Outboard rules and class ideas needed

[RonShaw]

Bob,

If turntables are allowed, as Mic mentioned above, they should have a bracket and should mount to the traditional vertical transom.

 

[rick lindow]

Ron/Bob, thanks to you both for the efforts on making the rules for the outboard classes more defined and clear, hopefully in the end we will be able to set up our fleets to maybe run in all the classes in both NAMBA and IMPBA races!!! that would be cool. kim and I both have boats ready for (D Superstock) super pro K&B can exhaust, CMB45, Erne L motor mnt., K&B Lower , Can Exhaust. (GAS TUNNEL) We are close to finishing our tunnel there are three in our area now, I make four! one is running a (x-ray) lower(young tunnel hull and lower) the other one is home made, very nice much like the x-ray/insane affixed to the transome in a typical mannor. Ron you have set up a gas tunnel and relize the expence envolved! I do not have a problem with a racer that builds his own lower set up as long as it follows a normal conventional style, Ron/ Bob thats your job to confirm the outline of the rules and guidelines, cost is very high depending on whos boat and set up you go with I'm well over $2000.00 and please do not limit motors cc's at this time !!! the class needs breathing room to build! i just bought a (zen 300 stock stroker 29.5) I thought it would be a good choice maybe save on cables, you have to finish to win,stay alive!!! Please stay on course with your efforts,get-er-done Rick & Kim Lindow

 

[Bob Kensill]

Here are some pics of Otto's setup.

 

[RonShaw]

Ron/Bob, thanks to you both for the efforts on making the rules for the outboard classes more defined and clear, hopefully in the end we will be able to set up our fleets to maybe run in all the classes in both NAMBA and IMPBA races!!! that would be cool. kim and I both have boats ready for (D Supperstock) supper pro K&B can exaust, CMB45, Erne L motor mnt., K&B Lower , Can Exaust. (GAS TUNNEL) We are close to finishing our tunnel there are three in our area now, I make four! one is running a (x-ray) lower(young tunnel hull and lower) the other one is home made, very nice much like the x-ray/insane affixed to the transome in a typical mannor. Ron you have set up a gas tunnel and relize the expence envolved! I do not have a problem with a racer that builds his own lower set up as long as it follows a normal conventional style, Ron/ Bob thats your job to confirm the outline of the rules and guidelines, cost is very high depending on whos boat and set up you go with I'm well over $2000.00 and please do not limmit motors cc's at this time !!! the class needs breathing room to build i just bought a (zen 300 stock stroker 29.5) I thought it would be a good choise maybe save on cables, you have to finish to win,stay alive!!! Please stay on course with your efforts,get-er-done Rick & Kim Lindow

Thanks Rick and Kim,

We appreciate your support. As Bob mentioned earlier, not everyone will like the outcome but there are some tough decisions that need to be made. If nothing is done, I believe boaters will continue to exit the OB Classes, especially in the Southeast, where several issues exist, including one-off's continuing to show up, boaters with stock engines are showing up only to find out they are racing against guys that have had the internals "reworked", amongst others. If too much is done, we still may lose a couple of boaters in the outboard classes. I feel something needs to be done now in several of these areas to make our classes easier to police in the future. This will help maintain the integrity of running races in a "controlled and tightly monitored" outboard racing environment that is fair. Advantages in our hobby should be gained with driving skills, setup, props, fuel, exhausts, etc, not by taking advantages of a lack of definitions and disregarding the obvious.

 

[RonShaw]

Would these tunnels pass the " no tunnel aft transom" rule? They are both production hulls. The tunnel extends around 3 inches on the gas tunnel

Dion,

See my post above to Darin. This was simply throwing out ideas to consider.

 

[rumrunner]

This is turning into a witch hunt ! This isn't helping the sport any , I don't like lee crafts, can you make a rule so Ron can't race them.

(lol)

 

[RonShaw]

This is turning into a witch hunt ! This isn't helping the sport any , I don't like lee crafts, can you make a rule so Ron can't race them.

(lol)

LOL. Shane. It's not that at all. Sounds more like a lot of guys that want things to simply stay as they are, don't ruffle the feathers, let us run whatever we want to run as long as there are no outboard definitions defining what an outboard truly is. Bob started this thread to get ideas across the board. These are much needed changes and will help the overall integrity of the tunnel classes. The rouge lower unit issue is only one of them. It may upset people in the beginning but overall, it should have been done years ago. How can anyone look at the pics posted above and say that is an outboard? It is simply an inboard with a rotating mount. There is no transom whatsoever, and no lower unit. Its a skeleton at best. Majority rules in any organization. If the majority wants to keep the "run-what-you-brung" mentality, and let this keep migrating over to the rest of the nitro, and then FE classes as well, I guess that is up to the NAMBA and IMPBA Membership.

 

[Andy Greene]

So its not a witch hunt, but clearly you are aiming your sights at a specific boat - again. Simply trying to justify that by saying " Bob started this thread to get ideas across the board" doesnt change the fact that he was probably once again led to the water to drink , by yourself imho.

Once again - only IMHO you are doing more harm than good for tunnels right now by the way your are handling this. From the silver water jacket to the innovative design- your the one with that has issue's with it.How can you say what F-1 is doing in 2014 has nothing to do with our boats or future? Does the boat in question win every heat it runs ?? Does it clearly dominate the field every time it runs ?? Just asking......

Draft a proposal and submit it- this drama has been replayed far too many times if you ask me- and I just started running tunnels a year or two ago.....

If I owned the boat you have such an issue with- I would copy your boat and spank your azz with it ,

Can I go as far as to ask- how many times have YOU beaten that boat ? h34r:

 

[RonShaw]

Andy,

Bob has been doing this a long time. I'm sure he can think very clearly for himself and doesn't need anyone to lead him anywhere. These rogue lowers are only a small part of the issue. FYI, there are many other boaters that have issues with them. Most are just not as vocal about it as I am, thats all. It's not about the number of heats that are being won, but more about really thinking this through before it gets any more out of hand. At the WTC in 2012 I saw one, 2013 there were 4. You do the math. Again, majority rules. If the membership decides to leave it like it is on this and the other proposals that will be made, then it will rest there. Maybe just allow these lowers in Mod, open, and gas. I don't know. If the majority decides to make outboard a little more defined in the rule books, add additional classes, define other classes clearer, then it can rest there as well. This is an open discussion forum.

 

[Bob Kensill]

I have no issues with John Otto's 40 tunnel. I think it is very cool and very ingenious. What I don't want to see is a tunnel with the motor mounted in the middle of the boat, with some sort of swivel mount and the prop sticking out two feet behind the boat. This does not represent the spirit and intent of the rules.

 

[Andy Greene]

I have no issues with John Otto's 40 tunnel. I think it is very cool and very ingenious. What I don't want to see is a tunnel with the motor mounted in the middle of the boat, with some sort of swivel mount and the prop sticking out two feet behind the boat. This does not represent the spirit and intent of the rules.

So you agree Otto's boat represents the spirit of the class Bob ?

 

[Bob Kensill]

If anyone thinks that they have some better ideas, post them on here so we can discuss them intelligently. Saying that making some new rules will "ruin the sport" shows the lack of thought that went in to their statement. I started racing in IMPBA in 1983. There were no real tunnel classes back then. Some of us "old timers" had the wisdom and fore sight to recognize the fact that outboard racing was going to grow fast.

 

[Bob Kensill]

I have no issues with John Otto's 40 tunnel. I think it is very cool and very ingenious. What I don't want to see is a tunnel with the motor mounted in the middle of the boat, with some sort of swivel mount and the prop sticking out two feet behind the boat. This does not represent the spirit and intent of the rules.

So you agree Otto's boat represents the spirit of the class Bob ?

 

[Bob Kensill]

I think Otto's boat is a great example of pushing the envelope. It is probably going to be the measure by which all other "different" boats are judged

 

[HTV Boats]

Actually at the WTC with Joe & Wayne there were 2 in 2011, 3 in 2012 and 3 in 2013. looks like a crisis to me. I'm gonna copy one of these next.

 

[rumrunner]

Mic it was 4 for 2013 , my gas boat , EF, Ryan's EF, and Otto 's 40 , unless you didn't count my gas cause it's mounted on a 90 bracket. mic where did you find picture of my new version the camo motor thought it was top secret .(lol)

 

[RonShaw]

Actually at the WTC with Joe & Wayne there were 2 in 2011, 3 in 2012 and 3 in 2013. looks like a crisis to me. I'm gonna copy one of these next.

Those at least mount to a vertical outboard transom. Would be better, thats for sure.

 

[Kris Flynn]

What would your ideas be on running modified "production" units if some of these rules came in? Ie only production lowers to be used (which is a really bad idea IMO)u

I seem to keep reading Bob and Ron replying to the same questions here (half of this thread) so we know their opinions on the non vertical transom issue (not just Otto's boat)

I can see where Ron is coming from, but sometimes we need to worry about the important things. Like outlawing any boats which the cowl isn't within an inch of the sponson tips! (there goes Leecraft Shane haha)

 

[rumrunner]

Lol what's Ron going to race now.

 

[Rhonda Pickard]

Keep this simple you make to many rules there goes the fun we are suppose to have with these toy boats, i love running tunnel but if it gets to where there are rules on top of rules i be gone Robert