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Anyone Know Anything About These Boats?

Bobcat

Je Suis Charlie Hebdo
GOLD Site Supporter
Spotted these in my hotel parking lot one night. There were 3 or 4 trucks with trailers loaded with these little boats. I assume they are 'jetboats' as I saw no props. Why would they be hauling so many at once? Would a team going to a competition have so many, and different, boats?

Any guess on the boat horsies and top speeds?
 

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fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
They look like older Class "C" power boat racers, but haven't been around them for 23 years or so. We raced them here in Alaska up until about 1985 until the insurance got to be too expensive for the six races a year that we held. We ran up to the 280 Class which used a Chrysler 280 V-8 and they did about 105 MPH in the Oval.

The "C" class was outboards, but I didn't get involved in them much, pretty much stuck with the 280 versions and helped the friends that raced them... Couldn't afford one at the time, and when I could, they closed down the local chapter.

Those should be in about the 60+ MPH area in the photos.

http://www.dillon-racing.com/sport-c/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroplane_racing
 

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
Ummm....they float?

The 280 class started sinking as soon as you put them in the water, had to start moving foward so the drains would start working. When the race was over, they had to be put on the trailer ASAP.

The smaller outboard versions didn't leak as bad, but they don't handly a chop very well!
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
They are jet boats. They have a racing circuit just like Nascar etc. I've seen them race at Griggs reservoir in Columbus Oh and on the Ohio River at Marietta Ohio.
If I remember right top speed is 90mph.
 

Gatorboy

Active member
They are hydroplanes and runabouts. Most likely from the Stock and PRO classes of the APBA. I used to race in the stock outboard class. Here are a couple pictures from my younger days. The top photo is from the C-class, which reach top speeds around 70. The bottom photo is from the 20SSH class, which run just a bit slower. The largest class in stock is the D class, and they run around 80 mph.

All of the boats in the pictures at the beginning of the thread are outboards. They are stored in the boxes in front or in back of each trailer.

11503470.jpg


11503468.jpg
 
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