Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Thanks for the info.

Can you tell me a little about what happened here?
 

T2x
I was in Key West and Snaped this as Docksider went speeding into the docks. I'm sure there was a pretty good story behind it, I just didn't get over to the docks to see the outcome.

Thanks for all your great info on these boats.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...6&d=1180668492

specila edition
 

does anyone know if this boat"special edition" later became "cayo hueso express" , i have pics of it from last year, the hull was sitting on big coppit key(fl) all the lettering is gone, but it has the same hatch lights ? the small bulb shaped glass on the deck in front of the windscreen. i can e- mail the pics if someone will post them thanks , bobcat

That boat always had issues!

Yes the Cayo Hueso Express was Special Edition, it was owned by Mike Horne The Harley Dealer in KW.

Docksider was built after George and I left Shadow. As I recall the "new" managers in a desperate effort to recapture the business we created allowed boat buyers to get involved with the specs for the hulls. I believe a racer, acting on behalf of Docksider's owner, advanced a "better idea" for a lighter layup............

The result is the photo you posted. In truth that boat was repaired and had a pretty good career...but it was never as strong as the previous hulls.

After we replaced the first two race boats years earlier, we had no significant hull failures at Shadow. We also had back orders and momentum, all of which ended when I left. If any buyers proposed an alternative construction technique to me, I declined the orders, and these proposals happened on more than one occasion. A truly good hull is a combination of design and construction. To simply make something "lighter" or "longer" or "cheaper" creates huge unforeseen problems and is a classic example of a "little Knowledge" becoming "a dangerous thing".

T2x

T2x

Thanks for the reply, I'm sure the guy looking over the side was very impressed with the "Better Idea" on the hull layup.


I've got quite a few other good photos from that race, mostly of some great cats. Soon as I get them scanned I'll post them and see if it jogs any more of your great stories.

thanks ryan,i did some hurricane (wilma) repair work at mike horne's house and the hull was in the backyard,but never got to talk to him,the harley shop is all but gone,they are cleaning out the last remnants as we speak.(type?) was that a winning boat as cayo or special edition?

The boat was hugely successful as Special Edition and was , in fact, a carbon copy hull and setup to the older Jesse James Modified Chris Cat( rigged at Lake X...Mercruiser factory power...etc). As a result it was virtually unbeatable like JJ. By the time it became Cayo Hueso it was somewhat tired and I believe the relationship with Mercury was not as strong. IN addition the newer Skater 32 teams had come about and taken over the sport.

T2x

Was the Special Edition SHADOW a good boat??? I know when they built the Chris Cat it was a copy of JJ but how well did the Shadow run?