berns29scarab

not as exciting as me, wanna talk about it.....


call me....

1-732-684-4918

TGC-32

I think that most everybody is missing T2X's point, it is not the open cockpit boats per se that are dangerous, it is racing them on short courses with multiple tight turns that makes it dangerous. Stepped V-bottoms might go fast but anyone who thinks that they carve turns solidly and safely at speed is kidding only themselves.

Sure, racing is by definiton a dangerous pursuit, BUT not taking obvious precautions to make it as safe as possible is just plain foolish (as in Philip's example). Yes, nobody puts a gun to your head to force you into a race boat, but race promoters and organizers shouldn't condone foolish behavior. They have an obligation to put on as safe a spectacle as they can for the fans AND the racers. If you aren't going to change the boats (i.e. slow them down or insist on canopies), then you really should change the courses they run on!

I was there when Jack Stoerrle died. Yes, we were running in P-3 as a tune up the next days F-2 race, but we were in F-2 trim and racing VERY hard in identically matched boats. It was my boat he was trying to catch and it was my wake that they got hung up on when the boat went over in a turn at speed. A canopy would have clearly saved his life. Let's all try and learn just a little bit from this and other tragedies. I know I did. My boat hasn't been raced since that sad day.

A guy like Rich Luhrs has a lot to offer to those who are smart enough to listen to him. I don't think he is bitter at all. Weary, maybe, from making the same observations over and over to a mostly unwilling-to-listen audience, but not bitter.

Keep it up, Rich.

Tom Caruso
Total Marine

DaveP

Here we go again - re-inventing the offshore racing wheel for the 4,694th time

stinger312

The manufacturers should / should have had a say in all this. they tell you with verbal and all sorts of warning stickers NOT TO TURN AT HIGH SPEEDS POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL yet the sanctioning bodies that represent the sport set up these courses ,that should be a HUGE red flag.Manufactures should want to prove there hulls out in the ocean there selling offshore powerboats right ? if they do not want Joe consumer to do high speed turns they should'nt let Joe racer do the same...

THEJOKER

I choose to race , I'm a small mfg and I want to show my product. The fans, mfgs, and racers want to race , period! My phone has not stopped ringing all weekend and this am. We'll see what happens. I'm not trying to reinvent anything , just trying to help a dying sport.

PS. Tom I was also there racing , very tragic.

2 Trick Rick

What a GREAT old and informational thread and after reading this along with the PR thread I see that offshore racing will never be more than what it is.

If Offshore Racing found a sponsor willing to put up 25k a race and all we had to do was agree on one color to paint all our boats I'm willing to guess it wouldn’t happen.

audacity

TOTALLY DISSAGREE. I feel I have a VERY good handle on "what is fast" for an offshore race boat. Be it cat or v bottom. Stepped or not. rudder or 6's...bravos. Gas enignes, supercharged engines, TURBINE engines. A MTI, a skater, and a mystic ALL turn differently...To say one is better or more dagerous is just jack ass! They ALL have their own traits and LIMITATIONS. AS A RACER YOU SHOULD KNOW THEM...

I WOULD AGREE IF you stated it was a company/manufacture problem. OR a OPERATOR problem. Me crashing must have been the fault of someone else! Our DONZI F2 boat turned amazing! How much more do you want a boat to turn?

Here is one example: Please click on "Orange Beach 04". Then move over to "Shore 1" and click. The only leg you can stand on to debate this is: Tell Ed "Smitty" Smith he's not turning the WAZZUP boat hard enough(Let me know how that goes)...and the outboard cats we passed in the corners too. O, unless you think we caught them in the streights! LOL

http://www.jbsracing.com/movie/default2.aspx

cheers

ApachePete

Actually, that's TRUE!!

ApachePete

A bit over the top, don't you think?

stevequick

With all due respect, and much is due. We can repower to stock (green if neccessary) OB's when the time comes. If SS needs to go away for the greater good, so be it. It won't be because we can't get big power outboards. SQ