Skater30

RWO race results with lap times from Friday's Key West races show the huge difference in speed between outboard cats and inboard cats in rough water conditions. For simplicity of comparison, I averaged the lap times (2-7) of each class, Super Cat, Super Stock and Stock 450 (I didn't include Class 1, as they're much bigger, higher HP inboards). The true comparison is between Super Cat (winning boat a 38' Skater) and Stock 450 (winning boat a 39' MTI), which makes them relatively equal size boats. The average lap time per lap for Super Cat was 3:22, and for Stock 450 it was 3:54. That's over 30 seconds a lap difference between the two similar sized cats in the rough, which means that the winning inboard cat puts the outboard cat a lap down before the checkers fly in a 7 lap race. What I found really interesting was that the winning Super Stock boat (32' DW) averaged 3:58 lap times, which is just 4 seconds per lap slower than the winning Stock 450 boat. It's pretty amazing that a 7' shorter cat with 2/3 the HP would only finish 28 seconds behind in a 7 lap race, which also puts it as the runner-up in Stock 450! No doubt that in a smooth water race, the outboard cat classes would be much closer in lap times to the Super Cat boats, as their top speeds on flat water are only 10 mph or so slower. So if the discussion ever comes up about how the new big outboard cats compare to similar size inboard cats in the rough, it's a pretty simple answer - they don't.

CLA

The cost of ownership is something to also be considered, and the fact that skater was no where to be found in either group.

Go MTI and DW.

CLA

Real world poker run it was mostly outboard DW’s and MTI’s at Woman key today as far as the cats. But the huge majority where CC’s.

I did see some inboard cats. But it’s the minority. The OL full enclosed canopys looked great.

speicher lane

Skater 30,. Are you surmising the inherent setup and balance of the I/o cats equates to better performance in the rough?

Great compilation of comparative data...as I was reading your post, my mind jumped to the beating the o/b's take in the rough (mids/mounts and gearcases) Vs a #6 boat that can charge through - being KW, you have to finish at the top of the pack to claim the title so sparing the equipment has to come into play to a certain extent imho
...or was your comments geared to the design difference (narrow Sponson Modern o/b Vs I/o cat) in the rough?

Lots of variables at play...

Skater30

No doubt that saving the equipment played a factor in all classes, as you can see from the lap charts that the lap times increased in the final laps for almost every competitor in each class. My comments were meant to point out that just because the outboard cats have grown to the same size as the inboard cats doesn't mean that they will perform the same in the rough. I feel that regardless of the modern outboard cats going to wider tunnels with narrower/flatter sponsons and shallower tunnels, they still wouldn't come close to the inboard cats in the rough. I never expected the ride of my 30 Skater to change so drastically in the rough after I converted it to outboards. We made zero bottom changes, yet there was no comparison with how capable the boat was in the rough as an inboard vs outboard, and the lap times at Key West proved to me what I experienced firsthand. The lap times also confirm my experience running poker runs in my inboard 36 Skater vs the outboard cats of similar size - they just can't carry the speed of the inboard boats in real-world water conditions. My 700 powered 36 isn't much faster than the new 450 cats in smooth water with ideal conditions, yet on poker runs I'm rolling by all of them while running in the 120s through the slop and turns. There's no doubt that the outboard cats are a more maintenance free, fuel efficient way to go high-performance boating, but they still won't get you from point A to point B as fast (or as comfortable) as an inboard cat.

precisiondetails

Dale- those results from Friday have three 388s at the top!
and a 40 in 4th

precisiondetails

what are you even talking about? No skater in either group, what groups?

cost of ownership, poker run? Lol

skater 30 was talking about performance and speed, not what would be best to take 8 people on a drinking cruise to KW.

precisiondetails

I saw the video on your IG passing that 36 DW under Antioch bridge like he was standing still.

Skater30

You're right Chad, I forgot that Chris and Billy switched over to a 388 from their MTI. This post isn't about what manufacturer is best/fastest, just the difference in speed and capability between the immensely popular new outboard large cats and the legacy inboard cats. The lap times from KW show the huge disparity between the two.

offshorexcursion

iTrader: (5)

Fun data and discussion! Thanks!

It seems that inboard cats kept getting more extreme, custom, faster, crazier, to the point that it's not "cool" to own one unless it's the fastest and best. If you build let's say a 700#6 cat its sorta boring. So might as well just own something less expensive, less maintenance, like an outboard. But that turned into now it's "ok" or "cool" to own the identical twin outboard cat as everyone else with only minor differences in colors!!??? But not cool to own a more reliable build in an inboard? Too funny!

They all break and require maintenance, especially when going larger and faster. When the outboard cats used to be priced reasonably, they made sense. Today they don't as much. Still badass boats, I would personally love to own one as my 3rd boat (2nd performance boat). But I'll never give up my inboard custom one off work of art, the look, sound, feel, ride, and handling.

Would be nice to see some custom inboard builds again. Custom power, unique top decks, bussles, measurements. There are plenty of ways to build a new inboard boat pretty reliable especially for the kind of money the twin outboards cost now.