Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Sharkey:

FYI...The single engine outboard speed record is over 170....and it was set almost 20 years ago......

Now THAT'S impressive.......

This alcohol/Fuel based, supercharged, full race, short lifespan, 2000+ hp thing is nonsensical.......

Basically a Boeing 757 is a multi million dollar 600 mph vehicle...... Does this impress you?

If so you should love this......

If not...... you get the bigger picture.

T2x

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

That may be so Rich, but I don't believe it was done in an STV River Rocket. ;)

What was the hull configuration for the 170 record? :confused:

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Thank Ic Hornet But Ceo Is Still A Job Title All Moneys Were Gone I Understood In The Article Some Time Ago, A Big Portion Was Pissed Away On R&d For Racing Not Pleasure Boating, I Also Believe I Heard Reggie Bought Hulls From Skater For The Race Boats And That Hurt The Financhels In The Article. Is That True. Why Wouldn't He Build Them Himself. He Had The Facility's To Do So. Just A Question.

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Sharkey,
It's been a while since this happened, and I've burned out more than a little gray matter since then but as I recall:
Owner Bedford Davie, driver Bob Herring, hull Karelsen 3 point
(some say it was a 4 point) hydro, engine heavily modified Evinrude F-1 V8. Actual record was 176MPH.
This was a full out effort by OMC and their racing division, 2nd Effort. No well financed, big name effort has occured since then, to my knowledge.
A friend of mine who owns the outboard drag record (7.52 @ 156) told me "it's dangerous, it's expensive, and it's not easy".
I couldn't agree more.
As for Michael Dixon running 143.8 in an open "production" hull, that is very impressive too. I don't know if there is an APBA or UIM class record for that, however.
Regards,
Steve

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Thank you Steve!

That was the point I was making. The 143.8 mph was from what I gathered, a "Production Hull" River Rocket, not that this was the actual Outboard record. 176 in a hydro is a whole other animal.
What engine did your friend use for the 156 pass?

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Sharkey,
That run was at the Augusta, GA APBA race in 2002 (I think).
The race was sanctioned by IHBA after that, and then unfortunately cancelled for 2005 by the city due to downtown riverfront renovations. I got to see the Hot Licks TF hydro run 244 there last year, WOW :eek: ............
Jon Wright owns and drives a Pugh Hydro. Same builder (Gary Pugh) as the F-1/Champ/SST120 tunnel boats. The motor was a heavily modified Merc 2.5V6, with LOTS of N20, and a custom built mechanical fuel injection system (all built by Jon).
Jon crashed the boat a year later at that same race, but has a new toy that should be just as fast or faster. No use inspending all that time and money if you're not going even faster, right?
You can see the new boat over at www.screamandfly.com .
General discussion page 2, thread "Wow, you gotta see this".
Regards,
Steve

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

TWST: Who do you consider your closest competition?

Mr. Fountain: In the sports boats arena, there would be boats like Formula and Baja. In the fishing boats there are Grady White, Contender and dozens of others. But those would be some notable ones in those areas. In the cruisers there are even more. Probably the leading company there is Sea Ray, a division of the Brunswick Company, and behind Sea Ray are Bayliner, Formula Cruisers, Hatteras and many others. So there are a lot of manufacturing companies building the cruisers as well as the fishing boats and sports boats we spoke of.

TWST: What opportunities lie ahead for you?

Mr. Fountain: We think the opportunities for where we are trying to go are really outstanding. When we started this company 25 years ago, we didn’t own any land, buildings or tools. For 24 years or so we grew this company. The focus was on research and development, spending millions that way to come up with the good products, to promote those products through racing, through fishing and through marketing, and it cost millions and millions over the last 24 years. At this time today, as we speak, the entire focus of Fountain Powerboat has changed from growth to profitability. Why this change? Well, I’m now 63 years old and I’m looking for an exit strategy. When I started this business, I was 38 years old. At the time I started I was a souped up life insurance agent with a law degree. I got into life insurance and doing estate planning, and I migrated into the boat business and then eventually ceased doing the estate planning, law and the other things that went with it. So I grew this company from where it was at the beginning, which was nothing, to where it is today. We started it from its infancy with tobacco stalks growing out in the fields where we now are. Now that we are where we are with the brand image, we have the millions that we’ve spent, I want to focus all the financial resources into profitability on the bottom line, which will enable me to secure a better price as I exit the company. Along those lines, I have recently entered into a joint venture or partnership with the Brunswick Corporation, the owner of Mercury Marine. I’m the largest buyer in the world of high-performance products from Mercury Marine because I buy all their high-performance engines, maybe half of them, let’s say. Our arrangement is such that over the next four years I’ll help this company grow. I have to buy engines exclusively from Brunswick’s company, Mercury Marine. We share technologies and we share opportunities in the growth of the fishing fleets, the cruiser fleet and our sports boats. Then on July 1, 2007, they have a call to purchase the company. So I think we clearly have the exit strategy that we need. We’ve done it with the largest marine company in the world, the Brunswick Corporation, which owns Bayliner, Sea Ray, Hatteras, Boston Whaler, Bajas and has a call on my company approximately four years from now.

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

either way i think that the xxx boat is one of the cooolest looking vessels on the water!

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

Absolutely!

Wow!! Talk about having open exhaust!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Ok............Now back to Outerlimits..... ;)

Re: Outerlimits Working Hard On New Spped Record The Facts
 

I don't think it was the racing R&D, it was the R&D into the failed "mega cruisers" that cost him the huge $$$.