Parker or Bust!

[647and918]

This is the boat I'm trying to put together in time for Parker next month... I'll try to put up better pictures as it progresses... I don't have anything "running" right now; I blew up the lower unit a while back and it isn't back together yet!!!

[Jeff Akers]

Very nice ! :cool:


One word of caution though, If it were mine, I would toss the VRO set up and go back to mixin the oil myself. ;)

[Ron Hill]

I have 23, 45 SS Powerheads, all with one stuck piston...Are you telling me there might be a problem with the VRO???

Hmmm...OMC never mentioned a problem!!!

JEff, if I had an "EXTRA" boat would you come and run Parker???

I've made a deal on a Stoker.....No "KILLER" motor...just a ride, maybe co-drive with Broc!!!!

[mercguy]

Very nice ! :cool:


One word of caution though, If it were mine, I would toss the VRO set up and go back to mixin the oil myself. ;)

that is EXACTLY what I was thinking when I saw the oil tank in the back of the boat! Do it with Merc V6's too!

BTW: that is a sweet looking Stoker, even with the OMC V8 on back............:p

[mercguy]

I have 23, 45 SS Powerheads, all with one stuck piston...Are you telling me there might be a problem with the VRO???

Hmmm...OMC never mentioned a problem!!!

JEff, if I had an "EXTRA" boat would you come and run Parker???

I've made a deal on a Stoker.....No "KILLER" motor...just a ride, maybe co-drive with Broc!!!!

Ron, whatcha talkin' about? 45SS motors do not have VRO (oil injection)!!:confused: :confused:

dem must be "fishin" powerheads ya have there........

mixing oil and gas...........you ONLY have yourself to blame, if the motor skids a piston, due to lack of oil...........

if the engine manufactures always alerted owners of a "known" issue, they would probably be all out of business..................

but, if you own and OMC or Merc (pre-OptiMax) with oil injection .........................pull the **** off, before damage is caused! I have (2) 150 V6 Merc here I am rebuilding, that the oil injection failed..............and damn sure I WILL NOT be putting it back on! Plus, Mercs run alot better (and faster) with more oil!!!!!!

PS: I even yanked the oil injection off my D Tohatsu.........

[Ron Hill]

Yes, FISHING POWERHEADS.... I do know, though Chad doesn't agree, that when Broc put generator gas in his 45 he oil made a lap before the engine stuck!!! Oil is GOOD in outboards!!!

I went RIGHT by that Honda Outboard dealer, today...and DIDN't think of you!!!!!When it cools off, I'll do something....What, I don't know!!!

One thing I have learned abour Merc V-6's and their oil tanks....you need to keep the cap on tight!!! Why if there is an oil pump on the motor does the oil tank have to have pressure????

[mercguy]

Yes, FISHING POWERHEADS.... I do know, though Chad doesn't agree, that when Broc put generator gas in his 45 he oil made a lap before the engine stuck!!! Oil is GOOD in outboards!!!

I went RIGHT by that Honda Outboard dealer, today...and DIDN't think of you!!!!!When it cools off, I'll do something....What, I don't know!!!

One thing I have learned abour Merc V-6's and their oil tanks....you need to keep the cap on tight!!! Why if there is an oil pump on the motor does the oil tank have to have pressure????

yep, oil is good!!!

as to the oil cap (yep, it must be tight) and needing pressure...............long story, but the answer I would give you...................I do not care, as the damn OIL INJECTION should be tossed in the **** can........:D :D :D You have been warned.......:eek:

now, get your butt back out in the scorching heat and check on that motor for me......purdy please.

I gotta go finish loading my race trailer now...................Yelm is this weekend............1 2/3 and 1 1/4 mile courses.....................can you say LONG!!!!! Sure hope Wayne has a big wheel for my CSR!

[Ron Hill]

I always thought Yelm was the same weekend as San Diego...

Wayne as in Peters???? Just use John's (Peters) CSH wheel!! And let her EAT!!!

Good luck.... finding the lake...Damn, no street signs up there!

[mercguy]

I always thought Yelm was the same weekend as San Diego...

Wayne as in Peters???? Just use John's (Peters) CSH wheel!! And let her EAT!!!

Good luck.... finding the lake...Damn, no street signs up there!


yep....WayneCo! John's CSH wheel is Jimmy O's, so no chance in hell of using that! The Pavlick 20SSH/CSH rig is Jimmy O's, and he is the only one that does any setup on it and uses his own props (much to Wayne's dislike at times).

I just gave Tony L. directions over the phone this afternoon and he found the lake............no problem..........there are street signs now and the roads are paved........no wagons and horses anymore.............:D :D :D

[647and918]

...for the kind words and the advice with the VRO... I was thinking I'd take it apart and mix oil/gas for the race, if for no other reason than to NOT have to worry about the plastic tank cracking during the race... :eek:

I haven't ever torn one off before... What do I need to know??? Is it as simple as just pulling the tank and plugging the lines, or is there a pump on the engine that I need to pull off and/or disable? Is the fuel pump separate or will I need an external fuel pump once the VRO is disabled?

I don't even have it here right now to look, so I hope these aren't "odd or stupid" questions that will be obvious once I pull the cowling off... :rolleyes:

Thanks!

Steve...

[Jeff Akers]

All you have to do is remove the oil hose were it connects to the engine and plug off the fitting. Then disconnect the two little wires that come from the oil tank,(one is connected to ground and the other is connected to a TAN wire). Next thing is look at the VRO pump( V8's have two ) They have some wires that come out of them and connect with a round plug.Just pull the plug apart.......PUT OIL IN THE GAS TANK !..........and yer done:D

[Jeff Akers]

I have 23, 45 SS Powerheads, all with one stuck piston...Are you telling me there might be a problem with the VRO???

Hmmm...OMC never mentioned a problem!!!

JEff, if I had an "EXTRA" boat would you come and run Parker???

I've made a deal on a Stoker.....No "KILLER" motor...just a ride, maybe co-drive with Broc!!!!


Ron, you have my attention.... call me at work.... 707-878-2443 I'm always at work ....... never home:(

[647and918]

Thanks! I'll take a look when I get it back... I have a fair amount of work to do before the race, but this seems like a good thing to add to the list!!!

Does anyone have prop advice? Ron, do you have anything in the 28p-30p range for a V8???

[Ron Hill]

Division's V's winner, first year, ran a borrowed prop from me...that I gave to Vishus, after the race , for patrolling the race... So, as usual, GOODYEAR has tires, Ron Hill has props...even for Suzuki Outboards...

Jeff, Vishus, and capnzee: Truth is: I have made a deal on a Stoker...until I have my hands on it, THERE IS NO DEAL....But, if I get the boat, I have a nice carburated 2.5 that I'll let Jeff, Sid and Rod drive at Parker....If Rod will do all the work pay ALL the gas, Pay .......

[vishus]

Don't have much money, but I would pitch in for gas... and do whatever we needed to race...

[steve sr.]

nice rig son. looking forward to next month, never drove a stoker, but i guess its an "honest" 60mph ski boat. see you at PARKER.

[647and918]

...yeah... 60... That's about right... Too heavy for much more than that, at least when I'm driving!!! :eek: That gives me, what 7.5mph per cylinder??? ;)

We need to figure out how to meet in the middle somewhere so you can see if you remember how to drive!!! :p Rumor has it the river runs through Laughlin and it's about the middle...

[steve sr.]

just for information we ran tape just to keep everything inside...no really you were right the front piece would come off if you came down hard. we also used lock tight on the plugs and wire tied the plug caps onto the plugs. nothing worse then a 6 running on five. someone asked what happened to kim howards old boat...last time i saw it was in sleekrafts bone yard in santa fe springs after the 86? race we did so well in. by the way i thought the daytona packed air better and didnt make sudden left turns when the stock nose cone blew out. and yes laughlin is half way

[647and918]

That was so much information taken out of context (comments from other posts) and yet so little in the way of correct grammer! :rolleyes:

Did you say you were on your way to stateline last night?

[steve sr.]

So You Read My Little Note Didnt Realize You Were Up So Early. Why Arnt You Out Working On The Boat, And Yes I Mentioned State Line But It Was That We Were Just Getting Ready To Leave For Home. Did You Know That Primm,whisky Petes And Buffalo Bills Are Now Owned By The Herpst Family, You Know The One With The Son (troy) Who Cant Ski Fast....by The Way The First Year We Went To Parker We Ran An Avenger V-bottom That Was A Ski Racer. We Ran Our Motor On The Boat...what A Thrill Ride That Was. Thing Chine Walked So Bad You Could Hear It Comming From 3 Miles Away.... Get To Work On The Boat And Stop Messing With The Computer......

Your Co-driver

[647and918]

I am working on the boat... I yanked the two extra fuel pumps that weren't connected to anything along with the excess fuel line... I also pulled the "manual" fuel tank selector valve and I'm installing the electric version... The two side tanks are now tied together on one side of the selector switch and the front tank is connected to the other... Hopefully I'll get the lower unit back in the next week or two because I need to see how smooth the transition is from one to the other, although I'm pretty sure it will be better than getting up, walking to the back of the boat, and manually switching tanks!!! :rolleyes:

I remember the Avenger, but I don't remember his name... He actually ran that thing with the 300 when he was ski racing didn't he? If I remember correctly, it wasn't running all that bad when the fuel tank came apart...

I spent too many years getting up at 4am to sleep in that late, even now that I don't have to get up... I'm pretty sure I'm up by 7:00 at the latest even when I've been up too late the night before...

Too hot and humid to be working this the garage in the afternoon, I'm taking a break for a few hours...

[steve sr.]

I thought it was just us old folks that forgot stuff. There were two guys that ran those big 300hp mercs. in ski racing. One on the Avenger and one on a Lazer. Back then you couldn't run a 300 at Parker so we swaped my motor onto his boat. I think the 200 that Dick built us was faster anyway. I know we beat both of them at Lake Mead in the 187 boat and you know how heavy that thing was. That was a 20' Hawiian. It sure made a nice rough water ski racer. Of course the skiier helped. Thats when we were pulling the Aussies and Chuck Stearns nephue. Sounds like you have been working your butt off on the boat, keep it up, we need to test. I want to see 100mph on that fancy speedo of yours.

[647and918]

I'll need more duct tape to get to 100...

[steve sr.]

please refer to it as 100mph tape. people will think its slow otherwise.

[647and918]

Right now it only goes as fast as I can paddle...

[steve sr.]

Do You Have Enough Duct Tape To Wrap The Whole Boat. That Two Peice Deck Will Be Scarry At 100+. When Do We Start The Count Down To Testing....next Week Is Good For Me. Dont Want To Wait Until It Gets Cold At My Age A River Bath Could Be Fatal, But Then Again At My Age Almost Anything Could Be Fatal....does Your Wife Know We Are Going Out To Play Race Boat? Are The Numbers On It Yet Or Are We Doing That Friday Night Before The Race With A Spray Can.... Bye

[647and918]

I don't have any duct tape right now; I think that's part of my problem...

I can't test without the lower unit... Well, I suppose we could sit in the boat and make engine noises if it will make you feel better, but I'd need to bring a fan so you can feel the wind...

My wife knows we are doing this... She thinks it's a "good idea"... I'm sure that was sarcastic though... Hmmm....

There are no numbers on the boat yet, but it also still has the original "CF" numbers from when I bought it... I'll probably have them all done at once, but I'm not sure whether or not that means a late night drunken paint job the night before the race...

[steve sr.]

Does Donna Really Think There Is A Nordstrums Near Parker. That Would Do It........if She Could Shop All Day I Know She Would Go.....

Test****need To Test, Gota Find Out If I Can Handle All That Speed

Oh, By The Way, If We Could Just Hold The Boat In One Place On The River Kathleen Could Ski...

[steve sr.]

Hope Your Working On The Boat Oh No Never Mind I Know Where You Are The Usc Game Is On....hows It Going Over There. Are We Any Closer To Testing... Just Got All My Paper Work Done And Faxed In For Work. I Like Your Mind Set About That. I Only Lasted Four Days Without A Job....then Lori Said Find Something Or Move Out.....
Oh Welll.........

[647and918]

I haven't been working on the boat... I spent the weekend camping (up on the Mogollon Rim, NE of Payson) and freezing my rear off in the rain... We had a blast though... I think there were 14 of us in all...

The seat should be here this week, and I'll call Monday and see how things are coming on the lower unit... I'm in the middle of re-wiring the fuel system (I want a gauge on the side tanks so we have some idea when to switch over)... Still need to mount the trim buttons to the new steering wheel (although I may just put the old steering wheel back in, I haven't decided yet)...

We are one of the folks that are actually registered for the race (I think the total is only 13 so far)... Pretty sad considering my boat isn't even running at this point!!!

I'll get back to work on the boat tomorrow... I'm kind of enjoying my "early retirement", but it is starting to get a little old (and expensive!!!)...

[steve sr.]

It Aint All Its Cracked Up To Be....hows It Going? Is The Seat In Yet.do You Remember The Seats Stearns Had In His Flat Bottom And Gn Boats? They Were Nice. Dosent Make Much Difference In A Flat Bottom Though The Ride To Catalina Was Still Rufffffffff. Course It Wernt Much Better On A Ski. Ahhhh I Remember That Race Like It Was Yesturday... Probably Cause My Knees Still Hurt....some Famous One Linners......its An Honest 60mph Ski Boat...what Do Ya Mean Its Fast For An Outboard (comming From The Jet Boat Driver We Just Blew Out Of The Water In The Daytona) And My Favorite ***if I Want To Slow Down Do I Just Get Off The Gas And Throw The Plate Down***comming From The Guy Who Bought Our Patterson Flat Bottom.. I Guess Thats Why Its On The Bottom Of Lake Mead.....all For Now, Say Hi To My Grandson Tell Him I Miss Him...........

[647and918]

Most of the wiring is done for the fuel tanks and switches... I think I keep saying that, but the only wire left is the 12VDC off the ignition and I need to charge the battery first because I don't remember which side is hot when the key is on...

The seat and the steering wheel sit higher than I'd like, but I suppose that isn't a great shock because I built the bracket into the existing seat bracket... The seats that are normally in there are very low profile, and this is actually an offroad race seat that sits a couple of inches higher with a full back (it should be reasonably comfortable at least)...

I still need to put the trim buttons back in, but I'm waiting until I decide whether or not I want to keep this steering wheel... The adaptor (five bolt to three bolt) extends the steering wheel out about another 2.0 - 2.5 inches... It looks a little goofy and I'm not sure I want to shift our weight back any further... I'll either put my original wheel back in (which is torn up) or try to just get a cheap 3-bolt wheel and eliminate the adaptor...

It sounds like the last part of the lower unit should be here this week (the lower driveshaft), so hopefully I'll be able to start putting some hours on it next week... I'll yank the VRO after I put some hours on the lower unit... This thing pretty much sucks gas and I don't want to start mixing yet...

Here are a couple of newer pics, although I'm not sure you'll be able to see any difference... I also still need to tie all the wiring back up to make it look pretty, but it's coming along...

[steve sr.]

Steve show me some pictures of the dashboard Im curious about something I like the seat, but shouldnt it be lower. From the pictures it looks like it would catch a lot of air at 100+. Did you get a helmet with a full face shield? if were going to be up that high were going to need something that dosent want to yank off in the wind. Also the vest should be big enough to accomidate a jacket under it. From memory it can get real cold at the start of the race especialy if some mod u boat wets you down. I like the rule about 100 feet front and back and 20 feet side to side.

I saw by the sign up list there are at least 6 boats in our class, but I didnt see Bowdens name or Stokers. I want Bowden there I owe him a whippin. The year we did so well he finished just ahead of us in the 34 boat somwhere Ive got pictures of him in that boat at San Diege for a ski race. We had the 647 boat and we were on the launch ramp.

Whats with the jet boaters they affraid of us little outboards. I saw that there were 2 Rayson crafts and a Shiada entered. I know that this sport is not for poor folk like us, what with the entry fee, fuel costs, hotel costs, meals, bribe money for my wife to get her to let me come (Nordstrums her she comes) and of course gambeling money so I can help pay for the prop..I havent figured out how to use the little icons yet but that one would have got a happy face..............YOUR CO DRIVER

[647and918]

You need your own helmet... I am NOT giving you mine to use... You can get one from Lifeline when you get your life jacket...

The seat probably looks worse than it is because it is a high back bucket instead of a low back, but I agree that it sits high... I don't have many mounting options on top of the tunnel, so it is what it is... I don't have any other options at this point, and I'm not moving the steering to the middle...

Using the term "MOD-U Boats" dates you... There is no such class at this race, and probably hasn't been in twenty years or so...

If more boats don't sign up and this race doesn't happen, I'm spending a fair amount of money that I could be using elsewhere... I'd like to try to get it running and maybe hit the race at Bakersfield before Parker, but I think that is optimistic at this point...

[steve sr.]

If your going to race this thing every so often you need to move the seat to the center and lower it down. Then mount a tank behind the seat. Whats the consumption on that beast???? and whats red line on that motor. Stoker should be able to tell you how fast your going by RPM and prop size....wheres my dashboard pictures???

[647and918]

...you are a pain in the rear???

Redline... Hmmm... Good question... Maybe I should fire it up and stand on the gas and find out... Oh yeah... I DON'T HAVE A LOWER UNIT!!! Have you been missing this part of this conversation??? I know I was running about 80-85mph @ 5800rpm when it wanted to lift and run like a good little tunnel boat, but that was with the full interior and I backed out because I didn't have a decent vest and helmet... There is more there, but I don't know how much...

I plan on picking up a handheld GPS, so we will know how fast she is actually going (I don't much believe the speedo, but I don't for sure that it's not right either)...

No dashboard pictures... What are you trying to find out?

[steve sr.]

Im Trying To Find Out If The Tach Is In The Center Of The Dash That Would Facilitate The Moving Of The Steering If The Wholes Were The Same Size. Thats What We Did On The Daytona, But Then Again As I Recall Even When We Had An Observers Seat In It We Were Still Pretty Close To Center. I Recall Somebody Complaining About That At One Of The Races....just Trying To Figure Out A Way To Lower The Throne A Few Inches. Whats With The Ricarro Stlye. Are You Affraid The Beasty Is Going To Pitch You Out..and Oh By The Way Why Cant We Share A Helmet And A Vest.....remember Im The Poor Old Senior Citizen Always Broke Dont Know Where My Next Meal Is Comming From

Oh By The Way If We Meet In Laughlin Can You Meat Somewhere And Pick Jodie Up. He Is Way Past Ready To Come Home. He Is Walking Grammas Dog Way More Then It Needs To Be Walked Like Say Every Hour. Hes Bored Stupid And Has Work Waiting For Him Here

All For Now.........your Co-driver

[647and918]

I already thought of that... The centerline of the dash is in between the tach and the speedo... If I tried to use one of the existing holes I would be a few inches off center...

I don't mind sharing a vest, but you're on your own for your helmet... I don't smoke, and don't want to smell it... I'm contemplating buying a vest... I want to do this more than once, so it may be a worthwhile investment compared to "renting" one at the race... We'll see... I may have to go back to work just to finance this race! :eek: Well... Maybe not... :rolleyes:

When the lower unit is back together and I am ready to run the boat we'll figure something out for Jodie... Not this week, not sure about next week...

Finished wiring the fuel gauge... It looks like it works (it shows the tank being pretty much full, and I think that's correct), but it isn't on the side of the switch that I though it would be, so we'll need to make sure that it actually corresponds to the tank that is running... It's a pretty quick fix if it's not, and I'll be sure to have what I need to fix it on the fly (or in the parking lot)...

[steve sr.]

Is There Enough Room Between The Tach And The Speedo To Cut Another Whole. Then When Your Not Using Center Line You Could Get A Blue Anadized Plate To Cover It. Check For A Center Line Deck Brace That Might Block The Steering Mechanism And Check That Your Steering Cables Would Make The Change. On All Our Merc Powered Boats Both Cables Ran Down The Same Side So It Wasent A Tough Change Over...it Would Also Intail Moving The Throtel Pedal And The Shifter.....on Second Thought Its To Big A Pain Never Mind. I Can Just Get Used To The Throne..... Do You Sit On This Thing All The Time....

Have You Checked To See If Rental Helmets Are Available...i Dont Know Of Anyone Around Here I Can Borrow One From And I Damn Sure Dont Want To Buy One For One Race. Find Out What Dot Raiting They Want On The Helmet I Just Had An Idea Of Where I Might Find One Cheap But I Need To Know The Criteria For Legal Or Close To Legal....

[647and918]

...there isn't any room between the two to cut a hole... I'm not moving it to the middle, so you'll just have to get used to it...

Check with Lifeline as far as the helmet goes... I think they are making them available for the race (obviously you would have to rent it)... As far as what is required, if you read the rules it has to be APBA legal (DOT/SNELL)...

[steve sr.]

You Do. You Just Sit On The Computer And Wait...im Going To Look Around In Some Of The Pawn Shops And Garage Sales And See What I Can Find In A Helmet. I Know It Sounds Wierd But Pawn Shops Have All Kinds Of Crap. When We Lived Up In Arrowhead Our Neighbor Sold To Almost New Helmets At His Garage Sale For $25 Each. The State Had Taken Away His Motorcycle License, Of Course He Was 94.....

How Many Did They Say We Had To Have To Make The Race A Go, And Are We Close.....bakersfield Is A Great Idea Thats Right Over The Hill. Havent Been There Since 84, As You Recall I Was On My Way Back From Lake Ming In My Van When.....

Im Going To Try To Download That Stuff For Apba Today Ill Probably Wait Tell We Get There To Join. No Since Doing It If There Is No Race....did You Ever Find Out About Fuel????will They Have Av Gas Available???

Well Lets See How Fast You Answer This One Its Now A Little After 5am

[bill boyes]

Steve SR. Are you looking for a Helmet?
I have a near new Bell size large for sale. meets APBA specs. $150

[647and918]

There... I replied... It took a little over five hours...

[647and918]

I haven't inquired about fuel yet... I'm holding out to see if there are even enough entries... That's one expense that can wait for now... Are you pitching in or am I on my own with all this stuff? It's getting expensive over here! :eek:

I got my helmet online for about $100 new... I'll have to spray paint it if they don't like the red one... If you want, I can order another one and you can pay me for it when we get together...

[647and918]

If you do want me to get you one I'll need to know how large that melon on your shoulders is... Have your wife measure it for you and let me know...

[steve sr.]

Thanks For The Offer, But Let Me Look Around A Little And See What I Can Find. This Is A One Race Deal For Me So After It Is Over Youll Get The Helmet As A Spare If I By One.

Sorry I Didnt Get Back To You Yesterday I Was Up North Trying To Get Money For The Prop. Did Ok But Not Great. Got To Go To Work Tonight And Wont Be Back Tell Sunday Morning.

How Is It Going With The Boat? Any Word On The Lower Unit? The Last Batch Of Pictures You Posted Showed A Work In Progress. You Have Your Work Cut Out For You If Your Going To Make It On Time....

By The Way What Color Should The Helmet Be? Im Assuming International Orange (cal Trans Orange) Like Before. So Anything I Get Will Have To Be Painted Also. As Far As Size Do You Mean Like Hat Size...when I Was Racing Before It Was Like One Size Fits All. If It Was To Big You Just Stuffed A Little Foam In It. If It Was To Small You Just Had A Headache At The End Of The Race.

I Was Thinking About Making Shishkbobs For The First Night Up There So Let Me Know How Big A Crew Your Bringing. After That Its Chefboyarde And Dentymoore Out Of The Can...until The Awards Celebration When We Take Home That First Place Trophy....

[647and918]

We'll need a jacket anyway, so you might as well see what they want for a helmet at the same time... I'm sure it'll be cheaper than buying one... Will you take care of making arrangements for this stuff (life jacket and helmet at Lifeline)? I'll pay for it when I get there, but I don't know when I'll have a chance to call and make arrangements... I'm thinking you'll probably legally need the A-100... I may be a little optimistic, but we may be hovering around the century mark depending on how rough it is... I think the boat will be heavy enough to knock some of the small/midsize stuff down with no problem, and I'm sure that monster makes a couple of HP...

Based on the times for last year we'll have to run that as an average to even be close, and I'm not convinced we're there... What the hell, it'll be fun anyway... I'll be happy to crack the top ten, but since there's only about 15 entered so far I guess that isn't much of a stretch!!! :rolleyes:

I'm pretty much coming by myself on Thursday I think, so I'd save the "good food" for Friday night... I don't know who will be there, I'm finding a lot of people with other commitments... Donna and Stephen will be heading over after he gets out of school on Friday, and I'm going to talk to my neighbor and see if he can come as well... I have two additional definite maybe's for Saturday, so we may run into a pit crew shortage... Please see of you can convince your wife to come out, we may need help keeping an eye on Stephen or scoring...

The boat is pretty much done other than the lower unit and the lettering/numbers... I think I'm going to ask one of the gals that works for Donna to do the painting, she's pretty good at that stuff... I'm not sure it was in the job description when we hired her, but things change... :D

I'm hoping the drive shaft shows up next week... I really want to get some time in the boat before the race to see how it runs and turns without the interior...

[steve sr.]

I Think We Just Had Another Crew Member Bail. It Sounds Like Jodie Is Going To North Carolina To Spend Some Time With His Sister..ill Call Life Line On Monday And Take Care Of The Vest Situation..is There Anything Else You Need Me To Do???? Looks Like Lori May Go, But If She Does We Cant Leave Until Thursday Night Late And I Wanted To There Thursday Morning. I May Just Come Alone. Looks Like The Only Time Ill Get Any Wheel Time Is On Friday Otherwise....

[steve sr.]

You havent posted in a while. I know you were busy yesterday. How are things going today? Are the parts in for the lower unit? Is everything else done and ready? Will that GPS thing work in the boat? Remember the year we took the Sheriffs Dept radar to the race?????It wouldnt pick up much, to much fiberglass and not enough metal. (ah if the corvette drivers had only known we were guessing)....

Still dont know whats going on with Jodie. He is still at his moms or Leanns. Don't much care at this point. I'm leaving at "O" dark 30 thursday and plan to be in Parker by 6AM.....

I'll pack the shish-k-bobs in dry ice that way we can cook them whenever. I still have to check and see if Harbour Inn has barbques. Has anybody out there ever stayed at the Harbour Inn???? I still have to map quest it to where it is....

Yak at you later time to go to work......

[647and918]

I'm hanging out at work with Donna, she's a little short handed this week...

I dropped the boat off yesterday... He was expecting the parts to be in either yesterday or today, and I didn't want to slow them down at all... I'm hoping I get it back this week... It's hard for me to have all this free time and NOT be at the lake!

I do still need to get the numbers done... I think I'm pretty much done other than that, although I'm sure there will be things popping up at the last minute to set panic in motion...

Yes, as long as the boat is right side up the GPS will work (assuming you aren't driving inside, you will be fine)... I tried it in the truck yesterday and I know it's good into the 80's (I'd have gone faster, but I wasn't on the freeway!!!)...

All in all I think I'm remarkably calm considering that I don't have a running boat and still need to paint!!!

[steve sr.]

Weve done a lot worse things then paint numbers the night before a race. Just be sure Donna brings her hair dryer, and you bring the tape. A little rubbing compound and it will all come off the next day.....

Looks like Jodie is coming back here this weekend. His mom is putting him on a train. So we will have at least one Opie!! You got anybody coming with you? Or are you driving up alone.

Sure hope they get the boat back to you soon. JUST DONT BREAK IT BEFORE THE RACE. Get as much time on that unit as you can, I know that thought is breaking your heart. 7 or 8 hours a day on the lake for a week shoud be plenty......

[steve sr.]

Havent Heard From You In A Few Days...tim Blackburn Is Coming Up Late On Thursday. He Will Be Staying At Harbour Inn Also....so We Have At Least One More Opie To Help Out...hes Bringing The Strawberry Hill!!!!! So We Should Be Able To Do Some Of Our Best Work..

[647and918]

...my friend John? He's the one that drove to your house with me the one time to pick up that "thing"... I stopped by his place yesterday and he's going to do the numbers for me... He asked me if I "trusted him", so I'm thinking they're going to be a little wild... I don't think I've pissed him off lately...

That's one of my favorite "We's drunk..." stories by the way... We drank a twelve pack on the way there, picked up another when we left your house, and stopped at the casino in Indio to pay for the trip... When we hit Blythe we picked up another twelve pack and he decided it was my turn to drive... Just outside Phoenix at around midnight we stopped and called our respective spouses (Me: "Donna, April really wants to go the the lake tomorrow...", John: "April, Donna really wants to go to the lake tomorrow..."). We picked up the boat and his wife around 1AM (remember, we had the stuff in the back of the truck that was hanging over so far it was over the deck of the boat) and then drove the hour or so to my house... We ended up driving out to Apache Lake when we finally got up the next morning because Canyon was already full (which, for those of you that don't know is a pain in the rear to get to when you're towing a boat, particularly when your "less than sober") with two pissed off wives because they now realized that neither one of them wanted to go in the first place... It wouldn't have been so bad if the back side of the lake hadn't been pretty much entirely on fire with ash raining down everywhere... There's a bunch more to this story, but I'm starting to ramble...

I'm still hoping that the parts will be there early next week... If not, I'm going to scramble to try to find that lower drive shaft (I have the part number here somewhere) and overnight it... I'm going to be PO'd if this thing doesn't get put back together in time...

Assuming I can get this thing together in time I have one coming with me on Thursday, Donna and Stephen and maybe one or two more on Friday evening, and then possibly two more early Saturday... Plenty of people to make the required beer runs and such... Oh, and fill the boat with gas when they aren't too busy...

[647and918]

Whacha think?

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Pretty, shiny & matching, but difficult to score and depending upon the lighting may not be able to ID when tracking history some years from now.;) :cool:

[steve sr.]

Did He Put Them On The Deck And Bottom Also. I Think The Deck Is Required And The Bottom Is Just An Idea You Know In Case........just Kidding...numbers Look Really Good. I Dont Think There Will Be A Problem With Scoring Probably Wont Be A Lot Of Boats That Look Like Yours On The Water, At Least Not With That Sear..

[647and918]

No numbers on the deck or the bottom... The bottom says "If you can read this, Oh sh..!!!" Ok, it doesn't, but I've always wanted to do that...

I'll look at them once the boat is on the water and someone else is driving to see how they look from a distance... If I need to "white out" around the numbers so they stand out better I can do that in the pits...

[steve sr.]

I'll Get On The Lifeline Thing Tomarrow, Promise. I Think The Numbers Look Good. I Showed Them To Lori And She Liked Them Didnt Think There Would Be A Problem Scoring Them. All We Have To Worry About Is Them Blowing Off At High Speed.

Pickin Up Opie At 4am At The Train Station. I Sure Hope He Appreciates This Sh... Told Him I'd Send To His Sisters For X-mas. Oh By The Way Did I Tell You Your Going To Be An Uncle Again, At Least I Think Your Going To Be An Uncle....who Knows Maybe Youll Be An Aunt.....lets See, That Will Make 6 Grandkids And 6 Step Grandkids....and Don't Ask Me All Their Names. Stuff Happens When You Get Old.........

[647and918]

Just got off the phone with Mr. Stoker... He happens to have an extra lower driveshaft... It's used, but in good shape... He's going to overnight it to me at the house, and I'll take it down to them tomorrow to get this thing going... One way or another, we'll be ready... I may end up with two driveshafts, but I'm sure I can sell one if I need to...

He told me that he is going to be driving Fred Bowdens boat... Right now he's the only one driving (Ron posted the message earlier on one of the other threads about them looking for a driver)...

I call and harass you tomorrow once I have a better idea what's going on...

[steve sr.]

You mean we may have a running boat by thursday???Wow now I'm impressed. We may really be doing this. So Mr. Stoker is driving for Fred Bowden??? Does that mean He'll be driving a Daytona??? Oh well we can pass a daytona as easily as we can pass a lazer....Whats this about the winning speed for last year was how much??? you didn't really say 120...What was the speed for our class??? much slower I hope... by the way don't wreck the boat breaking in the lower unit....I told sombody that we would probably test at Havasu on thursday and on the river on friday that sound good to you. I'd like to know what I'm doing before I go down and play with the big guys. Need to know somthing about how it turns

[647and918]

No, I didn't say that the winning speed last year was 120... There shouldn't be anything on the water approaching that speed in this race, or we're in the wrong place... The classes are staggered based on their expected speeds; we're going to be running in a class that's probably faster than my boat...

I don't believe that they are driving a Daytona... I believe it's an SST... Same boat, probably substantially more motor than us... Remember, mine is 20 years old...

If I did my math right, our class will have to average around 100 to have a decent shot at winning overall... For the record, we aren't there... I'm rapidly running out of funds that I can commit to this race, so we're going to have to run the prop that I have... It isn't going to accelerate well and has too much pitch to get the RPM's up too high, so I'm probably going to try to stay in an outside lane around the turns to keep the speed up as much as possible... Buying a second driveshaft didn't help the financial situation, but it is better than the alternative (potentially not racing)...

I don't have any problem testing on Havasu on Thursday and on the river on Friday... At some point I am going to have to do a few things (arrange and pay for fuel delivery, check in/inspection/weigh in, etc.), but we should have plenty of time to test both days... Given what you told me about Lifeline, I may just out-and-out buy a vest when we get there... We'll see how things look when we get there...

[steve sr.]

Why don't you ask Mr Stoker if he has a prop you can borrow or maybe rent one from Ron Hill with the understanding you break it you buy it. Your going to need the right prop eventually and with our winnings you could pay it off....on the vest issue it's a 100 to rent 300 to buy but if you rent you pay a 300 deposit then get a 200 refund when you bring it back un dampened, it looses a little value if you get it wet....When can I start trash talking, after your first tests over there.

I couldn't picture Stoker in a Daytona but I thought thats all Bowden ran in the old days..When we ran against him at Parker and even in ski racing it was the Daytona with a 235 as I recall. He was quick!!!!

[Ron Hill]

The Outboard winner, two years ago borrowed a 24 from me and won (The Blue Water Resort and Casino 300) (The year the V-Drive won)......and I think I gave it to Sid (Vishus) here on BRF... Just let me know what prop you might need...I have quite a few of them...

[647and918]

The Outboard winner, two years ago borrowed a 24 from me and won (The Blue Water Resort and Casino 300) (The year the V-Drive won)......and I think I gave it to Sid (Vishus) here on BRF... Just let me know what prop you might need...I have quite a few of them...

Ron, I have an old V8 Johnson that I'm running a Mazco 30 on (it was on there when I bought the boat)... It's a dog out of the hole and doesn't want to accelerate well, so I was thinking of dropping down a bit... I'm open to suggestions as I haven't actually tried anything else... If you can help out, that would be awesome!!!

We're planning on being in Parker on Thursday next week, but if I can get the lower unit back together soon enough I might be able to drag it over and try to get together with you somewhere... You name the place...

Thanks!

Steve...

[steve sr.]

What are you doing up so late, for that matter what am I doing up so early. What a great deal eh? I don't think you want to drop much below a 28. We ran a little 24 on the Merc for racing, but I think we dropper down to like a 19 for ski racing and just fun skiing. We never pulled anyone who take much more speed then that..except maybe the few time we pulled stearns for fun.
Gotta watch the RPM, dont want to blow that old motor......

Let me know when you get the drive shaft in. Then I can start getting excited!! Anything else on my list of crewie do's???

Has anyone out there ever stayed at Harbour Inn and what kind of place is it??? We used to stay at some no tell motel on the river up from Bluewater but I didn't see anything on the list that looked familiar..That or we rented a motorhome and stayed in the camp grounds...I looked at what the Inn had posted on line (harbourinnparker.com) and it didn't look tooooo bad...I guess Tim was still able to get a room there. Incase any of your people are still looking there phone number is (928) 667-2931

gotta go coffee is ready!!!

DAD

[647and918]

I dropped the boat and the lower driveshaft off this afternoon... I should have it back Friday sometime... I'll let you know what's going on and when I get it back... I'll probably go drive around Lake Pleasant on Friday afternoon and/or over the weekend just to put some hours on it and then start running a little harder early next week...

[steve sr.]

Saw your help answer that was nice. Glad to hear the boat will be ready soon. Test gentle don't break it before the race, and keep the speeds down (no helmet or vest) max out at 85 and see how the speedo matches the GPS. We have to remember that this is an enduro and the winner has to running at the end of the race. Remember Parker when we did well, it was because we were still running at the end....I don't think one mod u finished that race. I know none of the V8's did...

[steve sr.]

I see that you stay up late, but your never around at o dark 30.this is the only time I get to use this thing with out getting yelled at. Lori is mad at me right now she thinks I'd rather be playing boat then doing serious stuff. Little does she know how right she is.....

Have you talked any further with Ron Hill about the prop???

Anyone out there got a helmet they want to loan out for this race?? It would save me 75 to a 100 bucks that I could put into a machine at Bluewater???? ok ok I'll go look at walmart this weekend. No doubt we'll be painting somthing the night before the race...

Well its thursday, one more day until testing begins. Sounds like you may be going up on wednesday to get everything done. One more week until the fun starts.....I think you should give Jodie a few minutes wheel time just to see if he can adopt. He still only weighs in at about 130. What an advantage over us old far...(folks)

Well time for me to get off, the little woman is up getting ready for her 5 mile walk. Still does it without fail every morning...

[steve sr.]

You haven't been around for two days. You hidding out because your wife found out how much you've spent so far...Having my morning coffee then its off to work on the remod for a couple of hours then off to SanDiego for the weekend...Life sucks when you have to work!!!!!Do you remember what that is like????

It's windy here and there talking about RAIN but who believes them. They are predicting rain for next week though. Just what we need..

Hows it going with the ride??? Today should be the big day... You sure your going to remember how to drive after all these months layoff...6 more days and we are on our way. I think we're going to leave around 1am that should put us there at about 7am grab breakfast and check out the inn...

Haven't heard any response to my cry for help about the helmet so I guess this is it I'll break down this weekend...I've been so busy with the remod I haven't had time to check out the pawn shops. oh wellllllll (or however you used to say it... I'll be back home around noon to get ready to go to S.D. and check to see if you've caught up.....

DAD

[647and918]

You're gonna make me nuts!!!

I talked to them earlier this morning... I should be picking the boat up this afternoon...

I'm going to try to get out of here by about 05:00 on Thursday because the person coming over with me works Wednesday evening... If I can drag his butt up off my sofa earlier than that we'll leave earlier, but I'm not holding my breath... It won't take more than a few hours to get there, so I should be pulling in around 8ish at the latest... Don't wait for us for breakfast, we'll grab something before we head out...

I still have a few things to do before I go, but I'm about done... I'll put hours on the boat for the next few days and do what I need to do... We'll be ready... Mostly... I hope... Stop panicking...

[Ron Hill]

When OLD SCHOOL was new, we'd be ready for a race months ahead of time...If we make the race, I need to thank, Jim Wilkes, Bryan Wilson, Ben Marrone and Jack...(Ben's friend) for the help.....And I need to thank Tinker Collinge for working all week for our effort at Parker...

Thanks, Ben, for making the tank, and fixing the skeg on the gearcase....I won't mention the plates you gave us as we haven't tried to put them on yet!!! We are still looking for steering....

Anyone got a 17 foot Morse dual cable steering an helm laying around?? How about a Rideguide rack???

If I don't have a steering by Tuesday, I'm bolting an 8 foot 2 X 4 to the motor and Pat can steer like it was a 25 HP fishing boat!!!! (I could not be worse than the steering we had)...

[Skoontz]

Ron:

Try PMing TomandAprilsSwitzers and ask for that Rideguide rack. He has a few better lines on that stuff that most around these parts

[Ron Hill]

Hey, we'll need Brats and you ARE DAMN good at BRATS...

You and KT can stay in my room...

We'll have steering if Ben has to ride in the back seat....

I have Plan C...Mr. Howard Pipkorn will take care of us!!!!

(It will be more fun with three in the boat.)...

[steve sr.]

What me panic. This isnt panic son this is excitement. Ever since you told me there was chance we would do this I've been ready to go. Now its getting down to the wire and i'm jazzed......

But if you'd like i'll leave you alone to do your thing. I know you got lots to do. See you in Parker

[Skoontz]

I think we just might take you up on that, Ron!

[647and918]

What me panic. This isnt panic son this is excitement. Ever since you told me there was chance we would do this I've been ready to go. Now its getting down to the wire and i'm jazzed......

But if you'd like i'll leave you alone to do your thing. I know you got lots to do. See you in Parker

Nah... I know how you are and it's a hell of a lot cheaper for you to harass me on here than it is on the phone... I just like to give you crap! :D

[steve sr.]

Just a quick reminder, bring a new set of plugs with you and some wire ties and any other spare parts plus tools.....

Have you tested yet and if so how did it go?

[647and918]

No one in their right mind spends much time out on Lake Pleasant on a weekend (ok, I'm not in my right mind but I don't either), and I didn't even pick up the boat yet... I'll head down there first thing Monday morning and probably go from there to the lake...

I still need to find out how much gas this thing burns because I want to buy somewhere close to the right amount (I don't want to spend too much for gas, and my guess is a whole bunch which also adds to the cost of oil!!!)... Can those of you that have run an old Johnrude V8 give me a rough guess???

[capnzee]

I'm goin way back but when we ran the V-8 on the Eliminator Daytona, I think we planned on 32 gallons per hour.:) Rod

[Skoontz]

OMC's fuel usage chart from the era rates the 300 V-8 at 32 per hour at wide open throttle. That's gunna vary when you are in traffic.

[steve sr.]

Good morning it's monday and time for all good boat racers to be up and at em....Just joking I know you've gotten used to sleeping in. Well today is the big day. Call me on the way to the lake..

The other day I suggested you bring a spare set of plugs to put in friday night. You might talk to the dealer and find out if there is a range hotter then stock that he recommends for double oil..

Also if you have left over fuel we can fill up the Honda. Remember we used to run that stuff in the van. Then again I remember what happened to the van..Oh well maybe not such a good idea...Somday I'll tell you what was in the van when it burned up...

Aaahhhh morning coffee is ready so I'll be right back..

OK now I'm human...Did you read that thing about 32 gallons per hour. Wow I did get off light with just the hotel bill and food. 96 gallons plus fuel for testing. In the old days I think we figured 250 gallons for the 7 hour and I thought we went at least 1 1/2 hours between gas stops...lets see if my math is correct thats about 35 gallons an hour so about the same for the old 200 merc hot rods...

Oh well I need to get ready to go to work on the remod. Need to finish the tile on the back deck before I leave on wed...talk at you soon...

[steve sr.]

Where the hell are you??Is it a boat yet??Did you try it out?? Did you blow it over?? did you break it?? Are you OK??Call me!!!!

[647and918]

You're annoying when you're curious... How many times did you try to call me tonight? I counted seven...

[steve sr.]

I was a little worried, I expected to hear from you today. I wont bug you again..See you in Parker....

[steve sr.]

Steve I need you to call me asap on my cell!!!!!!!!!

[647and918]

I was a little worried, I expected to hear from you today. I wont bug you again..See you in Parker....

followed by...


Steve I need you to call me asap on my cell!!!!!!!!!

Make up your mind!!!! :rolleyes:

Quit worrying!!! I'll get the dang boat together and promise not to flip it before Thursday or Friday... :D

Too windy to run around this afternoon... I should be out on Pleasant tomorrow...

[ePerformanceMarine]

You two are a crack up:D

[steve sr.]

You think we're a crack up on the net wait tell you see us in person. One of the reasons he's in Az and I'm in Calif is because we're normally not allowed in the same state at the same time. (father/son thing).

We started racing boats back in the early 80's. Did Parker a few times but mainly did ski racing. We'd race anything from a Patterson center decker with a 427 Ford to an old Sleekcraft (918) with a Sherrer 200 on it. Even ran Dicks Daytona (148 his number/647 our number). In the early 80's we ran a 20' Hawiian with one of Dick/Ed Lane 200's (187PC)

187PC (Just Plain Murder)
647 (Disorderly Conduct)
918 (Pure Insanity)
918 (Blue Mannia)

Can you figure out the corrillation with the names and numbers? If not ask me in Parker.

My son also helped (Opied) on a blown/alcohal hydro that belonged to Rick Keys (keys alluminum special) and a blown/gas flat (Dark Horse). So he's been around racing for a few years. He ran his first and last Parker in the 80's. Now he's giving his old man a chance to do it again....See you guys in Parker. We'll be in thursday, staying at the Harbour Inn...Bratts, Hot Links, and knockworst thursday night after testing...

[ePerformanceMarine]

Thanks for the call today:cool:

[647and918]

It runs!!! It runs!!! It runs!!!

We won't have more than 20 or 30 hours worth of work to get ready once I get there tomorrow... And I didn't even blow it over backwards today... ;)

Gotta get to bed... I'm supposed to be getting up in a couple of hours to leave!!! :eek:

BTW... He's nuts you know... I'm the normal one... :rolleyes:

Thanks all for the fuel usage advice folks... I think you saved me a few hundred bucks (I was thinking I'd need more than that)!!!

[Ron Hill]

Leaving for The Blue Resort and Casino 300 Enduro...Clean teeth, props up the bitt....#34 behind me....

No PLANS of a repeat win...Old School, # & with Pat Bowman UP, and #34 BMB Storage of Parker, Arizona will be IN THE RACE......To enjoy the day..They've had a good year as "WINNERS".....

One stop on the way at Ernie Dawe's to talk A HYDRO PROPS!!!!!

See you there... Good luck to all!

[Dkerns]

here is an old poster we have up in our garage
1974 winner Paul Grichard for the Sprint Nationals

[647and918]

Many, many thanks to everyone who helped with this race... I had an absolute blast this year, and I'm sure we'll be back... We weren't running all that fast because the boat is just too dang heavy (I'd like to suggest including weight as a handicap as a rule change when the time comes... I would have been a lot more competitive dropping down a couple of divisions even though I was running a Stoker with a V8 because the boat is 500 lbs heavier than the real race boats, and it would have been that much more fun), but we did spend most of the race running (other than that 45 minutes or so we lost when the battery came out and had to get towed back in :eek: )... We ended up third in Division V even with all that, and I think we would have been pushing second if we hadn't lost all that time... :cool:

Other than my friends and family that were at the race and I have thanked many times already, I would like to specifically thank Rod Z and Al Stoker for the setup advice, and Ron for trying to get me a different prop (even though we didn't get it or run it, thanks for the help!!!)... I'd also like to thank Tinker for the helmet... The open face was a heck of a lot better than the one I had!!! Will someone let him know it finished third in the division and that "Beazer" was a great help!!! Tell him we kept the bottom of the boat wet and the top of the boat dry all day, just like he advised!!!

(1) Pre-race clean!
(2) Ready for the start...
(3) Running...
(4) The pit crew...
(5) The old man and I... Third in Div. V!!!

[steve sr.]

Does anyone know the dates for the 2008 Parker Enduro. I want to make my hotel reservations early. Hey son if you start now, we won't have as much to do at the last minute, and just think I have a whole year to bug you. Once I have the dates for next year I'll start putting togeather a whole crew of Opies (all retired friends) for the race. Just think 10 or so retired gun totters to keep our pit safe.....If I can keep them sobber that long...

Lets talk rules changes. How about a family ski boat class for all us heavy weights. How bout weighing the boats with driver and then handicapping the start that way. HOW BOUT WE JUST LEAVE THE RULES ALONE.....but add that you must be running at the end of the race. No trailer winners in any division.

50 minutes is a lot of time to give away, but it was a good and safe race. I felt sorry for Stoker, but he'll be back next year, faster and wiser, and so will we... the ten laps we lost doing stupid stuff won't be repeated....Other then that our pit stops were perfect and the boat ran well. Where would we have finished if we hadn't lost ten laps or so....

Thanks to everyone who helped us. Special thanks to the wind gods for holding off one day...For those of you who wern't in Parker on sunday if the race had been run then there would have been a lot of upside down boats....
more chance for us heavywights.

again special thanks to my son

steve sr.
co-driver BOAT 918

[rossdbos]

Bluewater Resort & Casino '300' Enduro 2008- October 19, 2008

[steve sr.]

A whole year to trash talk, brag, and remember.....and well, rag on my son to get the boat ready..

By the way have you pulled the plugs yet? While you have them out might as well do a compression test. Is the seat fixed?? What are ya doin just sitting around... We have a race to get ready for and only 362 days to prep for it!!!!! no more of this last minute crapola....Oh by the way don't forget you have to pick up a kill switch toggle....And oh my god the list is endless!!

DAD

[647and918]

A whole year to trash talk, brag, and remember.....and well, rag on my son to get the boat ready..

By the way have you pulled the plugs yet? While you have them out might as well do a compression test. Is the seat fixed?? What are ya doin just sitting around... We have a race to get ready for and only 362 days to prep for it!!!!! no more of this last minute crapola....Oh by the way don't forget you have to pick up a kill switch toggle....And oh my god the list is endless!!

DAD

Holy crap!!! Am I going to have to listen to you for the next year??? The main (original) seat bracket is fixed... The "new" bracket for that offroad seat is toast... Both pieces split/broke in several places and it pretty much fell apart when I took the seat out... I knew I had to hold on extra tight for those last 8-10 laps... :eek:

I haven't torn into the motor yet, but I will... Something is up, it was running way too slow (I saw 10mph higher on the speedo before I did the lower unit)... Oh well, plenty of time to figure that out...

On a serious note... Our thoughts and prayers are with those of you that are affected by the fires in SoCal... I wish you all the best of luck and hope that things work out as well as they can...

Steve...

[ePerformanceMarine]

check your pms

[Ron Hill]

If you remember the movie Tora, Tora, Tora.....That Japanese General said, we didn't win, we've awakened a GIANT...Or something like that....Trust me...As "PUMPED" as Al and John were all weekend....They will not be there rigging their boat at Fred Bowden's on Thursday next year....

Al Stoker does NOT race for his health......

On another note, I saw Mike and Pat Miller at the race, (Ted Miller was there but I did not see him)...Ted and I had a very nice talk, today....That first V-8 Evinrude was built by Ted Miller.....I'll be honest with you here, I called Ted to see if he could find me a 140 Johnson...for a Tri Hull...

Bring Ted Miller's boys in from All Seasons Marine in Boulder City, Nevada....And outboard speeds will be up....


Todd Bowden, Al Stoker, Mike Miller, Pat Miller...and a YOUNG LION, Chad Hill...Truth is, this could become an outboard dominated race.....

[Tim Weber]

Ron,

Are you going to enter the 007 with the mighty 30 hp Tohatsu? The pics from last year were great.

Tim

[steve sr.]

On a serious note you need to rinse out the back of the boat real good to prevent any further damage to that area.

As far as down on speed, remember what the old owner said about the double oil. Maybe thats part of the problem. Maybe we should lighten up a little say maybe to 35 to 1.

Ask Mr. Stoker if there is any hook in the bottom of that boat. Or lay a straight edge from the back of the transom in and see if there is a tiny little gap in the last three inches. Take the hook out gain 2 to 3 mph. It just won't roll over as quick (as if it does). There are a lot of little tricks we can use over the next year to get ready. Prop size and on and on and on.

We may have a whole year but lets not wait until October 08 to get started. Last time I'll bug you until January....

DAD

[steve sr.]

Where are you? Havent heard a thread from you in a few days, and I've been bein good. Not hardly any trash talk.

Do you really want to stay at Bluewater next year??? You know we will need a place for all the last minute stuff. Plus it sure was nice to be cookin for everybody every night....and cheap...I don't think Bluewater is going to be happy with us BBQing in their parking lot.

[647and918]

Where are you? Havent heard a thread from you in a few days, and I've been bein good. Not hardly any trash talk.

Do you really want to stay at Bluewater next year??? You know we will need a place for all the last minute stuff. Plus it sure was nice to be cookin for everybody every night....and cheap...I don't think Bluewater is going to be happy with us BBQing in their parking lot.

Yes, I would really rather stay at the Bluewater next year... Let's find out if we can put a BBQ near the pits and we'll grill there... I've got five bucks that says we take a trailer with us next year (I'm already poking around), so we should be able to set up on the other side next year and have a little more room... I don't want to keep driving back and forth and paying for a couple of rooms there helps support the race!!! :cool:

We can work on whatever we need to at the trailer or in the pits... I have an inverter, so we have electricity if we need it... I may be able to find a generator (or have one in the trailer) if we really need some power for lights and stuff...

I wouldn't be spending too much time trash talking if I were you... If we have to run in Division V again next year I'll have to find some serious MPH if we're going to be competitive... The boat I have now is just too heavy for that much handicap, and if I can't find a way to increase MPH I don't think we'll be able to get over the 50 lap range even if everything is PERFECT... That may get us close in our division, but we'll never be able to catch the Division I and II boats... I figure we need a good 15-20 MPH to even get close to first, and I just don't think it's there (I am not going to build the crap out of this motor; I can't get parts and I still want to be able to go to the lake and play when I want without worrying about frying anything)...

I think I heard Al saying that they were going to put a brand new boat together for next year and that Fred was going to turn that one into his "lake toy"... Maybe we can try talking them out of the one they ran this year at a reasonable price and throw a smaller motor on the back and run Div I or Div III next year... Hmmm... Why don't you try and get in touch with one of them and see if it's an option... I don't know whether or not it fits in the budget, but it's worth a shot... Maybe he wants a pretty blue one with a V8 as a lake toy instead... :rolleyes:

[steve sr.]

Don't say these things if you don't mean it, this is to much for an old mans heart....We could probably find an old Daytona running around if Bowden dosen't want to part with the Stoker....That 555 boat sure looked good and stable...Sleekcraft may even have one of their old tunnels laying around, but you know they arn't stable without a nose cone....That sudden left turn is a killer.

What kind of trailer you talking about that will hold our whole crew..You got some kinda deal on a 40 footer... Keys may still have his....It was out in his bone yard last I saw...Hmmmm I wonder if he'd want to sponser a div 5 boat..We could probably pick up a few sponsors if you wanted, I could work on that angle.....

Let me know

[647and918]

Don't say these things if you don't mean it, this is to much for an old mans heart....We could probably find an old Daytona running around if Bowden dosen't want to part with the Stoker....That 555 boat sure looked good and stable...Sleekcraft may even have one of their old tunnels laying around, but you know they arn't stable without a nose cone....That sudden left turn is a killer.

What kind of trailer you talking about that will hold our whole crew..You got some kinda deal on a 40 footer... Keys may still have his....It was out in his bone yard last I saw...Hmmmm I wonder if he'd want to sponser a div 5 boat..We could probably pick up a few sponsors if you wanted, I could work on that angle.....

Let me know


It's all about the budget... Today, no... Tomorrow, who knows... :D

I'm not sleeping in the trailer... I paid for pretty much everything this year (and I'm sure next year), you can get the stinkin hotel room at the casino... Sheesh... :rolleyes:

I have absolutely no objection to you finding sponsors... Anything I don't pay for makes this an easier sell for my wife... Don't go nuts, I'm just trying to have fun with this!!! I still want to be able to go to the lake or the river at the end of the day and yank a skier or tube around and have fun... If you can store a second boat at YOUR house, that might be different (and probably way out of my budget)...

[Miss BK]

Ron,

How is Mike Miller doing? You mentioned a while back that he was having some very serious thyroid issues (just like me).

Is he doing alright now???



I

On another note, I saw Mike and Pat Miller at the race, (Ted Miller was there but I did not see him)...Ted and I had a very nice talk, today....That first V-8 Evinrude was built by Ted Miller.....I'll be honest with you here, I called Ted to see if he could find me a 140 Johnson...for a Tri Hull...

Bring Ted Miller's boys in from All Seasons Marine in Boulder City, Nevada....And outboard speeds will be up....


Todd Bowden, Al Stoker, Mike Miller, Pat Miller...and a YOUNG LION, Chad Hill...Truth is, this could become an outboard dominated race.....

[Ron Hill]

Health is fine with everyone at ALL SEASONS MARINE...

Ted and I talked about the rules for 2008 and he's put his suggested in writing, thought I have not got them yet...

ADD FYI: Ted said they didn't run their STV because it was not 20 foot long...Old MOD VP rules said, "18'6"...". He also wanted 2" or at least 1 1/2 below the bottom for the propshaft rule.....NOT one inch...

I told him I agreed on both, but to send me or Ross his ideas...

LAST ADD FYI:

Ben Marrone and Fred both agreed with me on my 2008 rule suggestions, which I have forwarded to Ross. Except, Marron thinks "WISKERS" should not be a Division III boat....He thinks IV......That's nice of Ben to think he's THAT FAST!!!!

[steve sr.]

If you really want to go with a second boat I have a ton of space and could do most of the rigging in my spare time. It all just takes money. I haven't had a chance yet to find out if Bowden/Stoker want to sell the 55 boat or if they plan to race it next year. I'll make some calls when I get back home.

As for sponsers I have a few ideas for small end type stuff (gas, hotel bills,that type of stuff). I'll see what I can work out. Thought I ight run by the old Sherrer Marine and see if I still know anybody. I'll also check and see if B&K boat works is still in Bellflower....They do great refinishes and could cap the deck and re-do the bottom of Blue Mania if need be.

Have you thought about tradeing in the Johnrude for a Merc????? There were only like three rudes out there...And we all know mercs are faster, just ask Stoker....

Alan if your out there reading this we need a great deal on a fast boat, don't make us look for a Daytona or a Sleekie....

[Ron Hill]

Fred Bowden has made it clear, boat 55 will race The Blue Water Resort and Casino 300 Enduro in 2008 and he'll have a second boat....

No word at this time if BMB Storage in Parker, Arizona will sponsor boat #34, Chad Hill in 2008, but BMB storage has sponsored boat #34 for three years...

[647and918]

I figure we have four choices if we're going to run next year:

(1) Get relief in the rules for the weight of this boat somehow... We aren't going to have a chance to be competitive as is... Assuming that the starting times next year are similar to this year, we would have a very outside shot running from Division III and a real chance if we were able to start before that... Better if I can find a few MPH at the same time...

(2) Run it anyway, knowing we have no chance to win... I had a good time at the race, but this option kind of sucks... I don't think we would have been able to get over 45-50 laps with this thing starting in Division V even if we hadn't lost the battery and all that time...

(3) Just not spend the money to race because we don't have a chance to be competitive even if everything is perfect... This option really sucks; I want to race!!! I'm also competitive, and I'm kind of leaning this way (although it is early and I keep flip-flopping back and forth)... I spent a boatload (no pun intended) of cash to run this year, and it's more than a little discouraging that we can't be competitive... :(

(4) Find a boat that will be competitive and try to crap the budget to pay for it... I'm not sure I can sell this one to my wife, and it's probably least feasible... We need to focus on growing our business right now, and I just don't have extra cash in the forseeable future... I may be willing to trade the one I have for something more competitive, but that will also be a tough sell with her if it doesn't seat more than one and we can't go play at the lake...;)

Trading the Johnrude in for a Merc isn't going to help me with this hull... The boat is just too heavy (I'm pretty sure that big V8 is making plenty of HP)... Losing a few pounds on the motor itself by making the switch would help, but we'd probably have to build the crap out of the motor to get close to the same HP and then reliability goes down the drain... It would also help if the driver lost a few pounds of his own... :rolleyes: I honestly believe that the key to winning in this format is to be in the right Division by speed and then executing right and running all day... I love the format of the race, but I'm bummed because the boat I have doesn't fit... My bad, but it is what it is at this point...

[Bunker Hill]

Just how many ponies is your "JohnRude" pulling??
How hwavy is your SST?
How long is your SST?
I believe that the 300 or so lbs saved with a good Merc. Pulling close to 275 hp. will be far more reliable than the OMC V-8 If those motors were ever any good, Bombardier would still be making them!

Add--- What makes the sport of boatracing is guys such as yourself! throughout this thread you have been talking of all of the fun you are having and how you and your dad are "Looking foreward" to the race!!
That's what this whole crazy sport is all about!
Congrats on your finish and your fun, We'll see you next year!!
Bunker

[fyremanbill]

Hey guys, from what I saw your boat was running a bit flat. Perhaps a bit more up trim, or a prop with more bow lift. You said something about a hook in the bottom...that has to go before you can do anything. Both of my Stokers developed the hook after the first couple years. Fix it, that will make a difference.

[647and918]

Just how many ponies is your "JohnRude" pulling??
How hwavy is your SST?
How long is your SST?
I believe that the 300 or so lbs saved with a good Merc. Pulling close to 275 hp. will be far more reliable than the OMC V-8 If those motors were ever any good, Bombardier would still be making them!

Add--- What makes the sport of boatracing is guys such as yourself! throughout this thread you have been talking of all of the fun you are having and how you and your dad are "Looking foreward" to the race!!
That's what this whole crazy sport is all about!
Congrats on your finish and your fun, We'll see you next year!!
Bunker


Hey guys, from what I saw your boat was running a bit flat. Perhaps a bit more up trim, or a prop with more bow lift. You said something about a hook in the bottom...that has to go before you can do anything. Both of my Stokers developed the hook after the first couple years. Fix it, that will make a difference.

Hmmm... Ya know, I tend to forget that this ends up being out there for everyone to read and laugh at... I treat it as a conversation with the old man sometimes... Make no mistake, we had a damn good time...

First... I can virtually guarantee that we will be back running next year... I may be whining and complaining from time to time, but we will have this boat actually running like it should next year... I keep forgetting that I didn't have any time to do really anything to this 20 year old family ski boat because I didn't get it back on the water until two days before the race...

Bunker... To answer some of your questions...
(1) This motor should be capable of putting out 350+ HP without being all that well built... I believe the pieces are there and it would probably be close to that... When I pulled the plugs and saw how burned they were, I was pretty sure it wasn't running like it should... We ran avgas this year, and I think it ran too hot...
(2) The boat is 20'6"... I don't know exactly what it weighs, but we were at 1600 lbs (I believe) and not off of the trailer yet... I'll get it weighed in the near future, if only because I'm curious...
(3) The motor is heavy, but I think I need the torque/power of the V8 to really get this boat moving... They're better than you think... :D

fyremanbill... You're right, and there are a few reasons for it we are already "working on"...
(1) I'm sure that there is hook... I'm also sure it will be gone for next year... :D
(2) My jackplate was too low even at max height... This thing should be running with a blade out of the water, and I couldn't even get to max legal height... We'll be there next year...
(3) I definitely need to do something about the prop... I was going to run one of Ron's, but he didn't have a hub kit at the time... Bunker brought one up when he came up, but we didn't want an unknown on the morning of the race...
(4) Getting the nose of the boat up isn't my problem, it's all the weight in the butt end (I have the same problem myself...) that is keeping too much of the back of the boat in the water... I'm dragging way too much of my arse to get moving... We're already looking for ways to improve this...

Bottom line for those of you actually reading my rambling... We'll be back, the boat will be faster, and my old man still won't be able to turn the same lap time numbers... Apparently they're shriveling in his old age... :eek:

[steve sr.]

Bet me sucker, I was 4 to 6 seconds faster then you in practice.. Give me as much time behind the wheel as you've had, and tell me what Bowden told Stoker and you'll see faster lap times...

Remember that after the race you still had a family ski boat and no major repair bills... Thats a hell of alot more then I can say for alot of those boats that were there.

And your right we'll be back next year, and we'll be faster, and we won't make the (stupid) mistakes that cost us 10 or so laps..

A new bottom, a new prop, a little tune up and a little engine lift and watch us fly. A little change in starting time might help to. I sure hope your going to the rules meeting when it comes up. Even if we can't get a step down in class I think we have a chance for a top ten finish.

And yes we had a blast. It wasen't just my oldest son and I. It was my two sons, my grandson my dauther-in-law and some real good friends who came togeather to help us. Yes we will all be back next year and if we don't win will still have a great time.

You know Steve we still have the secret weapon we haven't used yet.

[mercguy]

Just how many ponies is your "JohnRude" pulling??
How hwavy is your SST?
How long is your SST?
I believe that the 300 or so lbs saved with a good Merc. Pulling close to 275 hp. will be far more reliable than the OMC V-8 If those motors were ever any good, Bombardier would still be making them!

Add--- What makes the sport of boatracing is guys such as yourself! throughout this thread you have been talking of all of the fun you are having and how you and your dad are "Looking foreward" to the race!!
That's what this whole crazy sport is all about!
Congrats on your finish and your fun, We'll see you next year!!
Bunker



"I believe that the 300 or so lbs saved with a good Merc. Pulling close to 275 hp. will be far more reliable than the OMC V-8 If those motors were ever any good, Bombardier would still be making them"

my thoughts exactly. But, that big old OMC V8 does look cool and mean! It is just too darn big though! Find a good old ***-kickin' 2.5EFI Merc (260 stock horsepower) and that boat would fly! You could use that V8 for stump pulling!

[Bunker Hill]

The above quote is from ROn Hill Quoting Jimbo McConnel while discussing mod 50 class tunnels. Supposing that this is true and you are 300 lbs heavier than need be. You are losing At least 600 feet per lap, a mile every 6 laps or 2 complete laps over the 300 mile race
Pretty staggering statistics!! That beig said and all else equal, you are giving up at least another 10 minute starting time handicap!
Food for thought!!

[steve sr.]

This is getting way to techie for us old guys..Our idea of fun is putting your foot in it and going as fast as you can for as long as you can...Then at the end of the day you see who's on trailer and who is still running. I thought this race was called an enduro which to me would mean you need to be in the water running when it ended.

How many enduros would Dick Sherrer have won if he could have done it from the trailer. I remember a year when he broke on the last lap and that was a Big Fat DNF... You know he had to have enough laps to be the leader.

We'll be back next year, We'll be faster, We won't make as many mistakes and we'll have a blast. There will be all the things that make Parker what it is. Good friends, Good bar-b-que, and good fun. To me its like a high school reunion. You go there to see old friends, and at my age to see who is still alive...I've already told my kids I want my ashes to go out the back of a boat at 90mph on the Parker Strip...So if any of you guys are following a blue and white Stoker and see a black cloud come out of it you'll know its me.

Oh by the way, if my son and I would loose a combined 150lbs we could make up some of that hadicap.....

[647and918]

Bet me sucker, I was 4 to 6 seconds faster then you in practice.. Give me as much time behind the wheel as you've had, and tell me what Bowden told Stoker and you'll see faster lap times...

Remember that after the race you still had a family ski boat and no major repair bills... Thats a hell of alot more then I can say for alot of those boats that were there.

And your right we'll be back next year, and we'll be faster, and we won't make the (stupid) mistakes that cost us 10 or so laps..

A new bottom, a new prop, a little tune up and a little engine lift and watch us fly. A little change in starting time might help to. I sure hope your going to the rules meeting when it comes up. Even if we can't get a step down in class I think we have a chance for a top ten finish.

And yes we had a blast. It wasen't just my oldest son and I. It was my two sons, my grandson my dauther-in-law and some real good friends who came togeather to help us. Yes we will all be back next year and if we don't win will still have a great time.

You know Steve we still have the secret weapon we haven't used yet.

You were only 4-6 seconds faster in practice because there weren't any turn markers and you were turning earlier... When you actually had to follow the course, you were 15-20 seconds down... To be honest, I'd be embarressed if I were you... :D

I'm thinking that I'm gonna run the V8 until I kill it, unless someone is willing to make a trade... I didn't want it originally (it was already on the boat), but I have to admit that it is a head turner... ;)

Just out of curiosity, how many people are actually reading my nonsense? Does anyone else have any good advice? I'm open to almost anything that I can convince my wife makes good sound financial sense... :rolleyes:

I'm off to Pleasant... I'll let you know how it runs with a decent set of plugs in a few hours...

Steve...

[647and918]

Ok, this thread is going to take new direction... Starting today, I'm going to track everything that we do and what kind of improvement we see as a result... I would very much appreciate everyone's suggestions and input as we move forward... I will be open to pretty much anything (well, anything that's financially reasonable anyway), and we'll see how much improvement we can get... I'm lucky enough to be 10 minutes from the lake with spare time during the week when it's calm, so I should be able to get fairly rapid feedback... Let's build a boat!!! :D

The current setup:
1986 Stoker, weight relatively unknown (at least 1600 lbs with motor)... I'll find out for sure later...
1987 3.6L V8 Johnson, likely fairly stock (Second Effort motor & lower unit, so it should have a decent amount of power)...
Full interior less the back seat (the back end of the boat is too heavy, so I'm leaving it out for this, even at the start)...
Three gas tanks; Two side tanks @ ~18 gallons each and one bow tank @ ~18-20 gallons or slightly more... They will all be full for each of the tests so we don't pick up any cheap speed... I'll drain them all (or run them out) at some point to get exact capacities...
Jackplate - max height is about 2-2.5" below the planing surface (I'll also measure this later to be exact)... It also appears to be "dropping" slightly over time, so it probably needs some work (it isn't happening fast enough to have an effect during the race, but it's annoying)...
Prop - Mazco RE3, 30p

The judge:
My GPS... I doesn't seem to lie like my speedo... It's depressing, but it doesn't lie...

The baseline:
75.1 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning... We were several MPH faster on the GPS at Havasu before the race with the interior out and less fuel, but this seems like a good starting point...

The suggestions so far:
(1) Fix the stinking upper motor mounts... This will need to be done before I do anything else and is not optional... I can't have this thing falling off while I'm testing... Hmmm... If it does, will my insurance cover it? :rolleyes:
(2) Move the jackplate up to a position that will allow the boat to run as designed... I want to have to go DOWN to be at 1" below the planing surface for the race... I don't see this as optional...
(3) Tie the motor down properly and bungee the one side only... This is not optional...
(4) Blueprint the bottom of the boat... Not only is it not flat, it's fairly chewed up... There is a quarter sized spot that is just missing, and a fair number of grooves... :eek: This is also not optional...
(5) Prop, prop, prop... Not optional... The 30p is nice, but I'm sure I should be running something slightly smaller... 28p perhaps?
(6) Have one of the V8 guru's work with it to make sure it is running like it should... This is not necessarily optional, but may be cost prohibitive...
(7) Move the side tanks as far forward as possible, possibly increasing the size and eliminating the bow tank... I'll have to look into this, but I like the fact that it shifts weight forward... Borderline optional, but definitely on the wish list...
(8) Replace the V8 with something else... I'm guessing this is just not going to happen based on what I can spend right now... I think I can probably get more bang for my buck by doing #6 above... These things are monsters when they are running like they should...

What other suggestions are out there?

Thanks!

Steve...

[steve sr.]

As I recall I was also getting 2 to 3 mph more speed out of the boat by the GPS. But then I'm not going to quibble about a few mph. I think you have the right idea with your latest thread. We need all the cheap help we can get..

Talk at you later

[Skoontz]

Steve:

Regarding the hydraulic jack plate....We have quite a bit of heavy equipment, and hydraulics are something that are a very easy fix in most cases. So lets assume the cylinder surfaces are all clean, not scored, all the hard chrome intact. If you can't visably see oil running from the seals, or from hydro hose hook ups, it's internal. Make yourself a polish leak down connection, just as you would for a cylinder leak down test. Then start pulling lines and see if you can hear air or bubbling in the resevoir. More times than not, on many diferernt brands of equipment, (we only have CAT anymore) there is a little piece of crap or corruption caught in the valve seat that opens to flow to hydro oil. I'de start with a good cleaning, then do your leak down unless you see oil apparent and flowing to the outside of the unit.

That's my two cents....A pet pieve of mine is having to re-adjust equipment booms because of slow leaks as you say.

[steve sr.]

Hey son what up. Well its monday and time to get to work. I'll be on the phone off and on all day talking to Stoker and finding out about B&K.. And tring to work somthing out for some sponsers....How much room do we have on the deck for billboards. I know its a little early but if we're comitted to doing this then lets try and get some help.

What was the name of the outfit up by Vegas that works on Johnrudes, isn't that kinda half way....Maybe we could get Herpst Casinos as a sponsor. They seem to take all my cash when I go to town.

[647and918]

Hey son what up. Well its monday and time to get to work. I'll be on the phone off and on all day talking to Stoker and finding out about B&K.. And tring to work somthing out for some sponsers....How much room do we have on the deck for billboards. I know its a little early but if we're comitted to doing this then lets try and get some help.

What was the name of the outfit up by Vegas that works on Johnrudes, isn't that kinda half way....Maybe we could get Herpst Casinos as a sponsor. They seem to take all my cash when I go to town.

I talked to Donna about dragging the boat over to Al a few days ago, but I was planning on waiting a month or two... It's still warm enough to spend the day at the lake here right now (I think it was 95 today)... I want to get it done though... I'll talk to her again tonight or tomorrow and maybe we'll push it up a little...

Don't go nuts on the sponsors... It's just not that important, and I don't need to take a billboard to the lake... If you can't spell the Herbst's name, I'm guessing they aren't interested though... :rolleyes:

I'm thinking I'm definitely going to have him throw it on the dyno... Something is causing the RPM to drop, which is obviously not helping... I couldn't get much over 5400 the other day; that's at least 1K-1.5K down from where it should be able to run, and at least 400-500 less than I was cruising around at before the lower unit detonated (which means it isn't just a function of the prop being too big, something else is going on)...

When I get some dates nailed down I'll start bugging Ron about props... I'd like to try that 28 he had at Parker and see how it runs... We need something to help lift the arse end of the boat out of the water and keep the nose down... I'm sure he can come up with something...

[steve sr.]

I saw your other thread on future dates, Don't even think about it. There is no way the Blue Brick can be ready by Thanksgiving. Besides your wife would kill you and mine would divorce me (well thats not so bad, but still your wife would kill you).

March 1st and 2nd wouldn't be so bad, we could call it my birthday and Ming is just around the corner from my house. Now April 12th and 13th at Bluewater sounds good (it's half way now). And then the Sept 27 and 28 dates as a warm up for the Parrker Enduro...

Hmmmm looks like we might have a race schedual..When did you say you were going to get those Little Gym banners made?? (tax write off time)

Oh well, you work your end and let me know so I can work mine. My wife is pretty much up for anything as long as I'm gone and she don't have to go. We get along so well you know.... Sometime ask me why she really didn't come to Parker....Who knows maybe I could find you another step-mom. This time someone who enjoys boat racing. (just kidding) (I think!!)

[Ron Hill]

Fidencio has done extensive bottom work for Stoker and Bowden. Fidencio did the gel coat on "OLD SCHOOL" and is a master with fiberglass.

If you need your Stoker bottom fixed to "RACING SPECS"...Fidencio is the man...Of course, I take my 25 % off the top...He did boat 55 before Parker, this year (2007)...(If that means anything)...

JUST AN FYI:

John Castelli drove my 21 foot Eliminator through the kilos, after Parker, at 118 MPH..If you look who won Division V, it was a V-8. After John ran my Eliminator through the kilos, I sold the boat, motor and trailer, telling John that he'd never go that fast again in a boat without a capsule.....And he never did. John went on to win the 24 Hour of Rouen, France...maybe twice....

Trust me, the V-8 OMC can be fast....

I hate to post this...but........I think I've bought a Stoker for next year's race.....and it isn't Bowden's boat...

[fyremanbill]

One more boat and the Stokers will need to have their own event. Really speaks volumes about the design of that boat.

[647and918]

One more boat and the Stokers will need to have their own event. Really speaks volumes about the design of that boat.

You know, there seems to be a real love/hate division with this hull... As far as I'm concerned, it's probably the most stable of the three tunnels that I have experience with... The Daytona was great, but I always felt like I was a hair away from going over backwards and it was a heck of a lot easier to hook in a turn... The Sleekcraft version seemed to run pretty well, but I don't remember it being this stable either... Maybe it's just because mine is so heavy and I really haven't flown it yet, but just feels better...

Ron - I don't know who Fidencio is. I'm going to be taking the brick over to Al in a week or two and he mentioned that he has someone around the corner from him that can take care of the bottom. Same person?

steve sr. - I'm not going to be ready for Parker in a couple of weeks. I'm not running it hard again until the motor mounts are done... I may run out to the lake a couple of times before I come over though... I think I found someone to do new gas tanks for me, but I want to run the ones I have out of gas and yank them out to see how it runs without them (running off the front tank)... I'll get my neighbor to come out and act as a chase boat so we can get video / still shots so I can see how much of the back end comes out of the water (I can compare that to the shots I have of Parker)... If you assume about 6.7 lbs/gallon and that those tanks are about 18 gallons apiece, that shifts about 240 lbs (plus the weight of the tanks themselves) farther forward... I'm actually contemplating just putting one huge tank up front (to keep the nose down and move all the fuel weight completely forward) and leaving the side tanks out all together...

I am planning on trying to run all the Nostalgia races (other than Thanksgiving)... My wife is not yet aware of that... :eek:

[steve sr.]

I knew after Parker it wasen't the end. Like I said get the awnings made and tell her it's a tax write off (and fun to). Put a thanks to our sponsers on the deck and start putting them on. Someone helps a little their name goes on the deck. Someone helps alot their name goes on the side. Ron helps with a prop his name goes on the transom. Someone helps a whole lot and we park the boat infront of their place a few days a year

[647and918]

I knew after Parker it wasen't the end. Like I said get the awnings made and tell her it's a tax write off (and fun to). Put a thanks to our sponsers on the deck and start putting them on. Someone helps a little their name goes on the deck. Someone helps alot their name goes on the side. Ron helps with a prop his name goes on the transom. Someone helps a whole lot and we park the boat infront of their place a few days a year

Did you really say you wanted to put Ron's name on the a$$ end of my boat? :rolleyes:

Mayber we could find an insurance company and put their logo on the bottom? ("If you can read this call Joe's Insurance Specialists for me, 'cause I'm screwed...") :eek:

[steve sr.]

If you put anyones name on the bottom of the boat it should be Stokers with yea we finally got it fast enough to blow over. On the serious side, when you comin over? And will you spend a few days with us? Or just over drop and run? If your going to spend a few days it should be when you pick it up so we can go down and test it a little. Not that you can't stay both times.

Have you changed the gear case oil yet? Or re checked the plugs? Or checked the bottom? When you takin the blue brick out again? You know that name is going to stick, I kinda like it.

Haven't talked to Tim since we left Parker, think I'll give him a call tomarrow and see how he's doing. We need crew members like him. I think i've lined up two other cops for next year. Thought about calling uncle Russ but I don't think they have enough beer in Parker to keep him happy.

[Ron Hill]

Al knows what needs to be done on just about every race boat and he won't do you wrong...or anybody else!!!

I'll be the first to admit, that over the years we'd had a few differences....But when I've needed help....and ASKED FOR HELP, the Stokers have ALWAYS DONE RIGHT BY ME!!! (That's John's Custom Marine in Stanton California)...

It was GREAT to see Al behind the wheel at Parker...with his dad there cheering him on!!!! You can't always have your dad there when you're racing!!!!

[steve sr.]

Truth is we'll listen to anybody who gives us good advise. Speaking of good advise when are we going to get a little PROP advise. Like my son said we need something that will lift the aft end of the Blue Brick up. From what Al Stoker said to me on the phone we're pretty much stuck at 2 inches below on the lower unit (thats the highest the jack plate will lift it) unless we want to change lower units (I'm sure way cost prohibative @$3500+) If frogs had wings, and if we had know before $2700 was sunk into the lower unit on the brick maybe.

Speaking of father son teams out there how many were there? I know the Stokers, Hills, Bowdens and us. Were there any others? How many father son driver teams were there? Also I saw one team from Iowa, but who drove the farthest to get to the race? And last (for now) who recorded the highest speed on the gun and what was it?

Steve Sr.
647/918 Team Member

[Ron Hill]

I think Mike Avil's twin Chevy powered hull was fastest, but don't now the speed. I do know from reading Hot Boat, that Al Stoker and Mike Avila were the two fastest lap times...

Bill James (Fyremanbill) and his dad Al James drove together...

Stoker's dad didn't drive or plan to.

Todd Bowden says he'll run next year.

I didn't drive or plan to...

Lee from Iowa, is Rod Zapf, life lone friend....

As far as I know Steve Jr. and Sr. and Bill and Al James were the only two father son teams...

DNA proved that Gritch was not Maximum's son!!!

[steve sr.]

I didn't see the prop advise I was hoping for....After Mr. Stoker works on the blue brick I think we're going to take it to Elsinore to do a little "PROP" testing we'd sure like to have you along, if your available.

Did you see my sons blurp about putting H"I"LL racing props on the A$$ end of the boat.. I'm not sure if that was a referance to cost or position...If you know anybody who wants to sponsor the Blue Brick it has a big deck and will always finish......

I really think we should consider officially changing it's name.....918 is a good number for it because you have to be crazy to drive it......(just like the Sleekcraft SST) Ahhhh if only we had big money like the other guys!!!!!!

[Ron Hill]

I won't let you guys down on props...Like I said, "LISTEN TO AL." For several reason, you won't need much of a prop for now...But the main reason, if you run Nostalgia....Endurance, 80 MPH is all you'll need to go...OR you'll be dq'd anyway.

If you miss Thanksgivng at Parker, March 2008 will be the seaon opener at Bakersfield....

March is also, when SID has TALKED about a Propfest in Phoenix...Where I'd bring props and everyone would play with them... You are Phoenix area, right???

Actually, as I told Chad, at Parker for the last three years..."He only needed one prop..."

[steve sr.]

Arizona would be great, but could we maybe borrow something while the boat is over here after Stoker finishes working on it. Little Steve (he is not a jr.) is tracking each thing we do and we'd like to see how much difference the prop makes.

We understand the 80mph breakout rule, but our real goal is Parker 2008. He told me today he knows how to peddle it to keep it at 80 (famous last words). Besides we loose so much in the turns even if the boats doing 90 in the straights it will average out. We figure 85 will get us in the top ten at Parker and 90 should put us in the top seven maybe even top five. We're never gonna beat Stoker/Bowden, just ain't got the bucks.

[647and918]

Arizona would be great, but could we maybe borrow something while the boat is over here after Stoker finishes working on it. Little Steve (he is not a jr.) is tracking each thing we do and we'd like to see how much difference the prop makes.

We understand the 80mph breakout rule, but our real goal is Parker 2008. He told me today he knows how to peddle it to keep it at 80 (famous last words). Besides we loose so much in the turns even if the boats doing 90 in the straights it will average out. We figure 85 will get us in the top ten at Parker and 90 should put us in the top seven maybe even top five. We're never gonna beat Stoker/Bowden, just ain't got the bucks.

(1) The way I read it the 80.9 MPH rule is a MAX speed breakout for NE, not an average... If I'm wrong let me know, but I thought that was pretty clear... ;)

(2) I will definitely want to re-prop for NE, regardless of where the top speed ends up (I'm assuming here that we will be able to get this brick to a reasonable speed that is substantially over 80)... I'm guessing that the key to success within that class is going to be accelerating to 80 out of the turns and at the start as rapidly as possible... The 30 just isn't going to cut it for that purpose...

(3) The 30 may or may not work for Parker... I'd like to try a 28 to see the difference, and try other types of props to see how we can get the boat out of the water...

(4) I'm not planning on beating anyone at Parker based strictly on speed... I'm gonna try to outlast 'em... It's the only chance we've got to place better in Division and Overall unless we can get a weight rule implemented for next year to drop down in class... I'm never going to be fast enough to just out run the Division V boats, and probably not fast enough to out run most of the Division III or IV boats either... Chad was a good 10 MPH faster this year and he was supposed to be running Div III...

(5) Just to dispel any rumors that you may be starting there sr., I have no plans to attend the Parker race in a couple of weeks regardless of whether or not the boat is running and the motor mounts are done...

(6) It's all moot at this point anyway; I haven't even actually made plans to drop the boat off yet... Once I get the boat there and get an idea from Al how long they want it for the motor work and the bottom, I'll have a better idea when I would even want to think about testing props... Ron has already mentioned on several occasions that he has "something", I'm good with that at this point... Quit harassing the man... :rolleyes:

[mercguy]

now, here is a boat for next year...........

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/boa/472256821.html

[steve sr.]

Any referance that I make to Parker refers to the Bluewater 300 in 2008. We already discussed the thanksgiving race and I know the brick is not going to be there, so kindly don't rag me. I get enough of that from my wife.

As for the rest of your thread I don't think I like the tone, it's kinda that "oh well" tone you used to have in high school.

As for me I'm done, talk to you on here after the first of the year!!!!

[racer55]

Ron is correct Fedincio is a master with fiberglass, he helped us lay up 3 different molds however bottom work and modification were done by myself and the late Teddy Whalen. The boat we used at Parker only had a minor straightning that I did in Freds drive way laying under it, for a race like Parker they just needs to be straight. The old Modvp days we did a little more to improve acceleration off the tight corners.

Steve from what you told me on the phone your motor needs to be looked at before running it much more.

[steve sr.]

Al, I ran into Ron at Apple Valley Marine last week and he offered me the 7X boat for real cheap. I was tempted but I saw the pictures of it running and I'm not sure I'm ready to go out in that blaze of glory yet. I think we're going to stick with the Blue Brick and see if we can make it go a little faster.

The kid is at the lake as we speak running the fuel out of it with my grandson, so you should be seeing it at your place in a couple of weeks. There are no plans to race it for a few months (march at the earliest).

How much effect do those set back plates on the bottom have on the back of the boat (cav plates) and could they be the cause of the hook thats pushing the nose down? I'm sure over the years those have been used as a step to get in and out. The only thing that really bothered me driving the boat was the chine walking, you could tell that you were only a second (or a mph) away from disaster, and more speed only made it worse. I've driven V bottoms that reacted like that but never on a bottom like that. Even the Sleekie SST with a stock nose cone wasen't that bad.

See ya in a couple of weeks. As soon as my son has a date I'll let you know!!

Steve Sr.
Team 647/918
The Big BLUE BRICK

[647and918]

Al, I ran into Ron at Apple Valley Marine last week and he offered me the 7X boat for real cheap. I was tempted but I saw the pictures of it running and I'm not sure I'm ready to go out in that blaze of glory yet. I think we're going to stick with the Blue Brick and see if we can make it go a little faster.

The kid is at the lake as we speak running the fuel out of it with my grandson, so you should be seeing it at your place in a couple of weeks. There are no plans to race it for a few months (march at the earliest).

How much effect do those set back plates on the bottom have on the back of the boat (cav plates) and could they be the cause of the hook thats pushing the nose down? I'm sure over the years those have been used as a step to get in and out. The only thing that really bothered me driving the boat was the chine walking, you could tell that you were only a second (or a mph) away from disaster, and more speed only made it worse. I've driven V bottoms that reacted like that but never on a bottom like that. Even the Sleekie SST with a stock nose cone wasen't that bad.

See ya in a couple of weeks. As soon as my son has a date I'll let you know!!

Steve Sr.
Team 647/918
The Big BLUE BRICK

You have to be able to accelerate through the chine walk... It goes away... The problem is that it isn't running fast enough right now to get through it...

We camped out in the back of the truck at Lake Pleasant last night... The air mattress was missing the cap (so, no air mattress)... The bed liner in the truck was NOT comfortable... We didn't burn enough gas yesterday and today, but I bought an annual pass so I'll go back over this week and finish it off... :D

I will haul the boat over there some time in the next couple of weeks and drop it off... I want to ask for recommendations before I do the gas tank thing, so I won't yank them out yet (or have the tank(s) made)...

[647and918]

If you happened to be in the area of Perris or Elsinore tomorrow around 9:00-10:00 we could get rid of the extra gas... :D

I'll call you in the morning and you can let me know if I should stop on my way by... ;)

[steve sr.]

Sorry, can't make it, but it's good news that the Blue Brick is on it's way to Doctor Stoker. Now maybe we can find out why it runs like an anchor. I like the way the new name has stuck...

Did you see the thing about the Calcuta for next years 300. That sounds like a fun deal. Might just add a little something for the locals, make them more a part of it. See you sometime today.

DAD

[647and918]

Ok, this thread is going to take new direction... Starting today, I'm going to track everything that we do and what kind of improvement we see as a result... I would very much appreciate everyone's suggestions and input as we move forward... I will be open to pretty much anything (well, anything that's financially reasonable anyway), and we'll see how much improvement we can get... I'm lucky enough to be 10 minutes from the lake with spare time during the week when it's calm, so I should be able to get fairly rapid feedback... Let's build a boat!!! :D

The current setup:
1986 Stoker, weight relatively unknown (at least 1600 lbs with motor)... I'll find out for sure later...
1987 3.6L V8 Johnson, likely fairly stock (Second Effort motor & lower unit, so it should have a decent amount of power)...
Full interior less the back seat (the back end of the boat is too heavy, so I'm leaving it out for this, even at the start)...
Three gas tanks; Two side tanks @ ~18 gallons each and one bow tank @ ~18-20 gallons or slightly more... They will all be full for each of the tests so we don't pick up any cheap speed... I'll drain them all (or run them out) at some point to get exact capacities...
Jackplate - max height is about 2-2.5" below the planing surface (I'll also measure this later to be exact)... It also appears to be "dropping" slightly over time, so it probably needs some work (it isn't happening fast enough to have an effect during the race, but it's annoying)...
Prop - Mazco RE3, 30p

The judge:
My GPS... I doesn't seem to lie like my speedo... It's depressing, but it doesn't lie...

The baseline:
75.1 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning... We were several MPH faster on the GPS at Havasu before the race with the interior out and less fuel, but this seems like a good starting point...

The suggestions so far:
(1) Fix the stinking upper motor mounts... This will need to be done before I do anything else and is not optional... I can't have this thing falling off while I'm testing... Hmmm... If it does, will my insurance cover it? :rolleyes:
(2) Move the jackplate up to a position that will allow the boat to run as designed... I want to have to go DOWN to be at 1" below the planing surface for the race... I don't see this as optional...
(3) Tie the motor down properly and bungee the one side only... This is not optional...
(4) Blueprint the bottom of the boat... Not only is it not flat, it's fairly chewed up... There is a quarter sized spot that is just missing, and a fair number of grooves... :eek: This is also not optional...
(5) Prop, prop, prop... Not optional... The 30p is nice, but I'm sure I should be running something slightly smaller... 28p perhaps?
(6) Have one of the V8 guru's work with it to make sure it is running like it should... This is not necessarily optional, but may be cost prohibitive...
(7) Move the side tanks as far forward as possible, possibly increasing the size and eliminating the bow tank... I'll have to look into this, but I like the fact that it shifts weight forward... Borderline optional, but definitely on the wish list...
(8) Replace the V8 with something else... I'm guessing this is just not going to happen based on what I can spend right now... I think I can probably get more bang for my buck by doing #6 above... These things are monsters when they are running like they should...

What other suggestions are out there?

Thanks!

Steve...

I ran the brick over to Al this week to take care of the motor mounts and generally harass him to see what we can do with this thing to make it run a little better... So far:

(1) The upper motor mounts have been fixed. MUCH more stable...
(2) Banged on the tunnel plates to make them slightly more level (one side was tweaked slightly)...
(3) We confirmed that there is a bump under the ski pole... I need to take this out (see below for the reason this is now next on the list)...
(4) Adjusted the timing properly...
(5) For the record, it dyno's out at about 300HP or so...
(6) The jackplate is at max height... Al suggested bolting the motor to a fixed plate before the race next year, but not before if we still want to go skiing... This will pick the motor up to the height it should be and move the weight closer to the back of the boat (Physics says that's a good thing)... We'll wait to do this until the rules for next year have been set... We're about 2.5 inches below where we should be, which is 10-12MPH that we're giving up...

The judge:
My GPS...

The initial result:
79.3 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning...

It started porpoising like crazy around 75 and wouldn't go any faster than that going straight (every time the nose came back down it slowed considerably)... I was able to get past that point by giving it a slight turn (presumably changing the way the water flowed across the bottom of the boat), but I'm sure there is more there if I can get past the porpoise... I'm thinking I can pick up another few MPH by flattening the bottom... If I can get to 82-85 and rid myself of the porpoise when that's done I'll be pretty happy...

[steve sr.]

Now its just a matter of getting balance right. If we could unload the drivers seat (just kidding) get rid of the bow tank, change the side tanks (25gal per side) and move them forward then wait for the new rules.

The faster we go with that unit down that low the worse its going to get. Between that and the bottom work you should be right where you want to be.

[steve sr.]

Whats goin on haven't heard a word from you in a week. Is there a chance that there is a bottom guy over your way? Save you a long drive. Still haven't been able to get ahold of B&K so I'm not sure whats going on there.

I know you said you were going to slow down for the winter, but March is just around the corner, and we gotta do somthing about how the brick comes out of the turns....

DAD

[647and918]

Whats goin on haven't heard a word from you in a week. Is there a chance that there is a bottom guy over your way? Save you a long drive. Still haven't been able to get ahold of B&K so I'm not sure whats going on there.

I know you said you were going to slow down for the winter, but March is just around the corner, and we gotta do somthing about how the brick comes out of the turns....

DAD

Didn't I talk to you Saturday night? Since when is two days considered a "week"??? It hasn't even been a week since I left SoCal... :rolleyes:

Don't worry about B&K, I'll figure something out in this part of the world... I'll probably work on it myself from time to time to at least get it reasonably close... I broke down and bought an annual pass for Pleasant a week or two ago, so it's fairly quick and cheap to run out to the lake for an hour or two to see how it's working...

What Winter? It's 86 here today...

I did get that wheel bracket bolted back up and the bungees yanked off the back... It's back in the garage, so I'm sure I'll play with it when everyone else is sleeping... :D

I will be back over there with the brick at some point though... Once the rules are set I'll ask Mr. Stoker to fix the motor height and probably do something with the steering to tighten it up...

[steve sr.]

You know winter. Thats when my $350 electric bill changes to a $350 gas bill to keep the hollowed halls warm. It was 31 here last night and will probably only get to the low 70s today. They say it may drop into the 20s this week.

Hows it going? You taking the Big Blue Brick out again or is it parked for the holidays? Have you checked any further into the gas tank issue? Why can't we just put sand into that front tank as balast?

Once the side tanks and mounting brakets are changed we may not need anything else. It seems to me that in the "old days" we used run 90 min to 2 hrs on 50gal of fuel. I thought we made 4 pit stops in the 7 hours, but I could be wrong.

Chat with you later

[steve sr.]

Haven't seen a thread from you in a while. Have you looked around over there for a glass guy? I'll try to make it over there for a couple of days while lori is in texas. I think she leaves around the 19th.

Do you still have the white epoxy and glass stuff you bought while we were in Parker. If so I could get the speedo tube thing done while I'm there. Should only take a couple of hours. Might even be able to get the bump out.
I'll let you know exact dates, just in case you find work.

I'm not sure who the bug bit worse (you or me) but I'm sure ready to go racing. On a serious note you know this will be the last year for me so you better start looking (or training) a new guy. I'll still crew for you and be an Opie, but unless I can find a prescription visor my driving days will be over.


I'm looking around over here for another helmet. I gave the one I got to Jodie for off roading with his buddies. I'm looking for a Bell with no visor, but a face shield. The bugs in the teeth don't cut it and my glass's don't do much good over 75mph.

All for now
Love You Son

Steve Sr.
647/918 Team
The Big Blue Brick

[647and918]

Haven't seen a thread from you in a while. Have you looked around over there for a glass guy? I'll try to make it over there for a couple of days while lori is in texas. I think she leaves around the 19th.

Do you still have the white epoxy and glass stuff you bought while we were in Parker. If so I could get the speedo tube thing done while I'm there. Should only take a couple of hours. Might even be able to get the bump out.
I'll let you know exact dates, just in case you find work.

I'm not sure who the bug bit worse (you or me) but I'm sure ready to go racing. On a serious note you know this will be the last year for me so you better start looking (or training) a new guy. I'll still crew for you and be an Opie, but unless I can find a prescription visor my driving days will be over.


I'm looking around over here for another helmet. I gave the one I got to Jodie for off roading with his buddies. I'm looking for a Bell with no visor, but a face shield. The bugs in the teeth don't cut it and my glass's don't do much good over 75mph.

All for now
Love You Son

Steve Sr.
647/918 Team
The Big Blue Brick

I've been around, just kind of hanging out... Donna hit the sales after Thanksgiving and picked up a bunch of new toys for the business, so I have been installing them and hanging out over there...

FYI... In order to FIND work I'd have to be LOOKING... :eek: I suppose that's not entirely true because I have had a few people calling to ask me for stuff, but I'm having fun doing things for Donna...

It's raining pretty good right now... We really need it, so I'm glad... Hopefully it will continue for a couple of days, but I think it's supposed to stop later tonight or tomorrow...

I'm not looking for a glass guy... I'll work on it myself and just figure it out... How bad can it be? I have spare time... :rolleyes: If you end up coming over we can work on it while you're here if you'd like (I still have everything) and run it out and see how it does...

Look here for a helmet (quit being cheap and just buy one that fits): http://www.jcwhitney.com/Motorcycle-Helmets-Open-Face/600013864.jcw they aren't orange, but they are inexpensive and can be painted!

Talk to you soon!

[steve sr.]

I take after grandma Bea, always looking for the bargins.
By the way there is a Marriotte in Bakersfield but that must be Buck Owens birthday that weekend because there aint no bargins on rates.

Lori told me I get one weekend a year for boat racing so I should choose which one I want. I splained it to her as gently as I could. Now I may need help findin you guys a new step-mom.

Oh well easy come easy go.

I'll check out that web site for the helmet

Yak at you later

[647and918]

Have you figured out if/when you are coming over? I need to warn my wife and the neighbors... :D

[steve sr.]

Steve if I get the chance to work I'm gonna do it so everything depends on that. Sorry I can't be more specific right mow. Lori is leaving on the 19th so it could be any time after that. Besides it's not like the Brick is going anywhere right now, although I would like to get the things done that I can do to see if it makes a difference.

Have you told Donna about your tentative race plans for next year (other then the Parker 300)? You can't do much with out that sponsor. Still working on my end for sponsors. I have 2 or 3 solid leads, but no cash in hand. Alot depends on the places we race, and no one seems to want to jump on Bakersfield (other then Buck Owens, a few oil wells, and onion fields there ain"t much out there).

Have you checked on the tanks yet? Or looked into ripping out that carpeting? I don't know that there is a clean way to get all that carpeting out. Something we might shoud ask Dr. Stoker. There isn't much you can use to disolve that glue that won't react on the resine. Everything inside needs to come out, then you need to run a hose from your water heater to the boat and fill up the inside with hot water and TSP, then drive it around the block a few times, drain and rinse. That should clean up all the oily residue in the boat and make interior leak repairs possable.

Now you have your to-do list get to work

Love Ya
DAD

[647and918]

What's that? :D

No problem, just curious... Let me know as soon as you know!

It warmed back up a little here today... I might need to make sure it runs this week... Maybe I'll try to take that front tank out before I go... :rolleyes:

[steve sr.]

It's probably a good idea to get that front tank out but becareful there is no good way to drain all the gas out. Maybe go to the lake and run the tank dry or at least as dry as you can get it. Have you got a sawzaw. If that tank was put in properly it might be a real pain in the a** to get out.

Have you heard any more about the rules meeting and when it's going to be. Sure would be nice if it was before Bakersfield. Are you going to lift the motor for that race or just leave it alone until Parker? If we can get a good solid 80 out of it might as well leave it alone....

Nice to hear your having boating weather over there. Here it's mid 20's to low 30's at night and mid 60's during the day. Lori still gets up at 5:30am and takes her 5 mile walk. Me, I hibernate. No since freezing first thing in the morning. Just coffee and a cozy fire to start the day.

Yak at you soon.

DAD

[steve sr.]

Steve, there has to be something holding that tank in other then the filler tube so be careful when you go to take it out. As for the carpet if it won't come out looking neat or if you think the bottom inside is mared leave it alone. Remember at the end of the day it"s still a family ski boat, a really really fast one, but a ski boat. Without carpet or non skid that interior will be like and ice rink once its wet. You could always shoot a sanded blue and white zollatone inside (sorta like a spray on bed liner)

See how it runs without the tank and the pick up tube. Then we can go from there on the bottom. Between all that and the engine lift and prop you should be about where you want to be. (an honest 60mph ski boat)

DAD

[steve sr.]

How's it going over there? Is the ARK in the garage gased up and ready? Over here no rain so far, but those poor people up in some of the burn areas are getting pounded. From the doppler radar on the news it looks like you got it pretty good too.

Nothing much new over here. I'll be leaving soon for San Diego for work. Going in real early to miss some of the mess. If you get a chance to blog back I'll pick it up there.

How's it going with the gas tank? Did you get a chance to go to the water with the brick? If so how did it run? I'm looking for some positive change with the tank out and the tube gone. Or is that just wishful thinking.

All for now

DAD

[647and918]

But since you keep trying to bug me... ;)

I did start raining again today; no I did not get the tank pulled all the way out... The one remaining bolt (which also happens to be the only one that was there in the first place) is spinning the nut with it and I can't reach it to hold it... I didn't have a bunch of time to spend on it this week, so I didn't get to fight with it too much... If I can get it out a little farther I think I can get it with a hacksaw, but it's a slow process and I don't want to tear the boat up trying to get this out...

I haven't pulled the speedo tube either... It shouldn't be that big of a deal (famous last words), but if it does give me any trouble I'll just cut the tube off since I'm not planning on putting it back...

Hopefully I can get this stuff done and run it back out there next week... I haven't made many changes, but I'm still curious to see whether or not there is much difference...

[steve sr.]

Did you get the tank out or not?

[647and918]

Did you get the tank out or not?

Nope... Not yet...

[steve sr.]

Bakersfield is just two months away!! Any chance I won't have to bug hell out of you to get the boat ready?

Never saw anything in power boat about Parker and I can't find Hot Boat on any mag racks around town. You here anything about either?

Any word on the rules meeting for Parker yet? Haven't seen anything about it from Ross. Thought it might be before Bakersfield. Saw the new dates for Parker, and I'll make our reservations soon as you let me know what you want as far as rooms.

DAD

[647and918]

Bakersfield is just two months away!! Any chance I won't have to bug hell out of you to get the boat ready?

Never saw anything in power boat about Parker and I can't find Hot Boat on any mag racks around town. You here anything about either?

Any word on the rules meeting for Parker yet? Haven't seen anything about it from Ross. Thought it might be before Bakersfield. Saw the new dates for Parker, and I'll make our reservations soon as you let me know what you want as far as rooms.

DAD

I'm fairly sure you'll bug the crap out of me whether I want you to or not, so you may as well keep it up and be happy... :rolleyes:

I haven't really been looking for PB or HB to see if they had anything on the race, so I'm not sure if there was anything submitted or printed... Anyone?

I haven't seen a firm date for the rules meeting, so I can't help you much there... If it's in the next few weeks I'll probably need to see if you can go... I don't think I can get over there right now... This is a slow time of year at the Gym, so I've pretty much shut down financially right now (other than the people that need to get paid so we can run the Gym and live in our house), and gas is prohibitively expensive if I don't have to make the trip... Things will start picking up again in mid-January and I'll feel better about spending money again... As far as rooms for next year, I'd probably book three (or maybe even four depending on who you find to come up) at least for Friday and Saturday night, we can probably get away with one or two on Thursday night if you want to go early again (I do, it worked out pretty well this year)...

[647and918]

Where are you? Why haven't you been calling? How come you aren't bugging the crap out of me? What's going on??? :D

If you have read this from the beginning, you're probably laughing a little right now...;)

I got the front tank out tonight and the speedo tube removed... I also went ahead and rerouted the fuel lines to pull from one tank at a time, pulled the passengers seat out, put fresh batteries in the GPS and filled the two side tanks up... I left the fuel line for the front tank in there (which was nice when I emptied the line all over myself) in case I decide to put it back... I'm going to try to go test tomorrow morning if the weather holds, and I'll let you know how it runs... :eek:

[647and918]

I ran the brick over to Al this week to take care of the motor mounts and generally harass him to see what we can do with this thing to make it run a little better... So far:

(1) The upper motor mounts have been fixed. MUCH more stable...
(2) Banged on the tunnel plates to make them slightly more level (one side was tweaked slightly)...
(3) We confirmed that there is a bump under the ski pole... I need to take this out (see below for the reason this is now next on the list)...
(4) Adjusted the timing properly...
(5) For the record, it dyno's out at about 300HP or so...
(6) The jackplate is at max height... Al suggested bolting the motor to a fixed plate before the race next year, but not before if we still want to go skiing... This will pick the motor up to the height it should be and move the weight closer to the back of the boat (Physics says that's a good thing)... We'll wait to do this until the rules for next year have been set... We're about 2.5 inches below where we should be, which is 10-12MPH that we're giving up...

The judge:
My GPS...

The initial result:
79.3 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning...

It started porpoising like crazy around 75 and wouldn't go any faster than that going straight (every time the nose came back down it slowed considerably)... I was able to get past that point by giving it a slight turn (presumably changing the way the water flowed across the bottom of the boat), but I'm sure there is more there if I can get past the porpoise... I'm thinking I can pick up another few MPH by flattening the bottom... If I can get to 82-85 and rid myself of the porpoise when that's done I'll be pretty happy...

Well, here's where we stand as of this morning:

(1) Removed the front fuel tank...
(2) Removed the passengers side seats...
(3) Removed the speedo tube...
(4) Rerouted the side tank fuel lines to their own position on the tank selector switch (they were previously tied together on one side with the front tank on the other side)...

The judge:
My GPS...

The latest result:
81.8 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning...

It's still porpoising like crazy, and now we're thinking it's probably the tunnel plate on the passengers side because we weren't seeing this before it was adjusted... I have to make a wide left hand turn in order to prevent it from porpoising and get to that speed... If I go straight it wants to porpoise pretty hard, and if I turn to the right it jumps all over the place... Scared the crap out of myself a couple of times by bringing it out of the left turn at speed and launching it sideways...

I'll wait until after the first and take tools out there with me to try to adjust it real time... Hopefully I'll be able to pick up another 1-2 MPH if I can get it to drive in a straight line, and another couple once I get the bump completely out of the bottom... Definite progress! :cool:

[steve sr.]

It's good to see your off your lazy a--. I think once you re-adjust the passenger side cav plate your problem will go away. I don't know about 1-2 mph but at least you'll be able to go straight.

The ski pole bump won't do much, but filling and sanding the pits might help a little. Changing to the new tanks and shifting the weight around will also help plus lifting the engine up to the right hight and moving it in. Then the right prop.

You might just have an honest 60mph ski boat (92-93) which should put us where we want to be for Parker. We'll never beat Dr. Al and Mr. Bowden, we don't have enough money to throw at the boat. But when you go much faster things break. If we can average 90 we should be in the top 7 or so' with a goog position in our class. Division 1 and 2 just have to much of a time advantage over us.

Talk to you soon

DAD

[vishus]

when you take it out again, give me a buzz. I would love to see it run and could act as a chase boat in my old fishing boat... I do have a bunch of HILL props you can try as well...

sid
602.570.3716

[steve sr.]

SID
Thanks for the offer, I'm sure my son will take you uo on it. I would feel a lot better if he hqa someone out there with him now that he's broken the 80mph barrior. The brick can get nothing but quicker from here on out with each change we make.

Do you have props for a V-8? We really need to talk to Dr. Hill. I'm thinking a 4 blade 28 is what we're looking for. He's going to need something that will lift the back end and bring him out of the hole better. We're still pretty low on the RPM scale ( I think about 6000 tops ) and we want to be at about 6800. The boat still needs to have a life as a family skier.

The things left to do are;
1. get rid of the jack plate and lift the motor moving it forward to the transom.

2. rip the carpet out (about 50lbs worth)

3. move the side tanks forward

4. re-work the bottom and cav plates.

[647and918]

when you take it out again, give me a buzz. I would love to see it run and could act as a chase boat in my old fishing boat... I do have a bunch of HILL props you can try as well...

sid
602.570.3716

Sid - I appreciate the offer, and I'll definitely take you up on it... I got the brick way too out of control the other day for being out there by myself, even with the vest and helmet... What day(s) of the week work best for you and which of our fine lakes is closest to you? I don't get harassed too much at Pleasant right now, but I know that's quite a trip if you're on the East Side of the Valley... I don't mind meeting a little more in the middle if it helps... I also started a thread asking Ron for a hub kit, but even if I can't get that in the next few weeks I'm going back out to see how the plate adjustments work...



Do you have props for a V-8? We really need to talk to Dr. Hill. I'm thinking a 4 blade 28 is what we're looking for. He's going to need something that will lift the back end and bring him out of the hole better. We're still pretty low on the RPM scale ( I think about 6000 tops ) and we want to be at about 6800. The boat still needs to have a life as a family skier.

The things left to do are;
1. get rid of the jack plate and lift the motor moving it forward to the transom.

2. rip the carpet out (about 50lbs worth)

3. move the side tanks forward

4. re-work the bottom and cav plates.

I'm fairly broke, remember? I'm not going to be spending much money... Unless you're buying the prop, we're probably going to be using the one I have...

I'm probably not doing #1 anytime soon... I need to find out what the rules are for next year first so I don't have to do it twice...

I started #2... I pulled the carpet up from the back up as far as the back of the seats... It's a pain in the rear, but at least it should be pulled far enough now to see where the water is coming from...

#3 - I don't know what I'm going to do about that yet... I'm contemplating leaving the side tanks now and just making a center tank to put in for Parker... The side tanks I have now would be fine for the Nostalgia stuff...

#4 - This is really two different things... (4a) I adjusted the plate on the passengers side today... It was way lower on one side, and I had to give it a bunch of turns to bring it back up... It's fairly level now, so I'll try to go back out next week and see if it's better... (4b) I haven't played with the bump under the ski pole yet... I haven't really had that much time all at once and/or wanted to suck that stuff into the lungs... :rolleyes:

I'm already wanting to run out there... I wonder what my wife has planned for me tomorrow... Think I can get away with it on X-mas eve??? :eek:

Are you going to be coming over at all while your wife is gone???

[vishus]

On the day, I just need to schedule it in advance and can meet you out there. I am on the East side, but I head out to Pleasant now and then. Saguaro is about 40 mins from my door, Pleasant is about 90 mins.

IF you get a hub kit that fits the v-8 shaft, I have a 4 blade 28 ET you can run, I also have 27 and 30 cleavers (3 blades (ran Great on my old ModVP)), and a 30ET 3 blade. I am trying to get Ron to sell me some of his NEW 4 blade (hoss style) props, I am wanting a 24 and a 28. As soon as he can get some time, I should have those to test as well...

I have some 24s that you can try, but they may be too small unless your willing to run 8-9K ;)

have a great holiday and let me know when you plan your next test and tune!

sid

[steve sr.]

Yea, your wife won't mind if go to the lake christmas eve, not much. About the coming over part, it's doubtful. Lori will be back on Friday and we're leaving for the border two hours after she gets back.

Did you see that there is a race in Oroville in Feb. I wonder what the dates are. I believe I know some people up there (seems to me I might have an ex-wife in that area) but then again where don't I have an ex.

If you get the brick out this week let me know how it goes

DAD

[steve sr.]

Come on it's the day after Christmas and all the big sales on lights are on. How do you expect to get that house decorated next year.

Are you going to get togeather with Sid this week? Have you heard anything from uncle RON about the hub kit? What do you think about Oarville in Feb? It would be a long tow (6-8 hours from here), but it would be nice to see Johnny again (not to mention MaryJane).

I may not be able to make Bakersfield in March. Whens the next race after that? and where?

All for now, get up and get busy......

[647and918]

I didn't go out X-Mas Eve... Too much to do to get ready for yesterday... We were missing Kathleen, Todd and their crew and Randy and his wife, but still had around 25 yesterday... Smaller group than normal, but it was fun... :cool:

I haven't made specific plans with Sid yet, I'll try to call him in the next couple of days once everything is settled a little... What I may do is run out to Pleasant a couple of minutes one day just to see if the adjustment helped, and wait until I can get a hub kit from Ron so I can try a couple of his props... Got an extra 40 bucks? See if you can get together with Ron if he heads up to Apple Valley and get one for me... You owe me at least that much in bets you have so far avoided paying off... :rolleyes:

I doubt I'll go up to Oroville... Mapquest puts that 12.5 hours from here (830 miles), and that's not towing... Never say never, but I suppose it depends on how well it's running and what the cash situation looks like... If you can't make Bakersfield in March, it looks like there is a race at Parker in April...

[steve sr.]

You didn't solve the problem. If you have a straight edge long enough run it between the plates, and then check the hook at the transom. Thats all thats left. Your right, maybe it just hasen't been this fast before. We can check with Dr. Stoker and see what he says. Maybe he can think of a quick fix or has some RX. The big problem I see now is that it is going to get worse the faster it goes. Putting a lifting prop on it may be a little bit of a thrill ride. As I see it the last resort is the bottom, I'm just not so sure it's not the gear case causing the problem. If anyone would know it would be the old owner or Dr. Stoker.

Can you stick your gas tanks to check the fuel level, or is there anything on that side of the boat that would cause extra weight? I'm running out of ideas. Oh by the way, did you happen to notice where the water is coming from or is that still a mystery?

Parker in April sounds great. At least it's equal distance for both of us, and I can't think of anything to stop us. But I'm sure gonna miss not being able to see my ex-wife. (hahaha) As far as the hub kit I can pick it up at Apple Valley marine no problem and I suppose I can spare the bucks, but then there is still the problem of getting it to you unless we meet half way at either Parker or Laughlin (just a thought)

All for now....

[Allen J. Lang]

Hey Steve Jr.- Are you going to break the ice at the Lake? It will deffinately SLOW you down. :eek: Where is our GLOBAL WARMING? :rolleyes: Good luck getting things worked out, but, if I were you, pick warmer weather. :D
Ye Olde Desert Geezer Al :cool:

[steve sr.]

I was told it never got cold over there. Whats this about ice. Have you heard when the rules meeting is going to be? I do want to be there to lobby for a class reduction for us. The only way we're ever going to win this thing is to start in division 1 and tie anchors to everyone else. I know the idea was to just have fun but now I want a chance at the big trophy. If anyone sees me in the pits walking around with a cordless drill it just means I'm trying to even the odds a little.

I'm thinking I might make Bakersfield still. It may cost me a marriage, but then I've been there before. Besides alimony is cheaper then what she costs me now. Anyone out there seen any single boat racing type women (young) I may be an old gezzer but I can still dream.....

Let me know when your going out again

[647and918]

Well, it wasn't quite THAT cold... I was in shorts yesterday though because I knew I'd have to get a little wet to get it back on the trailer... Maybe that's why I only went fast enough to find the porpoise (or whether or not it was still there) and not all out... :rolleyes:

Thanks for the kind words Allen... Don't much buy into the whole global warming thing myself... Wasn't it the late 70's/early 80's when we were supposed to be heading for a mini ice age??? :rolleyes: It's supposed to be back up to 70 for New Years... I may have to wait until then to go back out!

Now let's see... On to answer all the misc stuff from the old man...

(1) I don't believe this is all from the bump under the ski pole... I still think I need to adjust the plates more to get it right... I didn't take tools with me yesterday, just ran out quickly to see if my earlier adjustment helped... (I think it did help, but probably not enough)

(2) It may be the gearcase causing the problem, but I'm not going to do anything to raise the motor until I know what the height rule is for next year...

(3) If anything, there is too little weight on that side, not enough... My rather large rear is on the drivers side (obviously) and I took the seat and front gas tank out of the other side... I don't need to "stick" the remaining tanks to see that they're full... I have been filling them up before I go and can see down the filler tube that they are full...

(4) If you pick up a hub kit from Ron (and a prop to test if you can) I would be willing to meet in the middle to see how it runs... I'd rather do Parker or Havasu than Laughlin, but if you're buying the room in Laughlin I'd be willing to go the extra few miles... :D

(5) As much as I like the family of that particular ex wife, you do remember that she's a little nuts... Right???

(6) I still haven't heard about a date for the rules meeting... I can't come over right now to go, so I'm not asking either... If you can make the meeting, see if you can find out from Ross when it will be...

(7) You ought to try to figure out how to hang on to your current wife... Your odds of replacing this one are rapidly decreasing... :eek:

[steve sr.]

Yea she might have been a little nuts, but she liked BOATS, and wasen't a half bad skier. Remember I also have an ex in the Laughlin area, but lets not talk about her. Oh yea and then theres the one in Scottsdale, she to liked boats and was a great skier....Ah to be young and stupid again.

Let me know when you go out again and try to take Sid with you.

Just a thought, but could the brick be trying to lift up onto the pad, and falling back.

I'll try to get hold of Ron for the hub kit, but I think I threw away his cell phone number. Micky out at Apple Valley Marine should have it. I'll run out there today or when I get back to town (day after New Years).

*Ross if you read this when is the rules meeting?????????
*Alan Stoker if you read this tell us whats wrong????????
*Ron Hill if you read this let me know when and where I can pick up a kit???

Anyone else who reads this let me know where I can find a boat racing wife?

[647and918]

Yea she might have been a little nuts, but she liked BOATS, and wasen't a half bad skier. Remember I also have an ex in the Laughlin area, but lets not talk about her. Oh yea and then theres the one in Scottsdale, she to liked boats and was a great skier....Ah to be young and stupid again.

Let me know when you go out again and try to take Sid with you.

Just a thought, but could the brick be trying to lift up onto the pad, and falling back.

I'll try to get hold of Ron for the hub kit, but I think I threw away his cell phone number. Micky out at Apple Valley Marine should have it. I'll run out there today or when I get back to town (day after New Years).

*Ross if you read this when is the rules meeting?????????
*Alan Stoker if you read this tell us whats wrong????????
*Ron Hill if you read this let me know when and where I can pick up a kit???

Anyone else who reads this let me know where I can find a boat racing wife?

The sad thing is that the list of ex-wives isn't even complete... You aren't a quick learner, are you? :rolleyes:

It's not lifting onto the pad and dropping, that would be more straight up and down like the Howard used to do... This is definitely a porpoise; the nose starts to lift and dive... I'm going to try tweaking the plates some more and take some tools out with me so I can adjust it on the ramp... I want to try to clear it up before I try other props (although it is entirely possible that a different prop would help)... It's been pretty quiet out there the last couple of times I've gone out... The last two times I was out there I just left the truck on the ramp instead of parking, so I should be able to pull it in and out fairly quickly even if I'm out there alone...

If you can get the hub kit that would be great... If I can get the porpoise worked out and get the hub kit I'll try some of the props that Sid has (and actually open it up all the way because someone will be out there with me)...

[steve sr.]

I went out to Apple Valley Marine yesterday and they are closed until the 2nd. I'll try again when I get back from my trip. Mickey may just have one out there (he has everything else). Didn't see any answers from Al or Ron so they may be shut down until then also. I was going to try to call Dr Stoker but that can wait tell I get back as well.

No takers on the search for a new step mom for you guys either guess I'll just have to try oldfarts.com. or keep the one I got. She ain't so bad, besides when we go racing it's like a little mini vacation. She told me the other day that I get one race a year and thats it. I think you know what my response was when I quit laughing.

Oh yea, and I'm really up at 4am writing this. It's so frigging cold over here. Last night it was back in the low 20"s. God my gas bill is going to be huge. I may have to take out a loan just to pay it. OK done with the complaints.

While your out there at the lake look for the leak!!!! That may be the only reason to get the bottom done, and it's an easy sell to your wife (honey it's not safe with a leak). Course she may want you to convert it into a planter if you spend any more money on it. (the BIG BLUE PANTER BOX)

I'll let you know as soon as I get ahold of either Mickey Ron or Al

[vishus]

I think this is the one you need...

http://www.propmd.com/pc-2727-919-101-xhs-hub-kit.aspx

From what I understand (and I quickly did a little research), the OMC V-6 and V-8 shafts are the same...

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86161&highlight=omc+v8+propshaft

I would love to see your boat run, I always wanted a V-8 when they used to run Formula One! I remember a few Champion bassboats back in the day running the V-8s.

Get the hub kit, and I got a bunch of props to TEST. Most newer propellers seem to have adapted to the Flo-Torque hub, I bet you could get a hub kit at either Props Plus ( just off of the 101/McDowell) or at one of the West Marine's in town. Plan on paying about $50 + tax local (about $39 online).

sid

[Allen J. Lang]

You can contact Mike at Props Plus mentioned by Vishus. His web site is
propsplusltd.com . Shop phone: 480-949-0840.
Hope of some help.
Ye Olde Desert Geezer Al:cool:

[steve sr.]

Except my son is to cheap and if I get it over here it comes off my USC vs UCLA loses to him. You can no doubt tell who went to SC since I owe him so much money, and who says family transends rivally. You all would be in big trouble if we both had race boats (it would be like bumper boat out there).

I did look at a Daytona on line and I have been in touch with Bill at Sherrer Marine, but so far it's just wishful thinking unless I can convince Dick"s widow that it would be good advertising to run a boat.

By the way, Jodie said I was wrong (and after I got done beating him) that Dr. Stoker adjusted the plate up and not down. If he's right then it must have been way out of wack. We need to find out from Al where the plate should be and quit guessing!!!!!!

So far no one seems to have any hints out there as to whats going on, and why the boat is suddenly doing this. Come on guys some one must have some ideas (other then loose the 300lb driver and put in the 125lb one).

By the way there are only 5 exes, 1 current, and one or two that got smart before the wedding. Out of all that the 5 exes were the ones that loved boats. How could I go so wrong this time?

[steve sr.]

You haven't been on for a while. Anything new? I'm guessing with all this rain you haven't tested lately. From whats been on the news it aint gonna let up anytime soon. Where the hell is Al Gore when you need him? Haven't seen his face on the tube lately. He may go down as the biggest con artist of all times.

Call me today if you get a chance, just not during the charger game

[steve sr.]

Hey whats going on, haven't heard from you in a while. Weather any better over there....Give me a call sometime on saturday.

DAD

[steve sr.]

Haven't heard from you in a while did you go somewhere or are you getting ready for Bakersfield? Still haven't heard anything about a rules meeting so if you do let me know.
Have you recieved the hub kit yet? And when does the brick go to the water again? If your weather is anything like ours it will be awhile. It's supposed to snow here today, I doubt it but its cold enough. We haven't been getting much out of the mid 40's for a couple of weeks with night times in the mid 20's and 30's. $300+ electric bill in the summer $300+ gas bill in the winter, God I love the desert.
If this new job comes thru I'll at least be getting out of here
All for now. Get to work on the brick!!!!!
DAD

[647and918]

Haven't heard from you in a while did you go somewhere or are you getting ready for Bakersfield? Still haven't heard anything about a rules meeting so if you do let me know.
Have you recieved the hub kit yet? And when does the brick go to the water again? If your weather is anything like ours it will be awhile. It's supposed to snow here today, I doubt it but its cold enough. We haven't been getting much out of the mid 40's for a couple of weeks with night times in the mid 20's and 30's. $300+ electric bill in the summer $300+ gas bill in the winter, God I love the desert.
If this new job comes thru I'll at least be getting out of here
All for now. Get to work on the brick!!!!!
DAD

I'm still hanging around... Haven't done a whole lot on the boat other than a little sanding on the inside where I ripped the carpet out...

I haven't ordered a hub kit, so I'm not expecting to receive one at this point... If you ordered one, it's not here...

It's been chilly here, but not too bad...

I am launching a web design company for "Affordable personal websites"... I think I've decided that's what I want to be when I grow up... Or, for now anyway... It's early yet as far as even what I've created for this "new business", but if you're bored you can check it out at www.yourfamilyswebsite.com (http://www.yourfamilyswebsite.com)(let me know what you think so far, I think you'll like sample page #1)...

Yo kid...

[Allen J. Lang]

Hi Junior- The page one of your sample web site apparently shows the Blue Brick. Those V-8s are massive. Tell Pops that at 70-80 mph, makes it a little to cool to test. At least we didn't get frost this morning. Maybe a warm up?
Ye Olde Desert Geezer Al :cool:

[647and918]

Hi Junior- The page one of your sample web site apparently shows the Blue Brick. Those V-8s are massive. Tell Pops that at 70-80 mph, makes it a little to cool to test. At least we didn't get frost this morning. Maybe a warm up?
Ye Olde Desert Geezer Al :cool:

No warm up yet... Supposed to be in the 50's and absolutely pouring over the weekend... No testing for me in that!!! :eek:

I'm randomly building pages right now just to have some examples of stuff I can set up for people... I did one for the brick because I thought the old man would get a kick out of it; the site really isn't ready yet... Check back on the site in a week or two; it should actually be "up" at that point and have some more interesting stuff...

[steve sr.]

Got an e-mail from Ron your hub kit should be in the mail on monday. He said he was sorry he's been down with the flu. Web site looks great. I'll yak at you sunday

[steve sr.]

I have a little more time now, I'm not at work. Like the web site, but shouldn't it be Blue Brick Racing. I also noticed that there is only one picture of me driving the brick, as opposed to several of you. I might just demand equal time.
I'm assuming you got my note about Ron Hill and his e-mail, so now you can hold your breath. The weather over here sucks even worse then it does there or I would suggest we try it at Elsinore. Also no chase boat.
We need to talk to Dr. Stoker and find out why its trying to drop the nose. Maybe he has some ideas (like raise the motor and re-prop).
Still no word on a rules meeting, let me know if you hear anything.
Gotta go now. Talk to you later

[647and918]

I don't think there is a question really about what to do... The motor needs to come up a good two inches, which will probably make all the difference in the world, and the bottom needs to be flattened at the ski pole...

My current problems are budget and time... I don't have budget for the boat right now, and not a whole lot of time either...

[steve sr.]

A) There is no such thing as no money. If your eating there is money that can be spent on the boat....
B) You always make time for the boat........

Follow those basic rules and your a boat racer, don't and your a wanna be.

All kidding aside, how's it going with the new endevor? Has the hub kit got there yet? and last question, have you seen or heard anything about a rules meeting? I may call Ross next week if we haven't heard anything or check with Ron or Al. Somebody must know something.

[647and918]

Let's see...

(1) The new endeavor... It's early yet... Ask me again later... I'm building www.rainsfam.net (http://www.rainsfam.net) right now... Let me know what you think... I haven't done the photo galleries yet so there isn't much there right now, but it should look better later tonight or tomorrow...

Shameless plug: If there are any racers out there interested in having their own website, contact me at steve.rains@cox.net or via www.yourfamilyswebsite.com (http://www.yourfamilyswebsite.com)... If you tell me you're on BRF we'll work out a deal... Might be a great way to show your sponsors some love!!!

(2) No hub kit yet...

(3) Haven't heard anything about a rules meeting...

What's up with the new job? Anything firm?

[647and918]

I have a little more time now, I'm not at work. Like the web site, but shouldn't it be Blue Brick Racing. I also noticed that there is only one picture of me driving the brick, as opposed to several of you. I might just demand equal time.
I'm assuming you got my note about Ron Hill and his e-mail, so now you can hold your breath. The weather over here sucks even worse then it does there or I would suggest we try it at Elsinore. Also no chase boat.
We need to talk to Dr. Stoker and find out why its trying to drop the nose. Maybe he has some ideas (like raise the motor and re-prop).
Still no word on a rules meeting, let me know if you hear anything.
Gotta go now. Talk to you later

Here... I'll put more of you up on this one: www.bluemaniaracing.com

Will that be better? It'll also give us a place to recognize those sponsors you dig up... ;)

[647and918]

Well, here's where we stand as of this morning:

(1) Removed the front fuel tank...
(2) Removed the passengers side seats...
(3) Removed the speedo tube...
(4) Rerouted the side tank fuel lines to their own position on the tank selector switch (they were previously tied together on one side with the front tank on the other side)...

The judge:
My GPS...

The latest result:
81.8 MPH at Lake Pleasant this morning...

It's still porpoising like crazy, and now we're thinking it's probably the tunnel plate on the passengers side because we weren't seeing this before it was adjusted... I have to make a wide left hand turn in order to prevent it from porpoising and get to that speed... If I go straight it wants to porpoise pretty hard, and if I turn to the right it jumps all over the place... Scared the crap out of myself a couple of times by bringing it out of the left turn at speed and launching it sideways...

I'll wait until after the first and take tools out there with me to try to adjust it real time... Hopefully I'll be able to pick up another 1-2 MPH if I can get it to drive in a straight line, and another couple once I get the bump completely out of the bottom... Definite progress! :cool:

I built a new seat bracket for the bucket seat and threw that in there (pulled out the existing drivers seat obviously)... With it trimmed out a fair amount I was able to keep it from porpoising and ran it at 82.8 on the GPS... Better... I need to hook up with Sid or get someone else to go out with me to get some pictures/video to see how high the nose is... It doesn't feel too bad from inside the boat, but it's also pretty smooth out there right now...

We need to re-glass the fuel tanks in... I noticed that the passengers side tank popped out of place today... It's always something... :rolleyes: I am also going to hook up the fuel gauge to the other tank in the next few days... I want to have at least some idea how much fuel is in there...

I'm still not sure about Bakersfield... It's all about the cash... It's an 1100 mile round trip from here, so that's a few hundred bucks just in truck gas...

Call me later...

[steve sr.]

Don't even think about it if you can't run 90. At least your going the right way (it's getting faster). IF the hub kit gets there and you can prop down a little that should help some. I know when we tried to turn a big wheel on the Eliminator and on the Howard we were down on both rpm and speed. It won't be great, maybe 3-4 mph, but you may not have to run the trim so high. When I got the best speed out of it at Havasu the trim was up, but it also started walking.

Like I said on the phone 100 mph may not be safe with that hull. To go there you need to do the bottom and get all the holes fixed. To much presure and you may start blowing the gelcoat off. That happened to the Howard where the bottom work was done. You could also have blisters or bubbles in the gelcoat that will blow out at high speed.

I have a great idea. How about trading it in on a new one with a big big Merc on it. Shiney new boat, new trailer, and big big motor....... Ah if only the tax return check and rebate would get there.....

I'll call you tonight

[647and918]

I don't need to run 90 to run Bakersfield, I need to run less than 80.9 or I break out... I think I'm in the ballpark, I figured about a 2-3mph drop from here to there (I don't have a frame of reference, just a guess)...

If I can't get there it doesn't matter, but at least the boat is ready if I can figure out a way to make it work...

[647and918]

Happy Birthday... You're what, 80 or 85 or something now? :D

[steve sr.]

NO 80 or 85 is how fast we would like to see the boat go instead of my real age 64.

Glad to hear you got the hub kit. Now get to work trying out props. I would go with a 28 first. I think 26 is tooooo small. If Sid has a 4 blade 26 try it first. Once you settle on a prop let me know. With the weight of that brick it might take a 26 to lift the back end, who knows. You need to limit out the rpm at about 62-6300. As we have discussed longevity is the key for Parker. I'd rather go 85 for 3 hrs then 100 for 2.

I hope at the rules meeting they they consider a NO trailer winner rule. Like the old days if your not running at the end your out. How many Parker"s would Sherrer have won except for that rule. The year we finished 4th he had to 40 laps ahead of us when he broke on the last lap.

All for now got to get to work

Steve Sr.
Big Blue Brick Racing

[Ron Hill]

The Blue Water Resort and Casino 300 Enduro is not a TIMED RACE, it is distance....Therefore, SOMEONE has to go the 60 laps before someone wins...unless the race is stopped sooner...

I THINK...you could get a second, third or...by sitting on the trailer. Once one boat completes the sixty laps, the race is over...Everyone is scored from that point...

64??? I'll be 64 next month...Do I LOOK THAT OLD?????

Sent any thought to Rod about the rules...I want to be posting the rules ASAP after the meeting.

[647and918]

The Blue Water Resort and Casino 300 Enduro is not a TIMED RACE, it is distance....Therefore, SOMEONE has to go the 60 laps before someone wins...unless the race is stopped sooner...

I THINK...you could get a second, third or...by sitting on the trailer. Once one boat completes the sixty laps, the race is over...Everyone is scored from that point...

64??? I'll be 64 next month...Do I LOOK THAT OLD?????

Sent any thought to Rod about the rules...I want to be posting the rules ASAP after the meeting.

At the end of the race last year, I was probably of the opinion that you should be running at the end to be scored... The more I think about it (and the more I hear from other people), the more I'm swayed in the opposite direction...

I think the strongest argument I heard was the "NASCAR" argument... If you break early and go in to get fixed and come out for the last few laps should you finish ahead of the guy that broke on the last lap when he was on the lead lap (and therefore didn't technically "finish")? No, I think you count the number of total laps that everyone ran and sort them that way...

Ron - The hub kit got here yesterday. Thanks! I'm going to call Sid and see if we can try some of his props... I need to lift the back end of this boat out of the water to be close to competitive...

I talked to Rod yesterday because I can't get over there this weekend, and he explained some of what they are considering... I think the Div. V boats will slow down a fair amount based on what he told me, and it will be up to us to try to find enough MPH to get to where they are... I also think if Div VI remains "unlimited" they are going to end up smoking us all, but I could be wrong...

[vishus]

I got a few (10) of Ron's props you can try. I am currently "begging" Ron to send a few more for us to test...

I need to fix my Hydraulic trim (leak) and we should be ready to hit the lake within a week or so...

give me a buzz on the cell.

sid

[647and918]

Sid,

I left a message on your cell over the weekend. Friday works for me if you are ready. I prefer to go out during the week to avoid traffic on the water, but I can go anytime. I also prefer Pleasant because I have a pass and haven't been hassled out there at all for driving too fast, but I know that's on the other end of the world for you so I'm also open to meeting somewhere more in the middle if you'd like...

Call me when you have a chance (cell 602-908-6419).

Thanks!

Steve...

[647and918]

I think this might be too much boat out of the water... :eek:

Sorry for the quality, it's from the video and not the camera...

[steve sr.]

Steve: I couldn't agree with you more. If we and the others are going to have to run in division 6 then I think we shoud just forget it. I"m not going to say that somebodys money influenced their thoughts but I can't see us running against Avila and giving up 1000 hp with hardly any weight advantage. I can think of a lot better ways to piss away $2000 to $2500. With entry fees, gas, lodging and meals thats about the price tag for one day of fun and racing where we don't stand a chance.

There is little doubt in my mind that starting 45 minutes behind division 1 and 40 or so behind division 2 will allow us to catch them but 3 4 or 5 will run away from us and so will the rest of the boats in division 6. We may have beaten Bowden/Stoker last year but that was a fluke.

The addition of weight and the lowering of engine hight means nothing to us. Hell were already running at least 3 inches down (or more) and my guess is we tip the scales at close to 2000lbs with no way to lighten the blue brick up, With drivers that tip the scale at well over 200 (or so) we are just out of our league.

How about they amend the rules to go by something fair like weight to horsepower ratio. Oh no, that might make sense. We dynoed at what 350hp and weigh 2000lbs. Avila dynos at about 1300hp and weighs about 2800lbs. Lets see that means we stand a snowballs chance in Arizona in July. Say 10 boats enter division 6 that means with luck we might finish 8th. They can't all break.

I can't imagine Bowden/Stoker or any one else going for this.

I have an idea lets make it the Parker 700 then we stand a chance of Tony not finishing or anyone else for that matter. The year we finished 3rd in Mod VP and 4th overall I think 11 boats finished the race....

Oh well now I've vented. As I see it we stay on the trailer for this one!!!!! But I'll do what ever the boat owner wants....

Steve Sr.
Boat 918

[steve sr.]

As usual I spoke to quickly and didn't have all my facts togeather. Now that I have read the new rules I'm not as unhappy as I was. If we can get the brick to 90mph safely then we have a shot. We both know Mike won't finish the race (to many moving parts) it's just a matter of how many laps he runs before he breaks. Bowden/Stoker will run hard and be tough to beat, but with the rules it seems to be fairly balanced. Our weight and tired motor are our biggest hangup. We just need to have a clean race with no mistakes, and run every lap we can. A good pit crew and good in and out times will help. We should be able to add 15 laps to last years total.

By the way how does the boat run without the bow tank for balance??? You never did say. I'm going to try to get over there next month to do the repairs on the tank and the bottom and anything else we need to do. Including making sure the seat stays in the boat...By the way I've got retired cops from all over the U.S. coming to crew the boat and drink your beer. So be ready.....

DAD

[capnzee]

Glad to see you "climb on board" with the rules. You can't win this race if you don't run a "perfect" race, nobody can! With all the work you guys have put into a "winning" boat I hope you get to the "podium"! Now, how about springing for a peice of the poster dad? Send me a "glossy" 8 X 10, a hundred dollar bill and I'll give you top billing on the 2008 Poster of the Year. :) Rod

[steve sr.]

Except the rules race the race don't mean I'm happy about it and dosen't mean I don't think we got screwed. We stand a snowballs chance in hell for a podium finish. That always makes it tough to race with any kind of tingley feeling in this old bod. But like I told my son everyone else could break. Heck of a thought that we have to go to a race with an honest 85mph boat and race in a class with boats capable of doing well over a 100mph. If my calcs are right that means just about everyone in our class will finish at least 9 laps ahead of up. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.....

My son hasen't made the final choice yet, and it is up to him. I wanta race because it will be my last year (at 65 I'll take myself out of the boat even if APBA won't).

[capnzee]

Steve, I know how you feel, getting "old" is not for sissies. But if you are a gambler, I'll bet the majority of the boats in your division DON'Tfinish 9 laps in front of you--if you finish the race. You name the bet and I will match it, if you keep the bet gentlemanly and I can afford it. :)Rod

[647and918]

Steve, I know how you feel, getting "old" is not for sissies. But if you are a gambler, I'll bet the majority of the boats in your division DON'Tfinish 9 laps in front of you--if you finish the race. You name the bet and I will match it, if you keep the bet gentlemanly and I can afford it. :)Rod

...and takes your bet, he's nuts! If I think we can get to 50 or so laps, your bet means that the majority would have to get to 59-60 laps... :eek:

I updated some of the pictures and added a video from last years race to http://www.bluemaniaracing.com/Race_Pictures.htm but I have to warn everyone of a couple of things:

(1) The video is very long (about 20 minutes!) and you'll probably need a high speed connection to have a decent shot at viewing it... It was about 100MB even uploaded at low quality...

(2) My (then) seven year old was running the video camera... I cleaned the video up as much as possible, but it is what it is!

[steve sr.]

I'd take you up on the bet but I don't like betting against myself. If we finish the race we stand a chance for a 4th or 5th in div 6. Thats still saying alot of boats have to break. I think we belong in division 2 but I guess that would be to much to ask for.

[647and918]

I'd take you up on the bet but I don't like betting against myself. If we finish the race we stand a chance for a 4th or 5th in div 6. Thats still saying alot of boats have to break. I think we belong in division 2 but I guess that would be to much to ask for.

Division 2??? Easy now old man... One of us is able to get the brick going a little faster than that... Not much, but a little... :D

I'm hoping to bring my laps times down from 3:50 or so to 3:15-3:30 max... I don't think I can get this beast going any faster than that; it's just too heavy... Of course, if my co-driver had a pair he'd be able to keep up a little this year!!! :eek:

[steve sr.]

I'm not sure where this old man crap comes from. If you would please keep in mind that we had you at a very young age and your not that far behind me. Should I tell everybody which birthday you have comming up????? I know when I turned the big -0 I thought life was over as I knew it. I'm not even sure which wife I was married to then.

On a serious note. When you take the blue brick out to test you need to run it hard for a solid hour to see if there is enough gas in the side tanks to make it for an hour + a few minutes and also to make sure the tanks switch over OK. The idea of doing well and running out of gas dosen't thrill me. Also with the smaller props you'll pick up a few RPM you might want to mark the tach with a red line.

goin out to eat yak at you later

By the way nice pics on the web site. Sorry with this old computer cant do much with the video.....

The Old Man

[647and918]

:rolleyes:

I didn't say I wasn't getting old... For the record, I was pretty sure when you turned 40 that your life was over as you knew it too!!! As far as not knowing which wife you were married to at the time, most people on here will think that's because of old age and not due to the sheer volume of options...

I'll run hard for some extended time period before the race... I'm considering having a center tank made for the race (and pulling the side tanks out)... I figure 40-50 gallons ought to do the trick (guestimating 32 gph for 1.1 hrs @ 90 mph to go 100 miles is 35.6 gallons)...

I'd mark the tach with tape like you suggested, but I can figure out how to do that with the digital tach! :D:D:D Seriously though, I wouldn't worry too much about it... I don't think I'd go lower than a 28, and I don't think we'll pick up that much RPM doing that...

I knew the video would be impossible for you to look at from home... You aren't missing all that much... I took the REALLY shaky parts out and it is still prone to causing motion sickness in places... I put in the loud obnoxious music that you used to love me listening to in order to distract people from the video quality...

When you let the seven year old run the video camera and take most of the pictures, you get what you get... I thought he did a pretty good job, but I did have to cut out the 15 minutes of following the butterfly around and the 5-10 minutes of water washing up on shore!

Hey Rod, how about this... If we run the whole race and crack the top 10, I'll buy you dinner... If we run the whole race and are outside that, you buy dinner... I'd be willing to substitute a round or two of drinks instead of dinner if you'd like! :)

[steve sr.]

Watch who your giving away dinner to. If the secret weapon drives we could be in the top three. You know the 200 or so pound savings over you will up the speed by at least 4 to 5 mph, and he's like you when you were much younger he'll wear a hole in the bottom trying to mash the gas peddle thru it.

If the side tanks work why switch them out. A center tank won't be real nice in a ski boat, but then I guess most of our "ski boats" had center tanks, and they were ski boats, at least someone skied behind them (even if it was guys like Chuck Stearns or Chuckie Jernigan).

Watch the race today. He has a real challange coming from 41st to the front. My guess is he'll be lapped by lap 30. Why do I always root for the pack fillers. I guess I just like the underdogs (sorta like racing Fords).

Well all for now, and by the way it was number 4..........

[647and918]

I was actually thinking that the center tank would pretty much be in just for races and I'd use the side tanks for playing... It's easy enough to take them in and out... Right? :rolleyes:

I'm going to try to go to Parker even if I don't run Nostalgia... It's an excuse to see how we're running on the GPS at the river... If you can talk your wife into letting you go, I'll cover the hotel (you're on your own for your room if she wants to come with you)... All you have to worry about is gas to get there and food... If you can get Jodie there, we can get him some time behind the wheel... I'm sure someone has a vest he can borrow for a little bit... It's not quite a 200 pound difference (smart a$$), but I'm sure it will make a big difference...

I don't know about your buddy being a lap down after 30 laps... Did he run that many laps? You should have known better than to think he was going to do well... He's at his best when they have to make RIGHT turns too (apparently that confuses most of the rest of them)...

[vishus]

I'll bring some props to Parker. I will have my boat as well. Where is good to stay? The Bluewater has been booked for the last couple of weeks...
I have heard that the Kofa Inn, Best Western or El Rancho may be good options.. I want some place that the family will be happy with. The kids are going to be pissed that they can not go to the waterpark at the Bluewater...

sid

[647and918]

Sid,

I haven't stayed at any of the others. I know that they're on the "overflow" list, but not whether or not they're decent... When we went last year we stayed way up by the dam... It wasn't too bad, but was quite a hike to get back for the race... The owners were pleasant enough and we had lots of space to work on the boat, but not much for the kids to do (mine entertained himself trying to find out how fast he could run while he was carrying the GPS around with him)...

Suggestions anyone?

Steve...

[steve sr.]

Hey you were in charge of rooms this time not me. Boy I'm glad I'm off the hook for this one. You know your right the place we stayed wasen't that bad. I could bring potato salad and we could have brauts and burgers. One of the nice things was that they had kitchens and everything you needed to cook and eat. I'm not picky just let me know.....

[647and918]

I'll buy when we get there... I'm running around too much today to try to find somewhere to stay... I'm fine with Harbour Inn... It was pretty far from Bluewater, but was nice to be able to get on Havasu to run when we wanted to and the BBQ and kitchen worked out well... Donna is definitely NOT going... I'm not sure about Stephen...

Don't know if I'm racing... I'm going to try to get on the lake tomorrow or Friday if the weather is decent to see how we're running... I don't want to pay a late fee on top of the entry fee, so I need to figure it out by Monday or I'm definitely NOT running (still dragging the boat up, but won't be racing)...

I'll give Sid a call this afternoon to see what he's planning...

[647and918]

I ran right about half an hour at Pleasant today and have about a quarter tank left on the drivers side... I didn't run it out of gas on that side like I wanted to because I launched poorly off a wake and the freaking seat bracket broke again... It was a fun feeling with the three of us (me, boat, seat) all facing different directions in mid-air... :eek: I don't think anything else broke but I'll check it out over the weekend to be sure...

Depending on how long laps actually were at Parker last year, we're running about 5-10 mph faster than we were then based on the time and distance I ran today... I think we need a good 10 mph more to even be reasonably competitive this year, and I'm not sure where I'm going to get it...

If I don't do a center tank, I think I'll want to put in a small tank with an electric pump that will always stay full... It did sputter a few times as it emptied and we'll pretty much have to be able to run them bone dry...

[steve sr.]

This is back up and running. Five days without and according to my wife I'm in withdrawls (BRF that is).

Sid, if your out there, we are staying at Bransons. It's at 7804 Riverside Dr. (about 5 or 6 miles north of Bluewater. My youngest son and I will be getting in around 8-8:30 Friday. I'm not sure about Steve I think he wants to run a little on Friday. Anyhow we'll be doing brauts and stuff Saturday night and your welcome to join us. Don't think we've ever stayed at Bransons and don't know much about it. Do know that the rooms have kitchens and last I spoke with them they had one or two rooms left at $91 per night. Way cheaper then BWRC and we can save a little more by doing our own food (god i'm getting cheap in my old age). They don't supply hardware for the cooking but jr's got camping stuff and i've got paper plates.

Looking forward to seeing you up there.

STEVE SR.

[647and918]

Who's bringing the beer? We need to put some numbers on this thing and I haven't been drinking enough today to do it... :eek:

See you tomorrow night...

[steve sr.]

I don't work well on beer, but a few bottles of Strawberry Hill and you'll have more numbers then you need. Are we going to glass the tanks back in tonight and fix the leak in the bottom too. Ahhhh I remember the nights. Is there enough light on the river to test at midnight????? No luck on the open face helmet so I guess the drivers will have to look out for us.

By the way the only beer I'm bringing is for the brauts (not brats) to swim in sat night. I'm sure Jodie will have some or we can count on SID to bring it. Is he running or is he going to be part of our crew. We should be there between 8 and 8:30 if traffic is nice to us.

Do I need to bring masking tape or are you joking about the numbers. I don't do free hand very well. If we're painting tonight bring some hot lights as the dart will have to be dry before the numbers go on.

See you at BRANSONS!!!!!!!!

[steve sr.]

Has the boat been to see the prop shaft doctor yet? If not when? You need to buff out that Dart you painted, use a black background and spray it on. Come on get off your a$$ and get to work. Why are you sitting around. You know there is only six mor months (180days) to race day. If you only do one thing a day will be ready by x-mas........Oh well enough ragging. I'll yak at you later....

[647and918]

If it's not one thing it's another...

We went to Parker this weekend thinking we'd run NE... The boat was in the water for about a minute before it slung a blade and twisted the carrier... I think I probably cracked it last week when I launched the boat, but it's hard to tell... We were able to get the carrier pounded back in place, but now I'm in the market for a good prop... I'm thinking a 28 with some lift to try to get the boat out of the water... I'm very low budget right now... Any suggestions?

[steve sr.]

There is no such thing as low budget in boat racing. Ron Hill might give you a break if you put his name on the boat as a sponser. I"m going to call the guy at "River Rats" and see if he wants to pay for a large canopy with his name on it and maybe help out a little in other ways.

I'm going to be out of touch for a few weeks (the U.S. Open is at Torreypines and I'm in charge of the security detail). It should give me a few extra bucks as all the shifts are 14 hours, and even if I'm not working I'll be making a few bucks off the guys I have there. Every little bit helps. I'm leaving town saturday morning at O dark 30.

Steve seriously have that prop shaft checked before you run the boat again. If it's bent it needs to come out, there is no sense doing any more damage to it. Even after it's checked you should check it again with the prop on it to see if the weight makes a difference in the wobble.

I'll talk to you before I go out of town

DAD

[steve sr.]

We got moved off the front page do to lack of use. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since April 16th.
If the strike thing goes on the 4th we should have enough cash to do what we want, even if it means a new motor and a step down to div I.
Call me later and let me know how the race is going I'm working from 2 to 10. I missed more races this year because of work (sucks)

later