Not A Tunnel In Sight!

[Baxter Walton]

NAMBA Race at my local pond this weekend. Went there after work to say hi, All Gas Boats, No Nitro at all! How do we get Nitro back? Thats why I am here and planing to goto WTC in April, We have a lot of awesome tunnel racers as well as Nitro I/B Racers. Its Sad. I guess my next race will be in February at the GARY JOHNSON GRAND PRIX CLASSIC. I am going to do what I can to get Tunnels a working here, but it is a uphill battle. I will take some pic's today, They have 56 heats of gas boat racing today! I remember when we had that in O/B only. This is just a district race wow!

Jim Johnson we me, and my daughter and Joe Monohan.

 

[Danny Cruz]

Hi Baxter, I just got back into this and I was surprised to find no nitro in my area either. Still, I'm talking to some friends to get a few of our own nitro boats running. At least race against ourselves. h34r:

 

[Mark Poole ModVP]

Varies greatly on what part of the country you are in. Plenty of tunnels and nitro here in the SE.

 

[Mike Byer]

Don't try gas, it will spoil you, easy and boring, they always start and run, no hidden gremlins that you hunt for all day like you have in a nitro boat. I'll run some gas when I can't stand the frustration of the nitro any longer, but I'll get over it and go back to the good smell and high revs.

mb

 

[Baxter Walton]

I did watch the gas races, I saw boats get destroyed just due to a bump in the turn. I seen so many bad drivers I just shook my head. The speeds are not there, Gas is more of a kind of sport racing. I understood at a time that the gas boats were cheaper to run gas wise? But I still don't think it was a good enough reason. You can't get into a competition gas boat at the same cost as a nitro boat. You can find a good used nitro for $500 race ready, not with the gas boats. Any way this is a O/B page Just my thoughts.

 

[lohring]

I think things like this will be the answer:

http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?showtopic=46440

http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?showtopic=42962&st=0&p=385264&fromsearch=1entry385264 post #11

Our electrics get speeds similar or faster than nitro tunnels with a power plant that costs less. The P limited (spec) boats are getting well developed in my area, but we're still experimenting with Q spec. The death of K&B pretty much ended low cost nitro outboards, especially in the larger sizes. If you still can't resist gas, there is a lot of development going on in gas outboards. I think a gear drive could make a compact unit, but the torque of gas engines breaks shafts in the cable drives and will be hard on gears as well.

Lohring Miller

 

[Tim Kish]

I think things like this will be the answer:

http://www.intlwater...showtopic=46440

http://www.intlwater...=1 post #11

Our electrics get speeds similar or faster than nitro tunnels with a power plant that costs less. The P limited (spec) boats are getting well developed in my area, but we're still experimenting with Q spec. The death of K&B pretty much ended low cost nitro outboards, especially in the larger sizes. If you still can't resist gas, there is a lot of development going on in gas outboards. I think a gear drive could make a compact unit, but the torque of gas engines breaks shafts in the cable drives and will be hard on gears as well.

Lohring Miller

Not sure how you figure a p spec is cheaper to put together , I figure by the time you buy the bottom end , motor ,adapter , ESC and one battery it works out to be the same as a new O.S.

If you look after the O.S. properly it will last a long time , 100 times better than K&B ever was,.

Tim K

 

[HTV Boats]

I think things like this will be the answer:

http://www.intlwater...showtopic=46440

http://www.intlwater...=1 post #11

Our electrics get speeds similar or faster than nitro tunnels with a power plant that costs less. The P limited (spec) boats are getting well developed in my area, but we're still experimenting with Q spec. The death of K&B pretty much ended low cost nitro outboards, especially in the larger sizes. If you still can't resist gas, there is a lot of development going on in gas outboards. I think a gear drive could make a compact unit, but the torque of gas engines breaks shafts in the cable drives and will be hard on gears as well.

Lohring Miller

Not sure how you figure a p spec is cheaper to put together , I figure by the time you buy the bottom end , motor ,adapter , ESC and one battery it works out to be the same as a new O.S.

If you look after the O.S. properly it will last a long time , 100 times better than K&B ever was,.

Tim K

I have to say that the P-spec is a little more effort piecing it together the cost is in the long run cheaper than the OS and the performance is FE all the way. If you actually have not run both it's hard to compare. I don't miss nitro and glow plug costs. To keep up with racing an OS you need 50 percent or more nitro at least here in Florida. What ever your more comfortable with is your choice. After running a FE tunnel I just am not excited about running my sport OS's anymore. I can live without the cost and maintainence of a mod 21 too.

That said nitro tunnels are alive and well in the southeast and we like growth in any form elect,gas or nitro. It takes groups of tunnelheads to just work together and keep the dream alive. We can argue about classes and rules but need to work together and support tunnel racing everywhere.

Mic

 

[Grimracer]

So glad I have Scale Helis and rockets.. Like Mic (or unlike Mic) I loth the idea of racing an FE boat.. I can live with the cost of bad launch or a DNS because my motor did not crank. I can live with the 2+ min of mill time...

6 laps are 6 laps.. its everything else that makes the race A RACE!

Grim

 

[Bill Britton]

So glad I have Scale Helis and rockets.. Like Mic (or unlike Mic) I loth the idea of racing an FE boat.. I can live with the cost of bad launch or a DNS because my motor did not crank. I can live with the 2+ min of mill time...

6 laps are 6 laps.. its everything else that makes the race A RACE!

Grim

Grimmy The FE's down here DO a mill lap. We just throw in at about thirty and settle in with the pack. We had Open tunnel this weekend and I was in the pits at the start of mill and was in the water before thirty (the rule) so it's no different.

 

[Grimracer]

Bill,

that is how its done around here too.. toss in at 30 sec and try to keep the boat on plane (forward motion for the most part) from launch to start..

Then its.....Rocket and ROLL.

Grim

 

[Baxter Walton]

I do E- helios, and E-planes, but I have to have gas for surface RC, nothing like the sound. I like a E-plane and Helio cause i cant fly them any where, but when it comes to racing, tuning a motor and all the mechanics that are involved is what its all about. Cost and clean up is part of the game.

 

[Blackout]

I do E- helios, and E-planes, but I have to have gas for surface RC, nothing like the sound. I like a E-plane and Helio cause i cant fly them any where, but when it comes to racing, tuning a motor and all the mechanics that are involved is what its all about. Cost and clean up is part of the game.

Amen to that!

 

[RCRACER158]

Baxter,

I don't know if you remember, but I told you this about a month or two ago, when you announced your come-back. My Dad has a 20 stock & mod, and a 40 stock & mod, the last two times he's run a tunnel was at the 2010 Tunnel Champs and the 2011 NAMBA nationals. There is nobody running tunnels in NAMBA 19 anymore.

Sorry dude,

Jimmy

 

[Baxter Walton]

yeah i know but I at least thought there would be some there, well Joe was there he had his, well we have about 8 ppl that I have gotten together to run tunnels so far at legg lake, and Camarillo, We will have a small class soon. Who can resist the call for competition. B)

 

[Grimracer]

Keep up the good work Baxter!.. get em racing!

Grim

 

[Baxter Walton]

I am going to give it my all, there are a lot of guys I know that would love to chase me down I am going to start some nitro races next year with a whole lot of incentives to race. I would like to see some thing like The WTC over here, All racers I know would love bragging rights Its going to take a little time, but i will make it happen. maybe an Annual SoCal O/B open. Or some thing like that, where all tunnels can compete, along with O/B Monos, and Hydro's. And offer an SoCal O/B Open Champion Jacket, and plaques for 2nd and 3rd pl. Along with nice raffle prizes.

 

[Blackout]

I have a friend that had been running only gas boats on my pond. A couple months ago I ran my .20 tunnel for the first time and he says, "I have a .20 tunnel, I'll bring it next time." He had this tunnel from 10 or so years ago. When he brought it for our next run, he was able to get the engine running quite easily and has been running the boat off and on ever since. And just last week, he started running a .18 rigger too. I think people forget how easy nitro outboards can be to run, and just need to be reminded.