Classic Thunderboats in NAMBA District 8

[Thom]

I don't see any classics at RC Boatworks. Am I looking in the wrong place?

 

[Hurricane]

Can not seem to be able to up load the picture so I put it in my pictures at Smugmug, here is the link:

http://ron-hartley.smugmug.com/gallery/441...TjsgD#259475309

Hope this works for you.

 

[Dasboatman]

"I don't see any classics at RC Boatworks. Am I looking in the wrong place?"

Thom,

Yes, you are looking in the wrong place. Correct company name is: R/C Boat Company owned and operated by Steve Gualtieri. The Web Site is: www.rcboatcompany.com.

The picture that Hurricane posted is Steve's - first out of the mold hull. Steve offers this hull in Epoxy Glass made from a plug made by Roger Newton. Steve also makes a full Classic Thunderboat cowl, and an assortment of 1/8th Scale hulls and cowls that are made from Bill Fritz' molds.

CHEERS !!! Bob Johnson

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Okay, now I'm confused. Someone posted earlier in this thread that Thunderboats are required to be round or chissel nosed boats 48-56" long and 24" or more wide, yet on the Warehouse Hobbies website, a link says the boats need to be 46-56" long and 21" or more wide with the only hull restriction being no front cockpits and pickleforks must be less than 10% of the hull's length. Which one is right, or is one for NAMBA and the other for IMPBA? By using the rules in the WHH website, I could build any pre-1980 boat except the Thriftway Too, Cabover Bardahl, 70 Pay N' Pak, 74 Miss U. S, 77 Atlas, U-95, the Squire boats, the 79 Budweiser, 79 Circus Circus or the Country Boy/Redman. Anyone know what the official word really is????

 

[SayMikey]

Okay, now I'm confused. Someone posted earlier in this thread that Thunderboats are required to be round or chissel nosed boats 48-56" long and 24" or more wide, yet on the Warehouse Hobbies website, a link says the boats need to be 46-56" long and 21" or more wide with the only hull restriction being no front cockpits and pickleforks must be less than 10% of the hull's length. Which one is right, or is one for NAMBA and the other for IMPBA? By using the rules in the WHH website, I could build any pre-1980 boat except the Thriftway Too, Cabover Bardahl, 70 Pay N' Pak, 74 Miss U. S, 77 Atlas, U-95, the Squire boats, the 79 Budweiser, 79 Circus Circus or the Country Boy/Redman. Anyone know what the official word really is????

Problem is Namba and Impba rules keep getting mixed up. If you are going to build any kind of boat consult your orgs. rule book and ask the director in charge of that class.....In Impba cabover round nose such as Thriftway are allowed as well as short pickle boats like the 71 Atlas. It would be nice if we all had the same rules but it did not work out that way......Mike

 

[Don Ferrette]

IMPBA set the minimum length at 46" and width at 21". This allowed the extremely popular Zippkits Rockett & Rivett wood kits in the class being 47" x 22". Conventional round nose, shovel nose, dropped sponson or pickle fork design. The pickle fork shall not exceed 10% of the hull length and be modeled after a classic era boat (1950-1970). Front cockpit is ok, exhaust must be concealed and exit thru the transom, side or bottom. Stock Zenoah or CY (Sikk) motors are allowed as is changing to a WT-257 carb.

NAMBA has not made up their minds yet on a national level. Some NAMBA districts seem to be following the rules from their district 19 that set the minimum length at 48" and width at 24". They have been changing their rules on the fly lately (like now the CY motor is not legal in D19) so if you race NAMBA it would be best to consult your district director to figure out what the "latest & greatest" rule versions might be and if your district even has them yet until they set a national level rules for the class.

Hope this help a little.

 

[mt. gay rum]

Here are the rules that have been in effect since Oct/Nov of 07 nothing has changed since..they are in our propwash will be voted on by May if i remember right.. At the Vegas Race they had a meeting with the classic guys and the scale (nitro) guys and rules were tweeked to make everyone even more exceited about this class.Can you picture this gas and nitro coming togeather on rules!!!! This is the only rule change since this class was formed in Dist 19 over two years ago..plan and simple..They are the ones (GREED)that started it designed it, built it and have made it what it is today.Kits are available through Greed (wood and Glass), Insane(Glass),R/C Boatcompany(Glass),Muller (Glass), Herzog (Glass),and others that have design their boats to race both in NAMBA AND IMPBA..

Classic Thunderboat

Boat maybe of wood or fiberglass construction.

48-56 inches in length and a minimum of 24 inches in width. The transom shall be a minimum of 10” in width.

Hull designs: Round Nose, Step Deck, Chisel Nose ONLY.

ENGINES will be a PUM 26cc Zenoah. Engine may run a stock 257 carburetor. No internal modification allowed. All

replacement parts must be from the original manufacturer, and the same type engine (Zenoah 260 to Zenoah 260) no

parts swapping.

Any pipe combo may be used. The pipe and muffler must be inside the boat and exit through the transom.

Nothing may be further than 5 1/4" behind the transom.

Boat must have a sponsored paint scheme with sponsored IDs and U numbers on the boat.

Boat must have a driver in a front or rear cockpit. Driver scale of 1/8 to 1/6 in relationship to the size of the boat.

Boat must run with an engine cowling or dummy engine to cover as much of the boats engine as possible.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Mikey to set the record straight- since this past fall there have been major changes to the still unofficial NAMBA rules. These were the D19 rules as posted and used for all of '07-

Classic Thunderboat

Boats must be G-1. This gives the builder some leeway with hardware, paint and some scale dimensions.

1. Boats may be of wood or fiberglass construction.

2. 48 - 56 inches length and a minimum of 24 inches in width.

3. Typical hull design: round nose, step deck, chisel nose, and a short pickle fork 5 inches or less.

4. Motor will be a stock G-1 no bigger than 26cc (Sikk, Zenoah). To keep the performance close, the Zenoah will be allowed to use a stock 257 carburetor only.

5. Any pipe combo. The pipe and muffler must be inside the boat and exit through the transom.

6. Nothing may be further than 5 ¼ inches behind the transom.

7. Boats must have a commercial paint scheme (business sponsored).

8. Boats must have a driver in a rear cockpit.

Then in December (posted on the 10th on JRCBD) the CY (Sikk) motor was deemed illegal, forward driver cockpits were allowed and no pickle fork hulls. That's a little more than the "tweaking" you imply. I don't even run NAMBA anymore but I do try to keep an eye on what goes on around me.

 

[mt. gay rum]

Then in December (posted on the 10th on JRCBD) the CY motor was deemed illegal, forward driver cockpits were allowed and no pickle fork hulls. That's a little more than the "tweaking" you imply. I don't even run NAMBA anymore but I do try to keep an eye on what goes on around me.

This is what happens when you run a new class,,you let it run with a set of guidelines then after a solid amount of time you go back and tweak or adjust to what they feel will better the class for the future..so when you do setforth rules to be voted on,most of the 'tweaking' has been done..

two motors to one better to keep a handle on spec and so forth

front driver to allow some very popular thunderboats to be allowed in this class...Thriftway etc...

pickle forks---not the way the class was intended (i think on this one not really sure)..

NAMBA has taken this slow and steady to make sure we limit the growing pains as much as can be..Dist 19 is two years ahead of the rest of the country in this class..They have made the mistakes and advances so the rest of the country can benifit..

Would we have liked rules to be done along time ago hell ya..But sometimes good things happen to those who wait...And by the way this class is growing it looks good for everyone...