Blazer Marine Whiplash 40, 2024 NEW VERSION Build

[Mario Johnston]

I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to build and run a prototype of the NEW version Blazer Marine Whiplash in 2023.
Huge thanks to Brian for letting me contribute to this project. As usual, I've documented the entire process for you guys interested in building one as well.
Now that the kit is available to purchase, I can show you the behind the scenes images.
Enjoy!



Day one: Kit comes home, time to build a jig

The jig dimensions are 10.5 x 40.
I chose to build the jig from press board with aluminum rails underneath. The rails act as raised feet for building off the table, as well as structural rigidity in case I have to move the jig while the boat is still on it. Bolt rails to board with countersunk screws and hardware


Added raised forward sections to clamp the inner upright of each sponson to

 

[Mario Johnston]

Doing a dry fit to figure out which pieces go where. This process started way back in 2022 with the first drawings of the boat put together in 2021. So at this point, I'm building without instructions

 

[Mario Johnston]

The boat was designed to run a left or right radio box, I decided to keep the left side box.
One of my favorite little elements that Brian designed into this boat are the laser etched center lineson the bulkheads. I drew a straight line down the center of the jig and was able to ensure that the hull was always flat and true throughout most of the build process. Keeping the lines matched up takes the guess work and worry out



Beginning the glue process.
Tacking the skeleton together

 

[Mario Johnston]

Taking the time to build my turn fin bracket.
In order to keep the fin lined up with the outside of the sponson ride surface, theres a bit of overhang on the material. Easily sorted with a little machining and a belt sander

 

[Mario Johnston]

Beginning to fillet corners.
Its important to keep the sponson uprights clamped to the jig at all times.

Building an inner nose block out a piece of scrap wood.
In this image, all of the frames are fitted together and glued except for the transom

 

[Mario Johnston]

Once the hull is framed, I spend the next couple of days cutting and sanding pink foam blocks to slot into the spaces between the bulkheads


Once all the blocks are cut, it's back onto the jig to glue them in place

 

[Lay26]

Nice work Mario!!!

 

[Mario Johnston]

Time to lay down the deck skins.
I sealed the underside of the skins 2x prior to laying them on the boat's frame.

 

[Mario Johnston]

Once all of the skins are in place I add cherry blocks to the fronts of each sponson and bull nose.
At this point the boat gets an overall exterior seal.
I decided not to clear coat the hull as I'm certain it will be taking a beating over the next year of testing and racing. For this one, appearance isn't quite as important as some of my other builds

 

[Mario Johnston]

Building a stuffing tube support from cherry and using my aluminum alignment tool to be sure everything is squared up

 

[Mario Johnston]

Sealing up the hand made cherry parts on the interior

I wanted to try running more fuel load in the front of this boat. I cut the sponson support that crossed from side to side through the nose, and added a poece of cherry to help distribute the load.
this would give me the sufficient space needed to run a large forward tank in the nose

Cowl fitted. Almost ready for paint

 

[Mario Johnston]

Carbon fiber tie-downs for the servos complete the radio box.
And since I get this question a lot, yes, there's plenty of room in the box for all 3 servos plus receiver, battery and even a GPS, should you choose to run one.
The box extends under the deck, giving you ample space


Special thanks to Dave Roach for the delrin clamp that's used to keep my removable stuffing tube secure

 

[Mario Johnston]

At this stage the bost is nearly complete.
Fitting hardware while the cowl gets color

 

[Mario Johnston]

All of my boats are wood grain/white so this one will fall in line.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Just curious, who's hardware did you use? I know the rudder assembly is a Speedmaster, don't know the engine mount, strut, shaft or turn fin.

 

[Lay26]

motor mount is speedmaster. its what Brian recommends in the instructions...Florida scale boater makes a nice turn fin....just need to run it to see if it works well....I like the new cowl....i hope the ones on the site are like those.

 

[Mario Johnston]

The last piece of this puzzle was a tank set up. For this I ask for John Steltzers help.



The boat is now complete.

We did some pretty rigorous testing on this hull throughout 2023. We found that it was capable of some serious speed.
For a list of final props we settled on, check with Brian Blazer.




Thanks for following the build images this far. Huge thanks to
Brian Blazer @ Blazer Marine
John Steltzer @ SS Custom Tanks
Stu Barr @ CMB Motors USA
Dave Roach
SpeedMaster Hardware, Rossi Sales

If you guys decide to build one like mine, the parts list is as follows:

CMB 45 RS-EVO w/CMB 40 pipe
SpeedMaster Engine mount
# SPDUM-001-S

SpeedMaster Rudder + mount
# SPDRS-007-SNGA

SpeedMaster strut
# SPDS-005-F

SpeedMaster exhaust mount
# SPDPM-004-LH

Savox Throttle/3Ch servos # SW0250MG
Savox steering servo # SW1210-SG

 

[Timbo Whalen]

The last piece of this puzzle was a tank set up. For this I ask for John Steltzers help.

View attachment 325250

The boat is now complete.
View attachment 325247
We did some pretty rigorous testing on this hull throughout 2023. We found that it was capable of some serious speed.
For a list of final props we settled on, check with Brian Blazer.
View attachment 325248
View attachment 325252
View attachment 325253

Thanks for following the build images this far. Huge thanks to
Brian Blazer @ Blazer Marine
John Steltzer @ SS Custom Tanks
Stu Barr @ CMB Motors USA
Dave Roach
SpeedMaster Hardware, Rossi Sales

If you guys decide to build one like mine, the parts list is as follows:

CMB 45 RS-EVO w/CMB 40 pipe
SpeedMaster Engine mount
# SPDUM-001-S

SpeedMaster Rudder + mount
# SPDRS-007-SNGA

SpeedMaster strut
# SPDS-005-F

SpeedMaster exhaust mount
# SPDPM-004-LH

Savox Throttle/3Ch servos # SW0250MG
Savox steering servo # SW1210-SG

Just awesome, Mario!.... excellent build walk-thru on a muy badass Sport 40.
Thanks much!

 

[Rich Jones]

Nice build thread as usual. I referred to your Slingshot thread multiple time during that build. I will follow suit with this one. I love that you added parts references and supplier contacts on this one. It’s a great addition for those newer to the hobby.

 

[Greg Bonahoom]

Thanks Mario!

It looks like you are using 2 tanks. Is that because there is not enough room for enough fuel to use a single tank in either one of the two locations?