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5 Apr 2004, 16:43 (Ref:931229)
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 1998
Posts: 2,762
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Race Boat Launch
Some of you have heard me mention that I help a friend of mine race a drag boat during the summer. We've been feverishly working the last three months to get the new boat ready for this season. Early Saturday morning we finished up the mechanical and electrical and took the boat down tot he lake and launched it. No leaks! Not bad considering the boat has more than 60 cap screws through its bottom holding on the ride plates and whipstrut.
The boat is a 1981 Hondo Flat Bottom. Bare hull weighs about 600 pounds and is 18' long. The engine is a 540 cid (8.8 liters), alcohol injected Chevrolet. Compression ratio is 13.7 to 1. Estimated at 700 horsepower. http://smith.usefilm.com/images/1/6/...1522-large.jpg |
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5 Apr 2004, 18:30 (Ref:931362)
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#2 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 601
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sounds like fun.
how long is the engine life though? |
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5 Apr 2004, 20:35 (Ref:931509)
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#3 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 1998
Posts: 2,762
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We keep the rpms under 6800 and we change the oil twice during a race weekend due to the alcohol fouling. Last year we ran six race events on one set of main and rod bearings. They could have gone the last two but we changed them just to be safe. Nice part about alcohol is how clean it burns, the pistons will have a small brown stain on their centers, the exhaust valve will have some buildup above the seal surface and thats about it. We run about 75 pounds of oil pressure so we keep the oil wedge up and the heat tranferred out.
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5 Apr 2004, 21:53 (Ref:931606)
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#4 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 601
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fair enough.
what sort of speed does it hit and can I have a go 
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I love the deadlines. Especially the sound of them screaming by...
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6 Apr 2004, 00:03 (Ref:931679)
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#5 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,254
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thats crazy
i love it! |
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never eat belly button fluff
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6 Apr 2004, 12:38 (Ref:932205)
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#6 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 1998
Posts: 2,762
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We don't know the exact speed it will make until later this month. If all goes according to plan the boat should cover a 1/4 mile from a standing start around 10 seconds at 115 mph.
This is our first experience with a prop driven boat as the old one was a jet boat. The last motor in the boat was a supercharged 468 cid Chevy and it is geared for that particular engine combination. We are running a naturally aspirate engine but it still pumps out plent of power and its throttle response is better than the blower motor. Saturday we ran it for the first time on a shakedown pass and it literally leaped out of the water clearing all but half of the prop. My driver needs some seat time and we need to learn where to set the ride plates to get a safe angle on the hull. |
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