Race Boats

[OCRDA]

Originally posted by roofer
no wonder racing is in decline if you've just gone back to how it was 25 years ago

Unfortunately there were few options although this has worked very well as all Engine Manufactures have a competative Model inc direct inj & 4 Stroke's , by making the laps shorter with more turns & tighter Chicanes the racing has become very Competitve. Had we gone the other way ie 3 ltr to allow all engine manufacturers to compete then we would have had to have Bigger Boats & Longer courses but that is already Class 3.

"Don't Knock it til you've tried it"

[roofer]

let me get this right,last week i was doing mid 70's with my xr2 but next week i'll be doing mid 60's with my 130 if im lucky,it does'nt make sense, no wonder people are leaving the sport. i thought the idea of racing was to go fast not over 10mph slower,i bet the spectators love that.

[RHINO]

roofer,you are right an xr2 on an 18 is probably overpowered, but in the right hands an exciting bit of kit.where a 280 is 100hp more.the proposed production class is really just trying to open the door to all boats that have knowhere to race,and kickstart the whole national sport.and it has not been ruled out for 2.5s to compete allthough it would be an open class.the sea conditions would limit speeds,i have said all along that a trimmed in 2.5 is safer than a trimmed out xr2.

[roofer]

rhino i had an xr2 on my old phantom,i did'nt find it exciting which is why i bought my new phantom with a modified 2.5 on. i can see what you are saying but should'nt you be trying to get the people who have left the sport back as well as attracting new blood ?

[JBP]

Well with this years calander there should be plenty of opportunity for old racers and new to get out there and restore the sport to it's former glory.

The latest restraint being the EPA compliance which all classes are trying to address and keep it fair but like everything people don't want to fix things that weren't broke to start with, however things can improve and that's what will bring in the new blood and even bring back some of the old.

[Gav]

EPA compliance??

[Hydrostream]

Roofer, I know exactly what you mean, it's racing and until they realise that I'll have no interest in it, where’s the buz in racing something that you know you are never on the edge. Unless it's one of the 225 Honda boats, which tries to kill you in very corner!

About entry level racing;
I designed a boat a couple of years ago as an entry level boat to race under the 850 cc rule, it was a 14' 2 seater cat with 3 cyl. OMC's and Yamaha’s in mind and there's loads of those around from S850 and F3 tunnels. I approached the Irish Motorboat Association and they wouldn't help at all. They saw it as a threat to their already weak numbered S850 class and wouldn't help with homologation or running the class, although it was more an OCR/ dock racing type boat. I contacted the UIM myself about hologation and they seemed a bit more positive but still refer me back to the IMBA/ IPBRA.

There used to be a similar class in Wales, it's where I got the idea, run on Milford Haven. They raced every Tues, Thurs night and Sat afternoon. They had about 15-20 boats in the class and they were all 2 seater inline Concorde’s racing with 2 cyl engines. Lynn Dudley/ Concorde boats worked closely with my college and told a few of us that were interested in racing that he would start the class back up without the RYA. He pulled the molds out of hibernation, 2 boats were built in 2000 but we couldn't get the no's back. The interest was GONE! While the class was strong he campaigned to get it recognised by the RYA, it got recognised, the rules came, the class died!
I think Bristol docks is another example of this!

I think the way forward in starter class racing is open racing, race what ya got and find a way to class the boats.

Here in Ireland if you want to race, there's S850 tunnels and T850 mono’s, both inshore circuit with about 9 races a year and that’s it.

Alan

[Burty]

Originally posted by Jonny
OK, Bob, have you still got the 'ump' over the phoney phantom thread?

How ya doing?

So standard is it?
Rob how you getting on with the 150Hp nitrous you had off me then????

[Ian]

Originally posted by Hydrostream
Lynn Dudley/ Concorde boats worked closely with my college

I think the way forward in starter class racing is open racing, race what ya got and find a way to class the boats.

Alan, Is this the same concorde boats that built the Fiesta and Florida models in the eighties....if so....have you got any pictures or further details you could post.

I agree with your ideas for starter classes, as a family man, if and when I get my next boat, it would have to be able to offer family entertainment when it wasn't being raced, rather than be an out and out racer. Handicapping / ballasting boats would be a good way of evening out performance within classes.

[Cookee]

Originally posted by roofer
rhino i had an xr2 on my old phantom,i did'nt find it exciting which is why i bought my new phantom with a modified 2.5 on. i can see what you are saying but should'nt you be trying to get the people who have left the sport back as well as attracting new blood ?

Roofer - as someone who has raced as a navigator in an OCR 2 litre boat and won the national championship although I only did half that season I had done a number of seasons before that.

Running a boat that is well powered up or even over powered is one thing, and racing it is another - have you ever run your Phantom offshore around and around for well over an hour in a force 4 + without lifting off trimmed out as far as it will go? Of course for added enjoyment add in another 15 - 20 boats all trying to get past you as well it certainly isn't boring.

As Bob said there are good reasons why OCR has gone down in size - you could always come along and watch a race before you make your mind up it's pants!

And if you want to race with an XR2 there's always the new production class running with Class 3!

I used to race 130 mph Karts but a race in those indoor karts is almost as much fun because it can be just as, if not closer racing and that is what it's all about.

If we have a class to suit everyone we would all be racing on out own - there has to be a limit, and it is better not to duplicate classes as much as possible - All IMHO of course!

[OCRDA]

The original post was for information as to what Racing is available :-

So you have in Offshore :-

Kids Class Scorcerer 20 Merc
K 1000 Phantom 16 60 Merc
K ? Fletcher 14 40 Merc (i think)

OCR A Min 18' 140 ish
OCR B Min 16' 90 ish
OCR C Min 14' 70 ish
OCR C (basic) Min 14' 100ish

Honda 150
Honda 225

Class 3 c 90 ish
Class 3 c 200 ish

Formula 200 Min 18' 200hp

Zap-Cat

Thunder-Cat

Rhibs (Biboa)

V24

Water-Ski

Then theres Inshore with Northern Series
Circuit Jet Ski etc.etc.

? How many classes do you want ?

[JBP]

As they say plenty to be going on with.

Plus quite a few are standard production models with no mods, being standard means they are dual purpose, that's why the hondas come with cup holders..........

[roofer]

your right cookee you've got your opinion ive got mine !

[Cookee]

I certainly am not interested in a fight - just other peoples reasons for thier opinions - just where do you think I'm wrong or what points do you disagree with - and why?

[roofer]

the biggest reason is i dont want to race an xr2, i want to race a 2.5, you really must spend more time reading posts

[Gav]

Originally posted by Cookee



If we have a class to suit everyone we would all be racing on our own - there has to be a limit

I agree totally!

I think there's too much talk from folk who have large HP boats that dont fit the current classes for this year............

The way i see it is if you want to take part in the racing then get a boat that fits one of the 18 categories listed in earlier post you want to race in, and if there aint a category that suits you its tuff titty Dont race!



:wink:

[roofer]

but gav i will be racing my boat this year and with a 2.5 engine fitted, i could also race in 2 litre with my old boat !

[Gav]

Originally posted by roofer
but gav i will be racing my boat this year and with a 2.5 engine fitted, i could also race in 2 litre with my old boat !

Nice to have the choice

But a lot of people dont have that pleasure..............

All i am saying is that theres a lot of moaning about racing not being exciting enough in certain classes because they cant go as fast as they would like to go, its all a bit contraversial for me i think, I'm just happy to be able to "have a go" in wotever class i can afford to run in, and i certainly would feel a bit of a gumby heading straight into 2L or 2.5 with no experience of racing..................

[JBP]

how about dock racing?

[roofer]

thats what i'll be doing this year, looks kinda interesting and fast