CigDaze

So, We have Outerlimits, We have Reggie, we have LOTO Top Gun, We have Callan, We Have Miss Bud...All have accomplished great feats in setting the mark for others to reach for and all their efforts are commendable.

Nonetheless, I find it interesting that there are so many divisions and classes. It seems anyone can be a record holder as long as the class fits.

For instance, I could be the world record holder in red and white, conventional vee bottom boats, that are between 24.9' and 25.1' long with notched transom, pad boats as certified by BDGPS....................you get the point.

However the world water speed record is actually 317.60 mph set by Ken Warby more than a quarter century ago(1978 to be exact). I don't care if you're in a vee, a cat, a 20' boat or a 50' boat, single engine, or twin, reciprocating engines or turbines.....it all seems trivial!

Bottom line is, the fastest any man has traveled across the water is 317.6 mph, anything less is, well,...not really a record.

That's the mark to beat. Are there any takers?

Here's one:
http://www.americanchallengewsr.com/

fountain1fan

if i had millions i would do it or bust .

CigDaze

...warmed up, ay?

robyw1

Was it an Apache? Did it have steps? Was it a two way kilo run? How was the speed judged, GPS, Speedo, Radar? Were they #5 or #6 drives? Canopy or no canopy? Salt water or fresh? East coast or West coast? were the props turning in or out?

Am I forgetting anything?
Roby

CigDaze

Two way average over a measured Kilo, certified by the U.I.M.!

Ron P

Ken has a new boat ready to run and up his existing record if the American Challenger ever beats his mark.

Fountain and Outerlimits was interesting, but these guys are insane.

CigDaze

Insane...Extreme?...hmmm...
I don't know Ron, maybe a future article...

Ron P

SPEEDFREAKS

Daze, your not reading my stuff. Here's the "As The Prop Turns" article that was in EBM a few months ago about these guys.
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SPEEDFREAKS

They say records are made to be broken but when it comes to breaking the water speed record, the question about one's sanity must be addressed. The record stands at 317mph and there's a good reason why no one has broken this record since 1978 when Ken Warby did the impossible and lived to see another day. Almost thirty years later, a new set of speed freaks are preparing to remove Ken's name from the record books by running 400mph and replace it with the name of Russ Wicks. Even though the boat won't make the run for another year, Extreme Boats Magazine will begin covering the construction process now so when this boat his the water, you'll be intimately knowledgeable about the most extreme boat ever built.

The Speed Freaks have agreed to hold an ongoing email interview with EBM so that we can keep you informed as their project progresses from dream to reality. Here’s our first installment of Speedfreak – behind the scenes.

EMB - Please name the main members of the team.
SF - Dr. Roger Gallington is one of our aerodynamic and hydrodynamic design engineers. Bill Harmon is a mechanical design engineer. Dave Knowlen is Director, Business Affaires, Boeing Commercial Airlines and one of our design engineers. Dixon Smith is the Chief Engineer, for the Miss Budweiser unlimited hydroplane team, and one of our design engineers. Ron Argust is an aerospace engineer that is performing structural analyses of our craft using state-of-the-art (CAD/CAE/CAM) tools. Dale Van Wieringen is a composite specialist and built the current Miss Budweiser, the Elam, and the Cooper’s Express unlimited hydroplanes. Joe Kranak is Chief Engineer, 777 Airplane Validation & Testing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Bob Wartinger is Director, Advanced Information Systems, "The Phantom Works", The Boeing Company. Wartinger is Chairman of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Safety Committee and President of the Safety Medical Commission of the Union International Motonautique (UIM). As a driver, Wartinger holds 105 Water Speed Records including the mile straightaway outboard record.

EBM - Who had the idea to go after the record?
SF – It was Brian Towey that was instrumental in the success of Russ Wicks' previous World Speed Record and is committed to ACI's effort to break the World Water Speed Record. He has managed ACI's communications since the inception, and continues to provide support.

EBM - Why go after the record?
SF - Because I’ve always enjoyed pushing the limits of speed, and want to be the fastest in a variety of vehicles. It’s also the next logical step in my motorsports career.

EBM - How is the team funded?
SF - A combination of private funding, corporate sponsorship, and in-kind support.

EBM - Does anyone work on this full time?
SF - Russ Wicks and Stephan Schier (business development) are full time. Several others dedicate a great deal of time on ACI, although they also have other projects.

EBM - Do you have the funding needed to go all the way or is more needed?
SF - As a business enterprise, ACI has a number of goals and objectives that require funding at different times. We will be securing additional revenue from sponsorships prior to a record attempt.

EBM - What will be the total amount spent by the time you make the run?
SF - Some of the in-kind support we are receiving is priceless, so it’s difficult to place an amount on the actual dollars that will be spent. A ballpark estimate is somewhere between $2 – 5 million.

Ron P

EBM - Who's the main sponsor?
SF - We haven’t announced a primary marketing partner, although UGS PLM Solutions is currently our leading technology partner.

EBM - What stage is the hull in at this time?
SF - At the moment it’s an interactive 3D virtual model in a CAD-neutral collaborative environment, which is being validated through computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation and structural analysis.

EBM - Where will the hull be tested in a tank?
SF - We are doing tow tests with a 1/9th scale model, and are planning on utilizing the tank testing facility at the Naval Surface Weapons Center in West Bethesda, MA. We are also planning to run a scale model in a wind tunnel at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, GA.

EBM - When do you think you will attempt the run?
SF - The best answer is when we are ready. We are hopeful of completing construction of the craft and making some high-speed runs before the end of 2005.

EBM - Explain the TV show angle, when will it air?
SF - American Speedfreak will follow the trials and tribulations as we prepare for the most dangerous speed records known to mankind while providing a behind-the-scenes look into the latest technology. The producers are planning to debut Season 1 during the Fall of 2004.

EBM - How many weeks will it run?
SF - Season 1 should have six hour-long episodes.

EBM - Other than raising money, what's been the biggest challenge so far?
SF - Because we have so many different elements to this project, it’s been challenging to manage all of our time, energy, and money most efficiently.

EBM - Explain the propulsion system?
SF - Pure thrust from a military fighter jet engine. No Propellers, they would only cause more drag.

EBM - How much power will it take to break the record?
SF – we believe 10,000 pounds of thrust should get us over 400 mph.

EBM - What chance do you give the team for beating the record and coming home in one piece?
SF - Everything has risks and unknowns, although we all are very confident in our ability to utilize modern technology to safely break the record.

EBM - Have you picked a location for the record run?
SF - We have several locations as candidates on the west coast of the United States.

EBM - Who will sanction the run?
SF - The American Power Boat Association (APBA) will sanction the run and the Union International Motonautique (UIM) will certify it’s an official world record.

EBM - Explain any special safety equipment that is unique to this boat.
SF - We feel our most effective safety equipment is the way the craft is being designed and validated. It will then be built much like a current military fighter jet using the latest composite materials and manufacture ring processes. There will be a survival cell or capsule that could break away if a certain type of impact were to occur, and we are also looking to incorporate a computer-controlled ejection seat.

EBM - What is the craft's theoretical top speed?
SF - The design spec of the craft is 500 mph. This means it’s being designed to achieve a 500 mph top speed related to our power, weight, drag, stability, and structural estimates.

EBM - What speed will you try to reach?
SF - Initially, we need to break the current record of 317 mph. For an official record it needs to be at least one percent faster. In doing this we would accelerate gradually through the measured mile, which means we may enter the trap at 290 mph and leave the mile at 350 mph. Depending on what other challengers do (if anything), we may go back and bump the record up to a 400 mph average.
Visit: http://www.americanchallengewsr.com

Sean H

speed...... here ya go, how about 350?

http://foxxaero.homestead.com/nslink3.html