DRIVER HEIGHT

[Ron Zaker Jr]

All pics and film I have looked at show (circa 70 -73) the drivers neck pretty much at the top of the "head rest". Looks odd but accurate? And they also sit forward away from the seat?

 

[Grimracer]

I think thats right.. I understand Chip H and the Blue Blaster were the first ones to lower the driver in the seat... (not sure what year that happen)

 

[Ron Zaker Jr]

thx mike

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Actually, Chip's Atlas had a whole new cockpit design installed prior to the 1983 season. The original(1982) had Chip sitting in a seat that was actually above the level of the deck and Chip was surrounded by what amounted to a wind screen made of FG. After the "rework" of the cockpit, Chip's seat was lowered by almost 6", was more form fitting and he was strapped in with a five point harness, surrounded by two inches of aluminum honeycomb.
Most of the boats in the early 1970s had the botttom seat pad just below deck level and in front of the rear of the cockpit, giving the look of the driver sitting forward when, in actuality, the driver was pushing himself into the seat back to hold himself in the boat. In fact, AFAIK, the only boat with a rear cockpit that had a seat belt was the 7325 Pay'N Pak, but not until after Ron Snyder was thrown from the boat in Evansville during the second heat of the 1986 race

 

[ACTION JACKSON]

I was there when Ron got thrown from boat. That was the first time I ever saw someone get thrown. Was setting on the corner at the time. Don't know how those guys raced like that but you have to be brave to race one.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Steve, up until that point, Ron didn't want to be strapped in, said so himself later in the season.
The drivers all believed(until Chip was strapped into the 83 Atlas) that it was safer to be able to get out of the boats if something was going wrong. In Ron's case, the parachute that was supposed to slow him before hitting the water actually almost killed him by wrapping him up and preventing him from being able to move. If he hadn't been wearing a life jacket that kept his face above the water, he would have drown. When he finally did get back into the boat, he had a new "seatbelt" to help hold him in and was wearing a charcoal respirator to protect his lungs from the fuel, oil and exhaust fumes that were always hitting him in the face while running.

The drivers were actually wedged into the seats in two ways:

• the padding on the sides of the seat wrapped over the top of the legs, holding the driver down in the seat, but only to a point. To allow the driver to get in and out of the seat, the padding had to be semi-soft
• The drivers had a peddle on the left side of the cockpit(mounted in various ways by the builders depending on the configuration of the cockpit) that the driver pushed against with his foot to hold himself against the back of the seat.

What it came down to was, simply, did the driver have enough strength and endurance to hold himself in the boat with his left leg, arms and upper body while holding the steering wheel for the whole time it took for the heat to be run with water conditions getting rougher each lap and, at the same time, pushing the boat for every bit of speed they could get out of it?

 

[garrett randall]

I know this is a tangent from Ron's 70's roundnose question...but couldn't help myself...

Went down a youtube rabbit hole to find this one.