September 2008

NAMBA INTERNATIONAL PROPWASH
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Cathie Galbraith
1815 Halley Street
San Diego, CA 92154
(619) 424-6380
Fax (619) 424-8845
e-mail: cathie.galbraith@namba.com
PRESIDENT
Al Waters
162 Avenida Chapala
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 746-2408
e-mail: al.waters@namba.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Mark Grim
7372 Natal Drive
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 890-3127
e-mail: mark.grim@namba.com
Web Page: www.namba.com
VOLUME 38, NUMBER 2
President’s Message
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
In Memory of Bill Miller ……...
2
Tuning Tips/Troubleshooting …
3
New Scale Club Hits the NW …
7
The State of Sale ……………...
7
ERCU at Seattle’s Seafair …….
8
Zenoah from Stock to Outlaw ...
9
So You Want To CD …………. 11
ERCU Happy to be NAMBA ...
13
NAMBA District IX ………….. 13
Kids Are Boaters ……………...
14
NAMBA Nats Snaps ………….
15
Nats Point of View ……………
17
So You Want To Host A Nats ..
17
A Nationals Thank You ………. 18
NAMBA Nationals History …..
19
You Can’t Touch This! ……….
19
WOR! is Online! ……………...
20
Notes From the VP …………… 20
District One - The Home Stretch 20
In Memory Of Roger Newton ...
SEPTEMBER 2008
22
NAMBA Contacts ……………. 23
By Al Waters
NAMBA President
Since the last Propwash in March of this year, there has been a lot going on so I
will reflect back just a bit and take the President’s Message through a time line.
Proposals were voted on and passed for the Fast Electric classes and the new Classic
Thunderboat class in the gas rules. Please go to the NAMBA web site at
www.namba.com and simple directions will show you what pages to print and replace
to keep your current rule book up to date. Each year, we will mail to the general
NAMBA membership the updated rules. However, once they are posted on the
Internet, they do take affect so we might as well keep our rule books up to date at the
races.
In June of this year, the FE NAMBA Nats were hosted by the Devil Mountain
Water Boilers in District Nine at Lake Minden. This is home site to the RC Modeleers
of which District Nine Director Dave Bestpitch is a member. Dave and his club
jumped right in and assisted the Devil Water Mountain Boilers in running the event so
that they would have the opportunity to race also. More and more, we are seeing that
our NAMBA Nationals need the assistance from outside the hosting club or district to
run a smooth Nationals.
It’s now July and off to Greeley, Colorado where District 20 hosted the NAMBA
Nitro and Gas Nationals. This was our first Nationals in some time where we were
prepared to assist a district that had a smaller membership than say District 3, 9, or 19.
Co-Contest Directors Robert Holland, Joe Scarpino, and their district members did an
incredible job. Occasionally they needed help with race announcers, judges, mailing
lists for sponsors, the race program, heat sheets, teaching on-site race day scoring
procedures, you name it. When they asked, we found it for them. We want the
NAMBA Nationals to travel the country so that those who can’t will have the
opportunity for the Nationals to come to them. I won’t candy coat it and say that the
system in place was perfect and the Nationals went off without a hitch. All Nationals
provide opportunities for us. We take care of them, learn from them, and make
provisions so that following Nationals will run that much more smoothly. When the
contestants have a good time and can’t see that we are taking care of those
opportunities behind the scenes, then we have a successful NAMBA Nationals. Robert
Holland, Joe Scarpino and his committee did just that. They showed that the smaller
districts can host a successful and fun Nationals. Read elsewhere in this issue what Jim
Continued on page 2
PROPWASH
President’s Message
(Continued from front page)
Rigli and Rena Corley from the City of Greeley Parks Department had to say about the
Nationals.
The first question always asked at the completion of one Nationals is where the
next one is going to be held. The NAMBA Nationals for Nitro and Gas will be held in
District Eight at Twin Lakes in Marysville, Washington. Co-Contest Directors Eric
Bourlet, Mike Hughes, and their committee have not wasted any time and are securing
class sponsorships and host hotel accommodations as of this writing. For those of you
who have not had the opportunity to see just how fast the FE boats are going with the
new rules package, the 2009 NAMBA Nationals are a must attend. There will be a
couple of FE classes that will run exhibition. I refer to them as WOW classes. That is
what you will say when you see them run. It should be pretty exciting.
The 2009 NAMBA FE Nationals will be hosted by the Mid-Michigan Electrics
Unlimited Club, home of the prestigious MMEU Cup. MMEU hosted the FE
Nationals five years ago and had nearly 100 boaters entering 509 boats.
Please check back to the NAMBA web site frequently so that you will have access to
both NAMBA Nationals web sites when they become available.
There are also a few changes to be announced with NAMBA Chairmen. Dave
Bestpitch, who has been our NAMBA Awards Chairman for many years, has resigned.
Kim Grim will now fulfill his position. Kim has been instrumental in providing us
with the high resolution graphics for the NAMBA logo and NAMBA Hall of Fame
logo. She has been involved with designing NAMBA Nationals race programs and
owns a graphics business so I am sure that she will fit right in comfortably.
NAMBA Vice President Mark Grim and I were talking and felt that we should have
someone who has the energy and passion to search out our history beyond the banner
that displays our Nationals patches. Who else other than District One Director Dave
Rychalsky. Dave has been collecting Nationals pins and race programs dating back to
our first Nationals. He has a good collection going but we are missing the early years.
Please read elsewhere in the Propwash on how you can be of assistance in helping him
out. Dave has the current pins and patches in a collection case designed to display at
the Nationals during the special events held throughout the week. As a result of his
efforts, we have added Dave to the Contacts page in the Propwash and NAMBA web
site with the title of Historian. His e-mail and phone number are available so that he
can be contacted.
As we approach the end of the 2008 racing season, we come upon that time of the
year where District Director elections are held for even numbered districts. We have
received one nomination from District Eight and District 20. Nominations are now
closed as per Section 3 of the NAMBA rule book.
You will also notice that there is a NAMBA application for 2009 insurance
included with this issue. It may sound a little early but how many times have you
found yourself waiting until a couple of weeks before your first race and then trying to
get insurance at the last minute. Please remember that your insurance is good for those
times you test before race days so don’t wait until the last minute to take care of
business.
Have a good year racing!
2
In Memory of Bill Miller
By Al Waters
NAMBA President
Bill Miller was a gas model boater in
District 19 who everyone knew. If they
didn't know him because of his personality, they knew of him because of the
way he drove his boats. He was known as
“Wild Bill.”
I didn't know Bill that well as I have
not been racing gas boats that long but he
was a likeable kind of guy. He did race
Cat and Sport Hydro so we were in many
heats together. He always said hi to me
and was very personable. Very few
people in this world could have as much
fun as Bill did.
District 19 uses an online feature for
entering races. Vince Henderson, the
Safety Chairman for District 19 would
always enter Bill’s boats and be there for
him at the races. Kirk Henderson, Vince’s
son, would help Bill out also if the two
were in the same heat together.
When we lose a model boater, we
always have a memory or two about
something they did that will always stick
in our mind. Bill left an everlasting
impression with me that I can still talk
about to this day and it gives me a good
laugh.
At the Gas World Championships last
year in Las Vegas, racing for the event
was finished and everyone was cleaning
up. Bill decided to run one more boat that
he was having some difficulty with during
the event. Whatever it was, he found it as
the boat ran like a rocket. If you have ever
been to the Las Vegas pond, you will
notice in the front straight that there is a
very tall protective retaining wall.
September 2008
PROPWASH
On the upper area, there were about a half a dozen fisherman with their lines in the
water. Fishing is not permitted there but they were there just the same. Bill ran his
boat a little wide coming out of the right turn and proceeded to wipe out every fishing
line and bobber in the pond. We know that Bill didn't do this on purpose as he was a
hooting’ and a hollering’ how fast his boat was running.
Needless to say, we calmed the fishermen down as we explained that they were not
allowed to fish in that area as it was. Bill went home a happy man totally unaware of
what had transpired. We cleaned up and got out of town in a hurry.
Yes! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Bill, we will certainly miss you.
Tuning Tips, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
By Mike Cathey
Unlimiteds Northwest
The challenge of the past few years in 1/8th scale racing in the Pacific Northwest
has been to get the boats to slow to a crawl at the start in lane one and then accelerate
hard to the first turn. Very few have been able to accomplish this with a single needle
carb. One way some of us got around this (somewhat) was to train ourselves to roll
into the throttle rather than snapping it wide open. The other way is to use a third
channel with an onboard adjustable high-speed needle valve, starting off rich so the
boat will take a start, then leaning it out once the boat is at full speed. The third
channel needle valves also work with two-needle carbs. I can’t remember how many
times I’ve seen guys struggling to find a tune and no adjustment to the needle helped,
so they just stayed lean. Most of the time it is because a piece of crud is in the needle
valve seat. Sometimes it is a piece of plastic flashing from the inside of the tank, or a
piece of carbon or pipe coupler material that has made it through the pressure tap from
the tuned pipe. A lot of people run fuel filters. Most fuel filters are directional and
have to be installed correctly to be of any use. Always back flush you needle valve
with some brake clean before you even start the tuning process. I blow mine out
several times during the day, especially in hot weather when the nitro can gum them
up.
When you initially do the radio install and throttle setup try to have about a one
mm opening of the carb barrel at idle. Remember you can always adjust this with the
radio throttle trim later without affecting the top end throttle barrel opening. Many
radios have an “Idle Up’ feature that allows a higher idle until you turn it off at the
transmitter after the boat is launched.
An important safety tip is to always make sure you can shut the motor down by
having enough servo travel to completely close the throttle barrel. Setting up your
failsafe is also a critical safety feature as well, protecting your boat and your fellow
competitor’s equipment. In my opinion a boat that cannot be shut off should never be
launched.
Tuning Single Needle Carbs
The best way to adjust a single-needle carb for all around performance is start off
rich and tune to lean. You can use a lot of your senses to determine if the motor is too
lean right on the bunk. If the motor idles too fast, the exhaust sounds too hollow or
raspy, or the exhaust from the motor smells burned and it makes your eyes water, it is
too lean. A flow meter can be indispensable in helping to establish a baseline.
Once you have established that the motor is on the rich side, test run the boat and
assess the performance. If it launches and accelerates easily but has no top end, you
are probably too rich. Lean it up in small increments until you get a good all around
performance. You want it to take a reasonably slow start, have decent acceleration,
and good top end performance. Once you get what you want, let the motor cool off
and flow it.
A motor that it running lean will generally speed up in the turns (as the prop
unloads) and sag coming off of the turns and will take a long time to come up on the
pipe from a slow speed, if at all. A lot of times the boat won’t come up on the pipe
September 2008
until you get to the turn. Sometimes you
just might be trying to use too big a
propeller and once the boat slows down
you might never get it back up on a
plane. There is just not enough grunt in
the motor, no matter what the tune is.
Two Needle Carbs
There are a lot of performance
advantages to be had by using a two
needle carb. The engine will have much
better performance at all levels of the
RPM spectrum. A properly tuned two
needle carb will give you a solid idle,
snappy acceleration, and outstanding top
end. The low-speed needle will handle
the fuel flow from idle to about ¼
throttle and the high-speed needle from
there on up to full throttle.
The most common two needle carb
that has been adapted to our 1/8th scale
unlimiteds boats is the O.S. Max 9B. I
have seen these mounted on Picco’s,
CMB’s, Kalastrotov’s and even Mac’s.
The newest version of the CMB Hydro
Greenhead motor comes with a two
needle carb that performs and tunes very
much like a OS 9B carb. One advantage
the CMB carb is that the low seed needle
has a 5/16th hex head that is more easily
adjusted than trying to get a screwdriver
in from the side as you do with the OS
9B.
Tuning Two Needle Carbs
Start by over richening the low-speed
needle. You basically want to take it out
of the picture while you work on getting
the high-speed needle right. Again, start
by over richening the high-speed needle.
Run the boat and keep leaning it out
until you get the top end performance
you want and the glow plug has a good
read. This is the critical adjustment. The
reason you must tune the high-speed
needle first is because the high-speed
needle controls the amount of fuel that
the low-speed needle receives because
the fuel flows from the fuel line to the
high-speed-needle and then on through
to the low-speed needle.
Once you have the high-speed needle
set you can start adjusting the low-speed
needle. Fire up the motor and let it warm
up on the boat stand. Give the throttle a
good solid blip. If the low-speed needle
is right, the motor should snap right up
with no bogging or coughing.
Continued on page 4
3
PROPWASH
Tuning Tips, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
(Continued from page 3)
Symptoms of a low-speed needle that is too lean:
a. Upon starting the idle rpm increases and then the motor dies. Richen it up until
you have good steady idle and the motor snaps up to full speed without any
hesitation.
b. If upon starting, the motor misses from idle right up to high speed when you crack
the throttle wide open, then both the low and high-speed needles are too lean.
Richen the needles and retune the high-speed needle again. Lean out the low-speed
needle until the idle starts to drop and a reliable idle is attained and the motor snaps
right up to full throttle with no hesitation.
Symptoms of a low-speed needle that is too rich:
a. Upon starting a warm motor the idle starts off high and then gradually decreases and
the motor dies. Lean it out in small increments until a reliable idle is attained and it
snaps up to full throttle without any hesitation or bogging.
More Tuning Techniques
Tuned Pipe Adjustments
Another tuning method is to move the tuned pipe in and out. This affects the
mixture as well. Lengthening the pipe tends to richen the mixture and conversely
shortening it will cause a leaner mixture. Moving the pipe in less than ¼” increments
probably won’t bring any discernable differences in performance unless you are really,
really close on your optimum set up. Some people measure pipe length from the back
of the water jacket to the weld on the pipe, others from the glow plug to the weld. I
like measuring from the glow plug as a standard because that won’t change from
engine to engine. Lengthening the pipe can compensate for hot weather or sites that
are high above sea level. The boat may look slow to you, but if you look around so
does everyone else’s. You motor just isn’t going to make the power it will at sea level
on a cool day.
Engine Temperature
Monitoring engine temperature can be critical to good overall performance. A
motor that is running cold will never work well at slower speeds. The digital,
instantaneous spot engine temperature gauges are a great tool to find out where you
are. One long time boater tells me if he can hold the water jacket for a couple of
seconds before he gets burned it is just right. Getting a temperature gauge sounds like
a less painful way to determine if the motor is running at the right temperature. OK,
call me a sissy but jeez!
If the motor is running cold one of the easiest ways to adjust the flow is fit a piece of
the next size smaller water cooling tubing in an easily assessable place. Many guys
make water line restrictors out of wheel collars or a 3/8” Nylon nut that has an 8/32”
hole drilled and tapped through one of the flats toward the center. Use an 8/32” Nylon
screw with an 8/32” Nylon lock nut to pinch the water line. Sneak up on it so you
don’t fry a motor.
If the motor is running hot, check for holes in the tubing or restrictions. Be
cognizant that sometimes the restriction will only happen with the cowling or fake
motor is installed. When you push the fake motor or cowling down it pinches the
water line. You should always have a good overboard water flow. Checking the
overboard is something you should always look for on the mill. Sometimes if the
ambient water is really warm you might have to water cool the exhaust. In warm
ambient water cool the water jacket on the motor and then plumb it to the exhaust
header and over the side. If the water is really cold (like we experience here at some of
our sites in the Pacific Northwest in the spring) it is better to run the water through the
exhaust header first and then through the water jacket on the motor and then
overboard.
Reading the Glow Plug
Another method of determining how your motor is tuned is to examine the glow
plug. Look at the second or third coil of the platinum element. If it is shiny and oily
4
you are too rich. If it is really pulled out
and white it is too lean. The perfect tune
will show a coil that is slightly pulled
and a little frosted looking. If the outside
of the plug is starting to turn dark there
are several possibilities such as too lean
a mixture, inadequate cooling water flow
or perhaps a bind in the cable/stuffing
box due to a broken motor mount, rubber
isolator (the rubber isolators should be
changed every couple years as the fuel
destroys them) or the prop shaft
bushings/bearings are coming apart.
No matter what adjustment you make,
such as adjusting the needle, lengthening
the pipe or changing propellers, make
one adjustment at a time. Otherwise you
don’t know what the heck you did that
changed what. Been there, done that,
sold the tee shirt.
My experience is that if you go out
for a heat and you find you are too lean
don’t back out the throttle much (even in
the mill-this is where your coach earns
his pay) because if you slow down the
motor will probably die. Better to just
keep the speed up quite a bit and take a
start in lane 99 and you just might finish
the heat and grab some points.
Annual Maintenance
Radio gear: I have found that one
good way to avoid radio problems is to
send all my gear (Tx, Rx’s, and servos)
back to a service company to have it all
checked right after the regular season is
over. The total is usually less than a
$100 and the piece of mind is well worth
it. Most of the people who have been
doing this for awhile also replace the
receiver switch every year. You cannot
see any corrosion in the switch and if it
fails, your failsafe functions will not
work at all. This has disaster written all
over it. I buy a new receiver battery for
each boat every year and relegate last
year,s battery to a back up. I have seen
some beautiful boats lost because of bad
batteries. Usually the wire gets brittle or
corroded and breaks or a solder
connection fails. Invest in a battery
cycler/charger. This is the only way to
make sure your batteries are working in
top capacity. Some people prefer using
alkaline batteries for their transmitters
because alkaline cells are 1.5 volts each.
Nicads or Nickle metal Hydride cells are
1.2 volts. Remember that when your
transmitter is down to 9.5 volts, the
September 2008
PROPWASH
transmitter range is cut in half. Using
alkaline cells allows you to start off the
day with higher voltage and makes
changing them out a simple process if
they get low on voltage.
Fuel system
Without a doubt I have seen more
boat problems be traced back to a
problem in the fuel system. Every year
the tank stoppers should be replaced
with new ones and new tubing formed
and installed (the exception on the
tubing would be if you are using
stainless steel). Brass tubing will
corrode, crack and weaken in the course
of a single season. The minimum tubing
size for a .67 engine is 5/32”. Dubro
makes a tubing bender (p/n 786). K & S
also makes a tubing cut-off tool (p/n
296) that makes this job much easier.
Sullivan manufactures a spun aluminum
stopper set (p/n 478) with a 4/40
stainless steel clinching screw that really
allows you to crank down on it without
stripping as the plastic stoppers (p/n
296) can do.
Leaks in the fuel system can usually
be detected by examining the tubing to
the carb. If you see air bubbles in the
line you have a leak somewhere. This
almost always manifests itself in a lean
running condition.
If the boat runs good for a couple of
laps then the motor leans out and dies,
the fuel pick up line in the main tank is
either cracked or broken.
Engine bearings
Almost everyone replaces the engine
bearings at the beginning of the season.
I also change mine about half way
through. Typically, bearing problems
become apparent when you can’t get a
tune no matter what you do or the motor
runs OK for a couple of laps, gets up to
operating temperature and then lays
down on you. I have had good luck
really pickling the motor good with after
run oil (like JB 80) and then tearing the
motor down when I get home, cleaning
it with brake clean, blowing it out with
air and lubing (Risoline works good, it
has lots of additives for anti-rust and
anti-corrosion) and reassembling. This
gives me an opportunity to examine the
motor and bearings and most
importantly, eliminates one more race
day headache.
September 2008
Checking your boat out after a race
Look for loose nuts and bolts, servos, motor mounts, hull cracks, dinged propellers,
rudders and turn fins. Blown exhaust couplers, chafed, cut, or worn fuel and water
lines. Also look for a loose radio box or pushrod seals. All of this is much easier (and a
lot less stressful) to fix on the bench at home rather than at the pond. Race days should
be fun instead of a thrash. In any form of racing, preparation is always one of the keys
to success.
Drying out wood boats
A wood boat can pick up as much as a pound of weight during a race season if they
are not dried out. This also leads to wood rot. You can buy an aquarium pump and all
the fittings and tubing for less that $20 at a pet supply store. Feed the lines up into all
your drain holes and let it run for a couple of days and it will carry any residual
moisture out. I know this works as I have popped the decks off a couple of my 5 year
old boats and they looked as if they were built last week.
Race Day Rituals
Many new boaters need to develop habits that will make them successful. Here are
a few things that have been helpful to me. Above all else, approach the day resolved to
have fun. This can be a frustrating hobby when things aren’t going your way. Try to
learn from days like this. It is usually is indicative of some aspect of boat preparation
you haven’t been paying enough attention to. If the boat won’t run, your wings just got
run over, and maybe the calls aren’t going your way-just relax and enjoy some of the
really great people that are in our hobby. Remember, it’s only a model boat race; not
life and death.
1. Make sure you have the frequency pin.
2. Range check your radio- before you go out on the water for the first time.
3. After every run.
a. Remove the glow plug, read it and check that it still ignites.
b. Remove the fuel line, place a rag over the glow plug hole and
blow the motor out to remove any water that might have gotten
gotten in it when the boat came off plane.
c. Blow the needle valve out with brake clean.
d. Refuel the boat.
e. Check for loose parts and re-tighten as necessary
. f. Check the prop, rudder and turn fin to make sure were not dinged by running over
something in the water.
4. Every other run.
a. Grease the cable if you can do it without removing it.
b. Grease the strut.
5. If you use a flow meter, wait until the heat before you are up to flow. Weather
conditions can change the tune in a hurry, so you want to be current.
I hope this helps some of you enjoy our hobby more. I want to thank all the people
who took the time to help me over the years. Remember once you learn what you are
doing; pass it on to the new guys. If your day is going good take some time to help
someone who is struggling. After all, they might be kicking your butt one day and they
might be more willing to share some their speed secrets with you!
www.unlimitedsnw.org
5
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PROPWASH
New Scale Club Hits The Northwest
The State Of Scale
By Marty Shallenberger
Pacific Northwest Thunderboat Association
By Mike McKnight
National Scale Chairman
I would like to introduce a recently formed District Eight club called the Pacific
Northwest Thunderboat Association. We are a group of hydroplane enthusiasts that
enjoy building and racing radio controlled scale hydroplanes of all types. This new
club will consist of two classes of boats that will run heat races around the greater
Seattle area.
The first are the Classic Thunderboats, the enormously popular and recognized
NAMBA class that is made up of boats that are built and painted in the spirit of the
Thunderboats that ran in the 50’s and 60’s. This class runs stock 25.99cc motors and
has a very complete set of rules to follow. These boats can be built from scratch or
hulls can be ordered from different manufacturers. If you just want to open the box
and go racing you can order a boat from companies as completely ready to run
including paint and graphics of your choice. The second will be the Scale Hydroplane
class. This class is made up of boats that will be painted and detailed to match their
full size counterparts. This Scale Hydroplane class will include the older round nose
boats along with modern pickle fork boats that are still racing today. This scale
class will be allowed to use modified 25.99cc motors without pull starters that will
propel the boats to speeds over 60 miles per hour in heat racing trim. These boats must
be built and configured in the likeness and proportion of the unlimited hydroplane that
it is modeled after. The boat must run with the correct engine cowling or dummy
motor that covers the boats engine. This is not a recognized NAMBA class but with
the large group of 1/8 scale nitro racers in the Pacific Northwest, along with all the
building talent in the area, we believe that this class will become very popular in the
Pacific Northwest.
We will be running our first demonstration race of the Thunderboats at this year’s
Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship race in October. For 2009, we plan on
running a six race series with the last race being held in conjunction with the
Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship in October.
Speaking of the Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship race, this year’s
contest will be our fifth annual event. Each year this race has attracted many racers
from the local area and a few from around the US. I am very pleased to announce that
this year we will now be able to call it an international race. We have been informed
that Merv Sowden from New Zealand will be shipping his Budweiser scale hydro to
race with us. For information regarding the Pacific Northwest Thunderboat
Association and the Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship race please visit
www.pnwta.org
September 2008
So for the last couple of years I’ve
been hearing, mainly from the same
couple of people, that 1/8 Scale
Unlimiteds are dead. Being the Scale
diehard that I am I wasn’t really
listening. I was willing to concede that
Scale numbers were dwindling a bit but
not dead. Even in the Northwest the
numbers at RCU and UNW races are
down quite a bit. So I decided to take a
long hard look at what might be
contributing to this.
Was it the full sized boats? One
wouldn’t think so as they see to be
growing in numbers and the ABRA
seems to be getting better every year
since the departure of the Budweiser
team, Hydro-Prop, and the APBA. Well
there are the economy and gas prices
obviously. Even this racer has cut back
on traveling quite a bit. But I think more
importantly the factors within boating
itself might be more the issue. Let’s face
it, there is a real problem with nitro at
the moment. The cost of fuel, plugs, and
engines has increased. Plus the fact that
there is a serious lack of available
engines anymore. Not only is this
affecting Scale but quite a few other
classes too. Then we have the loss of
hull builders like Troy McIntire, and
now with the passing of Roger Newton
even the flow of plans now has halted
for the time being. There are some bright
spots however. Bill Fritz’s molds have a
new home in Florida at RC Boat
Company, and Steve is doing his best to
increase his catalog of boats while still
turning out boats with equal quality to
Bill’s. Henry Velasco still has his boats
and a few other builders are turning out
hulls slowly. But for some boats and
parts it is still hard or impossible to get
what you want unless you have the
ability to mold it and make it yourself.
But even for someone like me who
enjoys the challenge of modeling, and
who can make my own plugs and molds
to make my own cowls and other parts,
the time commitment is getting more
extensive. At this point I think Scale is
being supported by a core group with
maybe another layer or two of racers
Continued on page 8
7
PROPWASH
The State Of Scale
(Continued from page 7)
beyond that. But the opportunities for the new racer getting into it Scale are getting
slimmer.
But is Scale dead? Far from it. With the introduction of the Classic Thunderboat
gas class I think Scale may be heading in a different direction. As it stands now the
rules of the class do not require the boats to model a real boat. But as I suspected there
are a group of boaters that wish they would. Hence the Pacific Northwest Thunderboat
Association which will run the Classic Thunderboat class with NAMBA rules and a
Scale Hydroplane class which will be for boaters that wish to model and run any real
boat, not just a shovelnose. With the availability and ease of maintaining gas engines
versus nitro I suspect this will be the future of scale. So I guess now I have to build my
Circus all over again. So the future actually looks a little brighter in my opinion, and
those that were telling me Scale was dead may be a little quieter now. Not only will
1/8 Scale Unlimiteds continue but those same drivers might now be racing Classic
Thunderboats and the Scale Hydroplane class as well. So instead of just one option
there will most likely be several. That can only lead to better racing so let’s get
building!
ERCU at Seattle’s Seafair
By Nelson Holmberg
ERCU
Watching real unlimited hydroplanes cruise around a race course at 200 miles an
hour or so is pretty inspiring. Sometimes, just watching the behind the scenes action is
inspiring, too. When you consider there are roughly 60 members of ERCU, and then
see eight of its members actively working the Stan Sayres pits for the good of
unlimited hydroplane racing, you realize that nearly 20 percent of our club is making a
difference in the big boats.
The world’s largest club for 1/10-scale fast electric hydroplanes was very involved
in everything from keeping news flowing over the HydroInsider blog, or guiding pit
tours, to doing all of the prop work for the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors over the
weekend. Among those who were involved were Jeff Campbell on the U-10 Hoss
Mortgage Investors crew. Jeff said he was returning a favor by serving as the team’s
prop guy over the weekend. And judging by how fast the boat was running, Jeff did
quite a job.
After the U-10 flipped in heat 2A, Campbell was one of the two crew members
who were taken to the upside down disabled craft while it was being towed in. He was
also one of a handful of crew members who got very wet while going through the
process of preparing the boat to be turned upright.
On the U-13 Graham Trucking presents Spirit of Detroit crew Dawna Gross, and
John Burkey were working for crew chief Kurt Tavenner who may as well get a boat
and start racing with us. Gross handled the cockpit duties, and Burkey was helping out
with props and rudder duties, while also keeping the HydroInsider blog reporters in
line. Considering they entered the weekend with just one motor and two propellers, the
U-13 gang had a bit of a stressful weekend, especially when a shortshaft broke and
their best prop dropped to the bottom of Lake Washington on Saturday. Luckily, for
the crew that had just spent the whole week repairing damage that occurred a week
earlier in Tri-Cities when a prop blade broke and rattled the bottom of the boat, there
was no damage in Saturday’s prop incident.
On the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows/ Superior Racing Team crew Carl Lewis was
a new face among the volunteer crew, that has for a long time been bolstered by
ERCU members John Williams and Howard Price. Price handled props and lines and
rudder work, while Williams was doing yeoman’s work including everything from
aerodynamics work to handling lines. Lewis also helped out with systems and general
work on the Miss Procraft Windows. The team had a frustrating weekend, after having
8
spent weeknights after Tri-Cities
repairing a broken steering cable in time
for Seafair.
On Friday, during test runs, driver Dr.
Ken Muscatel said he had a rudderflutter happening, which kept him from
being able to go as fast as he wanted to
go.
Saturday the boat was not riding the
way he wanted it to, so the team added
weight to the right sponson by putting in
sand bags; Price borrowed a longer
rudder from another team and put that on
the U-25, and Williams worked to put
new shorter bras on the boat in order to
pack less air under the boat. After the
boat went dead in the water on Sunday
morning, and spewed a small fire from
the stack, the team tried to change an
engine during the Blue Angels air show,
but when the cranes and fuel trucks were
not allowed to be used during the air
show, the 30-minute break before the
provisional final just wasn’t enough time
to get the job done.
On the ground in the pits, Ben Keller
was working hard delivering the best pit
tours ever known to the Stan Sayres
Memorial Pits, giving valuable and
accurate information to all who cared to
listen to insider info about the big boats.
On the pit tower, Nelson and Dawn
Holmberg were just as busy all day long
as the crew members were, keeping track
of all of the different stories and boat
performances throughout the weekend,
to maintain and constantly update the
website hydroinsider.blogspot.com, so
that hydroplane fans worldwide would
have the opportunity to keep up, almost
real-time, about what was happening at
the Ted Jones Memorial Race Course on
Lake Washington.
Since Seattle is home to our club, it’s
pretty cool that ERCU had a big role in
Seafair’s premier event of the summer.
September 2008
PROPWASH
The Zenoah from Stock to Outlaw
By Lohring Miller
District Eight Director
We have been developing Zenoahs for several years. There are three classes of
Zenoahs in NAMBA, “stock” for the Thunder boat class, mildly modified for the G1
class, and “outlaw” for the GX1 class. My designation of the M&D cast cylinder
engine as “outlaw” comes from the IMPBA outlawing the cylinder that was
specifically designed to fit the LS27 class. There are more powerful GX1 engines, and
I believe a 10 horsepower custom built 26cc engine should be possible. We consider
the M&D double cone pipe to be the standard Zenoah pipe. There are pipes that
improve specific areas on the power curve, but the double cone pipe is a good
compromise and gives a G1 engine a broad power curve that is easy to prop for.
For comparison, here are the port timings and other details from the test engines:
Stock Zenoah
Exhaust
164° duration
Transfer
124° duration
Intake
146° duration
Squish Clearance .032
Combustion
Chamber
Volume
2.4cc
Miller Zenoah
188° duration
126° duration
158° duration
.010
2.0cc
M&D Cast Cylinder
184° duration
122° duration
166° duration
.010
2.0cc
I need to explain a few things about our dynamometer. It is an inertial
dynamometer; that is the engine accelerates a flywheel and the change in speed of the
flywheel over time is a measure of the engine’s torque. Unlike brake dynos that
measure power under steady state conditions, inertial dynos measure power in a
rapidly accelerating engine. This is similar to the way racing engines work. The
inertial dyno also allows very rapid testing. We often make 50 individual runs in an
afternoon. We have not carefully calibrated our dyno so its results may not match
other dynos. I know that a particular engine tested both on our dyno and a similar dyno
shows nearly ½ horsepower less on our dyno. Power measured on the same engine
will vary from day to day even with corrections for atmospheric conditions. We try to
compare changes on adjacent runs with a calibration check run at the end that
duplicates the starting conditions. All the curves in this article are the average of at
least two runs. Even so, there is irregularity in the horsepower curve from noise in the
rpm measuring circuit. Another series of tests on the CMB 35 can be found at
www.modelgasboats.com. A complete description of the dyno with design and
building instructions is in issue 14 of Model Engine Builder.
September 2008
The stock engine specified for the
Thunderboats should guarantee level
racing in the class. However, the pipe
was left open. The Zenoah has a
relatively restricted intake tract. This can
be overcome either by raising the intake
timing or by using a pipe with a strong
suction pulse. We used an accurately
machined pipe with an adjustable baffle
cone to investigate possible power gains
from a high suction pulse pipe. Below is
a picture of the billet pipe along with the
M&D pipe.
This pipe uses a three stage diffuser
with a high horn coefficient and large
diameter to expand the exhaust pulse
more than most pipes. With the right
tuned length, this will result in a low
pressure at the exhaust port when the
piston is around bottom dead center. We
find that moving the diffuser section on
the header doesn’t make much difference
in the tuned length as long as the baffle
cone is kept the same distance from the
exhaust port. There is s best position for
the diffuser section and it is the design
position. We changed the tuned length of
the pipe by moving the baffle cone, i.e.
by changing the band section width. On
page 10 is the dyno graphs for these
changes. Only a few of the many band
changes are shown on the graph for
clarity. The first number in the legend is
the length in millimeters from the
exhaust flange to the beginning of the
band section and the second number is
the band section width in millimeters.
The lower curve is the power with the
M&D double cone pipe. It is easy to see
the power gain from the fat, wide band
pipe. We decided that a 75 millimeter
band width would be optimum for the
good bottom end torque a heavy boat
would need. Several months later we
tested the billet pipe with a 75 millimeter
band, a fabricated version of the billet
pipe, and a commercial band pipe with a
straight cone diffuser section. The
commercial pipe is pictured below the
Stock Zenoah 03-08 pipe test graph.
Continued on page 10
9
PROPWASH
The Zenoah from Stock to Outlaw
(Continued from page 9)
It is easy to see both the superiority of the three stage diffuser in the billet pipe and
the power loss from inaccuracies between the billet and the fabricated pipe. Nearly ½
hp gain over commercially available pipes is possible from a custom pipe.
10
Some other small power gains are
possible with plug and carb butterfly
opening changes. I doubt that the rules
really allow some of these changes.
Breaking in the seals will also help.
Removing the seal springs should be
illegal, but would be hard to check.
Changing the cylinder base gasket to a
thinner one should be illegal but would
also add power.
By far the most popular engine is the
Zenoah with the modifications allowed
under NAMBA’s G engine rules. Here,
material can be removed to modify the
engine. An excellent article on this by
Scott Schneider can be found at
www.modelgasengines.com. The
modifications to the test engine are
described and illustrated below.
The first problem with the stock
engine is excessive head clearance. This
should be lowered to .010 to .015 inch
by machining the cylinder base. The top
3/16 of the piston should be machined
around .004 of an inch smaller in
diameter to eliminate piston seizures. I
also machined a flat top on the piston
and removed a lot of material from the
inside to reduce piston weight. It is
possible to machine the squish area both
in the head and on the piston to match
the angle. Though this was done on this
engine, I’m not sure it made a power
difference compared to previous engines.
Finally, the skirt of the piston was
slotted to improve transfer flow.
The transfer ports were raised by the
same amount machined off the cylinder
base. The rear transfer was seriously
widened as well. The exhaust port was
widened and raised. Thirty thousandths
of an inch was machined off the intake
side of the piston skirt to raise the intake
timing. Because both the amount
machined off the cylinder base and that
machined off the skirt affects the intake
September 2008
PROPWASH
timing, .010 less was machined off the piston skirt in this engine because .010 more
had to be machined off the cylinder base. This was needed to get .010 inch squish
clearance due to the amount machined off the top of the piston and the combustion
chamber. Below are tests with this engine using two different pipes.
Notice that there now is less difference between the band pipe and the double cone
pipe. This is a contrast to the graph for the stock Zenoah where the band pipe was
clearly superior. Because we have raised the intake timing, opened up the transfers,
and raised the exhaust, there is much less restriction through the porting, and the lack
of a strong suction pulse is not as important.
The other area for improvement is the carburetor. We have a flow bench setup to test
Walboro carbs on a cylinder. These tests show that things in the bore are much more
important than the bore diameter. All stock Walboro carbs have the same .500 inch
venturi bore unless noted.
Below is the flow at 13 inches of water:
Modified WYK
81 cfm (.610 bore, barrel style carb)
M&D modified WT-257 65.5 cfm
Miller modified WT-257 63 cfm
WT-257
61.8 cfm
WT-287
58 cfm
WT-813
56 cfm
WT-745
55 cfm
WT-644
53 cfm (Modified WT-644 61 cfm)
WT-EX520
48 cfm
A good comparison is an M&D prepared carb to a Bontoft carb. Though the bore of
the M&D carb is larger, its butterfly is only slightly thinned on the leading edge. The
Bontoft carb has the shaft cut down, the butterfly streamlined, and the stop cut so the
butterfly opens a little past the normal position. The difference in power is shown on
the graph on page 12. Even more top end power is possible with a shorter carb isolator
block that tunes the intake tract for a higher rpm.
The ultimate Zenoah is one where the standard die cast cylinder is replaced with an
investment cast cylinder available from M&D Designs. This cylinder incorporates all
the modifications mentioned above as well as better transfer port shapes. The inner
wall on the transfers helps improve the flow as well as providing better piston support.
The carb is raised up the cylinder to improve the intake timing, and the exhaust port is
Continued on page 12
September 2008
So You Want To CD
Al Waters
NAMBA President
I have always felt if you don't like a
judges call in a race, then you should
judge. And if you don't like the call by
the CD on the starts, then you should
take over the microphone.
I was at a race the other day and a
boater in my district who stepped up to
the plate to host a race took on that
responsibility.
In no time, there was a boat in a heat
that went from lane eight to lane two and
cut in front of another boat. The CD
announced, “watch your lanes”. I told
the CD after the heat, if you ever have to
announce watch your lanes, that means
that you saw a penalty but were too
intimidated to call it. Well shut my
mouth! When the time came for him to
observe a penalty and make the call,
guess who got hit with it. Yours truly.
I took the call graciously, but whether
I agreed or disagreed with the call was
not important. There was a person who
stepped up to the plate and made a
decision and followed through with it.
Too many times we have all
complained at one time or another that
penalty calls are not made at the races.
This CD got over the hump and found
out that he will be more respected and it
will make for better and more fair racing
for everyone.
I talked with him after the race and
asked him how it went for the day. He
said that he had a whole new appreciation for those who call the races. He
felt that it was something that everyone
should experience.
I don't know if there is a moral to this
story, but do have another club that will
host a race and another CD who will call
the races.
Our district will be that much better
in the future.
11
PROPWASH
The Zenoah from Stock to Outlaw
(Continued from page 9)
12
raised and angled down. The only
modification needed to the rest of the
stock Zenoah is to lighten, relieve, slot,
and flat top the piston. M&D also
installs their low drag seals. The clear
superiority of the engine can be seen in
the graph below. he stock engine was
tested with the billet pipe and stock carb.
The others were tested with the M&D
carb and M&D pipe.
So what does all this mean in your
boat? The speed of a boat increases
approximately as the power cubed. That
is, if you double the power the speed will
only increase by about 1.26 times. That
is why it is hard to test engine power by
observing boat speed. If your hull goes
55 mph with the stock engine it would
go about 59 mph with the modified
engine and 61 mph with the cast cylinder
engine. The two mph difference between
the modified and cast cylinder engine
explains why G1 engines are very
competitive in the GX1 class. Lots of
other factors will overcome this small
edge in speed. In a stock engine class, if
your boat goes 55 mph with a double
cone pipe, it would go 56 mph with the
billet pipe. Again, many other factors
will negate this small speed difference.
The best engines will have a broad,
flat, peak power band. This gives an
engine that will handle a broad range of
props with good power both in the turn
and at the end of the straight. If
everything else is optimum, the most
powerful engine will give the winning
edge.
September 2008
PROPWASH
ERCU Happy To Be NAMBA
By Nelson Holmberg
ERCU
One of NAMBA’s newest and proudest member clubs has quickly become among
the largest in the association. So perhaps it’s time for a little primer on ERCU. With
nearly 60 members, ERCU touts just shy of 90 distinctly different boats, and after five
years as a member of a different national association, we are really excited to have
made the move to NAMBA as we start the second half of our first decade racing.
Electric Radio Controlled Unlimiteds (ERCU) came into existence on January 24,
2003 as a fast electric 1/10-scale unlimited club, and was born with direct affiliation to
Radio Controlled Unlimiteds (RCU), which is the granddaddy of all scale racing clubs
in the nation.
The club is largely based in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, but after
a two-year effort to provide for potential growth in the Portland, Oregon area, the club
has not only added members in Portland and Southwest Washington, it has also added
events in that area. There are now three races in the Portland area, one in Vancouver,
Washington, and one in Centralia, Wash. (located midway between Portland and
Seattle).
While RCU is a club that has existed for nearly four decades racing 1/8-scale,
nitro-powered, perfect replicas of real hydroplanes, ERCU operates under a very
similar philosophy with smaller boats and different power plants. Our affiliation to
RCU adds an important element of scale electric racing, and has always been an
important source for fresh and experienced club membership.
Like many of the 1/8-scale clubs around the world, we pay particular attention to
detail, and take pride in making sure our boats look as much like the real thing as
possible. Paint and lettering is as authentic as we can make it, the cowlings must be
the same as the real boat – heck, we even have to have a little model driver (also
required to be 1/10-scale) with a scale helmet and life vest aboard these boats.
One of the very unique factors of ERCU is that we run our boats counter-clockwise
around our oval courses, exactly the same way the real hydroplanes do. In cases other
than ours, RC boats are forced to turn right (or opposite the way the real boats turn),
due to the way their propellers are built. Fortunately, we’re able to run right-handed
props just like the real boats do.
Several members of our club are even involved with actual hydroplanes on the
American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) tour, or on restoration crews at the
Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum.
NAMBA District IX
By Dave Bestpitch
District Nine Director
Our district held the Fast Electric Nats at Lake Minden with great success. Brian
Buaas set several records. The thorough setup and prep work by the electric boaters
was quite apparent as the race went on. Racing was fast and furious, and did I mention
a lot of fun? As for myself, I raced in an offshore event as an invite and guest of Dave
Newland, boat owner.
Our district looked for new sites this year, and found two very good sites for next
year’s running of our heat racing championship series. One of the sites is centrally
located in our district and should help all with high commute costs. As District
Director I assigned four members as members of an Executive Board. The Executive
September 2008
It also helps guide the Director to make
well rounded rulings within the district.
So far the new executive board has
worked quite well.
Another change was to no longer
have nitro and gas chairmen, but to have
hull chairmen to coincide with a
technical chairperson. Decisions are
discussed and made by two individuals.
All engine issues are now made by made
by the technical chairperson, i.e. engine
tear down for records and size
compliancy.
We have some new boats showing up
in our district in the Classic Thunderboat
class. Wow! What an exciting class! The
class started as an event at the annual
Gold Rush held in April. As we watch
this class evolve you can’t help notice
the improvements made each and every
contest for speed and design.
District Nine did very well this year
at the Nats. Alfred Lanza (again) took
top honors as overall high points
champion. And what about our Terry
family? Allie and Alan tied for first
place in A Mono. The clean sweep of A
Hydro by District Nine members Troy
Davis (1st), Gary Moll (2nd) and Alan
Terry (3rd) was also very exciting.
Austin Piazza, one of our juniors,
came home with 2nd place in Open
Crackerbox and a 3rd in Classic
Crackerbox. We had another clean
sweep in B OPC by Alfred Lanza, Don
Osman, and Dylan Frentzel taking 1st,
2nd, and 3rd respectively. And let’s not
forget Nancy Moll who took 1st in X
mono and Jim Wilson in Sport 21.
District Nine, you rock!
I personally want to thank the
membership of District 20 for a great
Nats that was well run. I enjoyed seeing
the Taylors again, along with Kelly
Stout.
13
PROPWASH
Kids
Are
Boaters
Cade Holland
Grace Holland
Megan Wittrig
14
Ashley Taylor
Benjamin Sick
Avery Holland
Salina Holland
September 2008
PROPWASH
2008
NAMBA Nationals
Greeley, Colorado
September 2008
15
PROPWASH
2008
NAMBA Nationals
Greeley, Colorado
16
September 2008
PROPWASH
Nats Point of View
Want To Host a Nats?
By Kate Scarpino
District 20
Al Waters
NAMBA President
From a non-racing, woman’s point of
view, I just wanted to say a few words
about the NAMBA Nationals recently
held in Greeley, Colorado. After seeing
all the hard work and the countless hours
spent planning this event, I have to take
my hat, or should I say my bonnet, off to
our leaders and our members of District
20. What a fantastic outcome we had at
the races. We all definitely have a new
appreciation for all the NAMBA
Nationals previously held over the years.
What a tough job it is to put this thing on!
And you all, past and present, make it
look so effortless. I truly mean that. If I
were a mere spectator at these races, I
never would have known how much goes
into preparing for it. Our family and the other District 20 families really looked
forward to the Nationals being held here in Colorado.
We were excited (and nervous as well) and wanted to do anything we could to
pitch in and help. And our nerves were quickly calmed down as soon as all the other
districts arrived. Everyone just jumped in and helped out where and when they could.
You all are real troopers, as are our own guys! The week passed by so very fast, it’s
hard to believe that it’s come and gone already, all thanks to the best group of people
belonging to a great organization….NAMBA.
I look forward to seeing many of you next year in Seattle! Thanks for a great time!
NAMBA districts have been
exceptional in volunteering to host a
Nationals. We have also been really
fortunate in lining them up years in
advance. We want the locations to move
throughout the United States providing
everyone the opportunity to participate.
We sometimes hear, “My district
does not have enough members to host a
NAMBA Nats.” Not too worry. Every
district, even the largest like District
Three, Nine, and 19 ask for outside help.
After all, they would like to race their
boats also. Asking for help and
providing it is the norm today. That’s
what we do.
Do we have an official NAMBA Nats
Committee that run things? No we do
not, but we have NAMBA officers and
member volunteers who have the
resources and expertise to fulfill the
districts needs to successfully host a
Nationals. We have sponsors lists, race
program contacts, awards contacts, class
champion records, and even a “to do”
list available of 150 plus items and
quirky things that occur at the Nats to
make life easier.
That’s just to get things started. We
all know that man power is needed to
operate a NAMBA Nationals smoothly.
If a district needs race announcers and
judges, we can line them up. Retrieve
boat operators, scorers, registration
personnel, and even an announcer to run
the paddleboat races are easy
opportunities that we can all full fill to
make things happen.
District 20 needed manpower and we
were there. District Eight knows that
they need help and has not wasted any
time in asking and no one has refused
them.
I don't want any district to feel that
they can’t host a Nationals because they
do not have a large membership. We are
family and everyone is great in helping
out. Like I was saying earlier, “That’s
what we do”.
The 2008 NAMBA Nitro and Gas Nationals Race Committee strike the pose for a
group photo after a race. As we all know, it’s the women behind the scenes who make
it all happen. Even when it comes to holding the camera.
September 2008
17
PROPWASH
A Nationals Thank You
By Jim Rigli and Rena Corley
City of Greeley Parks Department
To all the NAMBA participants and their guests/families: Rena Corley and I would
sincerely like to thank all the boat racers that were at Sanborn Park in Greeley,
Colorado for the NAMBA Nationals. We
really enjoyed your visit July 11 through the 19th. All the organizers, especially Kelly
Stout and Joe Scarpino went out of their way to work with Rena and me. Together we
all made sure the impact on the park area was very minimal. Once everyone was set up
in their areas, the place looked like a small city. It was very impressive.
Even the younger set was well behaved, although I had to bribe them with some
coyote skulls to keep their skateboards under control. Thanks Dylan, Mitch, and the
rest. I'm very impressed at how everyone was so friendly and willing to take the time
to talk to me and explain how the system and boats work. I was pretty much
completely unaware of the mechanics and abilities of those little screaming
machines. Watching some of those boats out on that lake made me wonder if they had
some kind of glue that made them stick to the water like they did. The talents and
racing abilities of some of the contestants were as awesome as the craft they were
controlling. It was quite an amazing site watching man and machine. It was a real
education for both of us.
The park has recovered quite well and there is no noticeable trace of any
occupation. Greeley did receive over three and one-half inches of rain on August
6th. Since Sanborn Lake is a detention pond for street run off, the lake was quite
full. The launch and announcer booth area were completely under water and the
sidewalk near the big tent and food court was also covered.
Once again, thank you all! It was a great time with great people. You're always
welcome and we look forward to a time when we can see you racing here again.
Propwash
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Should an advertiser choose to supply the
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charge will be $50.00, as well as the delivery
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Please call the NAMBA office at (619)
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The Propwash
NAMBA International
1815 Halley Street
San Diego, CA 92154
(619) 424-6380
Fax - (619) 424-8845
e-mail cathie.galbraith@namba.com
Editors:
Cathie Galbraith and Al Waters
Newsletter Contributors
Dave Bestpitch
Mike Cathey
Rey Garcia
Mark Grim
Nelson Holmberg
Mike McKnight
Lohring Miller
Doug Robichaud
Dave Rychalsky
Kate Scarpino
Marty Shallenberger
Jim and Rena from the Greeley Parks Department could be found all week long
maintaining the beautiful facility and socializing with the boaters
18
This newsletter is sent to all
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membership. All articles contained
herein may be reproduced as long as
proper credit is given as to author and
publication source.
September 2008
PROPWASH
NAMBA Nationals History
By Dave Rychalsky
District One Director
Guess what? I’ve decided to revive the NAMBA Nationals Program and Pin
Search. After spending a week attending the 2008 NAMBA Nationals in Greeley
Colorado, I had an opportunity to bring the Banner and Pin set. Even though we have
at least one of the Nationals Patches, many of the pins and program are still missing.
So, my search for pins and programs continues. I haven’t received any additional pins
or race programs for the collection for quite a long time and I’m guessing most have
all but forgotten about it. So here’s my pitch: I am willing to pay $10 for each pin I get
from the list below and $10 for each program I get from the list below. Naturally, I do
not want a pin that has been run over by a train or a program that was used to absorb
the burnt fuel from a 90 rigger. Only as a last resort will I consider some of the
“weathered” samples. I’m guessing that it is possible pins were not offered in every
year; however, I don’t know for sure. The same can hold true for the Programs, but I
suspect there was a Program for each National event since its inception. Either way,
please think about sending your old pin/program to add as a keepsake of NAMBA, so
that future NAMBA members, possibly your grandchildren, will have the opportunity
to see your history in NAMBA. Personally, I’ve been to 14 Nationals and each one of
my programs, pins, and patches is part of the collection. After speaking with Al
Waters, we will try to get all three collections to the Welcome Party of future
Nationals. It’s been the norm to bring the banner to the Awards Banquet; however,
many people are too involved in the dinner, the awards and the prizes, and don’t get a
chance to take a good look.
If you have a pin or program and don’t want to mail it, you can hand it to your
district director or NAMBA official and it will get sent to me. Just drop me an email.
My email is Drychal@aol.com.
For the pins, I am missing the following years: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977,
1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1984
For the programs, I am missing the following: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977,
1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1988
For those that would like to donate their pin or program to the NAMBA National
Historical Collection, we would naturally accept any of those. Please send to:
Dave Rychalsky
10 Timber Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
You Can’t Touch This!
By Dave Rychalsky
District One Director
During many boat races, I’ve had the pleasure, and the pain, of racing with a wide
diversity of people. Each person has his/her idiosyncrasies with their boats. Some guys
polish the heck out of their boats, while others allow their boats to resemble the floor
of your neighborhood auto repair shop. I guess its personal preference.
We had a guy racing here in District One quite a few years ago that could slap
together a boat in less than two hours. He would drill holes here and there, epoxy this
to that, screw in the engine, add the radio, and finally drill some access holes. When
the boat was taken to the pond for the very first time, it still had greasy hand prints all
over the hull. Some of his hulls had a unique grease design that kinda/sorta made you
think it was a rogue paint job from one of those creative artsy types. (Just like those
stupid statues in front of arts buildings or libraries. You know the ones – you just can’t
seem to figure out what it is, so you walk right by). On the other hand, there are people
that freak when you go near their boat, and would never even race the thing! I guess
I’m somewhere in the middle, probably leaning toward the clean, neat, nice-looking
boat person. My point here is that everyone is different and you just never know what
type of boater the person is. Many of the scale guys get edgy when the retrieve boat
goes out and the retriever has to lean over and pick up his water-logged scale boat.
September 2008
Some of their comments include “Don’t
lift from the wing,” “Watch out for the
fake engine,” and “Make sure you don’t
grab the boat by the nose”. Some of
these guys insist on hopping in the
retrieve boat just to be sure that their
boat is lifted properly.
Well, here’s the impetus for this
article. During the Greeley Nationals in
July, I spent a lot of time talking to
people and hanging out. During open
water for the X Hydro class, I was taking
a few pictures in and around the pit area.
Alan Terry and his wife Brenda were
racing the class. They both have quite a
few boats and every single one runs
great and looks great. During open
water, Alan completed his runs, and then
drove his boat back to the pits. Brenda
didn’t have an opportunity to get down
to the launch area when Alan stopped his
boat. Hence, I was standing right there
thinking to myself “Should I pick it up –
no, I better not.” “What if I pick it up
and accidentally pull the sponson off?”
“What if I lift it and Alan is actually
superstitious about someone else
touching his boat and blames me for a
future buoy cut!” “What if I pick it up,
turn to hand the boat to Brenda, and I
stab her in the leg with the rudder?”
“What if I trip and fall on the boating,
crushing it with my svelte 250 lb frame.”
“Yikes!”
So, what seemed to me to be an hour,
I caught a glimpse of Brenda out the
corner of my eye, standing a few feet
from me, staring, trying to figure out
what the heck I was doing. Brenda
affirmed “Oh, I’ll get the boat.” So,
naturally, I cleverly replied “Duh,
ummm, uhhh, it was coming closer,
umm, well, the uh, boat…” Quickly I
realized that I needed to just walk away,
because there wasn't any way I could
talk my way out of looking less stupid
than just standing there watching Alan’s
boat. So, off I went, heading out of the
pits, making sure I didn’t knock anyone
over. Meanwhile, Brenda picked up
Alan’s boat, and the race continued. The
moral of this story is “The next time
Alan drives his boat back to the pit area;
he should figure a way how to park his
boat back up on the table, rather than
leave it two inches from the dock in the
water!” This would avoid any future
problems when I wonder aimlessly in the
pits! Hey, at least I didn’t trip and fall on
the boat!
19
PROPWASH
WOR! is Online!
Notes From the VP
Rey Garcia
District 19
By Mark Grim
NAMBA Vice President
Wide Open Racing is online! On July
4th, 2008, WOR! became a web based
information site for all boaters on the
West Coast. WOR! is a community
based information center that provides
information to new boaters, provides
information about lakes available in all
three districts, includes information for
specific district events, race schedules
for all three districts and valuable
information links for NAMBA, Districts
Eight, Nine, and Nineteen.
WOR! has a large forum based
information center for discussions on
many topics in the boating community. WOR! also provides a valuable
resource for selling or buying boating
equiptment. Manufacturers or
distributors can post their contact
information to reach out to the boating
community. WOR! can be a great tool to
help and promote the model boating
hobby all in one site.
By directing a new potential boater to
WOR!, the new boater can find out
about NAMBA and how to apply, each
district, the classes that are running,
where to see boat racing, what is needed
to begin boating and where the closest
model boating club is located. More
importantly, the new boater can ask
questions or make inquiries on the
WOR! board that can be answered by the
members. A new boater can’t do this at
any hobby shop or in a magazine.
WOR! has a goal to be the best
provider of information for both the new
boater and the most experienced
boater. If "we" as a boating community
embrace the prospect of sharing our
valuable boating experience with the
WOR! board, then WOR! will become
the foremost leader in "real time"
information.
The WOR! board can be found at
http://wideopenracing.informe.com
(on your web browser, you can put in:
wideopenracing.informe.com and it will
take you there).
Check out and register on the WOR!
board today!
NAMBA members have recently had the opportunity to participate in both the
Electric and the Nitro/Gas Nationals, where members from all over the world come
together to compete for top honors.
At the NAMBA Electric Nationals held at Lake Minden in District Nine there were
several records set, both in Six Lap One Mile Heat Racing and Two Lap 1/3 Mile.
20
Congratulations to the following record setters:
Darin Jordan
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buaas
Brian Buass
N1 Mono
N2 Sport Hydro
P Hydro
N2 Hydro
T Mono
N2 Hydro
N2 Sport Hydro
P Mono
N2 Mono
2 LAP Oval Record
2 LAP Oval Record
2 LAP Oval Record
2 LAP Oval Record
2 LAP Oval Record
6 LAP Time Record
6 LAP Time Record
6 LAP Time Record
6 LAP Time Record
56.080
25.620
22.054
23.350
26.672
1.27.03
1.32.65
1.40.68
1.49.81
On another note: If you plan on attending the Electric SAW's in October please get
your entry forms to Mark Grim. If you don't want to run your boats just come for the
lunches. There will be a BBQ every day! Call Mark Grim to get your reservation in.
The lunch will be $7.00 a day.
There will also be a three day all class SAW event for Nitro, Gas, and Electric on
October 31st and November 1st and 2nd. The BBQ will be available at this event also.
Also recently held were the NAMBA Nitro/Gas Nationals in Greeley, Colorado. I
would like to personally thank District 20 for all of their hard work putting on the Nats
in Colorado this year! From the ladies in the radio impound (in an air conditioned ice
box) to Dave White, the Pit Boss, who kept the heats running smoothly. A special
thanks to Robert and Dave Holland for all of their hard work!
I think I can speak for quite a few in saying the Nats were a lot of fun and a good
time was had by all. I wish there would have been more participation because if you
didn't attend you missed a very good Nationals! Small districts can do amazing things.
The park setting was really nice. You couldn't ask for better water conditions. As far as
the altitude goes we were all in the same boat so there was a lot of good racing and
camaraderie going on! I even got to be an Outlaw for the Gas Marathon Team! Kim
and I had a great time with Russ Stark and his family, Al Waters, Lenny and LeAnn
Blake, Shannon Muth, and all of the District 19 members who participated at the Nats.
I hope to see everyone at the 2009 NAMBA Nationals next year in Washington.
The name of the game is to promote model boating whether you run Nitro, Gas, or
Electric. We are all in this together!
District One – Heading for the Home Stretch…
By Dave Rychalsky
District One Director
The NAMBA Nationals in Greeley Colorado are here and gone, half of the District
One sanctioned races are behind us, and by the time this article makes it to print most
of our district class champions will be resting comfortably up at the top of their
respective classes. This is our second full season racing the gas, electric, and nitro
boats in the same heats. There weren’t any significant issues that we encountered last
year, so only minimal updates to our district rule book were required. Actually, the
only real rule change we voted on for this year was to revert back to the six lap course
as opposed to the five lap course. Back in 2006 the district voted to allow electric boats
to race within the gas and nitro classes. At that time, in order to keep the playing field
September 2008
PROPWASH
even, we dropped the course from the
NAMBA standard six lap, 1.0 mile
course to a five lap, 0.9 mile course.
However, 2007 proved to be a
technological boost for the FE guys.
With the development of the Lithium
Polymer batteries, and the everincreasing popularity of this type of
power source, the FE boats were able to
extend run times. We can thank the cell
phone, digital camera, and video game
industry for turning up the demand for
high amp-hour rating and added power,
yielding longer operational run times for
these devices. Naturally, this flows into
numerous other fields, and the FE boats
benefitted substantially.
I guess our biggest problem in
District One these days is the traffic
getting home after a race! Most of our
classes are balanced, with a few
exceptions at a few sites. It is odd that in
one year, we will have only four boats
competing throughout the entire racing
season in one class. But the next year,
that very same class will pull eight to
ten boats for the year. Go figure!
In 2008, we have two new old clubs
back in the mix. The Del Val club from
Pennsylvania and the South Jersey
Model Boat club have combined to host
a district race. Back in 1993, District
One hosted the NAMBA Nationals at the
Del Val site in Bristol, Pennsylvania.
They have a real nice site that boasted
one of the most competitive and exciting
Scale finals of all time. For those that
weren’t there, all boats in the Scale final
finished the last heat in single file, and
then all drove all the way out and circled
the island to get the “Island Patch”! It
took a lot of guts because you have to
drive your boat around the back side
behind the trees, without the luxury of
being able to watch it. In other words,
“Go fast, then slightly right, and pray it
comes out the other side!” So, Del Val is
hosting a district point heat race at the
end of September. A lot of the guys in
this district are looking forward to that
race. We’re glad you’re back!
In District One, our popular classes
are G1 Sport Hydro, Crackerbox, Open
Cat, and Sport 40.
The Classic Thunderboat class is
expanding one by one, and nitro scale is
still solid. So, it looks as if gas powered
boats will be the staple for us here on the
east coast. It’s also a good thing that the
FE guys are coming to our races because
it makes for good racing, especially in
AB mono and AB Hydro. When a
spectator asks questions on how to join,
or what boat to run, we have the luxury
of showing him all three power plants, as
well as every boat class in this district.
He can make a sound decision on what
he sees. This year, the CX Hydro class
seems to growing. Last year, we had a
tough time getting guys to haul their big
riggers to the pond. I guess you just
never know what’s going to the popular
from year to year.
In the end, I guess it really doesn’t
matter as long as we continue to provide
the opportunity for any type of model
boater to race his/her boats. No matter
what, we’re moving forward!
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September 2008
21
PROPWASH
In Memory Of…Roger Newton
By Nelson Holmberg
ERCU
Sadly, Roger J. Newton (a.k.a. The Czar) passed away on Saturday, August 9, due
to complications of his quadruple bypass surgery. Our great friend and a founder of
our hobby – not to mention our club and several others – was receiving life support,
assistance from two artificial hearts, and treatment from other medical advances, to
give him time to try and fight for his life. Seems it just wasn’t enough.
David Newton, who’s said to have been as solid as a rock through it all, shared his
thoughts with his friends, through the R/C Unlimiteds website. “I regret to inform
everyone that my father passed away this morning at 10:44. He developed many
complications after his surgery due to the severity of the heart attack. He passed
quietly and quickly without any pain or discomfort,” David said. “In lieu of any
flowers please send donations to the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum or Medic 1. I
will get more detail on that later.
“Everyone can take comfort in knowing that he is up there now racing with my
mother, Troy, and all of the other fellow hydroplane brethren that have been taken
from us. Thank you for everyone’s support throughout the entire process for my dad. I
know it meant the world to him to know before he passed that so many people loved
and cared for him.
“It is my hope to continue the plan
business as I know how important it was
for him to continue the growth and
development of model hydroplane
racing. For now Newton Marine is on
hold. After the dust settles I will make
announcements to fill the backlog of
orders and info everyone of the future of
its direction. God bless you dad you are
now at peace.”
A Celebration of Life for Roger J.
Newton was held at the Hydroplane and
Raceboat Museum on Saturday, August
16 from 2-4 p.m. The MiniCzar made a
presentation to celebrate the memories of
his father at the event. A video
slideshow documenting Roger’s life was
also shown, and guests were encouraged
to offer short stories about, and tributes
to, the great man whom we all knew,
admired, and loved.
David Williams, executive director of
the museum – and a friend of the Czar’s
– wrote on his website the following
about Czar: “ Having been a part of
hydroplane racing for more than 30
years, Roger was known as the “Czar” of
the R/C unlimiteds, with his designs and
models known throughout the R/C
racing world. He was also the founder of
the Northwest’s R/C Unlimiteds racing
club.
“Roger was a long-time member of
the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum,
and he worked hundreds of hours on the
museum’s various restoration projects,
and often assumed management
positions on those teams. Roger was the
restoration manager on the Hawaii Kai
III, Slo-mo-shun V, and most recently,
the Hurricane IV. He was also acting
secretary on the museum’s Board of
Directors.”
Roger was also active in unlimited
hydroplane racing. He has served as a
crew member for a number of unlimited
racing teams, including those of Ken
Muscatel and Dave Bartush. Most
recently, Roger had been crewing for
Greg O’Farrell’s U-50 racing team.
Roger’s warm influence and the people
he touched reached nearly every aspect
of hydroplane racing. He will be deeply
missed by so many.
District 19 Scale boater Leonard Feeback and Roger Newton
race C Hydro at the 1973 NAMBA Nats in Washington
22
September 2008
PROPWASH
NAMBA OFFICIALS AND CHAIRMEN
Revised September 2008
PRESIDENT:
Al Waters
(760) 746-2408
al.waters@namba.com
VICE PRESIDENT:
Mark Grim
(714) 890-3127
mark.grim@namba.com
(619) 424-6380
cathie.galbraith@namba.com
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: Cathie Galbraith
CHAIRMEN:
HISTORIAN:
Dave Rychalsky
(732) 254-2165
dave.rychalsky@namba.com
ELECTRIC:
OPEN
GAS:
Russell Stark
(909) 613-1819
russ.stark@namba.com
HALL OF FAME:
Doug Twaits
(973) 347-5765
doug.twaits@namba.com
MONO/HYDRO:
Bill Bridge
(858) 449-9344
bill.bridge@namba.com
OUTBOARD:
Chris Wittrig
(407) 829-7916
chris.wittrig@namba.com
AWARDS:
Kim Grim
(916) 608-1908
kim.grim@namba.com
RECORDS:
Mark Grim
(714) 890-3127
mark.grim@namba.com
SAFETY:
Lohring Miller
(541) 345-7897
lohring.miller@namba.com
SPORT HYDRO:
Eric Bourlet
(253) 460-7283
eric.bourlet@namba.com
UNLIMITED HYDRO:
Mike McKnight
(209) 333-2306
mike.mcknight@namba.com
COMBAT:
Wreno Wynne
(214) 912-9518
wreno.wynne@namba.com
District 1:
Dave Rychalsky
(732) 254-2165
dave.rychalsky@namba.com
District 2
Kelly Brooks
(513) 583-5837
kelly.brooks@namba.com
District 3:
Ron Ratoff
(954) 687-6462
ron.ratoff@namba.com
District 4:
Doug Robichaud
(608) 767-2050
doug.robichaud@namba.com
District 5:
Carlo Catalanotto
(504) 305-5005
carlo.catalanotto@namba.com
District 7:
Scott Grissman
(806) 798-3484
scott.grissman@namba.com
District 8:
Lohring Miller
(541) 345-7897
lohring.miller@namba.com
District 9:
Dave Bestpitch
(916) 608-1908
dave.bestpitch@namba.com
District 11:
Richard Grenier
(603) 524-2628
richard.grenier@namba.com
District 13:
Rey Medina
(787) 509-5103
rey.medina@namba.com
District 16:
Keith Warham
(403) 253-9031
keith.warham@namba.com
District 19:
Russell Stark
(909) 613-1819
russ.stark@namba.com
District 20:
Kelly Stout
(970) 454-0963
kelly.stout@namba.com
DISTRICT DIRECTORS
September 2008
23
2009
NAMBA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
THIS FORM MUST BE USED TO APPLY FOR NAMBA INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP
PLEASE NOTE: Print all information clearly. In the event of an accident, this form becomes a legal form.
Please do not use it for personal notations. Whe re any doubt of spelling of the name or address occurs, the form
will be returned to the maker, and the membership will be held up. Please keep in mind that the member is not
insured until the request and the fee for insurance have been properly filed with an authorized NAMBA official.
Enclosed please find $___________to enroll me in the NAMBA Modeler’s Insurance Plan.
NEW MEMBER: _______
EXISTING MEMBER: _______
CURRENT NAMBA #: _______
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY AND FEES : Adult Member ($45) _____
2nd Adult at Same Mailing Address ($35) _____
(Please note: this category does not receive separate mailings)
Junior Under 18 ($25) _____
NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS:______________________________________________________________________
CITY: ________________________________________ STATE/PROVINCE: _______________________
COUNTRY: ___________________________________ ZIP/POSTAL CODE________________________
HOME PHONE NUMBER (Include Area Code): _______________________________________________
CELL PHONE NUMBER (Include Area Code): ________________________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________________
CLUB AFFILIATION (If Applicable): _______________________________________________________
SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST (e.g. OUTBOARD, GAS, COMBAT, ETC): ______________________
I WOULD LIKE TO PAY BY CREDIT CARD (VISA OR MASTERCARD ONLY):
NAME ON CREDIT CARD: _______________________________________________________________
CREDIT CARD NUMBER: ________________________________________________________________
EXPIRATION DATE: ____________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE: ___________________________________________________________________________
MAIL COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:
NAMBA INTERNATIONAL
1815 HALLEY STREET
SAN DIEGO, CA 92154
CREDIT CARD APPLICATIONS CAN BE FAXED TO: (619) 424-8845