shifter

Here is an update on Vern's big adventure.

shifter

Here she is (flowerpot) as she is affectionally known at the moment. All of the burnt parts have been removed. Now comes the tough part.

The fuel tanks are being moved under the cockpit so that is the last part that was removed today.

Vern has finished the motors first in the hopes of going to the Worlds this year. It is hard to belive the red motors are the same pieces that were toast not too long ago. They are now zero time and ready to go.

I have the dropboxes ready for him to come to school and learn how to service them. The drives will be right behind that. We have the new canopy design drawn and ready to fabricate the plug.

Vern has shown me what it means to be a true racer. He has one goal and that is to go race no matter what. He has done this all on his own. He is an asset to the sport.

I need to thank Vern and Teresa for lending me their dually (Jo Pattis seafood/Gentry-Munier) to go to SEMA this year with my brother. The show was great and we made some very good contacts at the show. We will return next year with the boat completed on our way to the worlds.

I will keep this going until she is done for the first race.

pat W

Qball

Hey Pat.....how are you guys going to try and fix the horrible chine walking the boat does??? When we were in Washington NC the boat looked out of control most of the race...? Just a question out of curiosity...thanks.

SHARKEY-IMAGES

Pat,

With so little time left, would you consider running an open cockpit?

I think you may have a better shot at making the race by purchasing some composite panels, glass them in, put a dash together, and do the same for engine hatches but cut them to fit where they need to be cut. It appears the exhausts will be coming straight up anyway.

It is just a thought.

Rather than trying to custom fit a hard-to-get-canopy.

I've been in the situation of finalizing glasswork 2 weeks before the Worlds.
Worked around the clock to get 'er done. It is not fun. But fortunately for us it all paid off when the boat took the World Championship. Not bad for the 1st time the boat ever saw the water.

I wish you luck getting her done!

Ryan Beckley

ummmm..........I think they scratched there plans for making KW this year. If those picture were recently there is NO WAY that thing is going to be race ready AND make it from Cali. to KW in time.

SHARKEY-IMAGES

Anything is possible...

Here is what the boat we had to finish looked like just a month or so before the Worlds

shifter

The boat will be done for next year. There is no rush, just making the first race. Joe Pattis building in FL was demolished in the hurricane among other things that was the icing on the cake so to speak.

The main push for the worlds was to get the drivetrain ready not the boat. It is just a hull. There were several potential boats to use just for the worlds but not enough time.

He will race next year in a cat or a vee that has not been desided. He and his partners have a tremendous amout of time and money in this project not to finish it back to a winning hull. The damage that was done was removed and will now be rectified into a completely different looking boat.

The chine walking problem will be resolved with a couple of changes. The fuel tanks will be under the cockpit floor and the aero changes (new canopy design) to the deck will sort that out.

It was a blessing, in some ways, that it caught on fire. The changes to the running surface that were done after Reggies really helped but did not cure the chine walking. This was needed all along.

Ryan and sharkey,

I took those shots yesterday. We had a long hard look at the project and decided to fix it right and not push it until next year. I like the way you think. Do you have any more of the boat under construction? Finished?

Have fun in KW, stay dry!
pat W

SHARKEY-IMAGES

I am glad to hear you will not rush it at this point. That would have been entirely too much to accomplish.

Here are a few more shots:

Designer and builder Steve Koss in Fla. with the company http://www.cheetahcat.com/

Ted G

iTrader: (1)

I just saw it yesterday on OLN and it was walking pretty good-even the talking heads mentioned it.

Sorry, I'll sit down and be quiet now

BRUCE SEROFF

I saw the race too, and I agree that the boat was chine walking badly.

Just my opinion.