Snowy Mountain Brewery Given Parity Restrictions
 

Sure to be a much-talked-about move in the SBI Superboat Vee-class ranks and fan base as this season moves forward, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...y-restrictions

With the bottom design of the OL 29' Superboat Vee, it just said Winner and that's what you get when you do your homework and OL did.

arty is just starting. This class is gonna grow at Cocoa Beach.

And you don't think that team will find a way to fudge that?? They are pretty creative. :) In rough water the 500lbs is gonna help. They should make them race with no trim tabs...:)

Sad the other guys can't up their game. Most spectators probably aren't aware of this stuff. Hell they don't even know the different classes. I didn't at lake race.

I see the name change took effect. :cartman:

That boat runs great!He was a good sport about it also!Will place well in races even with the restriction!Good luck!

The sad part is that they are being penalized for being fast and consistent and maintaining their equipment . What they've built is a class specific boat that does what is was built to do . I've seen the boat run in person and i've seen video and the boat always looked too light anyway . I'll bet a couple hundred pounds placed in the right location is going to make it ride and handle better anyway ,
What happens when another V light comes on seen and takes over ? Will they be restricted like this or will the restrictions be lifted off of the SMB boat ? Unfortunately it would take manufactures to step up and build V light boat with intentions of running with the 29SVL and boat owners having the money to have these boats built and the current economy neither can do it .

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Wondering now what the new 32 foot cat will achieve?

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ard-power.html

I don't think you can make the weak stronger by making the strong weaker...

Think Back, Wayyy Back (to 1995) When Buzzi showed up with a 30' RIB that went 108mph when the "A" class record was only 90 mph. He raced "A" Class and won Every time, Then The Bat Boat Showed up and did the same. they out classed the field so bad they got their own Class. Which was okay with all the guys that had standard open cockpit 24' Boats. Who wants to race against something you cant compete with. The old Phantoms & Extremes weigh what they weigh, Cant make them lighter now. if they knew they where gonna compete against a "Shell" they would have planned better :)

I can see your point that nobody wants to lose "every time" but when they put the first top fuel engine behind the driver and not in front or the first variable lockup clutches or take advantage of rule in offshore that allowed diesels to run twice the cubic inches - do we stop technology from evolving?

I think these guys are very noble for how they are accepting this but when they still beat everyone then what, then do they make another new 1 boat class, do the other boats stop showing up because they don't want to lose so you have a 1 boat class by default?

I don't have an answer but it's like "I can't define porn but know it when I see it",

"do we stop technology from evolving"

Offshore racing is a different beast. People's budgets for racing do not grow as fast as the evolution of technology. There are not new boats being designed, built and most importantly PURCHASED, to keep up with the newest richest guy that wants to OUTSPEND everyone. There will always be a better mousetrap but there is not enough new people and / or teams coming into the sport for the evolution to work. Our (Stock Outboard Class) is in a similar position. Each new guy wants to build a wider and wider tunnel boat (HULK/GB) so the older boats are not as competitive...... There is not enough prize money in offshore racing to dictate building a new boat every two years to be competitive.

I don't know how Doc thinks or whats in his head, but for me... I another form of racing I was competitive and could and often won on any given Sunday. Then I tool the rule book, read it frontwards backwards and sideways, put it under my pillow and slept on it, then built a vehicle stretching to the limit every rule. It was light years ahead of any other vehicle in my class. It not just won its first race, it basically humiliated my competition. It was fun winning winning big every time for a few races, then it got boring. The competition was gone, the challenge was gone. It was like I wasn't racing racing anybody, just going for a fast blast. So I moved up a few classes. Became the underdog, had to drive my ass off to be competitive and had a blast. Still won some races, but these victories I earned on the race course, not in the shop with a mill and a calculator. More importantly, I started having fun doing it again. Trophies can be bought cheap on ebay, the thrill of real competition cant.

They may have to let everyone else run Superchargers or turbo's so they can keep up.. I agree that in the right (most) water conditions the added weight is gonna be an even bigger advantage. For smooth water they'll put it at the back, For rough water they will move it forward on the Keel and it'll make a great Boat even better. They are advancing the technology and don't even know it :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvG_M_fAkXU

I guess here's the problem I'm older and when Offshore lured me in it was about technology advancing, who can make the best even better.

What your saying is the rules need to be rewritten to a much stricter standard like in NASCAR or something like that so everyone is even regardless of how much money they can afford to spend?

I think (yeah I know its dangerous when I do that) thats why there are classes. If you want to build a boat that explores and exploits the latest and not yet existing technology with liberal amounts of unobtainium and unbreakium with more steps than the escalator at Macy's, Then there is an unlimited class?? Isn;t the class being talked about a limited class designed to give everyone a fair and equal chance? If there are rules unrelated to safety, one would think they would be there for parity...

Kinda like Jeff Gordons T-Rex car he raced in the Winston race. It was Far ahead of it's time, It was legal, NASCAR Did let them race it and then said "Don't Bring it Back".. there will always be those who can out spend every one else to buy the latest/greatest, then they'll be shunned until everyone can keep up or the next Latest/greatest is unveiled ...

I don't think the 500lbs will amount to squat in that boat and it will still win BUT when it does then what's next?

If I invent a propeller that runs at 100%, no slip at all and if you want I'll charge you $100,000 for it,but you can't afford that then the team that can pay now wins all the time and the others loose? So that propeller should not be released in your example?

Where do you draw a line as to when someone because of skills in building, designing, maintaining and maybe driving the boat wins all the time?

I recall a person on this board who you all admire Fred K and many moons ago he designed and built an outdrive that held up to more Hp, took bigger props and went through the water with great ease and that drive was very expensive, more than only a few teams could afford and he let only a few people have it. So, when they started to win races in "classes" what happened?

Wow what I wrote sounded like Hyman Roth talking about Moe Green - LOL

Just to clarify, per the article, the weight difference is 250 pounds—5,000-pound post-race minimum for Snowy Mountain, 4,750-pound post race minimum for all other boats in the class.

There isn't a form of class racing out there that does not adjust the rules to keep parity. It's essential to the overall progression of the sport and the class. They had four years of dominance and that's plenty long before the organizers reel it in. Any longer and you will watch the class die as people begin to drop out.

You Draw the Line right under their Name....Winner :) It'll always be a Tricky/Sticky situation when someone shows up with the Newest, Bestest, "Lightest" Fastest boat and dominates the circuit. there is no right or wrong, It IS the evolution happening right now...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj_dkAsuKCs She is just a great running boat.

Just curious since there have been rumors in the past about the engine not being legal, is sbi doing any inspections to see if the engine is legal?

Please don't clarify...this is OSO height, weight, length..will always be doubled..lol

As long as the boat meets the rule requirements they should not be penalized becasue they built a good machine.

So this weight penalty.... does the weight have to be permanently afixxed, or can they just find a fat chick and teach her to work the sticks???

They won all the races for the past 6 years you guys just weren't watching! LOL

I'm 255 - think I can join the team?:lolhit:

And phragle - I prefer the term round lol!:evilb:

what makes a purpose-built Outerlimits raceboat anymore of a "shell" than a purpose-built Phantom and Extreme. It's not as if those boats have cabins up front.

They should add a balast tank and fill it up at the end of the race.

I raced B class back in the day and had a blast. Few buddies pooling our paycheck and living the dream. Along comes the rich kids with new boats that are 10-15 miles an hour faster, and my racing days and many others were over. It s a tough call. Maybe if you were bracketed to only run so fast in the class it would make it more of a spectator sport. How far are racers going to drive if they know they dont have a chance?

Yep, thanks

In the end I'lll bet there's not one racer or team that does it for the money . I could be wrong but It just seams more like a sport for love then money . Just like my wife marring me , It sure as hell wasn't for the money !
What I was saying is if the economy was strong and boat builders were still selling boats as fast as they could build them that the manufactures could put time and money into the chase and try and build boats that run with the 29SVL and offer sponsorship money (discounted Pricing) to potential racers . But the way it stands now builders are just trying to survive .

As a racer in this class for years there is a bigger problem you cant measure. Its called talent. How can you measure the advantage of a boat with all different talent levels in them. As an example there are 2 Fountain SVL's out there that are middle to back of the pack every race. The thing is one of those Fountains was owned by the Doc and it destroyed the class for several years. Know the million dollar question is why? If all is equal and tec say's there good then it has to be talent. If they imposed parity on the Fountain back then ,where would it be running today? My opinion is tighten the rules!! Any new boat with multiple steps should start off with some sort of disadvantage and then be brought up to speed if the disadvantage is not competitive. BUT you still are faced with the talent of the team as a HUGH factor. Will the parity be on just this team with a OL or every new boat sold to the class???? I personally think it SUCKS that any team that is following the stated rules be penalized for being to good. Change the rule book to reflect steps,lenght and weight at the beginning of the year.

Yes, and Brian Forehand is one of the most talented V bottom drivers in the world. His record in wins is unmatched.

I agree with you 150% some people have more balls then brains and push a boat faster than others - I mean that in a good way!

You want offshore to be APBA style circle racing where a JS is 16', 283 cui, (or what it is today), allow only this exhaust, etc etc. I can go along with that BUT then you cripple what Fountain had built the Race on Saturday, Water Ski on Sunday which is the model for Cigarette, OL, Skater etc.

With rules like that then every racer needs to build a purpose built boat like a JS, SK or such OR there is one specific desgined of boat you are allowed to buy for each class and that is it. If you open the door to so many rules they won't be enforced as offshore boat racing has no money, time, people to do so. The "rich man's hobby" will go further backwards.

On a race course today with multi-classes running no one outside of this little slice of boating can tell who is in first anyway so I believe the "person running away from the pack causing people to become disinterested in offshore powerboat" I do not believe that plays into anything, people like big things making lots of noise going fast.

I have no skin in this either way but it reminds me of the diesels, the rules were written and Fabio used them to his advantage and all was OK until he won every race one year then rules needed to be changed. When the diesels got back into the groove with multi-speed transmissions and started winning again - oops change the rules again single speed only.

I know what goes on, I was one of the earliest racers to OPT, I brought our two SH boats there from day one. Personalities in offshore are bigger than the boats they race that is why we can't simply have Open, Modified, Pro Stock and Stock anymore.

How ever you look at this sanction, it is a penalty for being successful and prepared.

I was honored to be selected to join this team in 2012, when they ran two boats in Key West. They put demands on me, that was more than I ever experienced, with a 10 page confidentiality agreement, scuba instruction and performance expectations. These guys were all about one thing, being prepared and winning. Our motto for Key West in 2012 was "Those that fail to prepare, prepare to fail" and they drove this home every day. I learned a lot and this was not a hobby to anyone, it was a professional activity.

I know that most of the people on this forum, make speculations, accusations and initiate rumors against Doc, Brian and the rest of the team, but you have no idea of what they go through to prepare for each and every event. I will admit that when Doc selected me, I was a not well recieved as an outsider, and was on thin ice to build trust with all other team members, but they open up there game plan and ideas to very few people.

The decision to slow down the team that dominated the class, is a major set back in SBI. Parity belongs in hobby and all star wrestling shows, not in "professional sports". I do not think they are going to tie shoes together for Peyton Manning this year, because he dominated the league.

If you think Doc is intense on the race course, retain him to take you into the Wyoming wilderness on a snowmobile in the avalanche terrain! He will be prepared to save your life and his own. I have been there first hand, and they will amaze you!!

I am deeply afraid, this decision will run a team off that does not believe that parity is not in the mission statement of SBI.

If there is a silver lining it is that OL HAS A BIG FEATHER IN ITS CAP NOW. If you want to brag about something can you imagine the press you will get that your boat is soooooo good that we have to be penalized it for being to good as compared to every other boat manufacture. I say nice work OL on a outstanding product !!!! IMO I don't think 250 lbs will change the end result only adding to the drama.