Electric starters for gas boats

[user 28441]

I was curious if there was a rule on using electric starter?

 

[Mike Hughes]

Only for gas. It has to do with the stock classes. Like thunderboat, gas mono, and any other class they want to run stock zen in. You cant have a flywheel on the motor. Pully is consider a flywheel. Thou I disagree with this rule. I think it would help out all the older folks and myself running stock class. I get tennis elbow everytime I yank on one. So I prefer the geezer wheel.
Mike

 

[user 28441]

I have horrible shoulder pain from yanking on them, Thank You for the info.

 

[Rich Jones]

I use pulleys on the pull start end of all my boats. I literally hate pullstarters. Using a belt and electric starter just makes it so much easier, I don’t care what age you are. I’m physically capable of pull starting a boat, I just don’t want to. I haven’t raced since I got back in the hobby 3 years ago, and I can tell you, at least in IMPBA, the rule is somewhat unclear or gray. But there is absolutely nothing that the geezer wheel adds or subtracts from performance of a stock zenoah. The IMPBA rules for SS Mono, Classic Thunderboat, and Cracker box state the following:

“Recoil Pull Start must be the primary method of starting. EZ Start and Pulleys are acceptable. “

They need to reword this if using electric starters is outlawed. Because how else would you use a pulley if you don’t also use an electric starter and a belt?

Anyway, you see my point. If using pulleys and starters was not the intention of the rule, it needs to be changed. If I decided to race and if it was an issue, I guess I would install a pull starter on that boat, but I shouldn’t have to. The way the rule reads, it is ok to use pulleys in IMPBA. If there is a “Pulleys are ok, BUT…” then some clarity needs to be added.

 

[user 28441]

Thank you I believe I'm changing to pullies

 

[Mike Hughes]

I use pulleys on the pull start end of all my boats. I literally hate pullstarters. Using a belt and electric starter just makes it so much easier, I don’t care what age you are. I’m physically capable of pull starting a boat, I just don’t want to. I haven’t raced since I got back in the hobby 3 years ago, and I can tell you, at least in IMPBA, the rule is somewhat unclear or gray. But there is absolutely nothing that the geezer wheel adds or subtracts from performance of a stock zenoah. The IMPBA rules for SS Mono, Classic Thunderboat, and Cracker box state the following:

“Recoil Pull Start must be the primary method of starting. EZ Start and Pulleys are acceptable. “

They need to reword this if using electric starters is outlawed. Because how else would you use a pulley if you don’t also use an electric starter and a belt?

Anyway, you see my point. If using pulleys and starters was not the intention of the rule, it needs to be changed. If I decided to race and if it was an issue, I guess I would install a pull starter on that boat, but I shouldn’t have to. The way the rule reads, it is ok to use pulleys in IMPBA. If there is a “Pulleys are ok, BUT…” then some clarity needs to be added.

Rich,
In NAMBA they just outlawed them all together. Ron Buck was good at working in the gray area. If you allowed him to use a geezer wheel he would custom build one out of the heaviest material he could find and make it larger than it need to be. Hell he would probably not even start the boat with it. Put a small groove in it and call it a geezer wheel. Just because he could.

Love that dude. Always made me laugh with his wise crack thru the throat buzzer he used.
Mike

 

[Rich Jones]

Rich,
In NAMBA they just outlawed them all together. Ron Buck was good at working in the gray area. If you allowed him to use a geezer wheel he would custom build one out of the heaviest material he could find and make it larger than it need to be. Hell he would probably not even start the boat with it. Put a small groove in it and call it a geezer wheel. Just because he could.

Love that dude. Always made me laugh with his wise crack thru the throat buzzer he used.
Mike

. Takes all kinds, I swear… Funny story man!

 

[Anthony Asaro]

When the RIO 51 first came out they had a FUJI engine in it and they were was no way you could start it in less then 30 pulls. I tried every which way to get it started. I actually ran it once and that was it. I converted to a Zenoah and 2 pulls off and running. Eventually they started selling them with Zenoahs.

 

[user 28441]

Disappointing to hear that we can't use starters, oh well thank you guys for the input.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Disappointing to hear that we can't use starters, oh well thank you guys for the input.

All other GAS classes allow belt start.

You didn't mention stock classes. That is only classes with restrictions on belt start.

It is only NAMBA and ONLY in stock classes. Pulleys allowed in every other class.

IMPBA they are allowed if it is on collet end. It is perfectly fine in IMPBA and NAMBA for every other class.

 

[Mark Anderson]

In Namba G limited, they are not allowed, G classes you have to retain the pull start but a pulley on the collet is fine, GX classes do what you want.

 

[ACTION JACKSON]

Ok, someone give me a good reason why you can't use electric start. You have electricity going to the coil & plug so what's the deal letting people make it easier to start.
It won't help you win a race, it's not cheating & with the extra weight you might be slower. So impba, Nampa it's time to step up to the plate & move into the future.

 

[bzubee]

Steve IMPBA allows the use of an electric starter in all of its classes. Someone else can speak to the NAMBA side.

 

[ACTION JACKSON]

Bill guess I should have said on board electric starter, not hand held.

 

[Mike Cathey]

I don't understand why NAMBA wouldn't simply do what a lot of racing sanctioning bodies do and have approved motors or motor pieces and work with a couple of vendors to make them exclusively available and if they are tampered with you get fined.

When I look around at a race there's a lot of us older guys that would benefit from not pulling on a recoil starter.

 

[ACTION JACKSON]

This is true Mike. I hope the political people of our organizations will chime in & give a good reason why besides that it was voted down. Never know something could change, not to mention not all racers would want a starter on Board but I would. Even if they are a little expensive.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

The whole thing is asinine. The engine stops at the PTO and the flywheel. The rest is the boat. We are going to start telling what exhaust and prop to run next.

Stock class been around a long time how is it possible that we all of a sudden need more stringent rules.

We should be looking to include not exclude.

Some of the stupidest rules ever. Who cares if they strap 1000 pounds to the flywheel/driveline. Let them. Everyone could do the same if it was better.

None of the crap like this they come up with and make law makes no sense most of the time. The sheep follow along.

Then ask why are we loosing boaters ? No one wants to play games to race a boat. More rules only become more rules to further clarify existing rules all for no reason whatsoever except they could. Politics in the hobby is what ruins the hobby. That is what these kinds of rules are exactly. I find it hard to believe that was VOTED in by the majority of the racers.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

This is true Mike. I hope the political people of our organizations will chime in & give a good reason why besides that it was voted down. Never know something could change, not to mention not all racers would want a starter on Board but I would. Even if they are a little expensive.

NO racer would want on board starting.

Carrying around a 4000 mah battery pack plus the weight of the starter and the fact that there are only garbage ones even being made. That Chinese junk is no good. Arrow shark has produced 10 different models. You know why. All the rest didn't work. They make junk out of pot metal at that place.

You think your going to restart a engine that stopped in middle of a race. They only stop if they blow up or ingest water. Neither of which you will restart afterwards with on board starter. Great way to twist a crank. Starting a engine you have no idea if water is in the boat at that point. They really serve no purpose except maybe a deep vee play boat or something you can keep water out of and ultimate speed not the goal. Problem is getting one that works and for how long after motor gets full of water a few times.