Irish luck?

[GRoth265]

O.K. its friday lets hear those boating stories, The ugly and why me ones. Here's mine.

You lend one of your good props to a buddy and in the next heat he runs over your boat pretty much desroying your boat. The only damage to his boat? A broken prop! That sucks!

Lets hear some more. Greg

 

[Chris Wood]

Hydro masters, about 5 yrs ago. I am leading the 67 hydro class race. final lap. run out of fuel. at that time 3 boats are running.. one more die's.. only on boat left. hear is were it gets good.

the last boat is a twin. He comes around bouy 4, loses his radio and goes out of control making BIG circle's around my boat, getting closer and closer. After about 1-2 minutes he finally goes right over the top of me lol.. busted the boat.

Ah gotta love boat racing lol.

chris

one more but it is a GOOD ONE..

6yrs ago, again at the HYDRO MASTERS. Running 67hydro, at the time i was running cmb evo motors..

after 2 heats i couldn't figure out why the motor wasn't running hard and not launching very well.. well if anyone know's about the evo motors they are hard to work on..

I pulled the head off and discovered no compression.. about that time i hear my heat being called up in the get ready.. Uoh... me and dad got the motor pulled apart.. I am scrambling looking for pistons.. we pulled the piston out of the rod, got a different one that seemed tight. scrambled to put it back together. they started the heat ran up the got the last bolt in the motor. fired it up and went out and won the heat. lol

to much happening for me..

oh, again indy masters ( seams to be a pattern there lol) final heat, leading in he points. we go to race, dad goes down to launch me AND PROCEDES TO THROW THE BOAT UP ON THE ROCKS ON THE BANK. talk about HOT!!!!!.. needless to say we didn't run that round.... and i ended up 4th..

 

[Ronald van Essen]

Setting up the outboard K&Bss on a Villain for the first run. Some guys are helping you out. By the time you have the right needle setting, starting battery goes down the drain. Your buddy is connecting the starter to his car battery.......then the engine won't start.

Well you must know how to connect the starter since outboards turn the opposite way.....LOL

Ronald.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Ok here's mine-

At the pond about 6 or 7 years ago running a brand new, just completed Bud T-4 1/8th scale for the first time. Had run 2 or 3 times working on getting right pipe & prop combo (motor had already been broken in). Made another pipe adjustment & in the water she went. Pulled the trigger & that brand new scale stood up and took off, this would also be about the exact time that all radio contact was lost (turned out the new crystal in the new RX was bad). Stood there feeling completely helpless as I watched that shiny new Concours quality scale go straight across the rather wide pond on it's own. I'm convinced that it is moments like these that time almost stands still as it seemed like forever waiting for the inevitable crash. After what felt like an eternity the boat hit the bank on the opposite side of the lake & launched itself up into the trees where it came to rest about 4 feet off the ground. Spend the entire following week repairing & repainting that boat but it was back on the water the following weekend ......... with a new crystal in the RX. <_<

 

[GRoth265]

I'm :lol: :lol: Keep them coming it's been one of those days. Greg

 

[missbudpilot55]

About 20 or so years ago, brand new Octura "White Heat" w/ Picco 65, just had the motor broken in and was at it's first race and was leading the 60 riggers, got a good jump on the clock in the final heat, a win on this heat takes the trophy home for 1st, on lap 6 bouy 4 turned the steering and nothing, hit a cypress knee and went sailing into the trees, sceaming it's head off for about all of 15 seconds and then silence...sinking feeling.....never found the radio box still have the cowl and pieces left that I could find. Found out a couple years later that someone had turned on their transmitter on the same end of the pond that boat lost control........was told it was deliberate, his buddy was in second place and needed the win to take the trophy too.......... Never attended another event at that venue again, and paybacks are a "you know what", got both of them 3 years later at a Hammond, race and that boat is under glass as a momento with it's battle scars from that encounter....... B)

 

[Eric Canto]

At the very first Hydro Invitational I ever attended, I was fortunate enough to qualify for the "Go for the gold". This is a winner take all single heat comprised of the top seven finishers for heat racing that weekend. Al Hobbs had been pitting for me all weekend but as it turned out, he qualified as well. I had to scramble at the last minute to find a pit man. I finally found someone to help me out and it became apparent that he was very nervous. I start the boat for him and put the cowl on, I shook his hand, picked up my transmitter and walked up to the drivers stand. When I looked for him at the launch area, he was gone, and my F-hydro was floating about 10 feet away from the bank UP SIDE DOWN!

 

[P THOMAS]

Ok here's mine-

At the pond about 6 or 7 years ago running a brand new, just completed Bud T-4 1/8th scale for the first time. Had run 2 or 3 times working on getting right pipe & prop combo (motor had already been broken in). Made another pipe adjustment & in the water she went. Pulled the trigger & that brand new scale stood up and took off, this would also be about the exact time that all radio contact was lost (turned out the new crystal in the new RX was bad). Stood there feeling completely helpless as I watched that shiny new Concours quality scale go straight across the rather wide pond on it's own. I'm convinced that it is moments like these that time almost stands still as it seemed like forever waiting for the inevitable crash. After what felt like an eternity the boat hit the bank on the opposite side of the lake & launched itself up into the trees where it came to rest about 4 feet off the ground. Spend the entire following week repairing & repainting that boat but it was back on the water the following weekend ......... with a new crystal in the RX. <_<

YES THEY ALWAYS

RUN FASTER WHEN OUT OF CONTROL. :angry:

 

[SCOTT WITHERELL]

Back in 1989, when i started racing i made some new boat buddys and we were out one day test runnin this guys dumas atles van lines sport 20 with a k&b 45 in it(not paint, just resine on it ).one of those guys with the half A-- set ups .the battery set up was in the very back of the boat(no radio box ,no baloon,no zip ties) a real piece of work!!!.we try to tell him, but he didnt want to lissen,he just wanted to run the boat and fix all that stuff later. " we all get one of those impatient ,, got to run type guys." / So we started it up for him,tossed it in the water,as he hit the throtal wide open when the boat hit the water. Holy Sh-t!!! that boat took off like a bat out of hell,right across the river, right into a 3ft radius tree,dead nuts,that boat hit so hard it had to be doin 45/50 in that 30in sport 20 hydro with a 45 in it. "" Picture this"", as it came out the other side of the tree;; (lookin from my angle and apperance)looked like some one tossed a large box of tooth pics in the air from back of the tree. we looked at him and all he could say repeatedly "I had no control, Ihad no control".So we rowed over to see what we could salvage,1st thing found (tank,split in half), 2cd(1 servo), 3rd (resever, no antena) then lookin about 20min and then we found the motor" imbeded in the tree " THATS ALL WE FOUND ,THATS IT.

P.S. when we got back to the dock, were we launch the boat,I found the battery right there in 6in of water!!!

 

[Foolwitools]

Trying to get my 8yr old son interested ( 'bout 20 years ago) I put together a little electric vee hull. He and i took it to a small pond at a city park one cold fall day. I threw it in and ran it around a little to check control then gave the box to the boy. As I handed it to him I pointed out the only obsticle on the pond, a "no fishing" sign on a pipe no bigger than your thumb and told him to stay at the other end of the pond.

Knowing that he couldn't possibly get into any trouble, I went about ten steps away to a grassy place so I could deal with a K-9 mine I stepped in. of course you know that I looked back to the pond just in time to see the boy driving the boat into that tiny sign post about 50 yards from where he started. and the cold ABS shattered like glass and down it went.

Bob the Fool :blink:

 

[John Finch]

We had a guy in our area we called Wild Bill. He was having difficulty keeping water out of the radio box. After a heat of racing (I don't imagine he finished the heat, and Don F knows the story better) He proceeded to show everyone that the radio box was completely dry. LOOK! NO WATER! Then.....someone noticed as Wild Bill rotated the boat....an air bubble skimmed along under the radio box lid. A box completely full of water except for that one little air bubble.

 

[Don Ferrette]

We had a guy in our area we called Wild Bill. He was having difficulty keeping water out of the radio box. After a heat of racing (I don't imagine he finished the heat, and Don F knows the story better) He proceeded to show everyone that the radio box was completely dry. LOOK! NO WATER! Then.....someone noticed as Wild Bill rotated the boat....an air bubble skimmed along under the radio box lid. A box completely full of water except for that one little air bubble.

Yup, good 'ol Wild Bill & his water cooled radio box. LMAO everytime I think of that one. Heck of a nice guy, he just needed a hobby that involved rocks & large hammers. :lol:

 

[GRoth265]

Great stories Guy's; Now I have to relate my best help story. In 1975 I attended the IMPBA Indy nats as a 17yr. old. My father made a large crate and shipped back my 19 Northwind and our Ron Erickson 60 hydro (conventional). My father also arrainged to have fuel there for me when I arrived. So fly from Seattle to Indy, Go to my grandparents house and unpack the boats and head to the lake. Picked up the fuel, filled them up and hit the water. Nothing would run! Tweek the needle, Change props, Pull the pipe Nothing worked. At this point I was about ready to go in the outhouse and cry When two guy's came up and asked if they could help me. After a short disscussion one of them went and got there fuel can, filled my boat,started it and it ran like its old happy self. Needless to say I was saved, Had a great week and even took home some trophies. Those two gents helped me all week and I will never forget it. Thanks again Conrad Cupid and Mike Meelbush. Greg