Thad Allen's Apache + The Birth of the Cheetah Cat
05-08-2010 | 06:40 PM
#151
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
Some history This was from Steve Wilson
Many people have PM'd me asking about the designs I made for a few of Steve1’s Cheeta Cat projects, and thanks for the compliments. Since many have asked me about how the CheetahCat was started, and many members have asked about Steve1's skills and seem to really appreciate him sharing his knowledge, I thought I would give Steve1 a “lil” push and jump-start the story of his first Cat project, which will also showcase his skills and philosophies.
As some are familiar with how the Cheetah Cat went from concept to reality, many are not...so I will start from the beginning as I experienced it, and get Steve1 to start posting the good stuff. This is not only about how his design became a reality, but about how his technology developed, which was through a lot of testing, experimenting and some really simple basic common sense. He broke all the "typical" rules and proved many naysayers wrong on his first boat, which UNTESTED and never wet, went on to win the World Championships in Key West in rough water against some serious competitors...and the boat was unique in every aspect, much different than anything else out there; not a copy of anything, he drew the thing on the wall in his shop and it quickly turned into a boat.
AND light isn’t even saying enough, this boat was so light that it sat on empty (4) 5 gallon plastic buckets.
As most know, anyone with money can buy molds, layup a boat, get it rigged, put some cool paint on it, give it a name and go to market, only the Cheetah Cat was different, each boat is designed for each owners’ needs and built with a one-off process, and that construction method is what Steve1 will be discussing, because it is the most unbelievable method and he uses specific systems to allow the boats to be built within the same timeframe as a typical molded boat, but without any restrictions. The boats are designed and built by a formula based on speed, HP, Usage and etc. He just tells me to make it look cool and he’ll handle the rest.
Now, before Steve1 built his first Cheetah Cat, his expertise was utilized to help build the Powerplay reputation of the best fit and finish boats on the market, and this is where we first met – I was involved with sales and Steve1 was building the new sport deck for the 25, which BTW, had about a dozen different deck versions built before Danny could make up his mind. I personally do not care about Dan, but the guy put more attention to detail into his product than any other boat builder ever – and to me, that’s what made his product, BUT, at the same time, that was also his downfall. As he got busier, he wouldn't let a boat go out the door unless it met his expectations...which were usually way too strict for any type of basic production.
As I was very interested in design and function of high performance boats, Steve 1 taught me a lot as we would spend our lunches with drawings, concepts, examples and hours after hour of discussions that even allowed me to “experiment” and build my own stepped vee hull design in the mid 80’s…and using a lot of his input, the boat set the course on fire – if you know who Charlie Haimes, I believe this was his first real race experience as he was a major sponsor (Land N’ Sea) and my navigator.
But anyway, I’ll never forget one afternoon as we sat there one day during lunch talking, and a little Cessna 175 flew overhead – he said to me, “that little plane has ONLY about 100 HP and it will fly over 100 mph”. I cannot remember the exact statement, but he was making a point as to WHY do these boats require 1000+ HP to get that same performance – and once he built that first Cheetah cat, there was no more wondering…he took a 35 foot boat, the owner threw on 2 beat up Mariner outboards and this boat ran side by side with a 32 foot vee with 2 big azz engines, in Key West and took the World Championships. Any doubts, just watch the video.
Steve1 was also involved with the first glass Jaguar project, I think it was a 35 footer…not in the design, but in the lightweight laminate system, which I believe was the fastest cat to run Lake X in its day, AND more interestingly, it survived a 125 mph barrel roll…and was running that afternoon with no damage.
And then once Steve returned from a huge manufacturing project in the Middle East, he was involved with the task of bringing the"new" Apache Powerboat project to life by fixing/repairing the plug work on the first new 41 hull that a company up north butchered. And, of course, he was tooling the new retro style deck while building a special 41 foot one-off with a tri-vent bottom design never seen before – I believe most have read about this adventure...and what a ride it has been!
Many people have PM'd me asking about the designs I made for a few of Steve1’s Cheeta Cat projects, and thanks for the compliments. Since many have asked me about how the CheetahCat was started, and many members have asked about Steve1's skills and seem to really appreciate him sharing his knowledge, I thought I would give Steve1 a “lil” push and jump-start the story of his first Cat project, which will also showcase his skills and philosophies.
As some are familiar with how the Cheetah Cat went from concept to reality, many are not...so I will start from the beginning as I experienced it, and get Steve1 to start posting the good stuff. This is not only about how his design became a reality, but about how his technology developed, which was through a lot of testing, experimenting and some really simple basic common sense. He broke all the "typical" rules and proved many naysayers wrong on his first boat, which UNTESTED and never wet, went on to win the World Championships in Key West in rough water against some serious competitors...and the boat was unique in every aspect, much different than anything else out there; not a copy of anything, he drew the thing on the wall in his shop and it quickly turned into a boat.
AND light isn’t even saying enough, this boat was so light that it sat on empty (4) 5 gallon plastic buckets.
As most know, anyone with money can buy molds, layup a boat, get it rigged, put some cool paint on it, give it a name and go to market, only the Cheetah Cat was different, each boat is designed for each owners’ needs and built with a one-off process, and that construction method is what Steve1 will be discussing, because it is the most unbelievable method and he uses specific systems to allow the boats to be built within the same timeframe as a typical molded boat, but without any restrictions. The boats are designed and built by a formula based on speed, HP, Usage and etc. He just tells me to make it look cool and he’ll handle the rest.
Now, before Steve1 built his first Cheetah Cat, his expertise was utilized to help build the Powerplay reputation of the best fit and finish boats on the market, and this is where we first met – I was involved with sales and Steve1 was building the new sport deck for the 25, which BTW, had about a dozen different deck versions built before Danny could make up his mind. I personally do not care about Dan, but the guy put more attention to detail into his product than any other boat builder ever – and to me, that’s what made his product, BUT, at the same time, that was also his downfall. As he got busier, he wouldn't let a boat go out the door unless it met his expectations...which were usually way too strict for any type of basic production.
As I was very interested in design and function of high performance boats, Steve 1 taught me a lot as we would spend our lunches with drawings, concepts, examples and hours after hour of discussions that even allowed me to “experiment” and build my own stepped vee hull design in the mid 80’s…and using a lot of his input, the boat set the course on fire – if you know who Charlie Haimes, I believe this was his first real race experience as he was a major sponsor (Land N’ Sea) and my navigator.
But anyway, I’ll never forget one afternoon as we sat there one day during lunch talking, and a little Cessna 175 flew overhead – he said to me, “that little plane has ONLY about 100 HP and it will fly over 100 mph”. I cannot remember the exact statement, but he was making a point as to WHY do these boats require 1000+ HP to get that same performance – and once he built that first Cheetah cat, there was no more wondering…he took a 35 foot boat, the owner threw on 2 beat up Mariner outboards and this boat ran side by side with a 32 foot vee with 2 big azz engines, in Key West and took the World Championships. Any doubts, just watch the video.
Steve1 was also involved with the first glass Jaguar project, I think it was a 35 footer…not in the design, but in the lightweight laminate system, which I believe was the fastest cat to run Lake X in its day, AND more interestingly, it survived a 125 mph barrel roll…and was running that afternoon with no damage.
And then once Steve returned from a huge manufacturing project in the Middle East, he was involved with the task of bringing the"new" Apache Powerboat project to life by fixing/repairing the plug work on the first new 41 hull that a company up north butchered. And, of course, he was tooling the new retro style deck while building a special 41 foot one-off with a tri-vent bottom design never seen before – I believe most have read about this adventure...and what a ride it has been!
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:02 PM.
05-08-2010 | 06:41 PM
#152
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
Sometime after Jaguar I was working at Powerplay, Danny hired me for tooling, trouble shooting and working so the glass shop would give him what he wanted ,I Bumped into Mr Steve Wilson who was our Salesman, the funny thing here is the deck Steve 2 mentioned after all the setups it boiled down to the windscreen placement again a couple days of moving it around for Danny, one morning Steve2 came over moved it a couple inches when Dan came in one look and said that’s it !
Steve2 went up to Jersey working for some people that had the Shadow Molds he invited me to come up for a seminar and sales party thing as speaker on composites afterwards we got to talking to a guy who wanted a larger cat, Wilson sketched it on a bar napkin I gave a price flew home made the working drawings and started the first Cheetahcat. My life was never the same again.
Steve2 went up to Jersey working for some people that had the Shadow Molds he invited me to come up for a seminar and sales party thing as speaker on composites afterwards we got to talking to a guy who wanted a larger cat, Wilson sketched it on a bar napkin I gave a price flew home made the working drawings and started the first Cheetahcat. My life was never the same again.
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:02 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:19 AM
#153
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
More from Steve Wilson:
Steve, maybe expand a little more on how tight the parameters were on this project BEFORE you started, then how they got tighter as you built it and rules were adjusted...i think the customer put the most unreasonable demands on this project, and Steve kept saying he would do it no matter what...and then BAM, the boat exceeded all goals....i knew he was on to something when he moved the deck "almost" by himself, and i don't mean sliding it on the floor, it was carried across the shop!!!
me:
Yes as the horsepower came down I had to make some changes on the fly and the weight became even more critical and had to raid my own personal "storeroom" so to speak to fill in the holes as everything was on the line here.
That boat lived on scales while it was being built, the fairing putties were given 66 pounds in the budget that was it!! prime and Paint. The Deck I had projected at 200 pounds it came in at 188 pounds, you will see as we get into this further.
Steve, maybe expand a little more on how tight the parameters were on this project BEFORE you started, then how they got tighter as you built it and rules were adjusted...i think the customer put the most unreasonable demands on this project, and Steve kept saying he would do it no matter what...and then BAM, the boat exceeded all goals....i knew he was on to something when he moved the deck "almost" by himself, and i don't mean sliding it on the floor, it was carried across the shop!!!
me:
Yes as the horsepower came down I had to make some changes on the fly and the weight became even more critical and had to raid my own personal "storeroom" so to speak to fill in the holes as everything was on the line here.
That boat lived on scales while it was being built, the fairing putties were given 66 pounds in the budget that was it!! prime and Paint. The Deck I had projected at 200 pounds it came in at 188 pounds, you will see as we get into this further.
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:02 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:22 AM
#154
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
another post from Steve Wilson:
just a quick pick of a 25 Powerplay, this deck was beyond flawless and is what caught my attention as to how Steve1 could deliver the most awesome finish I had ever seen in the industry...the finish was better than a Rolls Royce or Ferrari...
just a quick pick of a 25 Powerplay, this deck was beyond flawless and is what caught my attention as to how Steve1 could deliver the most awesome finish I had ever seen in the industry...the finish was better than a Rolls Royce or Ferrari...
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:03 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:23 AM
#155
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
It is amazing to work with the loft and the scrive board and then thinking about how far the Old Guys took this in the days of wooden ships and the early Aircraft business. Powerful tool for a small shop.. I repaid the people who taught me by teaching others .
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:03 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:28 AM
#157
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
Here you can see long cleats they have that Batten bent around,Now to the right of my Loft here there are some lofting aids.
They are called pickup pointers and rocker sticks , Now in the case of say the Keel which can be picked up directly off the loft without having to develop its shape.
The rocker sticks allowed me to scoot a piece of plywood under the batten and quickly mark the Keel profile on it also recording the station lines at the same time.
Here you can see the Cheetahcat in there
They are called pickup pointers and rocker sticks , Now in the case of say the Keel which can be picked up directly off the loft without having to develop its shape.
The rocker sticks allowed me to scoot a piece of plywood under the batten and quickly mark the Keel profile on it also recording the station lines at the same time.
Here you can see the Cheetahcat in there
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-11-2010 at 08:04 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:30 AM
#158
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
Now the 38 PowerPlay was done with metal backed sanding tools,Then two weeks were spent finessing the inverted hull mold,which which was lit with daylight fluorescents placed so nothing could escape being seen no matter how impossibly small.
Every time I turned around there was Danny under there with me, He had a dam good eye.
Here is the 38 Mold
Every time I turned around there was Danny under there with me, He had a dam good eye.
Here is the 38 Mold
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-12-2010 at 09:30 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:31 AM
#159
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
What happened on the 38 there were a number of changes Danny made first we cut fabric patterns so the overlaps were very controlled and the laminate thickness and it repeated exactly from layup to layup,Then the resin curing system was moved around from a straight MEKP to a (CHP) Cumine Hydroperoxide blended system for better control of the heat (this is used by industry to control the exothermic heat created by very thick Parts)
What happens is the piece warms up during cure, plastics(thermosetting plastics) our basic resins like to expand across the county anyway, then cooling in a cured state a nasty gremlin occurs in between called thermo pulling which leaves these nasty marks and residual stresses .
Dan then bagged full plain sheets of Corecell in the sides and deck of the 38's.
What happens is the piece warms up during cure, plastics(thermosetting plastics) our basic resins like to expand across the county anyway, then cooling in a cured state a nasty gremlin occurs in between called thermo pulling which leaves these nasty marks and residual stresses .
Dan then bagged full plain sheets of Corecell in the sides and deck of the 38's.
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:19 PM.
05-09-2010 | 10:32 AM
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From: Beautiful Fort Lauderdale www.cheetahcat.com
His next step would have been Epoxy we had talked about it as we had passed the end of the ester resins ability to hold profile.
I was there the last day in Wendys office when he let the crew go.
I was there the last day in Wendys office when he let the crew go.
Last edited by Steve 1; 05-10-2010 at 09:19 PM.
