Well after the guy up here went and chit out on me at the last minute, I called Monte to see if he would do it. No go, no shop space large enough. I talked to Cary DiCosta and he said that Greg would do a good job for me. Also talked to Larry over at Bonnie, Greg did the work on his black 38 EC with the exact same problem. Larry said the work was fantastic and the problem did not come back after all this past summer in the water. Over the years I have seen a lot of Gregs work and always looked to be well done. He just finished Rosens 50 Mystic, the new Aqua Mania race boat. Monte mentioned Fast Forward but I never thought the work they did on Marks 45 Sonic was very well done, and Mark does not have them doing the marina work anymore. Long story short, I've see his work, I know him reasonably well, Cary is a pretty fussy guy and says he would use Greg, so that is the deal. My choice was to do myself with help from my brothers body shop guys or farm it out. Biggest problem is finding a shop with space large enough to do it. Where it sits right now would work fine but my friend that owns it has it for rent. If it does we move the boat to his other building which is new and a fine place for it, but no heat. I would be fu@ked if half done. So off to Gregs early in the week.

Almost forgot, hows N' Obama? What puzzles me here is he has a white mother, a black African father, raised by his white grandmother after they both split, so how is this guy the first "Black American" to become President? Wouldn't he be a brown or milk chocolate Prez at best? I only ask in that you seem to be close to the man.

[QUOTE=Hot Stepper;2734177]

I would check into that, I don't think Velocity was/is using Dupont Imron. Far as I know it's PPG base/clear system. Doubt the fuel would ever hurt the Imron, chemical resistance is one of it's benefits.

I guess in that the boat owner had no problem with us running with him, shooting some video and pics, I'm not going to get to concerned here. Far as I know he appreciated Samanthas efforts with the camera. I guess you're right, you might not have been in the boat, but I would assume that Doug can handle it just fine on his own, he appeared to be doing just that, and I doubt that your presence in the cockpit would have added to it's top end. Though we have heard all summer that if he had just let you run the show instead of him you would have finished every race and been winning all the time.

As for the dangers............ Well I'm still here! And maybe you should just face the fact that I do know what I'm doing. I had my own fast little Checkmate MX when you were still chittin' your diapers. I've been faster in a boat than you ever have. Not just as a passenger either. Running the show in both Vees and Cats in excess of 100 mph, clocked more hours at that than you have in the race boat. No, I've never had the chance to run a canopied boat, but in reality the hull does not know if it has a canopy or not, and it is going to do what it will with or without one. The only time it might come into play is if you are upside down, and if you're smart you avoid that. I think, not positive here, but I really do think I could make it thru a race season and manage to get no / zero wins and one actual finish a few laps down. Look at the season this way, you were the least competitive boat in the largest class in your OSS series. Hopefully you did at least have some fun.

Yours truely, Bite Me "Worthless" Fountain Boy (The one that's been the fastest )

Please do explain this one here. The same travel lift that you claim / argue so accurately weighed your Formula comes up close to 2000 lbs off on my Fountain? Same operator, Bobby, same machine, likely within a few inches of the same location in the same marina had it just a little under 10,500 with half fuel and me in it, how is it you figure this chit out?


Anxiously waiting, Bite Me "Worthless" Fountain Boy (The one that's never blowed up )

Axa,

Made a change just for you Dave, now the dog and pony show is all yours now!

Hope you like the new avatar, took this pic myself, Samantha says it shows my artistic side. Nice serene picture, don't you think.

As Always, Bite Me "Worthless" Fountain Boy (The artistic one )

not a snoballz chance in hell that thing wieghs 10,500 even with a full bag of fuel.
It might with a full bag and on the trailer.
and "you in it"? what the hell difference does that make?
I typically take a cooler aboard for the day (full of soda and food of course) that wieghs more than the typical elf.

I have scales right next door at my disposal with 10 lb. accuracy regardless of total.

we'll have to run yours across in the spring Dave, and then I'll run the trailer after launch

man...you dreams are in technicolor aren't they?

All I can say is last time in the slings as Bobby was putting me back in it just popped in my head, so I asked him. It's his number, not mine, as I said I was in the boat to back out of the slip. I assume his math was working as well as when he weighed Axas. You do have to add the weight of both slings together for a total. I'm saying 1/2 fuel cause the gauges were just under 3/4s, 80- 100 in fuel would be my guess. Web site says 8500 on the single step EX, and 9500 on the Lightning. Do the math. 9500 + 700 in fuel + me @ 140 dry + assorted chit? Sounds close to me, give or take a couple.

I give up here, Dave claims his is way faster so his might just as well weigh more. And while we are at it I might just as well admit his is way older and has countless more hours on it too. Did I miss anything? Damn I did , many more engine failures too.

As always, Bite Me "Worthless" Fountain Boy (Thankfully not the overweight pig of the two)

Don't be calling me colored, I'm not running for any office here.

Now logging more hours than he has in that race boat is admittedly not a big feat but I know I have more seat time up there than he's ever seen. He!! Mark threw me the keys to that 30 Eliminator Daytona a couple times and told me to go do the after Poker Run Chamber thrill ride deal. Roger LaPierre called me one afternoon and had me take his 36 Daytona out and shake it down after some shop work was completed the day before one of the TI Poker Run, he was at a golf tournament, poor F'n me I was working at the marina that friday afternoon. Odd that folks trust my judgment and abilities with pieces worth umpteen times more than the Chillin' machine yet he thinks I'm some braindead cowboy. Then the multi PRs with Mark team driving the 35, then the 41. Not to mention time spent with Monte, Anthony, Doc Marescas Cheetah, Bruce in the cat he bought for Chad, that one even had Christopher a little nervous.

And I promise I did not count any time spent like this! In all fairness neither should Dave.

Yours as always, Bite Me "Worthless" Fountain Boy (Not the one on the chitty end of a rope)

Well, if it really matters...This year on the haul out mine read just over 12,500 empty on fuel! The first weight was a few years ago when the travel lift was new. I have the certified Cat Scales weight slips from the truckstop in Mexico of the rig, boat and trailer and then the rig and trailer Both on the same day with fuel in the truck to be close to the same, 9800 lbs. if I recall correctly..

We forget about the launch on July 4th weekend, the haul-out July 5th for a blown up motor, then the entire wasted summer trying to rebuild a pair of motors. Then finally getting the boat back in the water by Labor Day. What year was that? Then selling the no power, oil burning pair to the poor sap that bought the 1999 Fountain....Yea, you probaly forgot about that! And how much of that work did you do yourself? Remember the "Why should I pay someone for something I can do myself" speach? (with the deleted "with much better results"... I saw it)

You are the best!! Just admit it!

Dave