Your a nerd. Have you taken the krypto in rough water yet? How'd you like it? Compared to other boats?

I've had my power steering break off its mount one time and the belt fly off another. Both times the steering went completly nonexistant. I was able to spin the wheel like It was final jeperdy. Both times I eased out of the throttle slowly as the boat veared to the right.

I do spin my 598ci to 6000rpm. I used to spin it to 6400rpm. I have only ever thrown 1 belt. If I didnt have a raw water pump belt, I would overheat in about 6 seconds at 3500rpm. The only way that I could still run would be if I pulled out the impeller, because water will not pass the impeller if it isnt spinning. Even then, i woudlnt be able to idle at all, which would make docking hard. hell, the boat will overheat in less than a minute at idle with no pump/impeller.

And yes, I have broken serpentine belts on cars, usually when a pulley goes bad. What happens when you are out running and a pulley goes bad, breaks your belt. You still have an extra belt, but cant use it because it will break in about 10 seconds. If you had a V belt setup you woudl just lose that one component.

Dont get me wrong, I like serpentine setups, they look cleaner and it is one belt instead of three, but single point failures of entire systems is something that shoudl be avoided.

That doesnt make any sense Jay. The only way the wheel will spin freely is if you lose all pressure on the system, blow a hose or something. It just shouldnt do it like that.

zt260 it sounds like with your build and power it was an oversight not to install a serpentine sytem when you built it. If you are able to run without any belts than I would agree a serpentine belt would be YOUR best option. Myself and many others still need the raw water pump and fuel pump to limp out of harms way....like you said...no comparison. By the way that is a badass setup you have, I remember seeing some pics of it not to long ago.

But back to Don's situation, if it was indeed a thrown belt that caused this I highly doubt he was running over 6000+ rpm's at 70-80mph as the driver stated. Was it noted if the belt broke or was it just thrown off? Could it be possible that the power steering pump became loose and the belt slipped off? Is there anybody that can confirm this?

I was out in some snotty water a couple weekends ago. I love it. Compared to other boats I've had it was much nicer because the boat is built around sitting and running. That makes it much more comfortable to me. If you could keep your junk together I would take you out and show you how to run in the rough :evilb:

I think that is what he is saying. The pump broke off and ruptured the tank at the mounting point. Most likely pumped all the fluid in the bilge. Making it look like the Gulf coast when you were drilling for BP :kiss:

I am not sure what RPM they were turning at 70-80 mph if thats all they were going, but I do know that 90 in Don's boat was right around 4900 RPM..

The only reason I have a v belt setup is my accessories were already v belts from a previous setup. My builder never mentioned a serpentine setup and 6 years ago when it was originally built it did not cross my mind. I agree it was an oversight, but I was not one to argue with a very experienced engine builder at the time. Not to mention it’s not as easy as many people think on a custom build one off race engine of six years old. I now plan to add a serpentine this winter. No one has to agree with me. It’s my life on the line not theirs.

But enough of that.

The main reason I posted was to find out what really happened and prevent it in the future. I also doubt a 110+mph boat was only going 70-80mph at the time. There I said it, and the truly experienced members were already thinking it.

RIP Don Sorry.

I have been running a serp belt set up many years without ever throwing a belt. I frequently run above 6k rpm with no issues. if there is a problem, I carry a spare belt, a spare idler/tensioner pulley and the 2 wrenches to change them with me. All it would take is 5 minutes to swap parts and I would be on my way again. In my set up, if the belt broke in a bad spot, I could easily get by for a short time to get to a safe place to replace it. I dont rely on my mechanical fuel pump for anything more than idling around, my closed cooling would keep the engine cool enough for a short time without any seawater flow. My only limitation would be heating the headers up. But then, everyones setup is different.

Did the thought that they were running faster cross my mind?....sure it did....Do I have any reason to doubt what the driver stated...not one. The truth is only two people know for sure how fast they were running.

Serp belt....V belt....I honestly don't think it matters either way. Both have advantages and disadvantages. It's hard for me to think that if Don was running a serp belt he would still be here with us today. But since this is the only report we have so far it's good to see people taking it into consideration with their own setups. Hopefully more info will come forward so we can have a better understanding of what happened.

I can think of several reasons. First he worked for Don and doesn’t need to lose his boss, friend, and job all in one day. Have the cop’s ever pulled you over and you admitted the exact top speed you were doing?

He’s probably worried about law suits. Not that there will be any, but why give up any ammunition.

And lastly no one enjoys taking blame for any type of accident.

I hope physical evidence proves me wrong, but the odds are against it.

[QUOTE=jdub;3208 Hopefully more info will come forward so we can have a better understanding of what happened.[/QUOTE]

Thats what this is al about. Trying to understand this, to help us all out in the future.

This is very sad and my condolences to family and friends.

I've had a few issues with steering on the ITS transom but it was a rigging issue. I had swapped out a standard bravo with external latham steering to an ITS on a single V keeping the original helm. I noticed lock to lock had gone from 4 turns on the standard to 2.5 turns with the ITS beacause of smaller volume in the ITS steering cylinders. Thought no big deal, steering will be a bit more positive. Ran the boat out several times with no issues and one day, broken PS belt. Because of the speed and trim I was at the drive was actually crabbing a bit. When the belt broke the boat veered to the right. With all my strength I tried to turn the wheel but only felt the helm ratcheting like fluid bursting through the helm valves. Luckily I stayed in the boat and made it home. I discussed this later with Lathem who told me there is a specific cc helm to use with the ITS and the volume on the current helm was too large. That coupled with the geometry of the ITS rams versus the transom mount rams led to the loss of control. It was explained to me that the parrallel geometry of the ITS rams takes alot more effort to turn the drive than a transom mounted ram at near to or at a 45 degree angle.

On all of the single go-fast or race boats I've built for myself I always use the capilano helm with no PS pump. It's a bit harder on the arms but you truly feel the boat and drive reacting morso than with power steering.

I guess this is where you and I will have to agree to disagree.

Have I ever been pulled over and admitted my speed...yes. Because when the cop pulls you over he always asks..."Do you know why I'm pulling you over"....of course I do. I see no reason to insult the mans intelligence at this point.

Sure the guy must feel horrible. I just don't think at the time of the accident he was thinking of his job or lawsuits. Do I think he lied about the speed he was running to the cops....no I don't. I find it very possible that they were running the speeds he stated and experienced a mechanical failure. The boat hooked,Don was ejected,and knocked unconscious.

But like you I do hope more physical evidence will come forward. It just seems that with these accidents it rarely gets closure.

Thanks for the story Chris. I always thought that the geometry of the rams on the ITS were questionable on a single. Especially a fast one.

So kryptos are sit down boats?

I dont like to sit down in a boat. I gotta stand. My drop outs are always down in my sutphen. Do you guys have drop outs in them?

I like the hull asthetically allot. really liked the looks of dons boat. It is a beautiful ride.

It drives me crazy to try and sit in my boat though.

You guys seem like a nice tight group over here too. I wanna learn more about your hulls and their performance.

YOOO MANNNN,

Its gonna be a 540ci now. 650-675hp VOOM VOOOOOOOM:lolhit:

...... and a new imco lower:angry-smiley-038:

Now start wetsanding your boat meathead. You have a lot of catching up to do......

Sad accident but pushing a boat in the rough any size is not smart know when to back off!Your boat will last longer also!

There calling for 6-9s for the ac race...im gonna find out what this thing is made of :D Damn that yellow shines...wanna do ours?

Yeah Kryptos are sit down boats. I was the same way about standing until I rode in a boat that was made to sit in and run. The ergonomics at the helm are perfect for me and I can see well over the bow of the boat easily. My last hull was a 28 Saber, arguably one of the best rough water 28 +/- hulls, and I can honestly say that I gave nothing up in that regard moving to a Kryptonite. They just eat the rough up and run flat and level while doing it. Plus power to weight ratio and hull efficiency, I believe, are second to none. If your ever down in my area feel free to stop by and we can go for a ride. By the way ever since I rode in my buddys 39 Sutphen I've had the itch for a single BBC 26 RR. I just could never find the right one....they are far and few between.

Theres a single BBC sutphen RR on the lake in NJ where richie JR used to build boats. I forget the name of the lake.

Real nice boat it was ernie's (BOXER) old race biat and it was brought back to the factory for a total refurb new engine etc.


They are making the 277 in FLA also for 2011 only for custom builds though that I know of now.

Id love a ride in a krypto to see what its all about.

Anyone in CT got one?

I'll be making the CT River Run Oct 19. Ill be more than happy to give ya a ride. Here's two videos that shows the stability of these hulls. Truly amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0KGRLitjZc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN7n5FdwMGA

ernie bought that boat back and is going threw it and keeping it. Sr is working on a new single under 30 it looks like too Dons boat it sounds like they were running 70 to 80 and maybe correcting the wheel when a belt came off locking the boat in now a turn throwing everyone out. and theres been a racer killed in f2 boat that was running straight then hooked and killed one they were running 78 to 84 at the time. so it could of happened here. I ,agree with jon multi belt set up is better for most, I will be running it on my blown 1100hp motor once again this is very sad Don will be missed by all.

mmmm, not so sure about this.

First off- Very sad what happened. Don was a gentleman, and I admired his thoroughness and willingness to see a project through- the world could use a lot more guys like Don. My condolences to his family and friends for this terrible awful tragedy.

If we conclude that the ITS has an issue with parallel geometry then we must also conclude the #6, NXT, and Ilmor Indy have the same geometry "issues" as well as all use parallel rams. I dont believe this is the case.

I own 2 different boats with ITS's and I don't think Don could have made a much better choice.
After a lifetime of boats with power steering, having belts fail, pumps break, and all kinds of issues with all kinds of stuff - if any setup loses power from a broken line or a thrown belt its tough to steer.
Especially because it catches you off guard on the first twist- its enough to cause a real problem if you need to turn NOW and cant.

As for the multi belt, serpentine setup I have both as well, and will try to avoid going back to the multi at whatever costs are needed to do so, but thats my preference. I like cleanliness of the stouter single belt and minimization of tension adjustment points. Also the ability to run whatever amp alternator I like is a big deal for me.

Ive lost several friends in my lifetime of boating, and have concluded that going fast in boats is a calculated risk with real danger, not enough to make me stop doing it, but enough to take constant precautions, & to warn friends riding with me that **** can happen - and does.



"Uncle" Dave Sampson

Not sure if youve been before but, I will be there. I will be leaving out of old saybrook. nice run up from there. PM me when it gets a little closer and if you want you can meet up with us.

Its a great run and lots of guys leave from OS at the same time and make a nice parade run up river.