 29 too.

[Bullet no1]

Any one want a 1750 light weight tunnel deck 1990 model... cheap cheap cheap lit me know.. its got a 235 evinrude 12'' offshore style mid and nose coned under water pick up box with merc prop shaft $5000 ono... still got rego

[canabl]

email me some pics, id be really interested in it if mine sells shortly.
afisher@motorone.com
cheers
Adam

[17_Matra_Missile]

Email me some Pics of the Tunnel Deck and The Prop Woodduck. My Email in king_of_da_ladies06@hotmail.com

Cheers

[Bullet no1]

sent the pics mate

[woodduck]

Hey bullet 1, did you used to go by the name dzlari or something on here?

[Bullet no1]

no i know him and his trying to sell the boat but his got no power head for his boat and i got 1... was thinking of getting it of him and selling it.. i can sell it less motor too

[woodduck]

Oh, thanks. What's the boat in your avatar?

[Bullet no1]

1850.. with S3000. ive sold that and got a 1750 now and still setting it up.. need the trim ram for F1 trunk

[powerabout]

Any one want a 1750 light weight tunnel deck 1990 model... cheap cheap cheap lit me know.. its got a 235 evinrude 12'' offshore style mid and nose coned under water pick up box with merc prop shaft $5000 ono... still got rego
A 12" offshore mid for an OMC..I 'd like to see a photo of that!
Offshore like Albert Park Lake?

[Bullet no1]

http://www.voc.com.au/forum1/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=353
pics of it here

[powerabout]

that way cool
Is that an old single ram Merc v6 offshore clamp bracket with the cool 12" cutdown omc?
Who made that..I would have thought there was a good market for that 12" in the usa
Nice rig

[Bullet no1]

no its a normal V6 omc trunk and bracket.. trunk been cut down and trim ram has been modifed to use only the centre ram hooked up to a merc trim pump.. my mate made it i just help him with welding.. its got solid mounts as well

[powerabout]

well done, got any close ups or photos not in black

[Bullet no1]

no sorry.. thats the colour he wanted it.. closest thing to a merc lol

[50cal]

gday guys heres a couple of build pics of my 1650 bullet. raced in the 80 and bridge to bridge in the late 80's dont know if its a lightweight
or how to find out. just bought a 2.4 200 merc with a blown piston for 1350 bucks so will be pulling it down to see the damage.
bought the boat for 5000 with no engine very clean trailer needs a clean up but cant wait to trim the thing out
not many places to take it in victoria, got a house down gippsland lakes. still needs a jacking plate, outrigger steering wings,
and a prop. any set up ideas boyz? never had one before but know they are outragous to drive
cheers andy

[canabl]

Ok guys, a bit of a newb question i guess as im trying to setup a boat for the first time.
If the centreline of the prop is set up so that it is say 2-3" below the pad of the hull, will it be in water as it is up chine walking (going flat out)? I have seen some jacking plates that come in either 5 or 10" set back. will this make a difference to my boats performance?
I have seen some of your motors and they have a solid style prop without the exhaust running through it, is it left to just vent outside the edges of the prop or do you re-route the exhaust?
what does the low water pickup look like on a gearbox?
Been googling a few things and can't find anywhere, and i know my flightcraft looking bullet is a bit tired on years but its a start for now till i get more of the bug. or would i do better to do the smaller 1500 that i have, if so what would be the best setup if i wanted to do something more than just social with it, but still maintaning a reasonable budget. most of the work i can perform myself being a mechanical engineer with a machine shop at my disposal.
thanks again guys for all the help.:thumbsup:

[Oz Dude]

canabl - 2-3" below will be ok. The boat will be relatively stable (I say relatively cause, well, it IS a Bullet :p ). You don't want a big jack plate on it though. My old mech plate was 2" and my new hydro plate is 4" and the difference it's made to rear weight bias is pretty big. If you went to something like a 10" plate, it would probably just sink it would be that back end heavy... IMHO Slimmer jack plate is better when it comes to Bullets.

Solid hub = more slip out of the hole to help the motor rev. Also equals a bit more slip top end.

Through Hub = better for social outings with good traction out of the hole but less pitch because of the extra grip.

LWP on a Merc are at the front of the gearbox underneath the bullet at the front (as opposed to only having them on the sides). Guys who run their motors really high (eg STV's) will sometimes need to block off the holes at the side because they will be out of the water when they're travelling along. You won't have your motor anywhere close to that high so you'll be sweet.

50cal - welcome to the best boat you've ever owned :thumbsup:

It definitely looks clean from the pics (personally not too keen on the blue windscreen though). Once you get that motor off and pulled down, you'll be able to tell pretty quick if your boat is a lightweight - see if you can pick it up!

3 guys can easily move a 1750 lightweight (hull only) around a workshop so a 1650 should be doable by a couple of 10 year olds :D

Can you flex the deck with your hands by pushing down on it? That's a real easy indication. Oh, if it is a lightweight (it was raced so chances are) DON'T walk across the deck. Walk along the edges if you must, sitting on it is ok, but no point pressure - you'll crack the bracing if you're not careful (personal experience - no I didn't walk across it someone else did and I had to get it repaired).

When you say you need to trim it out - what does it have and what does it need??

Oz

[Oz Dude]

Wish us luck for Sunday fellas :)

Small practice run tomorrow morning so my skier can check some new gear, wash down, polish, fuel up, cover up, and ready to go Sunday morning :thumbsup:

Just checked the tide charts and we'll be starting on a neutral tide (low point) but as we are going upstream, we'll be on a run out tide the whole way. Bad news for record breaking, good news for keeping a constant speed like we have to.

Possible showers (boo) but hopefully the wind stays down!

Yee Haa :cheers:

Oz

[olmo40]

Good Luck:thumbsup: Look forward to the report :D

Hopefully we get to test tomorrow ,then ill post some pics of the dual hydraulic side ram setup or a pic of the boat burning to the ground.

[Oz Dude]

Olmo - Here's hoping it's the former and not the latter for you!! Bullets should "sizzle" not burn...

Oz

[50cal]

trim it out just a figure of speech, i need a jacking plate, prop, steering wings for the out rigger steering.
yeah i just quickly mounted the engine the other day as i bought it seperate
can lift the back by myself. yeah im definetly changing the screen colour

[17_Matra_Missile]

Good Luck Oz Dude! Show them what the good old Bullets are made of :P

[50cal]

have a good run oz dude so em how to walk it
the bullet that is

[olmo40]

Ok ,This afternoon was the first test of our Dual Side Ram hydraulic steering .The Boat is an 08 1850 Bullet with ,Bobs LWP,6 Inch HD Hydraulic jack plate with a stock 200 Merc EFi 06 model .With the prop shaft level with the pad we spun a 29 Tempest prop to 6000rpm for 85mph 2 people ,100L of fuel.The boat is 95% finished .We will seek out a et Chopper in the near future .The prop arsenal consists of a 21 Trophy and 26 Trophy as well.:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[keanos bullet]

Looks trick olmo' If you been reading my posts im on the lookout for a new steering setup as well; im going down to the goldcoast this weds to see someone who ozdude put me onto. So whats it like, how is it to control now.

[olmo40]

Looks trick olmo' If you been reading my posts im on the lookout for a new steering setup as well; im going down to the goldcoast this weds to see someone who ozdude put me onto. So whats it like, how is it to control now.

We only got an hour or so on it weaving our way thru F ing wakeboard boats ,The first impressions are very good ,we took some sea star off and this is way way better .I am going to check the bleed tomorrow ,we played around with the helm pump as it is adjustable ,we just need more seat time .

"Woodduck" on here put me onto Don at Advantage marine in Melboure ,my Mate Bulldog owns the boat he just cant use a computer ,He delt with Don and says he is a good guy :thumbsup:.

Im back to the states in a minute give bulldog a call 0400796009 he would be happy to show you the steering and probaly tell you he fitted it .:rolleyes:

He is over to the states as well in a minute and im sure he has a cunning plan :D Its only the beginning !!!!!

[Oz Dude]

Olmo - the setup looks very neat indeed. Will be very interested to see how it goes once you don't have to play "AARRGGHH :eek: WAKEBOARD BOAT!"

How did it feel with the 29 pulling out with 2 skiers?? Pretty good going off that 200...

keano - let us know how you get on down the Gold Coast.

Oz

[olmo40]

The skiers exagerated their ability and under estimated their weight just a bit .We ran them off the 26 Trophy and got a 2 handed wave up at about 65mph .

How was your race ??

Who are you sending Keano to on the GC just out of interest ,meet some really great people this trip ,

[Oz Dude]

G'Day Blokes :)

Well, we had an awesome day yesterday. Couldn't have asked for better weather. By far, the most impressive thing was sitting at the start just bobbing around next to the road bridge along with 90 other boats. Everywhere you looked, all you could see was high performance :thumbsup:

Oh, and there's nothing quite like watching 6 Superclass boats all take off at the same time :cheers:

We had a good run but I broke out when I rolled off the wash of another boat. No drama - still had a fun day. It took from the start line to Wisemans (half way) before we even drew a rope length ahead of our grid. Very close racing for the first part. Even through the upper section of the river where it gets more winding (I know that part fairly well) it took us a while to shake em but by the time we crossed the finish line apparently we were about 3 rope lengths ahead so we ran a good race repsectively.

The afternoon was excellent. Everyone was in a really good mood, bumped into plenty of people I knew, and they had a few circuit races and a couple of Blown Alky Hydros do some exhibition passes. Throw in a band for good measure and I'd say it was a great day :cheers:

Oz

[Bullet 1650]

I heard things got out of hand at the Windsor hotel late last night? Anyone on here that can comment? I left after the circuit racing finished.

[Oz Dude]

Judging by how wobbly some of the crowd were late in the arvo, I don't have any doubt that something would have eventually gone astray somewhere last night!

What did you think about that little side-swipe in the circuit boats yesterday?? :eek:

Oz

[Bullet 1650]

Would you believe the only time i walked away from the bank was when that side swipe occured. Not impressed that i missed it!

Shame that Red Bellies boat blew up, i saw it at Deepwater and was impressed!

[Oz Dude]

As they came out of the turn, the boat on the inside didn't have enough plate down and it lurched up and to the right. Rather than back out of it a little, he ignored it and kept his boot into it. The boat basically launced a second time, rolled back to the left, and then launched a LOT harder to the right and that's when he went "visiting". Considering the bloke he hit was on the impact side and he kept going, the bloke who caused it had a "moment" and just ran down the course, past the bottom turn buoy, and stopped with his arms up in the air. Definitely a "brown trouser" moment though...

Did any of the big Hydros make it to the finish of the Powerboat? I heard form someone that Anarchy took out line honours...

Oz

[Bullet 1650]

Shame i missed it, the circuit racing is more interesting than the main event, especially when several of the favourites dont end up crossing the line. Ricky had a steering issue, Truslove didnt make it eaither, im not sure why.

Tim in the 1800 Bullet from Fenwicks did well in SMOC, pretty sure he beat all the MOC boats too. Not sure when the results will be posted on the website. Im guessing the organisers will take a day or two to recover also.

[17_Matra_Missile]

OZ Dude- Looking Very Nice Comming through that finish line!

The 2 Boats with that prang didnt have much damage but Tony's boat "Intorceptor" (The one who got hit) Had Some nasty chunks of glass taken out of the side of his boat.

2 of the Hydros ran again and Both made it to the finish

Was a very good day if u ask me :D

[Oz Dude]

Hey Matra - thanks for the props my friend :thumbsup:

Wish I would have known you blokes were there, I would have tracked you down for a beer :cheers:

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Oz- Cheers Mate, Just a quick question, How much is it to race your boat in the Bride each year? And What safety Equipt is needed to race? I am racing my little 1650 in the Boat Race nxt year but dont know how i have to set-up the boat.
Cheers again

[Bullet 1650]

It's roughly $250 + $50 for passenger.

[17_Matra_Missile]

Is that all? Ohk Sweet, Someone was telling me between $1200-1500 n i jaw dropped :O.

Thanks Bullet 1650

[jarrahtin]

G'Day Blokes :)

Well, we had an awesome day yesterday. Couldn't have asked for better weather. By far, the most impressive thing was sitting at the start just bobbing around next to the road bridge along with 90 other boats. Everywhere you looked, all you could see was high performance :thumbsup:

Oz

you looked good comming past us..... you had a boat within5 meters either side of you and you were ahead by a nose so i dont blame you for not waving, we were cheering you on anyway.

My step bro with the connelly came through looking good but slugish which gives me confidence in my ability to beat him next year. He seemed to be sitting at a touch over 70mph so i think i'm in with a chance.

the superclass came through what looked to be the fastest boats of the day which looked good but was also dissapointing as i was hoping to see the blur of some hydro's, next year i suppose,

i got some videos of some of the boats but my battery died before you came through, sorry.....

one of the big inboards had a gearbox fail infront of us which spun him completly around and pointed him at the beach, a major brown pants moment :eek: :eek: :eek: no harm to the driver which was good........

[Oz Dude]

matra - yeah it's not expensive to enter the Powerboat. The big thing is making sure your boat passes scrutineering. Rather than just turn up and hope for the best, have someone like Adam cast an eye over it to make sure you have all you need. With your setup you could race in either Social Outboard or MOC. Social Outboard means you are limited to a 26P through hub prop.

Jarrah - haha I knew you'd understand when yopu saw us! Thanks for the cheers :cheers: It had been like that the whole way, and tighter. We had a moment down near Bar Point when we got cut off (I nearly had a skier as a hood ornament) but other than that all good. It took us until Lower Portland Ferry to make some decent ground on em. Once the bends started, we started making our gap larger. The Bullet ran very sweet and took everything we threw at it.

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Oz- In Social, Is any work able to be done to the motor? Such as Port work, Offshore Midsection, CLE Box ect...?
Cheers

[Oz Dude]

Yes mate. You can do what ever you like - it's "Run What You Brung" BUT as stated, you are limited to a 26P prop and it must be through hub exhaust...

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Sweet :D How Quick are Most of the Boats in that class?

[Oz Dude]

They're running from mid 70's to low 90's.

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Ohk Madd :D That sounds like a class for me

Cheers for that Oz

[Oz Dude]

The rolling starts look cool too :cool:

My mate who ran his Haines said that when the flag dropped, all the little go fast boats in his grid sprinted away as opposed to his boat winding out. But he said that after 5 miles he could still see em up in front of him and on the day he was topping out at 75mph (running against the tide and 250L of fuel) so that should be a good indicator. He was using my 26 TE Cleaver.

You definitely need to be in it next year :cheers:

Now we just gotta get Adam to sign up with the STV :thumbsup:

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Sikk, Well i got 70.2mph With myne Running a 21p Laser n with the motor still Detuned for the Run-In Period and 80ltrs of fuel in the boat so with the motor tuned and a nice little 26 TE or something it should go well.

Yepp so CMON ADAM! Get out there!

[Thewayweroll]

This is my first post ,my mate Olmo was been sticking pics of my Bullet up for a while , thought it was time to register.Im an Ex Ski Racer, skied thru the late 80s till about 1996 or so .The Bullet in the pic is my 3rd ,I had a standard 1750 with a 2L and a Super Light weight dropped floor 1750 with a 2.4 Mod vp

The new set up is going ok ,just need to sort some props any feedback would be appreciated i was thinking a 28 Thophy as the 26 spins it head off and a 28 or 30 ET ??.

I think we are going to need 2 new skiers as well :)

[Oz Dude]

Bulldog...is that you?? :)

Oz

[Thewayweroll]

Yes OZ its me , Happy Days ,sounds like a good run yesterday .

When i skied Super Class we used to start 10 or 12 abreast off Dangar island ?? Has it changed ??

[jarrahtin]

Sikk, Well i got 70.2mph With myne Running a 21p Laser n with the motor still Detuned for the Run-In Period and 80ltrs of fuel in the boat so with the motor tuned and a nice little 26 TE or something it should go well.

Yepp so CMON ADAM! Get out there!

i was aiming for next years bridge but there is no way my little 175hp will keep up to that i vote you stick to your 21 pitch prop as my little rude should hold its own against that:thumbsup:

[Oz Dude]

Bulldog - sorry - I mean Thewayweroll :cheers: - the grid starts these days are limited to 5 or 6 max. As you know a LOT has changed in the last 10 years and now, if you can't hold on at 120+, in the slop, then Superclass ain't for you. They're just going too damned fast to allow any more boats into one group. At briefing yesterday we were reminded of the "racing incident" at Bar Point last year (squeezing) that nearly took a life.

The 1-up ski race starts next to the road bridge so they can leave the bottom part of the river open. The November race still starts from the Island.

I heard this afternoon that the winner in Unlimited ran 38min. Admittedly this is a Superclass boat just waiting for it's ticket up to the main game, but all the same, you have to be incredibly quick now to earn your stripes.

Yeah we had good fun yesterday. Up a class next season and we'll see how long it takes till the boys get bored out the back, then we might go do MOC maybe. We'll have to find some more mumbo to play there though as lugging 2 big guys out of the hole is no easy task when you need to run fast.

As for prop choice, I have a 28 Trophy Plus but it does crazy things to the Bullet. Makes it very skatey on the water. I gave it to a bloke last week to try. He saw me yesterday at the stadium and told me he took it for a run, stopped, ran a second time to make sure, then took it off the boat shaking his head. The nose gets super light but when you get to a corner if you back off a tad to set yourself up it drops the nose in a big way. You then have to trim up to keep the nose, but then as you throttle on to keep the speed on you have a big God moment (you know, looking straight up and saying "Hi God"). Perhaps it's just the 3L 1.75 gearbox combo we both run but we've had similar experiences.

I lost count of the number of TE's I saw yesterday. Looks like they're the new great thing. THe same guy I mentioned above has a couple so I'm gonna take em out and have a play in the next few weeks.

One of the guys I know that runs in MOC with a 3L on a Labsport has a TE on his and they were into the 90's yesterday.


Jarrah - that's why it's called Social Outboard. Ya gotta be social :) Doesn't matter how fast your boat is, it matters that you're part of it. Besides, once your setup is dialled in, with the right prop you might just surprise yourself how fast you'll go...


Oh, I've found out today that one boat in the Powerboat race snagged a ferry cable yesterday with it's nosecone (just how close to the shore was this guy?). Boat sunk as a result. I'm guessing perhaps there's a big hole in the back of the boat where the motor used to attached to?? Another guy went round a bend and his co-pilot's seat broke it's mounts. Apparently it kind of looked like an ejector seat - the guy went for a very unexpected swim at 70+ :eek:

Oz

[Thewayweroll]

Thanks Oz, The name Bulldog was already taken.You have described the Thophy moment very accurately . 120mph or i think i saw 127mph on Speedweek when they showed Robinvale last week ,good time to be a driver i say:thumbsup:.Our Twin rig Connelly used to run 105mph ,we had the 4th fastest top speed at the 94 Grafton Bridge ,the boys gave it way after that ,there was no more we could do .

Sorry for sayin Connelly in a Bullet post ,I have no email etiquett

[17_Matra_Missile]

i was aiming for next years bridge but there is no way my little 175hp will keep up to that i vote you stick to your 21 pitch prop as my little rude should hold its own against that:thumbsup:
Lol, With a 26 it will still be reving hard but should be nice n fun to drive. How quick are u getting your boat to?

Is that a average speed? 70.2mph running a 21p Prop with the prop approx 2-3inches below the pad?
Cheers

[Oz Dude]

Bulldog - now that a few guys are running Force hulls and pushing them deep through the water, the speeds are going up again becasue the skiers are getting a cleaner ride. Last November when the shootout out was on for the Bridge race, we watched Stinga go by, and then we watched Blazen go by and the 20yo Connelly was fast but the skiers were getting pounded. The Force guys could have been drinking coffee it looked that easy... 130 isn't far off that's for sure.

All I can say is I'm glad I'm steerin and not holdin on!

You can say Connelly in a Bullet thread - hell I just did :)

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Lol, With a 26 it will still be reving hard but should be nice n fun to drive. How quick are u getting your boat to?

Is that a average speed? 70.2mph running a 21p Prop with the prop approx 2-3inches below the pad?
Cheers

its all on paper at the moment. i have an old school 81 model 175hp, just picked up a 27pitch shooter (4 blade) for it but have a water intake problem at the moment so have not been able to run it yet. i figure if i get anything over 75mph its a plus :cheers:

[Oz Dude]

Remember boys, make sure you have a 26P through hub prop for the race next year :)

Oz

[17_Matra_Missile]

Oz, Will u also Be Competing in this class?
Cheers

[Oz Dude]

Hey Matra - nah, I love the ski racing too much. I must admit, I'd love to thrash the whole river boat only but not towing a skier just seems to be the loss off a good opportunity :)

We're going to start in 70mph class next season but, if things go ok, we might even stup up to MOC - see how we go. With the right skier and a prop that'll give me the top end, with our setup we could probably tow 1-up at 90. With the 26P Cleaver I can run up to 82 with a little left in it from more fine tuning. We're gonna try some TE's over the winter to see if they work for us. If so, a 28 or a 29 would get us there.

Like I said - we'll see how things go :thumbsup:

Oz

[jarrahtin]

Hey Matra - nah, I love the ski racing too much. I must admit, I'd love to thrash the whole river boat only but not towing a skier just seems to be the loss off a good opportunity :)

We're going to start in 70mph class next season but, if things go ok, we might even stup up to MOC - see how we go. With the right skier and a prop that'll give me the top end, with our setup we could probably tow 1-up at 90. With the 26P Cleaver I can run up to 82 with a little left in it from more fine tuning. We're gonna try some TE's over the winter to see if they work for us. If so, a 28 or a 29 would get us there.

Like I said - we'll see how things go :thumbsup:

Oz

i'd like to see that......:eek:
i think you could do it to, as long as the driver, observer, and skier all weigh under 70kg...:thumbsup:

let me know if you need an observer or anything, i feel the need, the need for speed

i know a guy, racer from way back, has a 1800 Bullet with a 2.5L (alien Cal) doesn't matter what he does he cannot get over 90mph, with 1up sits at just under


attached is the boat
photo taken from Tiny Titts class

[Oz Dude]

jarrah - you've seen me - ain't no way I'm ever getting to 70kg (down to that is :rolleyes:)

We ran 92mph boat only with 3 in the boat before Christmas with a 28P Trophy Plus and we were running into a stiff wind. If I can get a 29TE to hook up and pull out a skier then I think we could scrape the 90 mark.

Raging Bull (Labsport with a modified 3L) was running 92 on the weekend. Unfortunately they hit some wash and the driver's knee knocked the kill switch out...the skier ran over his rope and ended up on his head pretty hard. Even with the time they lost to that, they still managed 50min. They would've been on track for a 44...

Winter is coming which means a quiet river - plenty of time to play. I'm sure you can get a little spare time to join us :D

Oz

[jarrahtin]

jarrah - you've seen me - ain't no way I'm ever getting to 70kg (down to that is :rolleyes:)

We ran 92mph boat only with 3 in the boat before Christmas with a 28P Trophy Plus and we were running into a stiff wind. If I can get a 29TE to hook up and pull out a skier then I think we could scrape the 90 mark.

Raging Bull (Labsport with a modified 3L) was running 92 on the weekend. Unfortunately they hit some wash and the driver's knee knocked the kill switch out...the skier ran over his rope and ended up on his head pretty hard. Even with the time they lost to that, they still managed 50min. They would've been on track for a 44...

Winter is coming which means a quiet river - plenty of time to play. I'm sure you can get a little spare time to join us :D

Oz

i will make sure i have time......:cheers:

2 weeks till we move into the new house, then i will have time to fix my motor, not sure which i am more exited about

hey i noticed the results have you as being DQ'ed but does not say why, i can only asume you blew out over 60mph at some point - or did you do something cheeky.......

[Oz Dude]

Could be when I jumped up on the deck to punch out the guy who cut me off :mad:

Nah, we ran 61.3. I rolled off a wash while avoiding having a skier as a hood ornament and broke out in the process. That's part of it. Not worried though as we had an awesome time :smiletest:

The original plan was to run 57-58 but before we even got to Bar Point, everyone in our grid was setting the pace at 59+. It's only a matter of time before you go over when running that close but it's fun to race side-by-side :thumbsup:

You won't be so excited about moving house WHEN you're doing it! Actually, you'll probably not be excited WHILE fixing the motor either but both will be worth it afterward! Just hurry up - I wanna see that thing go :D

Oz

[jarrahtin]

I wanna see that thing go :D

Oz


you and me both......:(

1st thing i'll be doing is throwing the 27 shooter on and having a proper run.. got to love big boys toys:cheers::cool:

[Oz Dude]

Don't forget your safety jacket...........

[jarrahtin]

Don't forget your safety jacket...........


do you know anywhere i can get a jacket and helmet without breaking the bank

[Oz Dude]

That depends - how big is the bank??

There are always 2nd hand vests for sale (check Vic Ski Racing site) but a new one will set you back up to about $600 depending on how compact you want it. I went for the lifeline vests that Danny Cropper is bringing in because of how tight the Bullet cockpit is.

As for helmets, get yourself to a large motorcycle shop and start trying them on. When you find one you like, go to Bunnings, get some sandpaper, fluro orange and clear spray cans, some tape, and before you know it, you'll have a bright orange helmet :)

Oz

[Oz Dude]

Just for anyone interested, I've just put up the top results in each class form the 1-Up race on the weekend in the other thread on the boards.

I included a rough calc on average speeds for comparisons as well...

Oz

[Oz Dude]

Just for anyone interested, I've just put up the top results in each class form the 1-Up race on the weekend in the other thread on the boards.

I included a rough calc on average speeds for comparisons as well...

Oz

[jarrahtin]

That depends - how big is the bank??

There are always 2nd hand vests for sale (check Vic Ski Racing site) but a new one will set you back up to about $600 depending on how compact you want it. I went for the lifeline vests that Danny Cropper is bringing in because of how tight the Bullet cockpit is.

As for helmets, get yourself to a large motorcycle shop and start trying them on. When you find one you like, go to Bunnings, get some sandpaper, fluro orange and clear spray cans, some tape, and before you know it, you'll have a bright orange helmet :)

Oz


you joke but i actually have a nice fitting motor bike helmet from back when i had a bike, i might just make use of it:thumbsup:

[Oz Dude]

you joke but i actually have a nice fitting motor bike helmet from back when i had a bike, i might just make use of it:thumbsup:

Ummm, no, quite serious. That's what I did!

I didn't like the full face helmets cause it was too tight in my seating position with the chin piece. Figured I could use my basic painting skills so I went to a couple of bike shops in Parramatta till I found a helmet that fit my fat head, and bought 2 in silver.

A couple of cans of pain on the way home, made up a little booth in the garage and sprayed em over 2 days. The only thing with acrylic is you gotta really let it harden (especially the clear) before you touch it.

Oz

[Roddles]

Didnt ACE racing thrash everyone in MOC and in fact was eighth outright?OZdude how fast max do you tow 2 skiers?

[Oz Dude]

Roddles - I posted all class winner results in another thread ----> http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185131

Results are on page 2...

I make Darren 9th overall from the full results page. He was 3min ahead in his class and broke the class record by 1:43.

We skiid in 60mph class this year and will upgrade to 70mph class next season. If my guys want to go faster through the season we can look at MOC but I would say 2 up we would be around the 82-84mph mark max.

Oz

[Roddles]

Ah ok thanx

[Thewayweroll]

Lets talk props .

Who in Aus is da prop man ??

From what i can see Merc dont make TE Cleavers anymore ??

Anyone ran a 4 Blade cleaver on their Bullet ??

Or maybe ill start with an ET Chopper i know i know .

This is for a 1850 Merc Smoc boat .

[Oz Dude]

Hey Bulldog.

I've not had a chance to try out an ET yet but I can tell ya that last Sunday the majority of OB's were using them, or a derivative.

Hopefully I will be trying out a few in the next couple of weeks so I'll let you know how we go. They seem to be the go though. Good revs up out of the hole but blades that grab and go.

I have a 26P TE Cleaver and I can just pull up both my guys with it. A lot of revving and not enough forward motion BUT my setup is very rear heavy so that's not helping. I do want to try it again with the longer ropes to see if a bit of spring from the ropes helps us pull out.

There are always Cleavers out there, you just have to keep an eye out (ebay is your friend)...

Another prop we've had good results with is a small hub LaserII. If you could get your hands on say a 26P that might be worth a look at. I've run 80mph 1-up with our 24P and it was quite driveable.

Oz

[mercules1750]

hey guys geat thread and good read we have just advertised our bullet 1750 as of today check it out see what use think of it and oz urs is pretty tidy well done nice to see sum serious time and effort there i just received a cpl et copies this week 28 and 30 ran the 28 this arvo only seen 85mph only ran for 10 mins but seems to have awesome bow lift more then our 28 pitch chopper best to date out of the chopper is 88mph 1 up in boat only will run again tommorow hopefully and get a bit more of a feel for it takes me a hr in the boat to get the courage up to really feed it to it and 1up with my big ass in it doesnt help http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=170329819787

[Thewayweroll]

Thanks guys that good info, i look forward to the test results.I was aslo considering a mazco re3 12 months warrany and seem fast.If dig nothing up i am in the US in 3 weeks anyway .(OZ im going right past Eric Simons front door ) mercules i think that will sell fast nice boat .If i can get a28 Et 3-4 mph faster than my 29Tempest , i will be close to where i am aiming for this set up .

[woodduck]

Try proprepairsaustralia.com they are in brisbane or the gold coast. Speak to one of the prop techs and they will set you straight.

[mercules1750]

prop repairs johnston street southport gold coast 075532 5891 great guys to deal with

[woodduck]

Probably the 3 blade ET 30" would suit you just fine. Keep it stock and will be fine. Try to grab an earlier one, they same to be a little faster. The later ones may be stronger but need a little thinning. Being a SMOC boat you'll be running down below the pad so you won't be surfacing the prop as much so the blades should last longer.

[woodduck]

prop repairs johnston street southport gold coast 075532 5891 great guys to deal with

That's it, hav'nt got my black book with me but I think the techs name is Peter, whomever it is the owner will answer but will pass you onto the guru. He'll help'

[Thewayweroll]

Thanks, I know the prop guy in Johnson st , im only 5 minutes from him ,He has done some fast small motor stuff for my sons.I was hoping a 30 ? Thought it might struggle out of the hole ? I will see how the boys tests go .

[woodduck]

Sorry Bulldog, just relised you have a 200, maybe try a 28, 30 may struggle with 2 skiers. You'll have to run quick releases anyway. But if you are going to run Smoc and expect to place you'll need a 250, pro, xs or ho. No if's but's or what if's. The 200 will be ok for 60 or 70 mph class. Get used to the boat then flip the 200 for a bigger donk.

Maybe the 200 will be ok for some of the rough as guts lake/ocean racing you do up there. Least with the setup you have it's easily changed.

[Thewayweroll]

All good Woodduck ,Im am definately going more HP .I just want to establish a good reliable team, so far the skiers need a big improvement .A season or a bit less with this setup should see us going ok.Quick releases are a given .Just heading out for a run now .Havent decided on the repower yet ??

[mercules1750]

theway i see ur gold coast so r we i just received the 28 and 30 et copy this week maybe we can organise a test day i have a wide variety of others also :thumbsup:

[Thewayweroll]

A Test day would be great I live on the river .So we have to be a bit selective where we go, but we can do it all from my back yard call Bulldog at your leisure 0400796009.I have just sent your boat details to a guy who works for me he is threatening to buy a boat .Just gunna press send and then head up to the Pin for a run .:cheers: Or a location to suit you , we are at Ashmore

[Bullet 1650]

Id be up for a test day wether it be Georges River or Hawkesbury river. If enough people were commited to coming along id definately head up the Hawkesbury for the day. That being said an early Saturday run up the Georges followed by lunch at the motor boat club is hard to beat!

[mercules1750]

:cheers:cheers bulldog sounds good can u get away with doing speed runs near ur place we have been using the coomera put in at highway bridges and just run up past there nice long stretch for it wa sgonna head out in the morning but yeard duties call but def next weekend have ur number so will keep in touch to arrange

[Thewayweroll]

Coomera is fine by me ,probably drive the boat up.We usually test midweek or late afternoon down here depending on the Wakeboard boats,You can get a good run from ross st bridge but there are a few houses .As i type this there are guys Skirace training now up and down the river .:thumbsup:

[canabl]

After testing waters on ebay to see interest in my old bullet, it sold and was on its way to new owner in canberra.
ended up buying another family cruiser (know its not a bullet) while i build up my 1500 bullet for summer and took out on georges river saturday for a cruise to brighton for some dinner.
seen NUMB NUTS and a red haines carving up the waves out to botany a few times too. was quite a good day and seen few nice looking bullets out.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00193-20090509-1544.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/CANABL/IMG00189-20090509-0834.jpg

[17_Matra_Missile]

Canabl: HOW DID I LOOK! haha Should of waved me down would of taken u for a wrap!

If Use are Going For a run on the Georges, Let me know Ill Be up for it with a mate in his 1750 also :D

[canabl]

your boat looked great carving up geprges river, when i was heading out you cut through the shallows behind another bullet, sounded like you bottomed out a few times but made it through.
im heading up hawksbury next weekend with kids for a little thrash in the new boat. want to get a larger prop as the laser 2, 21p spins up easily to 6500 and tops out at 68mph, just got to sort out the porpoising when trimmed up anything from tucked under.

[Oz Dude]

canabl - where abouts are you going on the Hawkesbury? I have a collection of props sitting in the boat shed. Depending on where you're putting in, I might be able to drop by.

adam - I think you need to being the STV up to the Hawkesbury :)

If a few guys are interested, I can speak with my mate that lives on the river (where we keep the boat). If it's ok with him, we could make a day of it at his place and have a beach to pull up on as well as a ramp to put in at. Anyone who's been to the Hawkesbury knows that beaches are few and far between!

Oz

[jarrahtin]

canabl - where abouts are you going on the Hawkesbury? I have a collection of props sitting in the boat shed. Depending on where you're putting in, I might be able to drop by.

adam - I think you need to being the STV up to the Hawkesbury :)

If a few guys are interested, I can speak with my mate that lives on the river (where we keep the boat). If it's ok with him, we could make a day of it at his place and have a beach to pull up on as well as a ramp to put in at. Anyone who's been to the Hawkesbury knows that beaches are few and far between!

Oz


i am also happy to offer our place up on the hawkesbury for a gathering just give me about a month to get mine back on the water

[canabl]

I am not sure of any areas to put in up the hawksbury but was looking to go in around the bridge on f3 north side or possibly even go to akuna bay for some calmer waters.
Always up for a suggestion of places and some fun on the water,
cheers for the offer on props too, i think the one on there atm is the cause of all the dramas. think i need one thyat offers better lift , would this need more cupping or possibly a 4 blader?

[jarrahtin]

I am not sure of any areas to put in up the hawksbury but was looking to go in around the bridge on f3 north side or possibly even go to akuna bay for some calmer waters.
Always up for a suggestion of places and some fun on the water,
cheers for the offer on props too, i think the one on there atm is the cause of all the dramas. think i need one thyat offers better lift , would this need more cupping or possibly a 4 blader?


for the good water you need to go up river more, we ski from lower portland, on a standard weekend its not too bad, the ocasional wakeboard boat but over winter you will have the river to yourself all weekend

[Oz Dude]

canabl - not sure where you're located but if you feel like taking a drive to the upper end of the river (Windsor) there is plenty of calm water to play this time of year!

I have a couple of bigger pitch Laser II's (for direct comparison) as well as a couple of 4 blade props that might be of use. The Trophy Plus will really make the bow stand up...

jarrah - until your boat is back on the water, you'll just have to sample a ride in everyone elses :)

Oz

[jarrahtin]

canabl - not sure where you're located but if you feel like taking a drive to the upper end of the river (Windsor) there is plenty of calm water to play this time of year!

I have a couple of bigger pitch Laser II's (for direct comparison) as well as a couple of 4 blade props that might be of use. The Trophy Plus will really make the bow stand up...

jarrah - until your boat is back on the water, you'll just have to sample a ride in everyone elses :)

Oz

thanks for rubbing that in, i'd like to see the setups of others anyway so i wont mind that much

[Bullet 1650]

Oz,

Sounds like a plan mate - i could round up a few more boats to tag along with me. When do those damn wakeboarders call it quits for the year? Dont want to hit a rogue wakeboard wash at speed!

Adam


canabl - where abouts are you going on the Hawkesbury? I have a collection of props sitting in the boat shed. Depending on where you're putting in, I might be able to drop by.

adam - I think you need to being the STV up to the Hawkesbury :)

If a few guys are interested, I can speak with my mate that lives on the river (where we keep the boat). If it's ok with him, we could make a day of it at his place and have a beach to pull up on as well as a ramp to put in at. Anyone who's been to the Hawkesbury knows that beaches are few and far between!

Oz

[Oz Dude]

HAHA - that's why I suggested coming up to Windsor. Wankborders have left the building! I was dropping off a load of firewood to him yesterday about 3 in the arvo and there was not 1 boat went by the hour I was there! What a waste of good water :)

Hmmm, I'll have to be extra nice to my mate's wife so she let's us have a day pass for the river. Plenty of room to park, boat ramp, beach, and a shed if we need to work on anything!

Oz

[canabl]

well i live in st clair so to windsor is only a half hour drive.
took bullet for last spin out at pit town and stayed at the caravan park.
my boat has the full wake tower setup also but im more into having it as a cruising boat than a wake boat. i will try keep my wake to a minimum:thumbsup::leaving:

[Oz Dude]

Did you stay at the Caravan Park on Pitt Town Bottoms Road??

[canabl]

thats the one, a friend Katie's mother runs the place.
we just got a cabin there for two days and had a blast tearing up around the bend north.

[jarrahtin]

Id be up for a test day wether it be Georges River or Hawkesbury river. If enough people were commited to coming along id definately head up the Hawkesbury for the day. That being said an early Saturday run up the Georges followed by lunch at the motor boat club is hard to beat!

is that the St George motor boat club??????

[Bullet 1650]

Thats the one - Theres also a club day coming up so might be a good excuse for you all to come down. 23rd i think it is