Unlimited Thunderboat

[Steve Seebold]

There's talk in District 19 about making an exhibition class for next year for Unlimited Classic Thunderboat to be run on the days when there is a scale meet.

I think the plan is to allow engines up to 29.5cc. One of the local guys out here put a 29.5 in his Classic Thunderboat and he's running mid 70's with it, in heat race trim.

Too bad I sold my Thunderboat last month. Oh well, I can't get that excited about hydros anyway.

 

[JeremyEdge]

I don't race thunderboat but my good friend does and If this happens it will die like crackerbox did in District 3.

 

[Don Ferrette]

I don't race thunderboat but my good friend does and If this happens it will die like crackerbox did in District 3.

There's talk in District 19 about making an exhibition class for next year for Unlimited Classic Thunderboat to be run on the days when there is a scale meet.

I think the plan is to allow engines up to 29.5cc. One of the local guys out here put a 29.5 in his Classic Thunderboat and he's running mid 70's with it, in heat race trim.

Too bad I sold my Thunderboat last month. Oh well, I can't get that excited about hydros anyway.

WHY??? All they will do is create another gas sport hydro class with pretty paint jobs. Classic Thunderboat has been a very successful class why screw with it???

 

[Jerry Muro]

I agree why ruin a good thing. Best class I ever raced good competition it is all set up and driving. Now for Sport Hydro mine sits on the rack due to the carnage at EVERY race.To many racers who cant drive over 55. If this happens I am with Jeremy another boat will sit pretty on boat rack.

 

[Steve Seebold]

I agree. The original intent was to have boats that looked like the thunder boats from the 50's and 60's, but that didn't last very long. Everyone started pushing the envelope and now we've got that THING from Insane that doesn't even look like a thunder boat. It looks more like a 7 litre hydro.

If you're going to have a class like that, then have some rules that EVERYONE has to follow.

 

[Wesleys Custom RC]

I took my very competitive classic thunderboat and ran it in 1/6 scale with a modified zenowa and it was competitive. The only problem I see is the CD's or tec guys need a easy way to tec the motors in the thunder class. Otherwise, there will be ALOT of ilegal engines.

 

[Joe Petro]

Wes, do you think that there is a lot of cheating now?

I can't imagine that someone would be that desperate.

I guess I just always assumed that we were all gentlemen. This assumption has backfired before though...

 

[Grimracer]

I am with you Joe.. I trust people and if they cheat and I get beat.. so be it.. a cheater is his own worse enemy..

grim

 

[Wesleys Custom RC]

I have been racing in "spec" class full size cars for some 25 years and I have seen good friends get caught cheating and I have seen people get caught cheating who, even though they were cheating, STILL could not win a race. I have also left a series because no one would tec. the cars. When that happened everybody started fudging the rules and it took all the fun out of racing that class. I just want to see more motors getting inspected so I can know I was beat fair and square.

 

[JimZaremski]

Seems like something that would just fracture the Thunderboat class and do way more harm than good. If you want to run an "unlimited" Thunderboat, why not just go with Gas Scale which already exists?

besides, I enjoy classic Thunderboat as sort of a "practice" class. With everyone on the course more or less on equal footing, I can practice my starts and lane selection.

 

[Scott Liddycoat]

I have raced lots of stock inboard hydroplanes and more times then none the boats running in the middle of the pack are the ones stretching the rules. There are lots of little things that make a boat fast not just a big motor, people don't always understand hard work pays off.

Scott

 

[Rookie]

I love the Thunder Boat class. It's great competition and fun to drive in. If you want to go Modified in your Thunder Boat, why not just enter it in LSG Sport Hydro instead of creating another class. The Thunder Boat class is as much fun to watch as it is to run in it!

Jim Skelton

 

[henry velasco]

I don,t run that class but when your up I go watch -- All I see is good competitive racing -- a whole lot of good driving for the most part wins the races

I have seen many times that boat talked about run in the mid seventies, yes its fast and every stable, it should run with the NAMBA G2 or GX2 Sport hydros not create a new class JMO

 

[Gale54]

I only have the question of WHY?

 

[DON MAHER]

Guys, Let me try to explain what the intent of this is all about. There is a group of 4 or 5 that have T boats & have run mod or big blocks for fun and said hey lets see if we can run together at one of the scale associations events. This is not meant to be a new district or national class. It is just for"FUN"! Hope this will help clear up some of the misconceptions.

Don

 

[Jay Stone]

Don,

I hope a few guys do run the class - it'd be cool to see some classes like this run at special events (such as the Scale events at Legg).

As for teching the thunderboat class. We teched the top 7 for stroke at the West Texas Shootout without notice prior to the shootout event. Top 3 finishers were then torn down after the event. There were a couple guys sweating bullets as they had new stock motors that they had never even had the jugs off of. Not a single person was cheating. We had racers from NAMBA District 7, 19 and 20 in attendance...

 

[henry velasco]

Don

you are 100 percent right and it should have never been brought up out of the local level to be beat to death on this form

 

[captwalter]

Scott: Great to see you on here with us. I fully agree with you about the old 145's and 280's. The cheaters always seemed to run in the middle of the pack or worse. I remember setting a worlds record years ago in the 7 litre class. I was torn down and found legal. The second and third place boats were torn down and found illegal. They kept going and could not find another legal boat. What happened. My record was thrown out as the rules stated that there had to be three legal boats to set a record.

My experience with the RC Thunderboats is that there are a certain number of cheaters out there. Our problem is finding someone who will act as an engine inspector to catch them. So my thought is that they have to live with the fact that they are cheaters. I am comfortable knowing that my boat and engine are legal.

Good luck with the U37. Limited drivers almost always make better drivers in the U boats than someone starting out in unlimiteds without that incredably tough limited boat experience. You and Mike Webster are perfect examples. Best regards and God bless, Perry

 

[Al Waters]

I don't post much out here but ya gotta love "Days of our Lives" by people that don't even run a boat. I just retired so I will have a chance to make some races that in the past I have not been able to make. I called the D19 scale group recently to see if the Hawaii Kai CT boat I built some years back will qualify to run in D19 at a club (not a district event) as a Gas Scale Hydro under NAMBA Gas Scale rules. I was told that it will be able to run at the D19 club event next year. No problem. SO IT IS NOW NOT A CLASSIC THUNDERBOAT. Now the possibilty exists that if I go to the Pacific Northwest to a club event or a National event, it MIGHT be viewed differently. Time will tell.

If the scale club (not a district sanctioned points race) wants to run Gas Scale Unlimited Hydroplane Classic Unlimited Thunderboat with whatever rules they want as long as the boat and motor are NAMBA legal, who should really care? We are looking for three like boats so that we can have a race. I am on the same page as Don Maher. There is talk of taking CT's and allowing bigger motors so we can go out and play. At a club event, give it any class name that you want. At a district race it would be a G-2 or possibly a GX-2 Sport Hydro. At 70 MPH in heat race trim, I would say that it will win more than it loses against the very well known name hulls. There is talk of some of our CT's that do qualify as Scale Scale Hydros and going out and playing.

Did I say go out and play? Heaven forbid that we should ever do that.

The scale club here is a small group so we do what we can to get boats on the water without diminishing the class. If some will remember, we used to have a class called Unlimited Lights. I might even try and bring that back myself.

So why a person who nevers runs a boat has a problem with this and gets all of the rest of you stirred up, is totally beyond me. Henry is right. Why is this disscussion even on the forum?

I am going to the next club D19 scale event with a nitro 1/8 scale unlited hydro and a CT. Hopefully the classes will qualify to run. I called a buddy and he might bring his two legal gas scales and I might bring my legal gas scale also. That's three boats. Now they won't race because that is TALK for next year but we can test (maybe if allowed).

So for those of you in D19 who don't run a boat but feel the need to talk about something..... well, it is what it is. Put it on the water. Sorry the rest of you were drug in on this.

Thanks,

Al Waters

 

[Patrick Mulvany]

Guys,

Have you completely lost thought of "Gas Scale" which is just a bit more in size than Thunderboats but any engine is good to go.. Within engine size limits!!! Doesn't that eliminate the "Cheaters"? This is only adding one class that has already been proposed when people get enough of them in any area to get the class going..

Later!!

Pat