Nate5.0

It was at LOTO this year and still has some BIG power in it. Don't think it is the original Brummett motors but it is not hurting on power and sounded great.

302Sport

The only thing a cat would need to prevent a blowover would be a hydraulic spoiler on the deck of the boat, just behind the leading edge of the tunnel. It would deploy incrementally as the bow of the boat rises.

I know pretty much everyone on here has flown a commercial airline and seen those big flaps that raise up on the top of the wing. They are designed to kill lift. I linked a slow motion video:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoiler_(aeronautics)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHG82Urj2Y

302Sport

Hooked to some type of AHRS (Attitude and heading referencing system), this system would operate and react thousands of times faster than a human brain and body could react.

Keytime

AND it was driven SOLO. For me, this is probably the most impressive LOTO Shootout run ever.

1000 islander

I will throw something else out there that kind of falls along the same situation we have with the speeds these cats and some v bottoms are now capable of. Not sure how many of you guys are snowmobilers but let me contribute this. Having been a snowmobile drag racer since the mid 80's, I have drag raced on every surface imaginable. Ice, grass, snow, and then the newest craze.....asphalt. Back in the late 90's when asphalt snowmobile drag racing was in it's infancy and sleds were lucky to dip into the 8's in the 1/4 mile, I started/promoted what was then the biggest/richest snowmobile asphalt drag race in the world here in Syracuse, NY. I did this for 5 or 6 years and the speeds and et's kept evolving at a rapid pace. Asphalt tracks were manufactured by one company, Camoplast, and still are. I know that back then Camoplast would not put a speed rating on their tracks and I was told verbally by the rep that they were never designed for speeds anywhere near 150 mph. Fast forward 10 years after I got out of it, and with the advent of 500-600 hp turbo powered sleds (I know because I had one for ice only), these things are running low 7's at almost 170 mph on the tar. I have lost one friend due to a top end crash on one of these on asphalt, and was familiar with another young man that was killed at the very same track where I had held my event for years. Bottom line is that in every form of motor sports, people are doing things that the originators of these vehicles never intended them to do. It's only when a fatality or two or three happen that we all take this huge step back and say, jesus, what the hell are we doing. People die climbing Mt. Everest every year. Why? Because if they succeed they are one of a select few people that can say they did. In the grand scheme of things, boat speed records, snowmobile speed and et records, and even a successful summit of Everest mean very little to anyone that isn't directly involved in that sport or hobby. Last I checked, no one wanted my autograph for putting on the biggest asphalt snowmobile race in the world, and outside of those who were there, no one even cared. Is a life worth all of that?

Keytime

And therein lies the question. Where to draw that line?

Typically it's an individual's personal choice, but regulation comes into play when we collectively decide (or a governing body decides) to put ourselves in check. It's the balance of freedom vs common sense and it will always be subjective.

gotime34

Its funny when you put it like that, I was all bent out of shape a couple years ago because I missed qualifying for the biggest short track race in the country by .004 Seconds. I was beside myself, then I thought about it for a minute and said why am I so upset over this, other than the 10k people here, nobody even knows this thing is happening right now. Even 95% of the population in Pensacola don't know this is even going on. But...when you're a racer at heart (or climber or athlete, etc.) it's not that easy to dismiss. A lot of people have that insane desire to go to the edge, and everybody has different reasons.

kidturbo

Amazed at all the reasonable ideas being brought up, and calm discussion this time around. Nice to see.

I do have to disagree with the just slow them down approach. We are still talking about speeds 100mph below the 317 record set by Ken Warby way back in 1978. Even the 244mph SoQ run is only on par with a 1957 boat record. Of course the big difference here is those craft were basically salt flat jets with sponsons glued on.. Verses the production prop boats with massive HP upgrades we have pushing the limits today.

Point is the bar was set pretty high a long time ago using a lot less technology than available today. Boats like Fight Club's do demonstrate the correct approach going forward. Center rudder stability for one, and a well thought out safety cage and canopy design as a back up. A couple more additions of modern technology, and things could be much different two or three years from now.

Below is a simple Photoshop modded concept submitted by a member over on boat design forum back in 2014 when some of us were discussing this same topic. Not that radical looking today is it?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]560663[/ATTACH]

Keytime

Passion.

The reason we all boat in the first place. The reason we're all here on this forum.

Passion is essential to a full life and I think we'd all agree on this. It comes down to weighing risk vs reward in each situation, and it's different for every individual.

hogie roll

Yes to the rudder on the turbo skater, looks great.