1
2
©
Published by Fast On Water Publications 2020
Editor’s note Time and tide wait for no man (or woman) and here we are at the start of the second decade of the 21st century. Here at Fast On Water we have high hopes for the coming year with much in the pipeline. There is still a lot to be finalised so watch this space!
All articles and photographs are copyright All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission.
Contents
Editor Roy Cooper
Contributors Mike Ward David Jones Roy Cooper Cover photo: OE line-up, Bristol 1975 From the John Walker Archive
0
1
Fred Miles
7
Dieter Konig
11
Ramblings of an ex-racer
13
Marlboro Jubilee Cup 1977
15
One Hull Wonders; Rouen 1978 – Tony and Bella Covill
17
Spalding’s Weekend: Bristol 1975
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
The Ramblings of an Ex-Racer
Props you can do this a few more times – dropping or raising the motor, changing the angle of the motor – that will affect the way the boat rides – more air under the boat lifts the boat out of the water. Therefore, you have less drag so you will be faster.
What does a propeller do? A prop drives you forward just like a screw into a piece of wood. So your prop drives the boat forward. But how fast do you want to go? That depends on the propeller you have. What is the pitch? What is the diameter? How many blades does it have? What type of boat do you have? What type of engine do you have?
So with all that information on one prop you need to record that in a book along with noting down gearbox ratio, the water conditions on your test water – rough or calm; wind strength and direction, all recorded in your book. That’s prop number one. Now you need to find someone who can measure it for you – pitch and diameter, blade shape as well as tip shape – round or pointed, raked or straight-back.
There are a lot of questions, which need to be answered. So we have our boat and we have our engine on the back. Catamaran, hydroplane or monohull? All boats but all very different in the way they ride in the water and have engines that have different rpm. High or low rpm, they still turn the prop.
Now you start again with the next of your props. They will all do different things in different water conditions. You need to know what type of blade works best for the water you are racing on.
We need to go out in our boat to see what it will do…and what it will not do. Hopefully we have a piece of water we can have a play on. We go out and do a few laps to see what is happening; come back and digest what we’ve discovered.
You can get someone to work on the props with you. For instance, if you are low on rpm but the prop is good off jetty starts and mid-range, it can be worked to give you some more rpm. If the prop is low on acceleration off the jetty it can be worked to give you more of the start line.
Do we have good acceleration? Do we have good mid-range? Do we have good top-end? Is the boat riding well? What are the rpm’s of the engine?
You, as the driver, must understand what you would like from the prop and give this information to the prop man, who can then tweak the prop for you, maybe reducing the blade a bit, maybe taking the diameter down a few millimetres. But the prop man is reliant on you to give him the correct information. It’s no good telling him or her you have no top speed. You
If we are down on acceleration, we can lift the engine a few millimetres, then go out again for another couple of laps; come in and debrief. What is the boat doing now? How is the engine now? More questions –
11
need to say how many rpm you are down on the course you are running on. They will then tweak the prop according to the info you have given them.
the props; the more you understand, the better you’ll become. Key Points • •
Then you find that your timing on the motor was incorrect or carburettor jetting was incorrect!
•
Think about the water conditions on the day; rough, so your prop will be trying to drive you forward in rough water and it will be trying to move through air (rough water), so maybe you need to change to a tipped prop if you are running with a rounded tip. Also, the reverse may apply starting off a jetty in calmer conditions. The prop needs to hit the water cleanly and push you forward; not stand there and cavitate.
•
Understand you props Measure your props (if you don’t know what they are, get someone to do it) Blade shapes – understand what they do, including raked back blades Make sure your engine is doing what it should be doing. You may be blaming the prop for a problem elsewhere.
If possible, speak to the person who made the prop. They will tell you why they made the prop with that blade shape. All prop manufacturers are constantly moving forward to give better performance. You will be able to improve your performance only if you understand what the prop will do and what you have to do to make that prop work.
You may have trim on the boat; learn how to use it correctly. In a hydro you can move your weight as well. Some people like raked props (angled at the back). These props produce lift, which you need to remember as you don’t want to end up blowing over. So on certain days you may need to use a straight back prop. You may have many different shaped props in your box. They all work but some better than others. Keep working with all
Also remember to work on your qualifying propeller. This prop will just be a speed prop. You don’t have to get this off the jetty start. This should be a slightly bigger pitch and diameter for more speed.
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
aspects of being part of a group of likeminded enthusiasts. Enthusiasts being the operative word here.
Could Electric Power Be The Saviour Of Circuit Racing Thoughts from the editor
Could the introduction of electric power change all this and return us to a simpler, less regulation heavy form of racing? It very well could, if the right approach is taken.
Whichever way you look at it and however optimistic you might be, there is no doubt that UK circuit powerboat racing in its present format is, to put it mildly, in decline.
I’m not talking about slapping electric motors on the back of existing craft. I’m talking about a clean break from what exists today. To open up the sport to enthusiastic individuals and groups, keen to prove what can be done with a bit of ingenuity and imagination.
The reasons for this are multiple and the demise of our beloved sport has been going on for many years. Just keeping racing going at club level has been a real challenge; one that no one appears to have an answer to.
The potential to attract a completely new group of people, similar to those who got involved in the sport in its early years, would be the new start the sport desperately needs.
With the climate debate finally in full swing, there is no doubt that fossil fuel powered motor sports will become a thing of the past. Maybe not in my lifetime but at some point in the future.
I’m sure many of you will come up with the negatives of electric powered craft. But let’s think about the positives.
For circuit powerboat racing to survive we need to get ahead of the curve and move now towards a clean energy future for our sport.
The first has to be sound levels. The fact that electric motors are so quiet compared with internal combustion, could open up many new venues to race at. With low noise levels and zero pollution, racing could take place just about anywhere where there was a large enough body of water.
Over the past few years the progress in electric motor and battery technology has been exponential and there is no likelihood of that decreasing as everyone is forced to move towards a zero-carbon future. Whatever the likes and dislikes; pros and cons and arguments are, regarding battery production, capabilities and recycling, this could be the ‘fresh start’ needed for our sport.
Speeds would be a lot lower, thus reducing the need for expensive materials and safety features. Allowing an open class would mean that anyone who wanted to have a go at constructing their own boat and engine, could do so, whether it be an individual in their garage or a group linked to a university or college engineering department. Starting from scratch in this way would breed innovation and creative design solutions. Something that hasn’t been present in circuit racing for many years.
Let’s turn the clock back for a moment (something I’m often accused of wanting to do). Way back. Back to when Ole Evinrude first put an outboard on a boat. The minute boats were given this form of power it wasn’t long before competition followed and people started to compete with each other. The speeds weren’t fast in today’s terms but that wasn’t the point. The point was the pleasure and the fun of competing plus the social 21
22
23