I keep telling myself that... but then I go to the uncensored section and see what Strip Poker has posted and I'm in a whole new catagory of weird stuff....:eek:

Processed Bovine excrement.........:D

Hey "42" thanks for the omelet update.

Sand- what boat do you have? pics?

There's an old adage......that goes something like "I may not be able to cook a great hamburger...but I can sure taste a bad one."

I have looked at a number of West Coast boats over the past decades........ some more closely than others. What I've seen...and I can't think of exceptions.... perhaps there are some..... is a paint job supported by something that floats. Generally they are cut down or modified "pops' of other west coast hulls that weren't very good to begin with. The single supporting dynamic for all this junk is their proximity to, and relationships with, the major performance boating magazines which by default are also their primary advertizing venues.

From a performance standpoint most vee builders , East or West Coast based..are stuck in the rut of trying to "out step" each other...and therefore the West Coast is not as glaringly different on those products. It is the cats, however, where technological excellense and originality are imperatives, that suffer the most in the "dumb downed" atmosphere of West Coast manufacture. While anyone can wedge unlimited horsepower into a bathtub and go fast, that is not the technique favored by the better Cat builders (Skater, Platinum).... Yes the good cats can accept high HP...but they go like hell with modest power as well. On the handling side.....There is no comparison between the left and right coast cats.....nor is there any in rough water either..... The race course proved that long ago.

T2x.......... irresponsibly correct.

Mike:

I'm still trying to understand the question...... Are you asking what size do I think is "perfect"?...... or a preferred size for a certain type of water?

Simple answer....buy a Skater. Otherwise I'll be glad to address specifics.

T2x

Mike:

Fair enough.......I didn't take the question as a slam, rather it confused me. But I get it now.

My position is pretty constant that vee monohulls do not benefit from steps... in terms of mph at high speeds, in fact, I submit, they slow you down.. I will acknowledge that steps MAY provide an advantage in a more submerged (slower) environment. However, absent, some form of skid fin or aft adhesion technology, steps will almost always create greater tendencies to spin out than non step hulls. That does not mean that non step hulls will not spin out, but it will take greater dynamic forces to create the occurence........

So.... I would eliminate steps altogether.... and concentrate on delta pad designs with greater aerodynamic lift from the hull sides and deck. (see the Allison below)........ In terms of speed and handling....this design is dramatically superior to the existing Stepped thingamajigs popping out of factories like head lice...... Certainly it needs to be reworked for rough water...but not by as much as you might think. If you did a scale up on this to say 40 feet..... and put in a pair of Sterling 1300's......let's just say that Reggie and OL....would be sucking wind in its wake. Why?.. simply because a step cannot reduce forward surface friction........when there is none to begin with.

Bottom line......When you're faster......and safer.....that's a good thing.

T2x

No amount of steps.... could speed this up.

T2x

good bantor here..

.... it would be one ugly MoFo :D

Perhaps ...but it would be one fast Mo Fo.......... Of course if gold chains and Fountain jackets are your thing...........

T2x

I must have misunderstood your post.
I understood you to say "unstable". not less than well built, copies of other crappy boats, bathtubs with go fast motors, or anything else.
I will agree with you on most of those characteristics for MOST boats, regardless of hull design, V or cat, but "unstable" to me infers that, regardless of horsepower or conditions, the boat has come handling characteristics that cannot, under any circumstance, be overcome.

I won't speak of a West coast cat that achieves 10-11% slip.:rolleyes: :D That's pretty good efficiency in my book.;)

hmm
what about the crazy pad bottom boats that get squirly as hell due to cant stay on the pad keep falling off i/e chinewalk.?

sorry dont mean to stir chit but really am curious as a freind of mine had a non step late 90'sboat 32 ft that was insane crazy.. in the rough it would do ok in flat water nuts.. at slow speeds 60-70,
thoughts?

i really think it comes down to drive it with your head not yuor balls..........

Any performance boat must be designed and built well, set up and balanced correctly..... and driven skillfully.

One or more of these components is definitely missing in your example above.

T2x

lets see a 41 velocity with twin 1200's...That would be one wild ride in my book

If I'm going for top speed...... that'd be the ticket...... today......

But If I had to drive anything at that speed myself..... I'd build it with a fresh set of Linder's plans...not an existing design.... and a full canopy and safety cockpit.


No offense to Steve Stepp, Reggie, or OL....but monohulls don't belong at Cat speeds

T2x

The W/C cat that hooked at LOTO last year was unstable and over its head...... The two W/C cats that lurched around St. Pete in the 2001 Nationals with one finally barrel rolling....were , in fact, unstable..... Face it, these designs are sophomoric.

As far as efficiency, etc...... you can have great prop slip numbers behind a bathtub........;)

T2x

P.S. Even the smartest guys have to learn lessons the hard way........ Here's a great designer...who shall remain nameless....showing off the early West Coast hull... that he was duped into racing.

No Thanks....... Can you spell L-A-W-S-U-I-T?..... Do what most readers do...read between my lines.

T2x

This thread started out with someone trying to find photos of the Cigarette that flipped. Has anyone found any yet?