Thanks gmhdfan,

I've just spent the last hour and a half reading it:D :D

Great info!!

I couldn't resist...................

T2x

You just had to get it to the top again!

OK, since you started, I'll ask a for an opinion.
I have a friend who sells and has been in a lot of very fast Skaters. He's told me that the newer hulls are more stable at high speeds (over 140), but in the same breath, he's mentioned the uneasy feeling he gets when these hulls jump 4-5 feet to one side or the other when a gust of wind blows across the side. That must be pretty un-nerving.

Do the older design hulls do that too? Or is it a function of sheer speed. I've had my Chris Cat to 125 and it felt pretty good, but it might be all over the place at 140.

Dueclaws
In my opinion, any hull that has very little running surface touching the water and gets hit with a side gust will certainly get shifted out of balance. It is the air pressure points at given points of the hull design.
Whether it be a vee or a cat....
And also in my opinion, the Chris Cat @ 140+, definately will be loose....:eek:
It has a much higher center of gravity and narrower beam...

Thanks Sharkey

New cat designs
 

Hello catamaran gurus.
I want to thank T2x for allowing me access to his marine knowledge. Currently I am a marine engineering student at Texas A&M Galveston. Our degree is basically for offshore platforms and therefor is a structural engineering program. We do however have a few naval architecture courses. I have been involved in offshore powerboats with my dad and a few people around the Clear Lake Texas area since I was very little. Someday I wish to race and build boats. This summer I drove to the Sarasota races from Houston. I have been to a few races and love them. I have been designing boats for school and have built solar boats, and human powered submarines. I am one of the only ones interested in boats at school and basically have to run any program that deals with anything besides oil platforms. I am now designing a drive system for an electric race boat to compete with the current world electric boat speed record. This 74 mph record is held by and electric outboard 24' skater. I need help with pictures and specs on the innovative drives on the Jesse James boat and any surface drive technological pictures would help. It is a straight line pass so I do not have to worry about the curves just the speed. I also would like to ask about The race boat Deep V Cats, in Sarasota he did good. I believe this is the most innovative guy on a budget there is out in todays boating world he has many patents on the hulls.

please visit my website and look at my boat designs. I don't want to give too much away though.

http://tamug.tamu.edu/~egk9566/

E-mail me and drive pictures or cat hull pictures.

Thanks, Ernie

74 MPH on ELECTRICITY??!! COOL! Good luck on your quest.

Skaters are light and fast......... light and fast things tend to be affected by crosswinds..... (try driving a van over a high bridge in a storm for a comparable feeling).
The faster you go the less wetted surface you will have..and less surface adhesion as well......

If you want to go fast and maintain directional stability..... I suggest...... Aluminum rails (fins)....at the back of each step on each sponson( 1/4" less depth than the step)
Tapering to zero 6-12" before the next step rearward.

Don't say you heard it here...... I'm "obsolete" after all.
and this "technology" is older than 2 years.

As far as the Chris Cat goes....140 is awfully fast ....but certainly doable...... and the above "trick" will definitely work on that bottom design as well.

T2x

Re: New cat designs
 

Uh Ernie......... You want drawings of a one of a kind drive system that cost a few hundred thousand to develop........... but you "don't want to give too much away".

Call me crazy........ but I think I'll pass for the time being anyway.

Good luck in your endeavour.

T2x.

P.S. If this record is based on anything goes.......... use a D Hydro...... It'll cream the Skater.

;)

Thanks Rich-
Seems like a good idea and worth a try.
And by the way, I'm "Obsolete" too. My first fun boat (late 60's) was the former marathon racer by Glastron: v-bottom, v-drive, 427" Ford, called Lil Honker. It was orginally driven by Jim Black at the Salton Sea. Remember that one? Can we say "chine walk"!!
John