Great Moments in Cat History
12-23-2011 | 10:11 AM
#691
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 687
Likes: 6
From: Land O Lakes Fl
The only thing I remember about the Baja Cat was that there was one (a big one) at the IMTEC show in Chicago (the Dealer show) back in '86 or '87. The water was brutal and we were testing a large SleekCraft at the same time they were testing the Baja. The hull cracked on the Baja all the way down the tunnel from front to back and when they put it back on the trailer, the sponson was resting on the fender of the trailer. A couple of months later the baot was at the Chicago boat show and the repair looked like it was just spakeled back together. Never saw another one after that.
12-25-2011 | 05:28 PM
#696
Thread Starter
Allergic to Nonsense
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,007
Likes: 21
From: Granite Quarry, NC
Billy and I go back to 1965 when we both knew a guy named Howie Stein, a pretty good racer in his own right, and both he and Billy hung out at Bob Davis' Northwood Boat and Motor on Hopatcong. The parties at that place are still the stuff that legends are made of....
If you get a chance have Billy tell you about a strange hull called "the Beast" as I recall...... a converted inboard hydro with a pair of merc outboards on it...
Those were definitely the days.
Merry Christmas
T2x
12-27-2011 | 11:34 AM
#697
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 715
Likes: 4
From: Minneapolis
Ahhhh Billy Martin...one of my all time favorite people...... Did you know that he had a Switzer Wing back in the mid 60's? Any way his original Hustler was, as I recall, a cut down Luhrs hull from NJ...... George and I won the Budweiser Cup on Lake Hopatcong in 1968 in my Evinrude powered 18 foot Eltro and after that race I see this huge (for that era) offshore hull in the spectator area..... Later on we saw Billy step out of it at one of the bars along the lake....I recall that being either "Hustler" or "Hustler 2".....
Billy and I go back to 1965 when we both knew a guy named Howie Stein, a pretty good racer in his own right, and both he and Billy hung out at Bob Davis' Northwood Boat and Motor on Hopatcong. The parties at that place are still the stuff that legends are made of....
If you get a chance have Billy tell you about a strange hull called "the Beast" as I recall...... a converted inboard hydro with a pair of merc outboards on it...
Those were definitely the days.
Merry Christmas
T2x
Billy and I go back to 1965 when we both knew a guy named Howie Stein, a pretty good racer in his own right, and both he and Billy hung out at Bob Davis' Northwood Boat and Motor on Hopatcong. The parties at that place are still the stuff that legends are made of....
If you get a chance have Billy tell you about a strange hull called "the Beast" as I recall...... a converted inboard hydro with a pair of merc outboards on it...
Those were definitely the days.
Merry Christmas
T2x
Thanks,
Jeff
12-27-2011 | 09:08 PM
#698
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Let's talk Twister's! In-Line Six(99.8 cu.in.)125 H.P."BP"(Model 1250 BridgePort) with either a Speedmaster or "BP" lower-unit(REALLY COOL GEARCASE that had drop-in gearsets), spinning 12" diameter, 32" pitch 2-blade or 3-blade stainless "BP" counter rotating props...Now that's a GREAT sounding stereo @ wide open throttle! Have owned all of them in my youth.Including the Twister l(T1), Twister 2(T2), Twister llX(T2X for experimental) & Twister lll(T3) motor's. The T2X was an in-line six atop a new exhaust mid-section, simular to what was introduced the following year on the first V-6 Hi-Performance motor...the T3. The T3 was a stock 175 Merc powerhead with a flex flywheel, plastic reed's, & mild porting, producing about 185 H.P. That midsection is also simular to what is still used today on all the Hi-Performance V-6 motors. The "BP" motor's I owned, had both dry stacks & chrome "wet"(water-injected) stacks. EXTREMELY loud! Merc even built a T4 motor, which was the 3.4 Litre E.F.I, in 1982, which produced 340 H.P. Very few were produced. I rigged the first three "Offshore" versions ever produced, on the back of a 36'Carrera Offshore race boat named "Inferno", owned by Stan Pike. I also rigged the first three 2.4 Litre E.F.I. Offshores ever produced by Mercury in 1982 & many more that same year. Three out of every four motor's blew up within the first 1/2 hour of running, that first year. Anyway...I could go on and on... 
12-28-2011 | 04:12 PM
#699
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Great thread. Never saw it until this year and have been trying to read the whole thing but never quite get there. I have read posts 1 - 100 about 10 times though while trying to get through it.
The prop rotation information was particularly enlightening. I never considered the torque factor and feel lucky I have never had an incident due to my rotation (in). I plan on reversing my rotation this off season.
There is another variable I would like to get T2X's take on regarding prop rotation. Assume a 36 Skater with #6's.
I would think that the Port side prop blades when turning out would be entering the water above the horizontal centerline due to the fact that the hull angle would deflect the water such that it is higher on the left side of the prop and lower on the right side of the prop. It seems this would be true at least at slow and medium speeds when there is still a reasonable amount of the hull - at the transom - in the water. Over 120, I'm guessing it doesn't make much difference as there isn't much hull in the water even at the transom at high speed.
If the prop enters the water above the centerline when turning out, you would think this would result in additional transom lift. Conversely, when turning in, the prop would (theoretically) enter the water below the centerline, resulting in less transom lift. Perhaps this would require less energy and result in a few extra mph, as I have experienced when I changed from an "outie to an inee".
I have no idea if this is accurate. This is a question, not a statement of fact. I would like to get T2X's take on this as he seems most qualified to confirm or debunk the idea.
The prop rotation information was particularly enlightening. I never considered the torque factor and feel lucky I have never had an incident due to my rotation (in). I plan on reversing my rotation this off season.
There is another variable I would like to get T2X's take on regarding prop rotation. Assume a 36 Skater with #6's.
I would think that the Port side prop blades when turning out would be entering the water above the horizontal centerline due to the fact that the hull angle would deflect the water such that it is higher on the left side of the prop and lower on the right side of the prop. It seems this would be true at least at slow and medium speeds when there is still a reasonable amount of the hull - at the transom - in the water. Over 120, I'm guessing it doesn't make much difference as there isn't much hull in the water even at the transom at high speed.
If the prop enters the water above the centerline when turning out, you would think this would result in additional transom lift. Conversely, when turning in, the prop would (theoretically) enter the water below the centerline, resulting in less transom lift. Perhaps this would require less energy and result in a few extra mph, as I have experienced when I changed from an "outie to an inee".
I have no idea if this is accurate. This is a question, not a statement of fact. I would like to get T2X's take on this as he seems most qualified to confirm or debunk the idea.
Last edited by fastcats; 12-28-2011 at 04:17 PM.
