Superboat Class Engine Spec Change Targets Reliability and Cost
 

Shaping up to be one of the stronger fields for Key West, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...-and-cost.html.

Nice Article!

As a race fan I am 100% behind whatever the Super Cat Class decides on to make their class more affordable for the Race Teams and to help bring in new Race Teams to make the Super Cat Class. The Super Cat Class sounds exactly how it sounds "Super". Thanks for posting the article Matt.

sounds like a great way to approach the class. Simple blueprint for an engine that we know can survive as well as keep speeds in a safer range while allowing the racing to be exiting. One twenty-ish is plenty fast, also seems to me this profile will help keep the class in the racers/crews hands equally rather then just whoever strokes the biggest check ( truly not trying to take a swing there or point any fingers). Just reminds me of the 'ol days . . . when ya had to make speed and make it survive and make it finish. Good luck Tony, and as a big fan of SuperCat thanks for the effort.

I guess I am missing something in that article- new rules:NO HORSEPOWER limit, no longer limited to 850 hp NORMALLY ASPIRATED, sure compression is now going to be 9.5-1 with a 7000 rpm limit BUT there has got to be more rules or limits not being posted??? from that short blurb I would come away with the understanding that I could run a 1800 hp blower motor with 9.5-1 and turn it 6950 rpm's???Just saying, Smitty
When the Super Boat International Key West World Championships kick off in November, all of the Superboat-class catamarans will have reconfigured engines under the hatch. Gone for the 2012 Worlds are the twin 850-hp naturally aspirated engines with up to 12:1 compression ratios and 7,800 rpm maximum operating speeds. They’ll be replaced with engines limited to 9.5:1 compression ratios, 7,000-rpm maximums and no horsepower restrictions

Superboat engine spec from the SBI rulebook: Maximum 510 CID, minimum 495 CID per engine, (1020 CID total) with a 4” stroke crankshaft.

Whatever horsepower you can make with that naturally aspirated engine configuration within the compression ratio and rpm specs is the horsepower you can make. Best guesses for reliable setups are between 700 hp and 800 hp. Point being, they're not limiting the class based on power output. They're limiting the configuration and the options, which in and of itself limits the power output. The goal, at least from I've been told, is creating engines that will live for a season in that class.

Does that make it clearer?

simple no blowers, trust me hp will be very close---noone has a magical engine combo that will be beyond the target hp....ive done the research for couple years

sounds like a great class, the issue with attracting new or in may case an 2005 boat is the cubic inch limit, I have a 11,000 boat so with limiting me to 510 cubic inches would make my boat a slug compared to the 9000lbs cat light boats. Too bad there wasn't a cubic inch to weight ratio, still staying with the 9.5 to 1 and the 7000rpm. Just my two cents, Chris

This is more or less the same approach that was taken with the original Supercat class years back. A way to merge Cat Lite and other Cats that are still out there not running. I applaud all that made this happen. I see it as an initiative to bring more boats that are currently sidelined back out there.

DPT

I see where the confusion came in for arcticfriends and it was my lack of clarity. I should have written the sentence, "They’ll be replaced with engines—still naturally aspirated—limited to 9.5:1 compression ratios, 7,000-rpm maximums and no horsepower restrictions"

No, but there is a cubic inch maximum, and with this set up you will be boxing the horse power in, not to a exact number but rather a range. The torque and HP will be close enough where the hull and the weight of the hull will be critical, thus rendering the heavier boats non competitive or a least at a disadvantage.