What is it? Prather?

[Mike Byer]

A friend found this at a flea market and brought it by.

mike b

 

[john schultheis]

Prather Piranha

 

[Ken Webb]

Octura Wing Ding. Goes back to the late 70's early 80's.

 

[David Bryant]

yep, it is a Prather Piranha (just confirm whether it's fibreglass). Is that a Picco P45 Marine? Or K&B 45 Marine?

 

[Ken Webb]

If it's glass it's Prather. Wood Wing Ding. They look a lot alike.

 

[rctinman]

Prather Piranha! ( epoxy glass version of the Octura Wing Ding) Have built both.

Steve Ball

Put Octura Wing Ding into your search engine and a build article should come up. Goes back to 1976.

 

[Steven Bryant]

Piranha

 

[Mike Byer]

It's glass with an 80 Picco, there must have been several sizes of these.

 

[David Bryant]

It's glass with an 80 Picco, there must have been several sizes of these.

Are there several sizes of the Prather Piranha? Prather Products only produced one model, it was designed for .45 to .80 engine (actually I believe for .45 to .67).

The Piranha was, essentially, a slightly more higher-performance epoxy-glass version of the Octura Wing Ding 60. Cleaner and easier to build than it's wood counterpart. Prather Products produced a high-quality hardware kit for it (at the time).

The Piranha ran well once properly set-up, very fast. Only problems, especially in heat-racing:

[A] I've seen a few owners actually bend (or deform) the aluminum "Wing Ding" sponson brackets wrecking into particular bouy's or other boats (I guess any boat could break from wrecking). The Octura Wing Ding bracket(s) and/or Piranha sponson(s) would have to be replaced.

The forces generated by engine torque, causing sponsons to flex the aluminum Wing Ding brackets into the aluminum motor-mount (an integral unit), can potentially damage the crankcase, especially running the larger displacement engines (.67/.80). I've witnessed a few cracked crankcases (at least on the K&B .67's). Consequently Prather Products produced a limited quantity of custom Octura Swift Switch engine mounts with aluminum plate TIG-welded to rear, or forward, surface of the mount to prevent flexing inward (acts like an aluminum bulkhead).

 

So are you guys planning to run it?

 

[BobBonahoom]

Here a couple I built back in the day...Can't remember if they were WingDings or Piranhas. We used to use exhaust throttles back then.

 

[gil sonsino]

I built both riggers but my personal preference was for the Wing Ding 60 with OPS 60,lighter and stronger than the Piranha . David pointed out properly the weak points in the Prather conception. I Remember not always problems with sponsons's supports but also an unpredictable tendencie to blowover with left rudder correction at full throthle..probably due to the low torque of the servos at that time...brought some nice vintage memories!Thanks guys Gill

 

[Jim Recker Jr.]

Wing Dings aren't made anymore right? If not, too bad, was a solid racing hull. Mike Meelbusch and Gene Klisnick won US-1's with their's in F hydro.

 

[David Bryant]

Here a couple I built back in the day...Can't remember if they were WingDings or Piranhas. We used to use exhaust throttles back then.

I believe the first image (Orange colored fuselage) is an Octura Wing Ding with K&B .45 Marine. The second image is a Prather Pirnaha with K&B 7.5cc .

If you look closely, the second image features more "rounded" edges, characteristic of the molded hull components.

 

[BobBonahoom]

That is right. The first one is a wooden Wing-Ding and the second was epoxy glass. K&B 45s in both I think.

 

[JRXHydros]

Seen a Twin 60 Wing Ding back in the late 70s....ran very good!

 

[David Bryant]

I believe I read somewhere that, back in the day, the Piranha outrigger kit was discontinued due to a dispute between Octura and Prather products over design infringement?

 

[Rick Reisinger]

I Have 1 on the shelf riged & ready ............

 

[henry velasco]

Rick

Bring it to Hobart

 

[David Bryant]

I Have 1 on the shelf riged & ready ............

I also have a brand-new Piranha kit I'm putting together right now. Using a brand-new (current) Picco P45R (blues-head/black case). I'll post some images along the way.......

What are you powering yours with?

 

[Andy Brown]

Wing Ding was an excellent running boat, both on calm and rough water. I had a Wing Ding 60 with a Supre Tiger X-40. Cool looking boat too!

The WIng Ding won the Indy Unlimited many times!

Would be fun to build a "modern" version of it!