Rapid Craft 22’ Twister Questions

[fastwhitecat]

All Rapid Crafts tunnels were MOD-VP's (tunnel hull) They all had the a center sponson.

1. That boat should handle good with that power. The ride will depend on how fast and how the trim is set.
It should be good for real life 1'- 1 1/2' waves but anything big and it's going to be a rough ,wet ride.
2. It'll seat 5 but 4 is way more comfortable.
3. With the power it has I don't think you'll get in trouble but there is always a chance.
Just remember the Twister was made for speed/cruising, not a good ski/tubing boat.

[gedward44]

Great information once again, fastwhitecat. This will probably sound like a dumb question, but what are the trim tabs for? Does the drive not have an electric trim? Also, I was reading that some of the Mod-VP hull boats have a tendency to hop or porpoise at certain speeds. Does the Rapid Craft Twister have this?

[fastwhitecat]

I have no idea why anyone would install trim tabs on that boat. I'm guessing one of the previous owns was trying to trim it up to much and made it porpoise at cruising speeds. I never had a problem with it porpoising/hopping. It didn't need much trim at any speed for me.

[Euroski]

Being your first boat suggest may want to consider V-Hull such as Checkmate, Baja, and others in the 22-25ft range.

[Li'l Toy]

Often times with that hull configuration you put trim tabs in the two tunnels to dampen or eliminate "tunnel hop" which is a porpoise that many happen in a certain speed range. My boat tops at 89, porpoises from 74 to low 80s. But as well as these old eyes can see the photo, looks like these tabs are on the bottom of the sponsons, not in the tunnel.

I will add a comment similar to Euroski. First, buying a tunnel like this, up to a certain speed, is no less safe nor requires a higher level of skill than a normal v-hull. But I am concerned with your level of experience starting out with what is apparently an over 100 mph boat. Lots of things can go wrong in a very high performance boat like this, and I believe that you are new to this sport. The boats Euroski suggests, or even a 21 Eliminator, Liberator or Rapid Craft with a 225 on it would be much safer for you to start out.

[Li'l Toy]

I re-read your post 15. A few more comments. In the very high performance realm, a pod tunnel (tunnel hull or catamaran with a pod down the middle like the Rapid Craft) is much easier to drive than an Allison, Hydrostream or other pad V-hull that must be constantly balanced on their paid at top speed. We are accused of driving boats with training wheels. Tunnels reduce the area of the hulls touching the water by compressing air down the tunnel(s). The fastest tunnels built for racing are always in danger of "blowing over"-either taking a gust of wind under the bow, or getting trimmed out just a little too much, sending the bow sky high and turning it over. It takes a very high speed to get a pod tunnel which have slightly tamer hulls to blow over. I have no real basis for this, but when that Rapid Craft was running 130 with the hot motor I bet it was at risk for a blowover.

A boat like the Rapid Craft or my Eliminator can be happy in a chop (I think about 18" was suggested, I think that is about right) and maybe outrun a v-hull in those conditions. As the chop gets bigger, the v-hull (particularly the larger ones suggested by Euroski) will not be comfortable per se, but can handle it much better that a 21 or 22 tunnel. Bigger tunnels are a different story, but not what we are talking about.

And I see that you are experienced with car motors, so I understand that you may prefer an I/O--not quite as much interest on this site for them as for outboards.

[scott reierson]

Wow! Geez..130 in that boat had to be a thrill. Bet the BB weight helped it settle down at that speed.

How did the Black Hawk drive feel at that speed and did it live long with that kind of power. Those had to be Merc HP props right?

[fastwhitecat]

First off the way that boat is set up now the best it's going to do is 65-67 mph. At that speed this boat will not have enough air under it to lift/blow over As far as the "tunnel hop", I ran that boat at all speeds and never had any hop unless I would trim it up to much. Then it would hop like any tunnel hull boat will do.
With the big motor and Blackhawk drive I ran the drive at zero trim. no chance of blow over. This hull loved that outdrive. I have it on video and it looks like it's running 70 mph not 130.
Not one problem with the drive ever, and we ran out of the hole many times. The props were Mercury cut by Bronson Hill Propellers.

[gedward44]

Euroski and Li’l Toy, thank you for your input, and for expressing your concerns. You are both correct that I don’t have experience with a high performance tunnel hull boat. I take safety seriously, and at my age no longer have anything to prove. LOL! So, if I buy the boat I plan to run it in stock form, especially until I become familiar with how this style boat handles. I am going with fastwhitecat’s recommendations, since he was the previous owner of this boat and knows it’s characteristics. I have an appointment to see the boat tomorrow. Hopefully it is still in as good of a condition as in the photos! The owner is very motivated to sell it due to him buying a newer, larger tunnel hull/ catamaran speed boat, and also some recent health issues. So, hopefully by tomorrow night I will be the proud new owner of a very nice boat with a cool history! Fastwhitecat, thanks again for the additional information and clarifications about the boat!! BTW... I would love to see that video of the high speed run!

[gedward44]

fastwhitecat, I bought your old boat yesterday afternoon!!

[Merc 2.5]

Let's see some pics!!

[fastwhitecat]

That's Awesome. I think you'll enjoy it. Just take your time learning to drive it.

[fastwhitecat]

Quick question. Is it a paint job or a wrap?

[gedward44]

fastwhitecat, yes, it is a wrap. I bought the boat from a guy in Huntsville, Alabama. He said that when he purchased the boat about two years ago from a guy in Tennessee, it was white, but had stickers on it. He didn't like the stickers, so he had them removed and the boat wrapped. The boat was filthy (covered in a thick layer of dust/ dirt). He had the boat stored at a storage unit facility under a large shed, and had been there for almost 1-1/2 years. When he first posted the boat for sale in April 2019 he had it detailed; however, that was the last time it was cleaned! It was last tagged in 2018. He said that he only drove the Twister about five times before buying a 26 foot catamaran speed boat, and thus parking the Twister. Since it's been sitting, there are some "gremlins" in it that I'm having to fix - I'm sure from just sitting for so long, as happens with all vehicles. For example, the accelerator sticks, it shifts into "forward" but won't shift into "reverse" (I'm thinking maybe the cable needs adjusting?), etc. The engine fired right up and ran perfectly Sunday morning. I gave the boat a quick wash Sunday afternoon. I started it Monday evening and now has a bad "miss" in the engine, so I'm trying to trace that issue. There was some corrosion inside the distributor cap, so I'm starting there with the troubleshooting this weekend. :-) There are some rust issues on the trailer and trailer brake system, apparently from the salt water when it was in Florida. i'm hoping to get the issues resolved and get it on the water within the next couple of weeks.