p4-33

This is becoming more of a gray area lately. In the past, there was a lot of emphasis during tech inspection on "prop calc"... gear ratios, rev limiting, prop pitch, etc. But with the new GPS systems being used for scoring, this year during Tech inspection at Key West, nothing was asked about these numbers.

In theory, if an inspector suspects that a boat is over-powered, they have the right to go out and run the boat at WOT to see what it can do, and place it in the proper class. In practice, Smitty is the only one I've seen do it.

Brian

TGOR

Mike,

I'll speak for myself since I run a 620 hp P5 boat. If anyone wants to see what it does and how fast it runs at 1/2 or 3/4 throttle, let's go for a ride. My boat also weighs a little over 6,000 pounds.

It's the guys running the 600-700 hp in the 4,800 pound boats. I've heard about which boats those might be and I know they're not in SBI/APBA P5. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, when such a question arose about a new boat in Key West, Kevin Brown put them in P4 based on what he and the Chief Inspector determined was the boat's true capability.

I personally feel I'm at a disadvantage and don't believe it's fair if I've got to race against one of those boats you mention. But unless the Chief Referee and inspector's do their job, it's gonna happen...unless we add a horsepower to weight ratio to the equation. But then, isn't that a spec class?

I'm not sure what the fix is.

Sean

TGOR

Brian

I was asked, and granted I gave them all my numbers, but Dave Stift knows where my rev limiter is set and our drive ratio since Innovation does our maintenance. Ritchie has talked with Throttle-Up to verify the pitch of our props since they worked our props.

Regardless of the GPS, the rule book still says the prop calc will be used or a boat placed in a class at the discretion of the inspector (just as the Bermuda boat was placed in Key West).

If we think this area is getting gray, then as a class rep, I'll help bring it back to black and white.

When a boat crosses the finish line first, I don't want it to be a gray area...it needs to be black (okay, a little pun there since my boat is black).

Sean

Lauderdaleboats

From what I witnessed in Key West the P4 & P5 boats seemed to be fairly evenly matched except us. We ran a STOCK 500EFI with a 23 pitch prop at 5250 at 68MPH the entire way around the course. Do the math. We definetly were not a P4 boat. Throttle up also verified to Richie that we were running a 23P prop but still no changes were made to our class designation. We knew what the boat was running before we showed up and hoped that being able to hold the boat at WOT around corners would keep us competitive with the P5 boats. If there was any question as to the boats speed as there was, the inspectors should have run the boat to give us a fair chance at the world title instead of just dropping us into P4 where we got smoked. This is not the first time. When we first brought the boat to SBI/APBA at dania with 700HP we were placed in P3 to run against the Predator which ran twin 850 Blower motors. I took the boat home. At Deerfield we ran P3 with the hopes that Marine Tech would run. These two boats have competed together in A class years back. They didn't make it to the start line so we were left to deal with Predator. Talk about a mismatch. So, point being. If there is doubt with the inspectors, lose the doubt, do your job and run the boat. Don't just stick the boat in a class and forget about it because your easy way out could cost a competitor a championship.

Ron P

What would you think about removing all dash mounted speedometers?

Then you'll really need to set your boat up right, or break out.

p4-33

I didn't mean to imply I was doubting the inspetors, I was simply noting that *no* prop calc discussions took place for me during Tech. Maybe it's because Richie has seen my boat a number of times in the past, so I thought it was the norm this year due to having GPS's on board.

We effectively did this in the second race, after my Norskog GPS went into "compass mode" in the first lap. And we broke out, too. But only by 8 tenths of a mph, at WOT 98% of the race.

Can't say I like the idea, tho.

Brian

FeverMike

You guys are running off guys like this and others that might want to race. When I came up with P-Class, at least the rules and class description I wrote and APBA accepted I had rules in place so that the inspectors and chief ref could damn well make sure boats are placed in the correct catagory!
What the heck happened? I ran a few boats when I was a tech inspector and we did prop calculations and placed and moved boats around. There is no reason if the rules are followed and enforced thgat a guy would need to put a high dollar 600-700hp engine in a P5 or P4 boat. P5/P4 single engine boats should be running much more reliable and less expensive 415-525hp style engines. The cost of racing in P-Class is being driven up and you all know what happens. The way it looks sometimes in P-Class is that favorites are being played...the good ole boy system chit.

MIAMIBOYZ

Miami, Ft lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania, Deerfield, Key West etc., dont plan on breaking out in any of these venues.

bidpro

Mike:

It does not sound like there is support at changing the speeds based upon this thread, so why are you all worked up about it?.

Gregg Reichman

MIAMIBOYZ

P class racing today,!!!!!!!!! it is not intended for the new borne, unless they have one in the boat that has the experience to guide him/her. In P class today, we have super series boats running with your average open cockpit boat in the same class. Their are far to many ideas, the bottom line is to be competitive in whatever class you are in that has more than five boats competing at one time. Safe to say all the P classes this year in Key West had more than 5 boats competing at one time except P3 that had four. OPA had more than 10 boats in each of their classes, except P6 in Destin, and OPA`s racers run balls to the wall from the start. P class with the letter P or without is the show on any given Sunday.