Shadow cat experts please
 

I have a 1990 30 Shadow cat with twin 300 pm's.Greatest rough water boat I have ever been on and I love it.I was wondering if any of the guys that ran the shadow had any set back and if not did anybody run any type of external water pick up.I have my motors bolted to the transom and run into water pressure and temp Problems.I am also running 28 bravo 4 blades that have been labbed and had vent holes drilled.Great all around prop but would anything else be advised.
Mark

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Nah - No one on this board knows anything about Shadow Cats. :D (I think you'll get your answers. :cool: )

I am interested in the lines of the boat. It looks very similar to my Spectre. Anyone know if they share any DNA? :cool:

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

T2X knows. He was in Powerboat Magazine recently :D

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i owned the second or third one out of the mold for a short time. it was a 1981 that was owned by Joey Detore. it raced a couple of races as HMS Dea Won with some experimental Mercury motors.

when i got it, i powered it with a pair of 2.4 bridgeports and it was pretty slow... i didn't do much dialing in with it, but i did mount my pickups on the transom because i had some overheating problems. I also did not run any setback. the motors were bolted to the transom and it probably ran high 70's at that time(1995). kept it for a couple of years and finally "gave" it away...

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Boat cruises at around 70 at 4 to 4300 Rpm depending upon the load.I have had it to 85 with six people and 3/4 gas at about 5700.I know it has more but run out of the water pressure when I start trimming.I love the boat but just want to dial it in some more.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Are you running...Sportmasters?

What water pressure are you seeing? Are you getting horn signals on pressure or temp?

What Engine spacing are you using (length of tie rod?)

Props..... pitch and diameter?

Have you weighed the boat?

T2x

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

I knew you would chime in.First of all this is a kick A$$ boat.Whatever you guys did to design this should be used today.Although there are faster 30's out there they cannot keep up with me when the water gets rough.I boat on lakes were it gets very snotty on the weekends and I never,I mean never have to back off on the sticks.Now
I am running sportsmaster
Bravo 4 Blade props that have been labbed and vent holes 15 or 15.25 X28(hard to tell on the diameter but I think 15.25)
57 inches on the tie bar
Have not weighed it yet
When the motors are trimmed all the way in the nose cone is only 1 inch from Transom.I am thinking the transom is so close that it is disrupting the water at the pickups.Just my thought and maybe some setback would put them in cleaner water.Also get some porpise at around 80 and having trouble driving through it .I cannot trim too much and the pressure drops.At the max trim I use now (which is 2 units on the Indicater) I am running about 7 to 8 psi and the temp is 150.Whern I trim past that the temp rises rapidly towards 180 but I always trim down before it gets past that.Once I go down the temps come down in a short tim.I guess I am too chicken to see if the horn goes off.Impellers are new and water shoots out the pee hole about 5 feet and it real strong.
Mark

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

My dad had the first Shadow ever built(original Black Duck). That one fell apart, so he got a new one(picture below). He did not have any set back. Unfortunately I don't know too much else about the boat...I was too young.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Okay....... You will probably solve most of your water problem with a small setback (8-10")....I would not go further than that....If the condition still persists try grinding two small notches directly ahead of your lower units about 1/4" deep 4" wide and maybe 3" forward on the pad (be sure to cover this with glass when completed). As to the porpoise (The "Linder Hop")... This will require a wedge or tunnel tab to correct...(sponson tabs didn't do much).......

Your Engine placement is spot on.

Have you tried Cleavers......?

T2x

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Attention T2x. Is that the 8 yard or the 12 yard model. I can't tell from the pic.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Hi There:

Pete Aitken was one of the best racers we dealt with.....

I raced with him in his first race in the original Shadow... as a kind of check out cruise in the New Orleans race...in 1981 I believe. After that he raced with Tom Akoury......and was basically unbeatable.

For the record, the first boat didn't actually fall apart, but it did have some delamination in the forward entry sections due to hollow strakes in the early layups....... (your Dad's original boat was actually the 4th hull).....and we replaced it and LOVE-IT (it's inboard sister ship) free of charge (try that today)....... with solid straked versions (no other changes were made)....The first hull was repaired and sold as a pleasure boat. His second boat became the winningest boat of all time in the Pro-stock Class.

Do you guys still have the restaurants?

Best Regards,

T2x

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That would be the 8 yard...model...... Your Virgin Transatlantic Cat was the 12 yard version :D ..... or was that your hat?

T2x

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Geez. I thought you Joisy guys would appreciate the svelte shape of the Transatlantic. I think our bender was broken the day that we built it.

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a few years ago I had a Profile {lets not get into that} but when I was at the factory { factory being a shed in the Iowa corn fields} Randy Shultz said he had the old 30 ft shadow cat molds and all the tooling doe's anybody know if that is true?

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

I thought the molds were sold to either Awesome or American Offshore. The old Chris Cat mold was sold to whoever the Shadow molds were not sold to.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Cool. Thanks for the history. I take it you are teh original boat builder? I thought his first race was in late 1980, but I could be wrong. Tommy and my Pops certainly did make a great team.

He sold the boat to Nicky Cutro in 1985 when he got out of racing. It raced under the names "Boardwalk," "E&B Marine," and "Pennzoil" before it was pretty much destroyed at the Key West worlds back in 2002(??) Its a tribute to teh hull that it was a 1982 or 83 boat adn it was hanging with the 32 skaters and 35 motions, and beating many of them with 2.4's vs. the 2.5's that everybody else was running.


My dad does still have the original Black Duck restaurant....28+ years he has been open!

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

american and awesome both used the old 31 chris cat, the 26 amercian was a pop of the Talon. I know that randy started building a 28 cat not long after he told me about the shadow molds. but hey who knows.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Sounds good,I thought that the setback would help the water problem and probably give some more leverage to make it fly better.I was aslo thinking of a tunnel tab for the hop.But what is a wedge.
I have not tried cleavers yet.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

I think your dad had a vee bottom performance boat (IMP) prior to the Shadow that he tried to race and damaged badly.......Maybe that was his first race?

Tell your Dad..Rich Luhrs sends his regards........

T2x

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

To my knowledge the Shadow molds are still in storage in NJ..... but there were a couple of CHris cat molds that were sold to various people. In addition A few people "popped" the hulls......

T2x

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He had a ton of boats back in the 70's and 80's. He did have an IMP as well as 2 Cigarette's. I know he raced one of the cig's...not sure about the IMP. I wouldn't be surprised if he damaged it! When I was talking about his first race, I meant his first race in the Shadow Cat(1981). He raced the other boats in the mid and late 70's.

I'll tell him you say hi. I think my brother spoke to you a while ago when he ordered some old boat races on DVD.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

It was totally destroyed in the Key West World's in 1996. Last lap on Wednesday's race about 2 miles from the finish. The boat was in the lead dicing it out with KAMIKAZE a 35 Motion from Puerto Rico that was later that night found to have illegal engines. Hmmmmmmmm....... :rolleyes: Although the boat was repaired, it had lost all of it's structural integrity after the crash and was used solely for display purposes.

In rough water the 32 Skater had nothing for the 30 Shadow. However, in 1996 it ran 2.5's under 2.4 cowlings. The 2.4 cowlings had the big hole for the "snorkels" that hooked directly to the transom. But still and all, in the bumpy water the 32 Skaters just didn't have what it took.

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Some pics I just scanned from some old racing calenders:

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

1 more.

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Shadow? I know his 28 cat, came from the old Red line cats. That what he told us at least.

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If the Shadow and Chris Cat are so good, what happened? Why did Skater become the desired racing boat? Would like to hear the answer from T2x if possible!

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

ya I knew about the red line 28 but he said he had 30 shadow also. who knows ??? I found out the hard way you can't believe a word Randy says.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Fishead

As T2x said there are many parameters to the set up. Be glad to help you call 631-435-8496.

George Linder

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

I think Chris Craft decided to get out of the performance world and Shadow had money troubles...

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Rich What About The Old WILD BILLS EXPRESS 32 Shadow Cat I Think It Was The Docksider???? Any Imput?????

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Hows that for customer service!
:)

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I MISS MY SHADOW!!! Got much attention at all the Poker Runs. George and Rich make this sport worth loving.MY first ride over thriple digits was in Special Edition at the Halter 200 in New Orleans.Didn't go over well with my farther he was with Cigarette racing and work for Harold Halter.

Install a tunnel tab but be careful,I had the HotPursuit 160 +,
with no tab this was out of the question.

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

I talked to Pops last night...he said to say hi. He thought he had the 3rd hull after the prototype and "Joey's boat." He was curious what the other boat was??

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Shadow(Image Boat co.) was a partnership and it dissolved over a dispute around ownership of a 38 foot plug that we had completed..... but had not made a set of molds from. I had the plug burned...(I can be testy at times ;) ) ......and then we went to court... (we won)... I got some cash and George was freed from his contract with me....... and the company and the 30 and 21 foot molds....reverted to the other partner..... This was in 1983 or so.

George took a modification of the design to Chris Craft (The Chris Cat)......and I formed Conquest Marine to build custom one off catamaran designs in plywood/fibreglass composite. I disliked molded boats and had a real passion for the Molinari and Seebold wooden tunnel boats I had raced previously ...and the infinite number of modifications that could be made to them during (and after) construction.

The Shadow brand and products went downhill from there due to a change of vision and a string of schemes (including leasing the molds, new "partners", cheaper materials, lighter laminates..etc, etc.)...and the more easily available and factory backed Chris Cat racing program.

The Chris Cat program ran afoul of later business plans and ownership changes at Chris Craft......

Conquest Marine was a year behind in construction orders when Mark Lavin was killed..... following that we completed only those boats that were under construction at the time...cancelled the others...and completed the 50 foot Jesse James....at Mark's family's request....... after which, I quit the business...but stayed in the arena through the safety standards and TV broadcasting.

Peter Hledin was gearing up at the time.....and he had a fine product, which was a natural evolution of what George and I were doing..... He took over the market created by Cougar, Shadow, and Conquest...and has done a superb job.

T2x

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Who designed the Shadow cat??

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Joey had two boats, both of which were built for the NY boat show....

T2x

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George Linder...with a little help from his friends.. :p

T2x

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Let me also note that Conquest's boats were a tribute to the skill and craftsmanship of Ken Adams.

T2x

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George, Could you give us the history of the Chris Cat (from your perspective) from start to finish. Were they all built at the same CC factory or sub-contracted out? What is the difference between the I/O model and the O/B model (besides the power plants)?

Re: Shadow cat experts please
 

Rich, Thank you for the history lesson on the early cat days. That from someone that fully appreciates that true craftsman are still around. Something that is much missed in the boat industry (by some manufacturers) today.