Very interesting since the Switzer wing was designed 7 years before this car and Fabio Buzzi began making "wing like" small offshore boats in Italy about 10 years later.

Dennis:

Maybe, but the fact is that most cockpits today aren't even up to the 1995 standards......... and I am still convinced that the technology required to make a 200 mph two man cockpit wreck survivable is at least as great as that which is needed to allow someone to walk a way from a plane crash.

Agreed T2X but they still need to be revised as do many current cockpits being used today. Unless someone mandates this it will never come to pass.

Is George Linder still about?

Yes.....He is now in the medical profession. He nurses Bloody Marys in Sarasota.

Is he still with M2 motoryachts? Or is/was that just consulting?

http://www.m2motoryachts.com/pages/about.html

I remember sending off a design idea to a US designer back in the late 70's - looked a lot like the Shadow cat that appeared later on, so that's why I was asking about George Linder. But cannot remember to whom I sent the idea.

Considering most of the big cat wipeouts usually involve the boat going airborn... It is basically a plane crash.

Please note the following:.

1. The Shadow Cat was my idea in the first place and I was present at all the design and construction steps.
2. The sponson forward entry, strake profiles and pads were derivatives of George Linder's original Challenger vee bottom.
3. George and I argued over the beam (he won) at 8 feet because it was "legally trailerable"...This compromised the styling greatly...the hull sides look like a dumpster.
4. The "multi dihedral' deadrise on the bottom came from my experience with Molinari/Seebold tunnel hull racing.
5. The deck was a mutual design exercise and was changed after the first wooden prototype deck was tested on the water in NJ and Oshkosh.

Bottom line and for the record, There was NO outside influence in that boat or any other of our hulls, other than Cougar who had previously shown that a market existed for Offshore multihulls.

Maybe you corresponded with Mike Peters who was designing the ill fated "Halter Cat" at that time or the guys who designed Jerry Jacoby's Ajac Hawk Cat, or maybe the Focht Baja Cats (they were even uglier)?


T2x

T2x can You share with The Thread some Pics of Image Shadow Wings being built or Unseen Images?
These Designs are well regarded as Innovative, and still collected by Fans of Muscle Boats seems many still in use and survivors.

The 36' Wing Plug that was built and ultimately Incinerated
What changes did you Make from the Original design? Was George the designer of the 36'?
Was this a race Only or would there of been a Consumer Version?
Thank You