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OPA P class boats???

Old 01-16-2006, 12:46 PM
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OPA P class boats???

Smitty, can you list the boats that are planning on running with OPA and the classes they THINK they should be in? Is it possible to make the P5 and P4 single engines run as one class? Speed run the boats to a max of 75MPH in P4 and leave P5 to the smaller boats that might have closer to stock power and run a max of 65 MPH. This would also be much safer. With this scenario there could be 15-20 boats in P4, what a blast!!!!!
By reducing the speed on the classes you will also lower the cost to race your boat. Less speed means less HP which means less breakage which means less cost which means more racing which means more competition which means more boats which mean more spectators which means more sponsors which means more money MORE FUN FOR ALL!!!!!!
MD
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Old 01-16-2006, 01:17 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

Agree 100 %%%
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Old 01-16-2006, 03:10 PM
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Thumbs up Re: OPA P class boats???

Originally Posted by TYPHOON
Smitty, can you list the boats that are planning on running with OPA and the classes they THINK they should be in? Is it possible to make the P5 and P4 single engines run as one class? Speed run the boats to a max of 75MPH in P4 and leave P5 to the smaller boats that might have closer to stock power and run a max of 65 MPH. This would also be much safer. With this scenario there could be 15-20 boats in P4, what a blast!!!!!
By reducing the speed on the classes you will also lower the cost to race your boat. Less speed means less HP which means less breakage which means less cost which means more racing which means more competition which means more boats which mean more spectators which means more sponsors which means more money MORE FUN FOR ALL!!!!!!
MD
Now that post has a lot of meaning...

Hopefully it will bring out more SOBs......
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Old 01-16-2006, 03:15 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

If you go out and test and qualify every boat based on top speed, then how can you later disqualify,or qualify them based on average speed, during the race ? Every boat is traveling a differant distance, but your calculations are based on every boat traveling the exact same distance, and your doing it from shore ,it can't work!
Qualify by top end Disqualify by top end ! GPS
Walt

Last edited by TKO; 01-16-2006 at 04:10 PM.
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Old 01-16-2006, 06:01 PM
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Smile Re: OPA P class boats???

MD You may have come up with somthing that could work out good for everyone.
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Old 01-16-2006, 06:26 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

Walt, the point is you wouldn't have too do average speed or GPS. If the first place boat got post race speed tested and the inspector had on board 2 GPS systems and found the boat could not break out of the bracket speed then he earned the win! The boat would be at its lightest weight on fuel and should post its best speed run. You could have someone like Smyth 1 as an inspector who has plenty of knowledge on the speed run. Ocean races you would not need to do this.
If you want to go a step further you would limit the cubic inch of the motors in P5 and P4. Top speed is just one factor in equalizing the boats. Big cubic motors mean big acceleration to top speed which can be just as unfair as 2-5 mph top end. This is also why you shouldn't run twin motor boats with singles. They may have the same top end but a twin will kill you every-time out of the turn.
Smitty you said you were all ears, tell me when to stop if you don't want anymore ideas.
MD
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Old 01-16-2006, 06:48 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

ImO the singles in P4 should prop down and run in P5 with an honest prop calc and a good sealed GPS as long as they make length requirement. The GPS would just add to make a safeguard for break outs. Cubic inch limitation would further even out the playing field. Now add a day before the race to qualify and that should make for an even race. I have seen expierienced drivers that could get 2 to 3 mphs more out of a boat than a rookie. Then it comes down to the start position and experience which there is no way to police this and that is fair game.
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Old 01-16-2006, 08:58 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

Originally Posted by TYPHOON
Walt, the point is you wouldn't have too do average speed or GPS. If the first place boat got post race speed tested and the inspector had on board 2 GPS systems and found the boat could not break out of the bracket speed then he earned the win! The boat would be at its lightest weight on fuel and should post its best speed run. You could have someone like Smyth 1 as an inspector who has plenty of knowledge on the speed run. Ocean races you would not need to do this.
If you want to go a step further you would limit the cubic inch of the motors in P5 and P4. Top speed is just one factor in equalizing the boats. Big cubic motors mean big acceleration to top speed which can be just as unfair as 2-5 mph top end. This is also why you shouldn't run twin motor boats with singles. They may have the same top end but a twin will kill you every-time out of the turn.
Smitty you said you were all ears, tell me when to stop if you don't want anymore ideas.
MD
Randy great points, test before with an inspector, run the whole race at WOT without having to worry about breaking out looking all day at a GPS. I would not run in a GPS sanction race, it is a sand bagging machine control by the throttleman. If a seal gps is mounted inside the boat then the boats gps should be covered and tagged by an inspector. I know a lot of people dont like my thinking but I cant stand the fact that some still run in the wrong class looking at the gps holding back to not break out.
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Old 01-16-2006, 10:07 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

To have a competitive race, boats have to be within 3 MPH of each other. That is about the speed of a person walking. All other variables being equal, a boat with a 3 MPH advantage will most likely finish a half a lap ahead of the others. But this is racing and a good team can close that gap even with the lack of top speed.

You have to assume most boats are setup to run at the top of their brackets. i.e. P4, your boat should do at least 77 MPH to be competitive. If not, underprop and be at the top of P5.
The only true limiting factor available to us, short of pulling back on the throttle, is limiting prop rotations via rev limiter.
This can not be changed on the fly, and is absolute restriction of higher prop speeds.
The only problem with this is different hulls create different slip%.
An old heavy deep V can turn a 26" prop 5200 RPMs but can't even get to 72 MPH (18% slip).
A newer F1 boat turning a 26" prop 5200 RPM's will break 75 MPH. (12% slip) These newer hulls are more efficient with steps, pads and in some cases shallower vees.

So when figuring out the top speed of a boat based on "prop calc" I believe the "prop slip" should be addressed when determining bracket placement.
This way everyone is on a relatively even playing field to start with and the better teams/setups win, not the one with the biggest horsepower/weight ratio.
If we know in advance what the prop slips are ahead of time, based on hull type (deep vee, modified vee, single, twin) we can set up our props and engines(cams) to be competitive. The first one to cross the finish wins. There is no way to cheat or sandbag. All deep vee singles have the same slip%, all the "modified vee" twins have the same slip% and so on...
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Old 01-16-2006, 10:31 PM
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Default Re: OPA P class boats???

In Camden last year, Anthony got in and ran many if not all of the P4 and P5 boats. He installed the chips to limit the speed. Apperently some people weren't too happy with the chip selection. What happened? Like 5 lead changes in P5 and at least that many in P4. That was some of the tightest racing I've ever seen. And we didn't need to rely on any speed registering equipment. It was just balls to the wall racing. Grumpy Old men won and Papa Dukes had the lead several times.

Who eles was there...?

It seems like whatever was done in Camden in P4 and P5 worked.

Randy, tell me you didn't have a great battle with that crazy OB powered Superboat.
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