A lot Of Tunnels Out There

[LarryConrad]

Larry,

Want to try a new setup on the LeeCraft? Why don't you "set me up" with the boat? I'll take it off your hands........

Ron,

All five have been sold or donated to new boaters. I had two XT 460's and three XTR-21's This one I raced for two seasons with a Mac 21. With it the phrase "The fastest boat doesn't always win" was proven to me time and time again. I led a lot of heats I didn't finish. It was easily the fastest 21 tunnel I have ever owned down the straights, but wasn't stable through the turns. I also ran one of the XTR-21's with a K&B sport engine on it and that boat was much more consistant with less power bolted to the transom.

Larry

 

[RonShaw]

Larry,

Want to try a new setup on the LeeCraft? Why don't you "set me up" with the boat? I'll take it off your hands........

Ron,

All five have been sold or donated to new boaters. I had two XT 460's and three XTR-21's This one I raced for two seasons with a Mac 21. With it the phrase "The fastest boat doesn't always win" was proven to me time and time again. I led a lot of heats I didn't finish. It was easily the fastest 21 tunnel I have ever owned down the straights, but wasn't stable through the turns. I also ran one of the XTR-21's with a K&B sport engine on it and that boat was much more consistant with less power bolted to the transom.

Larry

I think the original XT120 I show in the pics above would be a great stock ride as well. Do you know anyone that may have one of these?

 

[RonShaw]

For years I have cut cavitation plates down just leaving enough to hold the water pickup. The only time I don't is to comply with sport class rules. A wide plate will collect water force and act as a crutch for handling issues that could be cured with trim and props. If a cav plate touches hard surface water in a turn it will lift the boat in the rear on the inside edge and roll it over. Widen it and it will amplify that situation. The Vision works best with an OS lower. Others will work but why not use the best availiable.

Mic

This is just what worked best we The Lee craft, made it very stable and super fast in the turns, I have never rolled my boat in a race, may have blew over a time or two, but thats about it. We also used a 707 wider adopter plate for the K&B lower ends with no performance issues. Remember these results are from years of racing and testing with the Lee Craft, as for other boats seems like the OS lower is the way to go. If your plate digs in too much in a turn the you have not set the boat before the turn, which will result in rolling your boat. the boat should be on the front ride pads while cornering, most ppl go in too hot and do not set the boat before interning a turn, loosing turn speed.

Baxter,

I posted pics of the XT and XTR 120 above so everyone can see the difference.

 

[Geraghty]

The original .21 boat of Tommys was just called a 21 LeeCraft..................The next .20 boat in line was the XT120............the third inline was the XTR.21......

The original 20 boat molds were never sold to Terry Moore.....Terry built the XT460 for Tommy for awhile.....Terry was never involved with any of Tommys 20 boats.

As I recall the original 20 boat molds ended up with Karl Sturm.....After Karl died I lost track of those original 20 boat molds....How they worked themselves around to Joe Scott I have no clue......

When Tommy retired from boating the XT120,XTR.21 & XT460 molds were sold to Lohring Miller and Bill Berdzar of B&M LeeCraft......

 

[Baxter Walton]

Ok So the XTR has always been the latest one, That was the only one that I ever had sent to me by Gary P. So Lohring got the mold then A.L

 

[RonShaw]

Rod,

Thanks for clearing everything up. I had no idea Karl passed. He was a fierce tunnel racer back when I ran before. He used to always come to the Atlanta and Greenville, SC races. I got several chances to run with he and Tommy both. I had all three of Tommy's 20 size hulls and as you can tell from my posts, I still race the LeeCraft today.....

 

[Slideblues]

The wildest LeeCraft I can remember,

A pic from the Huntsville trials back bout 2000, maybe 2001.......

A red over white 45 boat ona stand with a guy (Tommy) standing behind it.

What stood out was there was a turn fin on the outside of the right sponson!

I remember thinking what is this? Then I read the notation Tommys record boat,

Ahh well that explains it!

Gene

Looked for the pic, Thought I saved it, But nope........

 

[RonShaw]

The wildest LeeCraft I can remember,

A pic from the Huntsville trials back bout 2000, maybe 2001.......

A red 45 boat ona stand with a guy standing behind it.

What stood out was there was a turn find on the outside of the right sponson!

I remember thinking what is this? Then I read the notation Tommys record boat,

Ahh well that explains it

Gene

Looked for the pic, Thought I saved it, But nope........

That's interesting Gene. I tried the very same thing on my 460 that I was trying to keep in the water in E Tunnel years ago. The torque of the 67 K&B made it very hard for me to set in boat in a turn, so I mounted a block of wood and tried a small turn fin on the inside edge of the starboard sponson. It helped but still required me to be extra careful in the turns.

 

[Jr Branham]

At one time (years ago), Mike Leonard was trying to sell those molds (xt120 boat) for a friend. They were in a enclosed trailer at the Charleston race.

 

[Slideblues]

Yea this was a large metal fin on the outside....

Gene

 

[RonShaw]

At one time (years ago), Mike Leonard was trying to sell those molds (xt120 boat) for a friend. They were in a enclosed trailer at the Charleston race.

I wish I knew who has the original XT120 molds now. I would like one to try for a B Stocker. It's too short for a B Mod.....

 

[RodneyPierce]

Bob Kinsel still has a 45 lee craft with a fin on it.

 

[Slideblues]

Yea your right Rodney, I think Bob got the record boat from Tommy,

Maybe he can confirn that for us.....

Gene

 

[John Knight]

Yea your right Rodney, I think Bob got the record boat from Tommy,

Maybe he can confirn that for us.....

Gene

He ran it at the WTC race here in Charleston this past April. He showed it to me and the boat turned on rails just like a rigger.

 

[RonShaw]

Does anyone have a picture of the back of that boat? Maybe Bob will chime in. I tried a fin on my 460 with a 67 K&B but it wasn't enough. I would like to see the size fin he settled on and the placement. I mounted mine in line with the tunnel on the starboard side of the transom.

 

[SayMikey]

The original .21 boat of Tommys was just called a 21 LeeCraft..................The next .20 boat in line was the XT120............the third inline was the XTR.21......

The original 20 boat molds were never sold to Terry Moore.....Terry built the XT460 for Tommy for awhile.....Terry was never involved with any of Tommys 20 boats.

As I recall the original 20 boat molds ended up with Karl Sturm.....After Karl died I lost track of those original 20 boat molds....How they worked themselves around to Joe Scott I have no clue......

When Tommy retired from boating the XT120,XTR.21 & XT460 molds were sold to Lohring Miller and Bill Berdzar of B&M LeeCraft......

Rod im sure these molds were bought from Terry Moore. Steve Rocca made and sold about 50 out of these molds. When I asked Steve about buying them he said he sold them on ebay. Last I saw of them they were in good shape.

 

[Geraghty]

The wildest LeeCraft I can remember,

A pic from the Huntsville trials back bout 2000, maybe 2001.......

A red 45 boat ona stand with a guy standing behind it.

What stood out was there was a turn find on the outside of the right sponson!

I remember thinking what is this? Then I read the notation Tommys record boat,

Ahh well that explains it

Gene

Looked for the pic, Thought I saved it, But nope........

That's interesting Gene. I tried the very same thing on my 460 that I was trying to keep in the water in E Tunnel years ago. The torque of the 67 K&B made it very hard for me to set in boat in a turn, so I mounted a block of wood and tried a small turn fin on the inside edge of the starboard sponson. It helped but still required me to be extra careful in the turns.

That "turn-fin" boat was a interesting boat.......That was a special 2 lap boat Tommy built with dead flat sponson dihedral...... the boat really turned hard without touching the throttle.....

Tommy crushed the 2 lap with that boat.......the secret to that boat was the dead flat sponsons........

That boat caused one hell of a stir......A lot of traditional tunnel lovers really got their panties in a knot when that boat showed in Huntsville for record trials.....

I recall one phone call I got from an old time outboarder concerning the boat.....I am pretty sure he had blood in his stool he was so upset about the boat........

I have been surprized thru the years that somebody else hasn't got after that concept.......You never can tell.I may have to build just "one" more tunnel..... .....

I have been thinking about this for a long time.......I really believe the JAE turning ability can be transfered to a tunnel boat........

 

[Geraghty]

Ok So the XTR has always been the latest one, That was the only one that I ever had sent to me by Gary P. So Lohring got the mold then A.L

Yea,thats right.........B&M LeeCraft built the boats for several years until BIll Berdzar passed..........Eventually the molds went to Alfred Lanza and he is still building the boats today.....

I believe the XT460 is the most successful RC tunnel ever to be built......The boat was introduced in 1985 and has won at least one National Championship in some organization every year since then......

26 years is one hell of a run.........

http://www.leecraftracing.com/home.htm

 

[lohring]

Rod, that's right. I sold the molds for the XT-460 and XTR-21 to Alfred several years ago. I sold the XT-120 molds to a fellow back east who modified the hull. I don't remember his name or know what happened after that. I believe Alfred's site still has the Hazelwood XT-120 mods posted. If not, I can send them to anyone who is interested. No one is officially making any epoxy glass boats anymore, though. It's just too time consuming for what you can charge.

It was Leecraft old home week at this year's NAMBA Nationals. I met Richard Hazelwood, Joe Monahan, and Bobby Tom again after years. Alfred won A Mod with an XTR-21, and Frank Crockett won B Mod with an XT-460 followed by Alfred also with an XT-460. At the banquet I even talked briefly to Doug DeWitte, my favorite all around racer and D Cup winner. However, that's another story.

Lohring Miller

 

[RonShaw]

The wildest LeeCraft I can remember,

A pic from the Huntsville trials back bout 2000, maybe 2001.......

A red 45 boat ona stand with a guy standing behind it.

What stood out was there was a turn find on the outside of the right sponson!

I remember thinking what is this? Then I read the notation Tommys record boat,

Ahh well that explains it

Gene

Looked for the pic, Thought I saved it, But nope........

That's interesting Gene. I tried the very same thing on my 460 that I was trying to keep in the water in E Tunnel years ago. The torque of the 67 K&B made it very hard for me to set in boat in a turn, so I mounted a block of wood and tried a small turn fin on the inside edge of the starboard sponson. It helped but still required me to be extra careful in the turns.

That "turn-fin" boat was a interesting boat.......That was a special 2 lap boat Tommy built with dead flat sponson dihedral...... the boat really turned hard without touching the throttle.....

Tommy crushed the 2 lap with that boat.......the secret to that boat was the dead flat sponsons........

That boat caused one hell of a stir......A lot of traditional tunnel lovers really got their panties in a knot when that boat showed in Huntsville for record trials.....

I recall one phone call I got from an old time outboarder concerning the boat.....I am pretty sure he had blood in his stool he was so upset about the boat........

I have been surprized thru the years that somebody else hasn't got after that concept.......You never can tell.I may have to build just "one" more tunnel..... .....

I have been thinking about this for a long time.......I really believe the JAE turning ability can be transfered to a tunnel boat........

Rod,

I heard you are working with ZipKits on a new gas tunnel design. Could this be it!!!!!!!...... I am waiting patiently for the notes on their website to say, "In Stock"........... I was hoping for an over-sized version of the LeeCraft but this concept would be awesome as well. Can you give us something to sink our teeth into????????