Laser LTV ModVP Question/Information inquiry

[Da Bull]

When Roark went to building the pointy nose STV (same mold as narrow deck LTV) you could still get side by side seating front and rear just a little closer together.
I think it`s worth talking about the reason for the different cockpit sizes with the same hull. The narrow deck had a longer nose. It was to flighty when built light so Roark and the crew at Laser moved the dash forward several inches maybe a foot not sure. This made the boat safer and while they were at it they made the cockpit more narrow for a more racy look. The reason for the cockpit width was an APBA rule For Mod-VP stating that the boat had to retain the look of a production ski /pleasure boat that the average crowd could relate to. Had it not been for this rule Mod-VP would have looked like Champ tunnel boats.

Note: APBA did eventually delete this rule and Mod-VP did in fact take on the look of the wood tunnel Champ boats. Some will say that this was in part one of the reasons Mod-VP was eliminated. I myself believe is was Mercury wanting to push another class (to sell more motors) and Mod-VP was in the way.

Anyway Roark sold as many as he could make and I was jealous of the new deck. I wished my 380 had the narrow cockpit.

[Noah Burns]

You're right Bobby they moved the dash forward a foot on the narrow deck. Billy's was the first narrow one built and put on a boat. They retroed a few race boats that were already running after the new deck came around. The very first version of the LTV had much shorter sponsons, when they took it out to Grapevine to test it they said it turned so violently that it wasn't usable, but it accelerated harder than the end result boat. They took it back to the shop and cut the sponsons back off of it, put (I think) 18" in the middle of them and put them back on and that's what we have today.

When Roark went to building the pointy nose STV (same mold as narrow deck LTV) you could still get side by side seating front and rear just a little closer together.
I think it`s worth talking about the reason for the different cockpit sizes with the same hull. The narrow deck had a longer nose. It was to flighty when built light so Roark and the crew at Laser moved the dash forward several inches maybe a foot not sure. This made the boat safer and while they were at it they made the cockpit more narrow for a more racy look. The reason for the cockpit width was an APBA rule For Mod-VP stating that the boat had to retain the look of a production ski /pleasure boat that the average crowd could relate to. Had it not been for this rule Mod-VP would have looked like Champ tunnel boats.

Note: APBA did eventually delete this rule and Mod-VP did in fact take on the look of the wood tunnel Champ boats. Some will say that this was in part one of the reasons Mod-VP was eliminated. I myself believe is was Mercury wanting to push another class (to sell more motors) and Mod-VP was in the way.

Anyway Roark sold as many as he could make and I was jealous of the new deck. I wished my 380 had the narrow cockpit.

[oldstv]

Hey Ed, good to hear from you and I agree those were some gooooood times for sure. I was talking to Charlie this past weekend and we mentioned you. Take care my friend.

My boat was said to be the last deck to be pulled from those race molds. The molds were out back and took a lot of work to bring back. It was said that he would never do another one. Who really knows it he ever did but that is what I was told.

[Thunderduck]

Noah, my boat is actually stamped "RACEBOAT." Does the serial number indicate it was built in 1983 ???

[Noah Burns]

Very cool! I believe that is correct, July 1983 would be my assumption based on that number. My LTV isn't even stamped "raceboat" and it was the first narrow deck built, and purposely built as a racer. That's pretty cool!

Noah, my boat is actually stamped "RACEBOAT." Does the serial number indicate it was built in 1983 ???

[Da Bull]

The very first version of the LTV had much shorter sponsons, when they took it out to Grapevine to test it they said it turned so violently that it wasn't usable, but it accelerated harder than the end result boat. They took it back to the shop and cut the sponsons back off of it, put (I think) 18" in the middle of them and put them back on and that's what we have today.

Wouldn`t it be cool to have one of those today for drag racing purposes.

[Noah Burns]

that one was actually built from a 380 they cut into 1/3s and lowered the center down. If you visualize that you can get an idea of how short the sides would be. They took that original boat back and changed it up and built the molds off of it then cut it up.

the boat they used was a blue 380 that originally had an OMC on it. It was raced at the Palestine MVP race in ‘81 or ‘82 the video I have posted on YouTube. The guy never could get the boat setup right. Kept spinning it out.

Wouldn`t it be cool to have one of those today for drag racing purposes.

[89LASER]

Usually the last 3 numbers of the vin 783 means July of 1983, which would mean the boat is a 1984, anything after June would be the next model year. At least that was what I was told.

[Da Bull]

[QUOTEthe boat they used was a blue 380 that originally had an OMC on it. It was raced at the Palestine MVP race in ‘81 or ‘82 the video I have posted on YouTube. The guy never could get the boat setup right. Kept spinning it out.][/QUOTE]


Those OMC`s back then had a very narrow skeg. A CLE type wide skeg may have solved his problems. With a stock lower w/nose cone mine would do the same thing until Pop made it wider. It was either that or slow down entering a turn and that wasn`t gonna happen. I remember down at Hill Top (the ditch) where there was only one turn bouy we had broken our LU in the drags and borrowed another from a friend but his had a stock skeg. I didn`t take that into consideration but after I spun it in the first turn guess what? I remembered! Sure wish I could relive those days.

[Noah Burns]

You may be right about that, I think the explanation that I was told was that he had the engine too high and it was his first experience in racing the boat. He was a friend of Beaver Tyler (one of the Laser shop guys) so I'm sure he just heard about the race and wanted to go have fun with the boys.

Those OMC`s back then had a very narrow skeg. A CLE type wide skeg may have solved his problems. With a stock lower w/nose cone mine would do the same thing until Pop made it wider. It was either that or slow down entering a turn and that wasn`t gonna happen. I remember down at Hill Top (the ditch) where there was only one turn bouy we had broken our LU in the drags and borrowed another from a friend but his had a stock skeg. I didn`t take that into consideration but after I spun it in the first turn guess what? I remembered! Sure wish I could relive those days.

[Da Bull]

I knew Beaver. Great guy. Mr Porkroll I`m sorry for high jacking your thread and getting off topic. What can I say but when the subject is Laser, LTV it touches my heart. I can only hope that some of this has helped you in some way.

[trbocharge]

Laser LTV is not a good boat, it’s outstanding IMO I raced modvp for a few years in club racing and was unbeatable. The hull got a bad rap cause boneheads would run positive trim in the quest for immortality and found mortality. Run bullet 2 inch above the pad with neutral trim max. Pic below was my pleasure converted to race. Light but not too light. Ran 105 with a heated 2.4.

[trbocharge]