Chris,

First, there are only 3 motor options in the SBI rule book, the stock sealed 525 is not in the rulebook, but it is a legal motor as it does come in under the 9 to 1 and under the 510 cu... The options are there for now as the class is designed for growth. Within the next 2-3 years I am pretty sure the 525(homebuilt as you put it) and the vortec(only 1 team left with that motor) will be taken out and the 510 spec set up will be the only motor option left. The 525 is discontinued and we have all known that this was going to happen for over 3 years now and SBI is thinking to the future and I reiterate, growing the class.

The bottom line in our class(on both sides of the fence) is that you have boats that were made specific for A class and boats that were made specific to SVL... Here's the list of the SVLs and what they were built for:

Typhoon: A Class (OPA)
Pirate: A Class(OPA)
Octane: A Class(OPA)
Tug It: A Class(OPA)
WeHaulBoats.com: A Class(OPA, Sarasota Invitational)
Steady Pumpin: A Class(OPA)
LSB: SVL (OPA, SBI, Sarasota Invitational)
Boatfloater: SVL(SBI, OPA, Sarasota Invitational)
Punisher: SVL (OPA)
Red Hot: SVL (SBI)
Absolutely Not: SVL (SBI)
Snowy Mountain: SVL (SBI, LOTO Run What Ya Brung))
Bandit Hull #1 SVL (Sarasota Invitational, says SBI)
Bandit Hull #2 SVL (under construction, says SBI)
Sunprint: SVL (SBI)
Activator 30 Hull #1: SVL (says SBI)
Activator 30 Hull #2: SVL (under construction,says SBI)
TnT Racing: SVL (under construction, says SBI)
Laveycraft: SVL (for sale)
No Vacancy: A Class (SBI Bracket, Sarasota Invitational)
Phantom 9: SVL (SBI, Sarasota Invitational)
Mr Technology: SVL (OPA Bracket, Sarasota Invitational, says SBI)
Turn Key Marine: A Class (Free Agent)
R&S Offshore Bad Boy 32': SVL(honestly dont have a clue of status or intention, grandfathered into OPA rulebook)

Does anyone see the formation of a trend? OPA has a great class if everyone shows up as well as SBI... It is what it is and the OPA racers are happy as well as the SBI racers.. Yes geography has a lot to do with it... There is no fix to get all the boats together especially when you add the opinions and egos to the mix... I am certainly not saying the old A class boats are bad, but just as the moto of boat racing is "all it takes is time and money", Larry of Wild Card fame put the time and money into that boat(now Tug It) and that boat is consistently up front... I apologize if I missed any of the boats, but that sure is a nice list and a nice dream to see all of them on the same starting line, but it will never happen and there is no need to continue the silly season arguments about things that will never change

I didnt realize that the 525 was allowed in SBI? I was under the assumption that you had to have the SBI motor package? So a 525 with a turned up computer would work?

Yes.... copy/paste from SBI Technical Rulebook Revised 8-12-15

Page 37
Mercury Racing 525 EFI Motor, with its OEM Stock
Specifications, with the following exceptions a maximum
cubic inch limitation of 510 Cubic Inches and a maximum
RPM limitation of 5800 RPMS.

Thanks Trent

Mike,

A great resource for you would be to get up with Smitty and Louie as they run the "bumped" 525's in their Fountains and they can tell you off their history the reliability, pwr, success of them.. Off the top of my head they have only had drive issues, but dont hold me to that

The point of my post was that there are two svl classes that share the name but that's about it. There are 4 engine packages in Sbi. Randy can show up with a sealed 525, I can come with a Vortec, Miklos can bring a turned up 525 and LSB can bring a 510 carb motor. We will all pass tech and be put on the same course to race with each other and compete for 1 checkered flag. And that is just the way it is. I like the idea of the 510-but would have been better with an efi setup. Until this engine is spec'd down to part #'s for every component it's built with there will not be parity.

The point of my post was that there are two svl classes that share the name but that's about it. There are 4 engine packages in Sbi. Randy can show up with a sealed 525, I can come with a Vortec, Miklos can bring a turned up 525 and LSB can bring a 510 carb motor. We will all pass tech and be put on the same course to race with each other and compete for 1 checkered flag. And that is just the way it is. I like the idea of the 510-but would have been better with an efi setup. Until this engine is spec'd down to part #'s for every component it's built with there will not be parity.

I stand corrected then Chris.. I've been through the rulebook 100's of times and i only see 3 options so I guess in my old age, I am going blind, I copied and pasted the 525 option which also included in my note to you the reasoning why the "stock sealed" would be legal as with specs on the stock sealed motor(as per the 525 service manual) are 502 cu, 8.7 to 1 comp, and 5450 rpms which are allowed tolerances that fall under what is copy and pasted above.. Pay me no attention as i am just old and blind now..

Chris

The reason why each part isn't a specific manufacturer is for two reasons affordability each team has the choice as long as it fits into the specs, no one manufacturer can control the engine for the class. It doesn't seem like Superboat cladd has any problem at all they've been running spec SbI motor without a list of specific parts but they know what the tech rules are and their individual parts have to fit within the rules. No different then the super v unlimited they are running and SbI design spec motor without specific individual part numbers both classes have had no issues and as you know Superboat class has been very successful. I guess the only issue would be is the racers not the organizations if there is a racer that wants to cheat then so be it let him try if he gets caught he will pay the consequences and life goes on. I don't think it's the organizations that have an issue I think it's the racers if everyone follow the rules that will laid out in an official rule book we wouldn't be having this conversation. So the success of the class is up to the racers not the organizations, from what you are saying the racers are their worst enemies

Also just for the record you said the only thing they share is the same name and that's incorrect also. SBI is Super vee and OPA IS SVL. That's the great thing about having two different classes it gives people options, if a boat isn't competitive in one class it is competitive in another. If you cant afford to run one organization there's a cheaper and more affordable organization to run. Having choices in life is a great thing. That's one of the main reasons why is SBI is getting away from a proprietary motor such as mercury.