21 Hustler

We had the first 21' skater ever sold back in the mid eighties...it was douglas marine's trophy boat they put it together to their specs...it had a 300 hp evinrude v8 and the sucker went 96 mph...my uncle was flying down the lake saw on coming boats slowed down and realized that a collision was goin to happen unless someone made a move...freaked out, let off the gas and ripped the wheel to then find himself upside down...the boat was flipped...he stayed in the seat while it flipped and survived with no injuruies...the boat was sold immediatly

justin

mcollinstn

A cat is not a boat for a newbie.
Especially a 96 mph one.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

welcome to the board paul. you have almost the exact same boat as mine. i overhauled all the mechanicals and wiring last year also put a new interior in it. this winter its getting new paint. its a great boat with a good layout and handles rough water pretty good. i like mine alot but will be needing a bigger boat soon

by the way, what part of the counrty are you in?

paulr

Fort Myers, Florida, in a community on the south side of the caloosahatchee river.
Yeah. Nowhere near Ohio, but a lot warmer .
~Paul.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

definetly alot warmer right now. . .we got a pretty good snow storm head'n our way

checked out the pics on your site. looks just like mine especially the one of the cabin with stuff every where . always seem to end up like that no mater how hard i try an keep it organized

the wiring on these things leaves alittle bit to be desired. i had to do a fiar bit of chasing shorts when i first got mine. what size props are you running?

paulr

Sorry for not responding sooner, have been away from the PC for several days.
I've never even checked the props, A friend from a local boatyard came over and said he thought they were 33"s and I probabily would not need to change them (Edit: This was several, like 8, months ago, so I am not sure on the size. many more important things have happened since then). They are mirage three blades. However the ends are chipped and he said that having them re-lapped and milled could pick me up a few more MPH. but seeing as I am considering selling the boat, the next owner will probabily have to deal with these things.

I opened up the panels on the steering console. some of the wiring was ok, some was moderately corroded. There was a lot of sloppy and confusing wiring. There appeared to be a little bit of dryrot around the bottom, but nothing major, considering it's a 1987


Plan on taking the boat out tomorrow, and maybe trying a few more agressive moves in it. I'll tell you all what happens.

paulr

yeah. must have been thinking of some other number. finally looked at the props, and they're labeled
GD Quick Silver 48 13700 A41 19P
so 19 pitch.
Also must have hit something in the water, there's a decent ding in the starbord prop. I came home doing about 35 (3' seas) and didn't notice anything. I am trying to attach a pic but it might be too big.

RedDog382

As the Chief Physician for the Great Lakes Silver Cup Series and medical/rescue team physician for the Gold Cup Unlimited Hydroplane races in Detroit, I have seen and been involved in several racing accidents. I think doing "powerslides" in a ski boat is totally different than accidents involving offshore boats. I believe that racing accidents are very different than recreational boating accidents, too.

As stated earlier, racing accidents usually occur in turns. Cats will often "hook" a sponson tip and then barrel roll. On tight turns at higher speeds, the newer stepped v-hulls will slip out of the turn and then flip. This type of aggressive driving really should not be part of "recreational" boating

On straightaways, cats and v-hulls will both trip on a wave when landing and then stuff the bow. Cats can also catch too much air and "kite" causing them to blow over backwards. I have also seen several ejections when a boat hits a rouge wave at a quarting angle which causes a violent turn and sudden deceleration.

I agree with earlier suggestions to get more experience at moderate speeds before attempting higher speeds. There is a huge difference between 70 mph and 80 mph, 80 mph and 90 mph, etc. It is much smarter and safer to get experience at each of these levels before proceeding to the next.

Recreational boating accidents also commonly involve an element which is not an issue in racing ... alcohol.

I think the one single factor to consider is common sense. I always suggest when it comes to high-performance boating, check for a loose nut behind the steering wheel/throttles first!