Why JD Mostly Runs Tunnels

[Jerry Dunlap]

Had a club fun run this morning. Mike Hughes brought out his twin MAC 84 rigger to test. Something went amiss with the radio system when the boat was probably doing 60 + mph. After one screaming pass around the lake, the boat hit the beach.

Here's a photo of Mike attempting to launch his twin rigger after the impact.

JD

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

BTW - My 3.5 Stock, 3.5 Mod, and 3.5 OB Vee ran just fine. Ran the OB Vee with my MAC 21 OB - faster than with my CMB 21.

JD

 

[not2bright]

ouch man that is really messed up. id say i feel for you but i have yet to wreak one of my boats so i dont know what it feels like.

btw you should run throttle return springs on all your boats, i do and they have saved me many many times

 

[Ron Olson]

I saw Ron Zaker Jr. split one like that and I thought that the boat was trashed. He had it back together for the next heat!

Hey Mike, you've got a sponson in your ear!

Even tunnel boats get broken, you've shown us several times in RCBM! :lol:

 

[Mike Hughes]

We have the technology to rebuild it. The Six Million Dollar Twin LIVES. I thought about buying a new hull but with 48 days left till nats, I wasn't sure it was going to happen. I know I could put it together but not sure if Andy and John could get it done quick enough. I don't know what their committment is to building boats right now. So I survey the damage and said she can be reborn. Here is how she looked after tear down.

Mike

 

[Mike Hughes]

So I put the crew to work on her.

 

[Mike Hughes]

I soon realized that the front was going to be a problem with all the old oil soaked epoxy from privious owner neglect. It was going to be difficult to get the epoxy to stick to this. No way to sand it off easily. So I decided to ditch the front end. Out came the dremel.

 

[Mike Hughes]

First I needed a profile of the side of the tub. I took the left side and glue it together to trace it. I was lucky that all of it was there. Glue on a staight edge and trace it out.

 

[Mike Hughes]

Once I rough cut out the one side I pinned it to the rest of the plywood with some finish nails. Then cut it out on the bandsaw and finished it up on the belt sander.

 

[Mike Hughes]

I remove the rest of the front end to 2" into the radio box. I plan on splicing the side and bottom with some backing to give it strength.

 

[Mike Hughes]

After some slight adjusting to make the fit perfect, I glue it up with epoxy.

 

[Mike Hughes]

One nice thing about the twin is that the top of the tub is flat all the way forward till just about the front of the tanks. This made it easy to build it on its back. More to come after epoxy dries.

Mike

 

[Mike Bontoft]

Hey Mike

Looking good, you should have it finished in no time. Did you find out what the radio problem was? I hate it when something like that happens and you can't find anything wrong.

Mike

 

[[email protected]]

I've seen Mike do his handy work first hand at a Grand Prix race in Fremont, Ca about two or three years ago. His Winston Eagle boat got T-Boned and I gave him my big bottle of Ca and helped him squeeze it together while he glued it. Remember that Mike?? He got it running in a heart beat to finish the day.

 

[Mike Hughes]

Hey Rodney

You forgot to mention that I won the final with that boat. I was able to get it patch back together just before the heat was about to run. Good times, good times.

Michael

Should have it back together by Monday. Then some sealing and maybe some paint, who knows. Work is going to be light next week. I will probably go down early and test on friday in Springfield. Radio was a little wet. Some how water got in the box. PCM receiver no like. I probably have a bad pushrod seal. It is on the list to find out why. As soon as I get it back together I will give it the pressure test and look for bubbles.,

Later

Mike

 

[Jerry Dunlap]

Re: Radio was a little wet

Who was it a few weeks back giving ol' JD a bad time for having "some radio in his water box?"

JD

 

[Mike Bontoft]

Mike

Seeing all the hard work your doing to get the boat ready for Springfield got me motivated to get my gas rigger out from under the sawdust, Thanks. Now who else is bringing open riggers to Springfield, Shawn, Chris, Mark, ??? I feel the need for speed, Lets get it on !

Mike

 

[gene gager]

I have seen your guys open rigger act before. please , please bring them as that is a show that would make the trip to springfield worth the trip just to watch that match. really looking forward to that. see you there. gene gager

 

[gene gager]

:huh: Mike , sorry about your loss of boat, If it is back together and makes one lap in springfield, come to the motor home and get one of the white russians that I poision mike bontoft with. geno "hic"

 

[Don Ferrette]

"Radio was a little wet. Some how water got in the box. PCM receiver no like. I probably have a bad pushrod seal. "

Been there done that. NOTHING is more gut wrenching than watching one of your boats go no control. Back in '98 I had a radio failure on a scale hull. Watched helplessly as it crossed the lake, launched off the bank & landed about 4 feet up in the trees. Found a pushrod seal that had split just a little on the underside where you couldn't see it & the PCM receiver was a little wet. Yup, they don't like water. I was able to do a few all nighters & get it back together for a race 2 weeks later. Still managed to win the class for the weekend & Concours too. Sure glad it was just one color (Bud red) to repaint. B) I'm sure Mike's twin was going alot faster than 60, but ever notice that when something like this happens it seems like it's almost slow motion waiting for the inevitable crash??????