Lifeline Jacket Question

[Chaz]

I still wanna know :

Does the wabbet ever drive the boat.

Will the wabbet drink warm beer.

How many registered boats in I'lli-noid.

Do the Gangster Disciples have to register their boats, or do they get a free pass.
https://www.chiraqdrill.com/chicago-gangs/

Is this boat cheating :

Using ram air.

Is that the new "clam-shell" cowl for porkchops.

Cheap plastic.

Cheaper glue.

Covered under wty, paid for R+D work the factory should have done. A roll of Harbor Freight duct tape.

Enquiring minds wanna know.

[Jim Speros]

History repeats its self. Old 200's with clam shells on Stock offshore boats would lose cowlings easily.

The go to easy fix was to wrap a couple 20 inch bicycle inner tubes around the cowl.

[Chaz]

Ohhhhhhh .. it's much worse than that ....

They made "everyone" in the field put on "FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS" ..

No .. not just the 4.6L entry's .. but the 3.2L boats as well. Wonder who pushed for that "fair" rule.

Why don't they put those cute little Volvo turbo diesels in semi-tractor trailer rigs .. ??
Pretty simple, cubic inch's deal with the weight better. especially in the heat.

That chicken **** move just proves that they are scared to actually race against their own "antique" . He11 the "racing dept" .. can't even answer a couple simple questions .. Pretty sad .. on both accounts ..

Man up and take the weight back off of the little motors .. yea, I know, they'd have to actually work for a win .. or it would look like this every weekend ...

[LakeFever]

Five hundred pounds? That must be unsafe that doesnt sound like an intelligent move

[CUDA]

Five hundred pounds? That must be unsafe that doesnt sound like an intelligent move

That's a funny statement right there because I've never seen a class with soo many blow-overs

almost every race has 1 to 2 I guess some don't know the facts, no racer likes weight but how would you try to fix the blow-over problem???

I know 8 foot 6 inch boat width like the old days, scrap all those new boats and lets go retro

You guys like living in the PAST...

simple answer retro, the old is new again, get those bellbottoms out.

[H2OPERF]

Hmmm... The f1s blow over every race and i don't see them being told to add any weight uh i mean how to balance their own boat. The first time the APX gets smoked by a lil old 2.5 you will see instant changes just like with the omc v8s.

[Chaz]

That's a funny statement right there because I've never seen a class with soo many blow-overs

almost every race has 1 to 2 I guess some don't know the facts, no racer likes weight but how would you try to fix the blow-over problem???

I know 8 foot 6 inch boat width like the old days, scrap all those new boats and lets go retro

You guys like living in the PAST...

simple answer retro, the old is new again, get those bellbottoms out.

Well CRUD, it seems those battery powered, rose colored glasses seem to have blocked all the near blowover / stuffs .. even with pictures in this very thread.

Is that how it's done in the "modern era" build boats as thin and light as possible .. and then make the racers bolt a bunch of lead bars in .. to make em safer .. not even your **** *** believes that ..

Lets go Brandon ...

[Jim Speros]

The weight was added for a few reasons. One is because some boats have sacrificed safety for speed. To build build a safe canopy following existing safety rules at old weight is not realistic. Since the offshore boats have been increasing running in flat water the designs have changed. Not necessarily for the better. Sure faster but less safe and for some less durable.
Ask the boats that dropped out of race why? One was a brand new boat. The other was a very young boat.

Years ago the rules kept adding weight to SuperVs with supercharged engines. The speeds continued to go up.

I predict even after the weight is added the boat speed in that class will continue to climb.

[Jim Speros]

Years ago Offshore had a rule. The Worlds were something you qualified for. You'd have to place in a National race to participate in the championship event. In part that rules existed to keep one off, one race potato chip boats out of the line up.

[LakeFever]

I cant say anything intelligent about the specific troubles facing this racing circuit. Rebuilding a hull that from the factory weighs in around 750lbs the thought off adding 500lbs ballast caught me flat footed and sounded dangerous. Thoughts of how and where this weight is placed will have dramatic effect. That and power to weight ratio is the top goal of everything speed related and this is compounded if you need to accelerate and especially if you need to turn corners where this weight sounds literally nuts to me. I sinply don’t understand. Why not spec a prop pitch or something? Has to be easier and safer than all that weight

im well past my pay grade so if im off the ball here im merely a surprised spectator is all. Never really liked the idea of racing the rule book but i do understand the many reasons it exists

[Chaz]

This is the first year that the porkys are allowed to run in Super Stock.
The boats have to come out of the water at 4900 pounds instead of 4400.
Like in most any racing, when big money enters .. they want the rules to favor what they want or no deal. This is just another example of racing organizations bowing down . Sad they have salesmen, not tech departments write the rule book.
This way they won't have to "phase out" the 3.2L , they can make it obsolete with the stroke of a pen ... if you think any different, I hope you didn't hurt yourself from just falling off of the turnup truck .. !

[Jim Speros]

Respectfully, I have to share a different explanation.
This time in this class it had little to do with new rich guys. The 2 strokes are dinosaurs. Mercury isn't going to continue to make them forever.

Rich Luhrs heads APBA Offshore. He is an old racer tech guy. Not a salesman.

Finally I'll add safety can not be over stated. I have lost friends and been at events with loss of life. There have been a variety of reasons that contribute. But I have never witnessed one from too heavy of a boat.

[CUDA]

It's been over 4 years since the OptiMax was produced.

All the racers in that class have PLENTY OF MONEY

Between boat, trailer, tow rig, props whatever you better have $500,000. just to get started

I over heard a gal they spent $10,000 for a nice waterfront room for the Key West race, chump change to them.

[LakeFever]

Those boats weigh far more than i had imagined. Thats about ten percent not 75% as i thought. Interesting times, stay safe all

[Chaz]

OPA, Race America, P-1, The guy who had the rights to the K.W. race ... It was like hearding cats (no pun). Some were called "Stock" others "Super Stock" . Each had their own interpretation of the "rules". And it's been quite some time since Rich Luhrs has built a boat or flown in the helicopter. Talk about ancient history.

Jim, you really need to come up to speed .. James too I rekkon.

Who said those guys were broke .. besides you two ...

They raced 280's for a decade after they went out of production. Dying class until one guy became the voice of reason, and also allowed the 3.2L powerheads. Most gravitated to the bigger motor along with the MAD/EFI can. Some worked with keeping the 2.5 can and lower with a billet adapter plate. Opps, the 2.5 can and lower became illegal ... with the stroke of a pen. But it was/is ok to use the 2.5 swivel bracket.
I built a few parts for some of the boats .. coming from the NHRA/IHRA world .. I'd have to say would fit in no ones realm of being "stock". Yet that stuff breezed thru tech.
The 280, albeit a true race motor .. had the closest semblance of fitting the spirit of what a "true" stock piece. I think they should still be allowed in .. and with a weight break. Thats just me though. Not that I'm particularly fond of the 280, it more of a zest for open competition. But I'm sure you guys are also fond of the cookie cutter McLaughlin chassis, Camaros, Mustangs and Toyotas they run in NASCAR. I shouldn't ***** , I guess .. at least they have three choices.

Every bass boat has a Bobs jack-plate. When the Shadow Pirate showed up with a pair of Porta's finest .. it was funny until they were able to drop the inside motor and turn under "everybody" .. Oppsss , no more hyd plates .. but the week later, the loudest voice showed up with big azz mud flaps in front of the motors .. must be no "homologation" rule on body types for ....... stockers.

So dont try to tell me that they added weight for "safety" reasons .. If so, then make it 1000 pounds .. so they car really be safe. If you two were paying attention to the DW 32 thread .. you would have notice it was mentioned that a pleasure model weighed a little over 5000 pounds. Strange coincidence the new race weight is 4900 lbs for all. Oswald, the grass knoll .. lunar landing .. F.J.B.

Ray Charles can see that the world now hates two strokes. Some of us still get a kick out of them. The best thing about the pork chops is the price. For every 4.6 they actually sell .. there are 10 more that looked at the price tag and decided that putting a couple grand in their old motor aint such a bad idea.