Tether boat pics

[chas terrell]

here you go Julian .

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.c...yer_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

WOW! Tom he starts his boat in your favorite manner with the good old rope lol!

 

[Tom Foley]

here you go Julian .

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.c...yer_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

WOW! Tom he starts his boat in your favorite manner with the good old rope lol!

Man , I'm not that old LOL !!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[chas terrell]

Lol! Im not calling you old just bust'n ballz alil.As soon as a saw the youtube tethering video I started laughing I recalled a topic some months ago and you had commented on being at a race years ago in NJ and witnessing Jim Allen pull starting a motor during a race too funny to actual see someone do it on video!!

 

[chas terrell]

I think you can hear someone actually laughing in the back ground of the video while he's attempting the rope start!!

 

[Tom Foley]

If it was easy ....everyone would be doing it !!

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

There used to be tether boat events on Green Lake in Seattle. Some of the racers moved into the R/C ranks when R/C Unlimiteds formed in the early 70s. The late Ron Erickson was one of these, having several wins in both formats and was one of the people that I learned to build boats from.

I saw Ron run a 60 hydro tether boat probably around 1966. The boats ran in their own roostertails. They became 2 point hydros because the pull of the boat against the tether pole would lift the inside sponson off the water. Ron made excellent hardware and exhaust manifolds.

JD

 

[Marty Slater]

any chance of some more pics of the outher boat

thanks

Marty

 

[JoeWScott]

I don't have any Marty. Can get more. Might take a while... It's a step hydro similar to the Double Trouble.

 

[bsmtboy2]

The tethered car video is also insane to watch, they have a world record run over 200 mph on youtube.........so fast you can't see it just hear it.

 

[Glenn McClintic]

There's a lot of videos on You Tube. Some are flash steam powered and some are 2-stroke engines. You're racing the clock I believe and they can calculate speed knowing the lap time and length of the tether line. Looks like fun and the engine builders and tuners would enjoy it I'm sure. I personally like the driving aspect of RC boats.



Glenn

 

[John Beardslee]

Tom Prezenka of Octura Models used to have a video of tether boats from Japan. They used bungee cords to launch them, slingshot fashion style. They were fast but just seeing something launched that way was worth standing and watching. Most of the original R/C boaters in the Detroit area that were active in the start of IMPBA had a tether boating background.

Thanks, John

 

[julianconde]

Very interesting looks pretty k

 

[Dasboatman]

Bill mentioned Ed Kalfus - - a legend to some of us that have been playing with r/c boats for a while. Here's a pic of Ed's Gator SpecialTwin 90 Don Pinckert built for him. Boat had a pair of Ed's hand made 90s in it. CHEERS !!! Bob

 

[Martin Hamilton]

As said an elastic bungee is used for launch along with a mighty throw, before the bungee was used around 30 years ago we had to launch with just a throw which is an art in itself without dunking the boat. With the advent of the bungee gave more consistant launches but like every thing this pushed things to use narrower running surfaces, different angles, larger props & more difficult to use motors set ups. The boats are timed over 5 laps with 100 metres per lap so 500metres in total, after launching once the boat is running the competitor raises his arm when he wants the timing to begin & timing begines at the start of the next lap. Tether wire is piano wire, diameter depends on class of boat ie the smallest waterscew class is 3.5cc & has a weight limit of max 2.5lbs + wire diameter of .6mm or .024" (most competative boats in this class would weigh around 1.75lbs). Fuel used in Naviga class boats which are the fastest boats are not allowed to use nitro only 80% methanol & 20% castor oil. Propellers are nearly all home made cut from a single piece of high tensile steel. Classes in Naviga are B1 2.5cc airscrew, A1 3.5cc waterscrew, A2 7.5cc waterscrew & A3 10cc waterscrew, here in the UK we also have additional classes for homemade engines ie 15cc, 30cc, with a couple of flash steam classes. Seeing a flash steamer of around 16lbs circulating at 122mph is quite a sight ecspecially if its just after sunset & just starting to get dark with the entire boiler glowing ret hot including seeing the burners jets alight along with a long flame coming out of the rear of the boiler following the boat. Looks just like a jet fighter flame, the sound from the motor & boiler are incredible & you wouldnt believe you could get the revs out of a steam engine. Martin Hamilton.

 

[James montgomery]

Cool info martin that would be a sight to see. Do they still run them in iowa anywhere would lov to go see those boats run. I have seen the flashsteam ones one utube but would love to see on up close.

 

[Martin Hamilton]

James im in the UK, as far as i know tether boat running died in the US many years ago, the blue flash steamer in the above vid is Bob Kirtley. That particular run is no where near its potential, from memory when i saw that run i think it was around 104mph. He has done 120mph which was a world record up until late 2012 when a fellow competitor in the UK recorded over 122mph. Every part of these steamers apart from ball races are home designed & built.

 

[Bill Gibson]

Bill mentioned Ed Kalfus - - a legend to some of us that have been playing with r/c boats for a while. Here's a pic of Ed's Gator SpecialTwin 90 Don Pinckert built for him. Boat had a pair of Ed's hand made 90s in it. CHEERS !!! Bob

Bob, i remember reading several articles about Mr Kalfus in my old Flying Models Mags which went back to the late 60s/early to mid 70s....he sure did alot of neat stuff........ very highly respected from the racers of the time whether he won a race or not!