bat boats... whats up?
 

i have heard some pretty wild claims about these things on the board. usually posted by their more rabid fans, while thats ok, everybodys got an opinion. however, some claims seem to me to be beyond belief, running a 24 foot boat in 10 foot waves comes to mind. how many of you have actually been in legit 10 foot waves? i have and believe me i could not even get the props to hook up or keep it in the water long enough to get it on plane and my boats 28 foot and 7000 lbs.i'm not looking for batboat owners opinions here as much as non-owners (more objective:D )

i don't know about 10 footers, but the one i drove in corpus would thump my F1 29' fountain in rough water.

Saber 28,

I have an objective view for you considering you and I have the same pleasure boats.

I took and ride in a 24 bat boat on the LEOPA poker run, as anyone will tell you this was a ROUGH day. About 4 -6 foot Lake Erie waves (close chop), and for those of you questioning the size the NOAA bouy at vermillion was reading 5.2 wave heights.

I ran my 28 all day and it was less than enjoyable. We took the bat boat out and I was surprised how well the boat handled. Not saying it rode well because it didn't. I am saying it stayed hooked up flew level and kept going. I have the same problem you have in that in really rough water the boat won't stay hooked up and is tough to keep on plane without really beating the crap out of you.

It is strange being in that boat because when you land hard it sounds like you're inside of a garbage can because it is so hollow. (probably a typical race boat occurence) Like I said it handled well, we punched through about 4 waves and never slowed down (we were running about 40-50 and punched it up a couple of times) The boat will go a lot longer and harder than my body could stand.

Dan

From what I understand the bat boats out run the F1 boats in big, nasty water during the sanctioned races. I have spent a decent ammount of time in these boats, but never in big enough water to add first hand testimony. However, I know a bunch of guys who have, they have nothing but praise for the way the boat will run in bigger water. I'll tell you one thing, people about wreck on the highway looking at these things when you trailer them. It's borderline lunacy. I may just buy a mold and cruise around the Nations interstates with a video cam and try to hit the World's Funniest Video $10K jackpot......:D

saber,
you are from michigan, give reindl a call he is in cinninati, im sure he would be happy to give you demo, or catch him next season during the great lakes silver cup series. the one thing to keep in mind it is only a 24 ft boat actually 22 with a 4 ft beam, it can handle big water, the real question is can the occupants. the boat flies very level but at wot you arent sipping martini's. it will out perform any boat in is size and motor classification, 70Plus with a 315 hp volvo. is not shabby. check them out they will make you a believer.

I drove the LEOPA poker run with glassdave on the sticks for I think it was 90 miles in 4-6' waves.. anything you think this boat will not do ... IT WILL!!! these things are freakin nuts in big water the way they stay level, once we relized that the boat could handle it we were wide open the whole time. out of 80 some boats on the longest/roughest leg of the run we were the 3rd boat in.. (hope chris doesn't read this:D ) but it was a blast.. 3 kidney transplants later glassdave and I are fine:rolleyes:

From time-to-time, everything gets over-hyped...
 

I don't think that a lot of people realize that wave height is measured from the center of the wave form to the highest point, not from the bottom of the trough to the top of the crest. By the formal definition, a 10' wave would be 20' from top to bottom.

That being said, I've owned a 28' Batboat since 1997, and I've always surrendered before the boat did. This was my first performance boat, so it was difficult for me to compare, although now I feel that there are certain times and conditions where I think the Batboat is actually more comfortable than my 38' Formula. The ride can be hard, particularly if you land on the front of the hull. The entry angle of the hull is quite flat, because there is very little deck volume to prevent stuffing, although these boats tend to "pierce" waves instead.

As far as staying level, here's the best explanation I can give:

I started the thread about what 24/25' boat would you buy. Lot's of great input. There were some claims about running in 10' sea's in a 24' Bat Boat ( which I guess is 22' long) If they were true 10' Sea's my hat's off to you, but people do tend to exaggerate.

The consensus seems to be that these boat handle rough water very well.

C_Spray thank for the picture, that's awesome, any other manufacturers testing with a wind tunnel.:D

Kirk

I ran in one in testing at the Cape. It was choppy snotty crap (the day before the race not the day of). The boats are nothing short of amazing in the way they handle. We were catching some boats that were Much larger then us out there. The way it turns takes some getting used to and the wing can catch and make it do some funky things. Get used to that and they freeking haul. It does sound very odd inside and some of the landings SOUND much worse then they are. The only complaint that I had was the poor visibility out of the canopy, and even with the padding out of the seat bottom my head hits the side of the canopy (I am 6ft tall). This is more of a canopy thing then a design of the boat however. Most canapy boats limit your vision due to the obvious. Can the boat run in 10 footers fast? Well that depends on who's ten footers we are talking about. NOAS inacurate bouy report 10 footers ya it will do that. My 10 footers NO CHANCE, but neither will my 30 footer, or a 42 Tiger for that matter. The boats WAY out perform what you would expect. When I get all settled down and money is not so tight one of them is on the wish list :D:D

Jon

Spectator's view
 

I've never run one, but I've watched them at several races. They seemed to handle the rough stuff in Corpus last year very well. I even remember seeing one submarine, pop up and keep racing like nothing ever happened.

For what it's worth...
 

Over the last few years, I've had the good fortune to race in P-4, Factory 1, Super V light single, and Super V. I've also been lucky enough to "test" quite a number of other boats.
Last year in Key West, I had the pleasure of testing one of the Reindl "Bat Boats" in between races. I drove, while the crew member that races with Dr. Santiago throttled, (I'm embarrassed that I don't remember the gentlemans name).
I'm sure the teams that also raced that weekend can help me out here, but it seems like there were true 5's & 6's out past turn 2.
My opinion? They may not be my idea of a pretty boat, but those things are a BLAST to drive !!! The Bat boats are damned fast yet very forgiving. They handle big water better than some of the larger boats, and run loose and fast on smooth water. I'm not sure if the 24' Bat boat would out-run the top Factory 1 boats out there, but given equally talented teams, it would be one tight race. Remember, the Batboats run small blocks as opposed to the Factory 1's HP500/502 big block.
C-Spray has a true Mannerfelt 28' Batboat that, given the same HP, I would put up against most of the 28's on the water today.
If anyone is looking at getting their feet wet, (so to speak) in offshore racing, this is without a doubt the way to go. They are fast, safe, and a screaming riot to race in. The price may seem somewhat steep to a new team, but add up all the expenses of racing your own boat, or better yet, ask some of the other existing race team owners what they spend at each race. It will be an eye opener.

Have to agree with Gordo. . .
 

You won't see a One Design pass BJM and his Activator in rough conditions, but its not uncommon for us to pass some of the slower F-1 's in 4 - 6 footers.

Take a look at the average lap times of the winning F-1 boat and One Design boat in both Clevland (smooth water) and Savannah (a little rough).

Cleveland:

Winning F-1 avg. lap speed: 76.30 mph
Winning OD avg. lap speed: 64.12 mph

Savannah:

Winning F-1 avg. lap speed: 62.78 mph
Winning OD avg. lap speed: 60.18 mph

The rougher the conditions (within reason), the closer the lap times of the two classes. Super Vee Light Single is only a mph or so ahead of the F-1 speeds in both races (77.59 in Cleveland, and 63.24 in Savannah).

Keep in mind that the One Design is powered by a stock 315 hp Volvo, compared to the 500 hp in the F-1's.

Come to Bahamas or Key West and find out yourself. . . probably the only race boat/class that offers demo rides to the interested public!

And how much could you see in a turn? I drove one in Sarasota last year with John on the sticks. Boat flies flat, runs straight, I was amazed how well it handled. Sarasota had one of it's rough years in 01. I'm 6'4" and in the turns I was "blind as a bat". That was my only complaint with the boat.

The sounds within the canopy, it is like that in most canopy boats. I was at speed in the 36 Skater once without my helmet on, I couldn't believe the sounds that I was hearing. You can really hear the water on the hull. I was also amazed on how much the helmet and intercom cut down on the noise.

Sounds like the boats could use windows in the roof, like airliners....:D

Yes if you are tall DO NOT drive, throttle. You will be TOTALLY blind in the turns. Once you get the feel for were you are going I would say you are ok but when we were running in the Cape we had to round the marks slow so that we could see. :D:D Strait away there are no issues, checking of boats that are passing was tough but we lost one of our side view mirrors in a turn when a wave came over the side :eek: :eek:

Running next to Chuck is like......

"trying to pass on the median when he's riding the fast lane"

Ive seen Chucks boat run in several poker runds. Never in 30' surf but in 1-2+ foot Barnaget Bay slop. Let me just say that when we were getting bounced pretty good, Chuck was gliding across the top. It is impressive to see.

If I were to have a second boat it would definatly be a Bat Boat but for everyday use I feel they are a little cumbersum around the docks.

saber28 . . you gotta call chris . . you will be nothing short of amazed. these things are a blast to drive and throttle ( i actually prefer to throttle. :cool: ) and the visibility thing is actually not to bad. driver and throttle man hafta work togather on that one. when packinair and i did the LEOPA poker run i had the sticks and spoted the the left side of the boat . . .if there was anything on my side . . . scott knew about it. and you dont really hafta worry about someone screeming up alongside and passing you in the blind spot because it dosent happen that often :D :p when you run hard this is definetly a two person boat and you hafta trust who you are with.
you hafta be in sync . . we ran hard on that day and put the smack down on many MUCH bigger boats including a nor-tech 50 ( well it did have deisels :rolleyes: ) but boy were we sore the next day . . . .this thing will take much more than i can . . . do yourself a favor . . . call chris 513-706-3199 . . . find out first hand . . . :cool: :cool:

like everyone has said , you wont believe it till you try it. if you recieve powerboat mag , they did a test trial, in true 8ft seas,
i have been in them, in some big stuff "Cape Cod" to say one and last year at the worlds before the storm. At the Cape on race day, it was to say big water is a understatement, there were times when i thought the boat had broke in two, to my surprise and amazment we did not. and when stuffing you cant see sh%t but the boat pulls throughit. its a little hairy the first time it happens, but you get used to it.

Yep. But once you get into the 6-footers, you tend to slop the martinis around a little bit. Lost an olive once.

The trick around the docks is to use a Volvo DPX drive for good bite and easy shifting, then slip aTaylor Transom Fender over the wing(s), and a good-size ball fender off of the side about 8 feet back from the nose. With this setup, you can dock by Braille....:)

I was fortunate enough to race a 24 Reindl this past summer in Cape Cod. The boat was way beyond what I expected. I have had experience with many offshore boats, but the Reindl is in a class of its own given its size in rough water. On race day, waves were 6-8 feet with the occasional 10 footer rolling through, which is rough in any 24 foot boat. The boat always launched straight and was very predictable. The new seats are extremely comfortable and supportive. So yes, I do support the wild claims about these terrific boats. Just my 2 cents..

Saber28,

There you have it, but I asure you only riding in one will change your mind. You asked for non owners, and by my count, 16 respondants were non owners and one was an owner.

I hope our boats speak for themselves as we will be giving demo rides in the Bahamas and Key West over the next few months. Anyone interested, give me a call on my cell, 513.706-3199.

The wind tunnel tests are now complete and we will be begining production on the new 28's as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Chris Reindl
www.reindlpowerboats.com

good luck to the guys at reindl , thanks for the replies from all of you. looks like the boat does run good.

can't you make them look normal :p...... just kidding

Due to property taxes, I am sure we will be selling a few after the season for great prices, with or without power.
Call for details.
513.706-3199

I stand corrected (busted by the wave police), but thanks for clearing that up Troutly. Like you said, though - most 6' waves get described as "10+ feet" anyway...

Great signature - couldn't agree more. (Must drive you nuts when you're trying to respond to a call.)

saber send me your e- mail ill send you a good shot of the bat in action, i would post but it keeps coming up file to large.

How high?:confused:

Flyin'....:cool:

:cool: I just don't get the wave thing:cool:

Sharkey - I've never seen "the real thing" in an attitude as bad as that. I think that the yellow boat is not a true Mannerfelt "Batboat". The proportions seem wrong, and the deck looks wrong. I think that it may be a "Backdraft" boat, built in the UK.....:confused:
Here's the 1.3 liter Mannerfelt (B-19):

c-spray i think you are right. it also only has 3 chines on the bottom. i never heard of a "backdraft" . are they some sort of batcopy or splash boat.
:confused:

Dave - If I remember correctly, Ocke licensed some of his technology to an English company by that name who tried to graft the wing concept on to their conventional hull. Seems that the results came out well below the sum of the parts (and proved the old adage "It's got to be a complete PACKAGE.")

Here is a better attitude...

Even better yet.......

cool sharkey . . .thats the boat me an packinair used for the poker run :cool: :cool:

Pic by Peteb, splashdown

I have watched the batboats at many races and poker runs, but never ridden in or driven one. They are amazing to watch in rough water. I hope they continue to do well. It is nice to see a program that offers a racing program to the "lay" person.

Another...

and...

Anybody notice?
 

In all the pictures of the Mannerfelt designs, you never see the boats far from level, do you? Although everyone makes a lot of the wings, there must be something to the hull design as well. Here's a shot of the 28' hull without wings, but with a RIB collar. Seems like the attitude isn't quite as good (more aero lift in the front from the collar?), but it's still not too bad...:

I think they also have the CG of the boat just right as well...It makes all the difference in the world when flyin'