Anybody like fast boats?
 

I just dropped this video yesterday, about the history behind Mercury Racing, and then cherry picked one engine from each decade of their 50 years in business. If you like fast boats, you'll probably dig this video and learn a few things.

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This took.. hours and hours of research, writing, producing, and editing, hope you enjoy it. I'm stoked about it. Cheers!

I'm not a boat guy exactly, but anything fast is cool. I'll check it out later (I'm "at work") :D

Love riding in them but can't afford one myself. The large lake near me (Lake Hopatcong) used to host speedboat races every September. Those suckers could really fly.

Thanks for sharing. Super interesting. Well done.

My dad still has an ex US Navy Seals 33’ Fountain Lightning that he and I fixed up 25 years ago… we powered it with twin BMW marine engines.

It’s sitting in his back yard decaying… what a shame.

uhhhhhhh yeah you know I'm going to ask for pics, right? Details? BMW marine engines? What?

Fun to watch...but they are way too fast for me. Especially the ones that hardly touch the water and almost flip. :eek:

Good info in the video.

they had a nice strait 6 diesel based on a car motor
also little one bangers for sailboats lite weight units

and some gas versions also 4 or 6

not idea if the v8 or turbo's get used in boats now
or any M stuff
pages of pictures
no idea they have o/b too

https://www.google.com/search?q=BMW+marine+engines&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=y1RjN_Qfgfbc iM%252CFuf09NlpYGlaEM%252C_%253BcHNInhtmDcUvTM%252 CpbwLeN1EE7ZhNM%252C_%253BJncGi50pins2rM%252CWdHXm x4RPVisAM%252C_%253BV2wyU-b0_j989M%252Ctq-z37THtu4GWM%252C_%253BzoI2WH4WZATjyM%252CKWZ2t1LAI 64vvM%252C_%253Bpol-YTt2Gir4tM%252CjkmDliWMJDUNZM%252C_%253BMC68iL7Ink CtLM%252Cn7f4IiYhoiPilM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kS74Dia8XZiMQfvtQhMzEIM-P3rdw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcntzC_JL9AhV6mYQIHXhkBN8Q_h 16BAg2EAE#imgrc=JncGi50pins2rM

I've spent a fair bit of time in boats on lakes. For reasons I cannot explain, outboard motors are very fast. Hydroplanes do not use outboard motors, obviously, and speed boats usually do not use outboards, but the fastest boats I have personally encountered have been outboards.

Also, probably because fluids are inelastic and because propellors do not rely on friction like tires do, acceleration launches in fast boats are sometimes what I would call "violent." Far too strong for a skier to hold onto the handle.

Back when I had a 14 ft flat bottom boat, I wanted to do this.

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Love fast boats more than fast cars

Seeing the Miami-Nassau offshore race and F1 inshore powerboat races inspired my love for motorsport as a child growing up in the Bahamas 100's of miles from a race track more than I can explain

I saw the moppie crew https://www.inthebite.com/2019/10/bertrams-first-boat/

right after the race they won in 60
they were black and blue all over
the boats near beat them to death
no padded surrounds to hold them in place back then

The only thing with a motor in that terrifies me is a fast boat. Just something about speed on the water doesn't sit well with me.

I grew up here in the Seattle area, and rode my bike to the unlimited hydro races every single day they were still free to attend in the late 60's to the end of the '70's. Loved watching, even got a ride in one when things were't as buttoned down as they are today. I was too young to be smart enough to be scared that time, plus I figured the course must be cleared and inspected for deadheads and such, so we were probably good.

My only other experiences were in a friend's blown 454 powered flat bottom on Lake Washington, with open headers, blasting between Mercer Island and Hunt's Point in Bellevue at oh-dark-thirty AM one morning. I swear that thing was going to kite up and flip at any minute. That, and the deadheads really scared me. The guy told me we got up into the triple digits, and I believe him. Never again.

The other was out on Puget Sound in a friend's twin 500 inch Merc powered offshore boat. Blasting up to, and around, the San Juan Islands at, again, likely triple digit speeds at times. I was sure we were all going to die. Just too much schitt floating around in the Sound. So, again - never again. Of course, in retrospect, I think the most terrifying thing that day was the fuel bill...

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but here goes anyway...

When I was 15yrs old I watched a F1 inshore world championship powerboat race in Nassau Harbour in the Bahamas.

Thought it was the coolest thing ever but at the time had no idea how wrong I was

10yrs later I end up working in my spare time for the Union Internationale Motonautique the watersports world governing body as Technical Commissioner

Responsible for the technical inspection for the whole grid of F1 inshore powerboats at world championship races around the world eg France, Russia, Middle East, Italy, Greece, Germany etc

When I tell this story or read it back to myself I think what the hell was I thinking and how did that happen at such a young age :confused:

Ya Baby!
This is my old American edition Hydrostream V King. At 17' 10" and maybe 500 lbs. (plus motor) did 80+ mph. The punch from 50 to 70 felt instantaneous and was addicting. 200 hp with some head work and and lots of go fast bits. You could touch the water with your hand. When it came up on pad all I could do was smile.
After a couple of years no one would get in it with me. There was even a couple of times my male friends would want to to smack me they were so freaked out.
Good times.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1676314300.jpg

^^^Now that is a cool boat right there!!!^^^

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

ehhh wrong & wrong.

I would say most hydroplanes use outboards, here's a little 8' hydro I picked up for a few hundred bucks:

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Speed boats use outboards more and more frequently; in today's market it's easier/cheaper to go fast with a high performance outboard vs a heavier, cast iron, expensive inboard. Plus the weight is behind the transom, so it makes it easier to get the hull out of the water.

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Interesting piece of history, bizarre how they moved the console to the very back. Makes sense, but why not then enclose the rest of the bow?

Edit: WOAH! Look what youtube just showed me on a suggested video? 64 Offshore Racing, w "Lucky Moppie" the very same boat you linked to!

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Hell to the yeah. Hydrostreams are the CHEAPEST way to get into the "kill yourself" speed level, I love them. I've raced a lot of them and almost always lost lol.

There's a guy who redid one in his garage on youtube, and holy crap he put so much time into it but it came out amazing:

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Great video.
I wonder how the Sharrow propeller will do on the racing boats.

Driving through a chime walk is not for the faint of heart.