Posted by Don DAndo on October 21, 2002 at 10:46:02:
In Reply to: Re: pickle fork.. performnace reports?? posted by JimM on October 21, 2002 at 06:12:54:
As Jim has indicated in his response, there is a lot more to it than might meet the eye! I raced boats for over 25 years!
WIth a stock 10 hp engine and utility prop you could expect about 37 MPH. The loawer unit Jim referes to is a Quicksilver Unit made by Mercury or a similiar unit from Yamato or the new Itilian engine with a ratio of 1:1 or 16:21. There are some Koenig units left over but Koenig is out of business now since Deiter passed on. Expect to pay upwards of $500 for a racing lower unit, and it requires a special down housing either standard length or hydro length, another $250. You will want to experiment with props to get the one that works best for the water conditions, boat performance your weight and head wind conditions, about $350 each. Expect to spend about $200 on racing throtle and stering equipment and another $200 for a racing jacket with a flotation collar. Add $850 if you decide to enter a race for the Kevlar jump suit.
Include membership in APBA, AOF or NOA the national sanctioning bodies plus membership in the local club. And this is just the beginning!
This is why the sport is dying. If you want to build the boat and run a completely stock engine you will really have a great time building it, get a sense or pride from your work and a lot of fun running it. Don't expect to set any world speed records however unless you can invest a huge sum in the engine.
I'd encourage you to build the boat, there is little else you can do that gives you such satisfaction. But run it cautiously especially in a head wind, this is what causes them to flip end for end.
Don Dando
: I couldn't guess how fast, but I do know this: Racing hydros get a lot of their speed by modifying the engine. If there's ever a race in your area, go and try to get into the pits to talk to the racers. You'll see that the lower units have one gear: forward! No neutral and no reverse. The gearcase is very small diameter and the prop is very high pitch and razor sharp. You'll have to see what they use for exhaust stacks, I don't remember noticing (it's been a few years).
: They take a while to get up on plane, but once up they FLY! I'm sure they mod the powerhead heavily also. Intake and exhaust ports can be streamlined and polished and the heads can be polished - this improves aspiration. I don't know how much you can increase compression ratio without destroying the engine.
: What a great hobby! Wish I had time for it! You'll have a blast building and driving that little speedster. Just be sure to invest in proper safety gear - helmet and one of those fancy pfd's that gives you full protection. I'm guessing you're young - if so your parents would probably be happy to make the jacket a Christmas present.