2012 NAMBA FE Nationals - Getting Excited about the Nats, Thread...

[Darin Jordan]

OK, guys... let me start it! Anyone else thrashing to get their $hit together as much as I am??? :doh:

Have some boats ready, have some on the bench, have at least one in mind that I haven't even started yet...

My wife asked "who are you" when I walked into the house the other day... Am I spending THAT much time in the garage... ??? :confused1: :glare:

Looking forward to getting together for some fun racing action!

I was thinking... Hmmmmm... I wonder if anyone has any decent cameras that maybe they could mount on the drivers stand and perhaps stream racing action live?? How cool would that be?? :cool2:

[D. Newland]

I'm feeling really good about this event. Personally, I've got a few minor setup issues to shake out before the Nat's. My tunnel is a mess after I kind of did a little running surface modification...woops. The rigger is good, but 1 prop in particular likes to hold the turn a little longer than I like. My monos are solid. My Insane Sport Hydro if very close after some tuning this past weekend at the district race. Also debating props again on that one, too. I've been chasing a very weird too tight/too loose problem w/that boat and I got past that issue during the district race.

From an event standpoint, there are many gas/nitro guys in my district that now have FE boats in their pit trailers. I'm tickled beyond belief about it, too. It won't be the biggest Nat's on record, but it should be the biggest as it relates to "crossover" racers joining the FE ranks.

Lastly, Dist 19 is a strong district and the support we've already received, and will get during the event has been and will be nothing less than spectacular.

Ding dong-a box just showed up from WD-40, too!

[raptor347]

There's light at the end of the tunnel! Was that a train whistle? :crying:

[CHIEFY_44]

I have 2 cameras a didicated video cam hd, and I have a Nikon D 5000 if someone can sort out the connection and stuff I would be willing to let them be used for filming fr drivers stand, also have a gopro that can be used also. Let me know and I'll bring them along.

[properchopper]

I'm losing what's left of my mind getting the fleet in tune. Mostly I worry about making everyone that enters feel welcome and have an experience that stands up to previous Nationals. SoCal FE is fairly "wet behind the ears" when it comes to co-sponsoring an event of this caliber ; thank goodness the SMB is there to take the lead and the local Legg Lake clubs like the Amigos and the H20 Gassers have committed their assistance. Having (predominently) gas/nitro club participation in putting on an FE-only event hopefully portends the future of mutual cooperation in model boat racing. Having a beautiful, permanent drivers stand and nicely shaded pits and ample restroom facilities doesnt hurt either. Looking forward to the racing, the camaraderie, and oh yeah, the food !

Tony Heller
President, SoCal FE RC Raceboat Club

[TheShaughnessy]

Tony, just be you and everyone will feel welcome and have a great time, i know I always do. Since this will be my first FE nationals I don't know how great the others were, but i know this one is going to be AWESOME! The H20 Gassers hosted the gas nats last year if i remember correctly and it was a mighty fine event. So with their help and your passion I don't see how anything could go wrong.

Also I was wondering if Legg lake had any documentation stating a DB level for generators. The fine engineers at Yamaha have done a great job at making a smooth running 4500 watt generator, but I'm questioning its "whisper quite" capabilities. Thinking I may have to make some sort of silencer for it. Open to Ideas there.

Now if only there wasn't 50 mph winds and whitecaps on the lake!!:cursing: I have made a "Shaughnessy " mod to the vegas, but I'll probably keep it under wraps until the nats so everyone can have a laugh together.

[D. Newland]

Some interesting observations and statistics coming out of the signups.

First off, we're at 36 drivers and 209 boats, and that includes deducting 3 drivers and 21+ boats that had a change of plans. To say that this event has already exceeded my expectations is an understatement.

Not including the scale classes:

N-2 Power Parameter has 25 boats
P-Ltd has 86
P has 45
Q and T have 12 each.

Most popular classes:

LSH: 24
P-Ltd Offshore: 17
P-Ltd Mono:16
P Mono: 14
P-Ltd Hydro: 13
P Sport Hydro: 12 (curious to see how many spec motors in this class)
OPC: 10
P Offshore: 10

I knew the T classes would be thin, but it's great to see that a number of the classes made the cut. We just don't have that many out here.

Seeing a 2:1 difference between P-Ltd and P boat counts...no surprise, but it does give a profound visual at how that power parameter is resonating in our hobby.

2 1/2 weeks and we'll be rubbin' decks!

[properchopper]

:rockon2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIOOwhmkoLo :rockon2:

[Darin Jordan]

OK, Tony... I think I'm dialed in and ready to rumble!

Here, Kitty-kitty-kitty!

This thing ROCKS! :cool:

[properchopper]

OK, Tony... I think I'm dialed in and ready to rumble!

Here, Kitty-kitty-kitty!

This thing ROCKS! :cool:

Can you FEEL IT ? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiX-jcbu17Y

[Darin Jordan]

OK, Dammit! NINE POSTS!?? Are you kidding me!? :confused: :noidea:

This event is a week away, and it's time to start yacking!! And I don't mean in the "Hurl" sense!! :biggrin:

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I got up and decided to make a little adjustment.

The PB team sent me a couple of the decal sheets from the new IM31v2, so I could use the new Pro Boat logos on a boat or two. Well... I just couldn't let the main decals go to waste, so I created my new "Team Edition" IM31! Removed the original IM31v1 decals and replaced them. Doesn't look half bad! P-Ltd Mono, here I come! :thumbup:

[properchopper]

D, that's just pure gorgeous :thumbup1: Seems that this Nat's will be a big showcase for the ongoing emergence of some really cool rtr spec boats which are certainly coming of age. PB & AQ should be happy to see this and content that their efforts (boosted in large part by the contributions of "name" racers like yours truly) are being realized by the racing community and will henceforth trickle down to the entire FE world. A "Win-Win" for sure.

To create a memorable experience for all attending (and watching), I've become mildly "serenity-challanged" given that this is SoCal FE's first foray into the "big time" and we're all taking dance lessons to avoid stepping on our :censored:. Adding to my normally scrambled thinking-focus is the fact that today is DAY NINE of being a non-smoker. Talk about bad timing ! Anyway the Good Times are about to roll ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5TqIdff_DQ&feature=related

[line6]

OK, Dammit! NINE POSTS!?? Are you kidding me!? :confused: :noidea:




We all are busy lol. no time to type :smile:


Jason Sims

[properchopper]

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/South+El+Monte+CA+91733:4:US

[CHIEFY_44]

Go Tony on the stop smoking thing man, just got the props fr dasboata looking gd as usual just need to get down to the lake for some testing.

[Darin Jordan]

We all are busy lol. no time to type :smile:


Jason Sims

Hahahaha! Me too... well... except while I'm at "work"... :doh:

[Darin Jordan]

We all are busy lol. no time to type :smile:


Jason Sims

I talked to Ken... I know he is REALLY BUSY!! :scared:

[D. Newland]

Trust me, guys are yacking! Just not on the forums. Things are a buzz...

Added 2 more drivers already this week.

I'm just trying to contain myself enough to not spend 100% of my time blabbing around the house about the race. Even at work. I know my staff have overheard a few conversations that probably sounded a little funny to them. Maybe even a little weird and, how shall I say...charged. What can I say...we're a passionate group that, for the most part, keeps a pretty damn good perspective on this hobby.

I try to spare the wife and kids. But, it's difficult when I have the pit trailer taking up garage space and crap everywhere...kids are wanting me to work on their scooters the second I sit down to tune props...or the dogs start barking outside right when I heat up the soldering iron.

Yes-I get the kids scooters tuned first and I spare the neighbors my barking dogs! But the pit trailer and garage crap are staying put for a few more days.

[line6]

I talked to Ken... I know he is REALLY BUSY!! :scared:


I haven't heard from him in a few day's so I KNOW he is busy. Ya dave your right wasn't too amped till like a week to go now im blabbing at work also lol.


Jason Sims

[RaceMechaniX]

I've been thrashing for the last two weeks in particular trying to get offshore boats to make 4 mins. Always seems like I make 3:30 and then the batteries drop off. Got one more weekend to try lower kv motors and more efficient prop combos.

Got to do some last minute painting and make sure all boats have numbers and are legal. Have not evern started to work on the trailer although I already know more racks will be required. On the positive side my Q mono is looking particularily fast and stable as it the T-Sport. And after some extensive therapy sessions I can say that Schulze's are cooperating with the Neu's and so are the Castle's and Lehner's.

Looking forward to the event!

[Darin Jordan]

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock.... :unsure: :scared:


Did you guys ever notice that, in prepping for these "big" races, you tend to throw combinations together that you just wouldn't otherwise?? I mean, seriously... a PLASTIC Pro Boat Impulse 26 boat, all stock, with a Hydra 240ESC, 2S2P, and a Neu 1509 1Y... for N2-Mono??? What the HECK am I thinking??

Well... I DID upgrade the right turn fin! :biggrin: That'll help... :blink:

[properchopper]

OK, OK, OK.... Six boats DIALED !! Now to get the pit equipment sorted & packed. LOTS of Logistics ahead . Some surprises in store :spy: :banana:

[ron1950]

wish texas wasent in the way....id love to run a few classes and watch the good racing......

[properchopper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk4iOmb-osk

[properchopper]

wish texas wasent in the way....id love to run a few classes and watch the good racing......

http://www.delta.com/?Log=1&mkcpgn=SEzzzladb&clickid=192690fb-468d-0d28-da95-000069f9ee7d&tracking_id=328x113964&s_kwcid=TC|22013|delta%20airlines||S|e|9604739291

[ron1950]

tony that is the worst airline in the world and the largest...id go southwest if attending lol

[R.J.S]

Wish I was coming,you guys are getting me amped up!
Anyway,best of luck to Ken and Jason of Team WaveBlasters!They are pulling a trailer all the way from Forida and are probably on the road as we speak.
Hope someone will post the results each day on this thread so those of us that couldn't make the trip can keep up on the action.

Jeff S
WaveBlasters of Florida

[ron1950]

hey jeff i talked to ken at the last race about the drive.....told em to hit I10 and hang on.....i used to drive to south cal and pick up boats and drive back to mississippi in two or three days....hell of a drive.....i wont do it again i can tell ya that......

[TheShaughnessy]

Don't know if has been mentioned but are we going to be running the "M" offshore course or the "offset" offshore course?

[RaceMechaniX]

I believe the offset course.

[D. Newland]

Yes-Offset course with a nice, long backstretch, then come around and a left turn at the start buoy.

Packed up and heading out in the morning! Yes-we'll be feeding updates daily on this thread.

[Todd Fleury]

See everyone in a few days! Trying to get my 1/8th scale dialed in and finalized, but it is running really quick. Was super happy about the new ESC.
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[ron1950]

whos going to take vids this year? hope to see em soon

[Todd Fleury]

I am bringing my HD cam on Saturday, and having my cousin shoot some races.

[ron1950]

outstanding!!!!

[T.S.Davis]

Ken and Jason of Team WaveBlasters!

Rumor has it that was a 41 hour drive. Good luck......lunatics.

[R.J.S]

Good time!Glad they made it safely.Good luck guys,now relax and have fun!

JS
WBoF

[T.S.Davis]

I'm really missing the nats this time around. Sorry guys. Finish some laps for me too.........since I couldn't do that even if I were there.

[ron1950]

at 41 hours drive time they did pretty well.....wonder if that was stright through? we need to move texas out of the way and it would only be 24 hours lol

[T.S.Davis]

Straight through is what I heard from my grape vine.

[LuckyDuc]

I'm green with envy. Wish I could be there.:crying:

[R.J.S]

Was hoping to hear some news from Legg Lake by now!

[T.S.Davis]

I just sent a text to Newland. See if he can rattle the cage a little.

[Grimracer]

Buaas and Heller 1 and 2 in P limited Cat.. yep.. you know the boat!

Twaits captures P Hydro..

It aint much but its all I got!

Grim

[T.S.Davis]

I did get a little bit more. Soudns like guys are busy.

N2 mono - Newland
Q mono - Newland
P mono - Twaits
Limited Cat - Buaas
P Sport - Sims

That was from Wed racing. Not much of a report but what I have.

Interesting to me......all 4 of those guys I believe have been national high points champ in their careers.

[Todd Fleury]

Congrats everyone! See you all tonight and race tomorrow.

[R.J.S]

Thanks for the updates,keep em coming as u get em.
Congrats to Team WaveBlasters driver Jason Sims for his P-Sport win!

[Namba328]

Here's our vid about the nats

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150991976142148

[JimClark]

not working yet maybe facebook is still processing it
.

[lohring]

I understand that the Pacific Northwest swept P Limited Tunnel with Kylie Morana first, Brian Buaas second, and Darrin Jordan third.
Way to embarrass the boys, Kylie!!
Brian also warmed up my 20 year old Executone with a win in T Sport Hydro.

Lohring Miller

[properchopper]

Buaas and Heller 1 and 2 in P limited Cat.. yep.. you know the boat!

Twaits captures P Hydro..

It aint much but its all I got!

Grim

Hey Mike,

In all due immodesty :

79629

All I can say, is :

:banana: :rockon2: :rockon2: :tiphat:

[Grimracer]

hahha....lol


WAY TO GO MAN.. you worked hard..

Grim

[ron1950]

way to go tony nice job.....

[ron1950]

sure hope some vids show up soon....

[Bullwink]

Congrats Tony!

[PatrickM]

The awards banquet was a grand finale to four days of great racing involving many interesting personalities....:banana:

Tony entertained the ladies at the banquet seniors table, as well as working the crowd before and after...

Dave Newlands banquet spiel rivaled any late night talk show host's monologue and it was all ad-lib.... fantastic entertainment! :roflol:
Another great entertainer on a "salt of the earth" level was Pags, many thanks to Mike for footing the bar tab! :moon:

[properchopper]

Trying to get unpacked, working through a haze of exhaustion , vids to upload, tons of e-mails to answer, but : Thanks all. P-Ltd Cat Sprint is such a great class - hope it gets put in the lineup officially - scuttlebutt indicates that it looks good to go through channels. So much fun and close racing in the class. Kylie's basically stock MC was rippin' fast; found some of the Legg Lake danger- water and got caught up in it. The Geico's were doing well but my over-prepped MC and Brian's driving got us going into round four with two firsts and a second place apiece. Four boat's : Stephen's Geico & Wilmers Atomic; me & Brian. Wilmer & Stephen got tangled up and were out; Brian outdrove me for the round and class win. Awesome racing-hope to see more in this category.

[JimClark]

Tony did you wake up with that tag on you?

Hey Mike,

In all due immodesty :

79629

All I can say, is :

:banana: :rockon2: :rockon2: :tiphat:

[properchopper]

Tony did you wake up with that tag on you?

Woke up the morning after the banquet and found the tag on my forehead after removing the lampshade from my head :huh:

[PatrickM]

Did you remove the Annette Funicello mask before donning the lampshade? I don't remember much after the mask.....:noidea:

[TheShaughnessy]

I was the real.winner of the event. Walked away with a new, shiny yellow FE 30. Real exited about getting it rigged up. Had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

[properchopper]

Did you remove the Annette Funicello mask before donning the lampshade? I don't remember much after the mask.....:noidea:

Not sure either - 'Tho was shocked to find out I made a peculiar offer to Steve L. of Team Insane thinking he was the bass player from Foghat :ohmy:

[CHIEFY_44]

Just want to say we all had a great time at the nats everyone helped everyone, but a big thxs goes to lenny for coming and calling the races for the four days, another big thxs goes to all the manufacturers that sent the great prizes for the raffle.
This was my first national and loved it racing was tight and in the most part clean, made some new friends and some met some real characters one who will stick in my mind was pags, was a pleasure to meet you and thxs for picking up the bar tab. Also thxs to brad for getting the doughnuts every morning and for the use of the generator.

[R.J.S]

CONGRATULATIONS to Jason Sims,the 2012 FE High Points National Champion!
Congrats also to Jason, Ken and Wilmer of Team WaveBlasters for claiming 2nd in Team Points.
Now Jason and Ken have that long drive back to FL.Drive safely guys!

JS
WBoF

[T.S.Davis]

Isn't that back to back championships for Jason?

[D. Newland]

Mr. Offshore Award goes to (drum roll, please...)

Mike Paganelli with 180.75 total laps for the day!

Running 5 boats for 4 rounds each really tests ones ability to, well, have their crap together. Pags pulled through, even with an exploded driveline in his T Offshore cat that ripped out a section of the hull. It needed serious surgery...all while he's running 4 other classes. The guy can hustle, both on and off the water!

Congratulations, Pags! Don't worry, I'll keep the 1st Place Q Offshore plate highly visible in my garage for the next year.

[D. Newland]

Jason and Dougie tied in 2011 for High Points. The kid is on fire!

[T.S.Davis]

It's great to see a new name on the list of real high points contenders. Plus he's a good kid as far as I can tell.

PAGS got beat in Q offshore? He must have been mortified.

[RaceMechaniX]

Here is the group shot, I'll add a bunch more tonight.

Tyler

79725

[properchopper]

Sponsor thank-you photos - Thanks to Pat McDonald

Delta Force Racing

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Aquacraft

79727


Dynogy Batteries { Mark F. ; performanceRCLipos.com}

79728


Insane Boats

79729


Group Photo

79730

[D. Newland]

PAGS got beat in Q offshore? He must have been mortified.

He's still texting me about it! But, he's rubbing my nose in the P Mono loss.

Here are the top 5 High Points racers:

5th Place: Ted McKay at 52 points

4th Place: Brian Buaas at 54 points

3rd Place: Ken Haines at 58 points

2nd Place: David Newland at 76 points

1st Place: Jason Sims at 78 points

Point totals were derived by finding the best 6 classes of each racer. You get points based on how many racers are in the class. For instance, if there are 20 racers in LSH and you win the class, you get 20 points. If you take 2nd place, you get 19 points, and so on. It's a formula I use that helps take the wallet out of the High Points award, and puts emphasis on the more popular FE classes. You're rewarded handsomely if you win the highest participated classes.

Pags would have been in the hunt, but he missed the first round on Wednesday (literally flew in that morning), and he didn't run Saturday. He raced better than I've ever seen...just didn't race the full event.

[LuckyDuc]

What was the class count starting with the most popular class on down?

[D. Newland]

LSH: 18
P-Ltd O/S 17
P-Ltd Mono 16
P Sport Hydro 14
P Mono 13
P O/S 10
P-Ltd Hydro 10
N-2 Mono, P Hydro, P-Ltd Cat, N-2 O/S all had 9
OPC 7

Those are the bigger classes.

Just got off the phone with Haines. He had a trailer tire blow out on the way here, and the other 3 let go on his return trip...still driving.

[Doug Smock]

Just got off the phone with Haines. He had a trailer tire blow out on the way here, and the other 3 let go on his return trip...still driving.
Man that sucks!! I wonder if he still has fenders on the trailer?:thumbdown:

[T.C.]

That does suck, but why do I have this vision of a Pinsky pit crew coming out of nowhere jacking that sucker up and changing his tires .

T.C.

[D. Newland]

More data coming in.

Offshore highest lap totals for a heat:

N-2 Offshore David Newland 10 3/4 laps
P-Ltd Offshore Lenny Blake, Jim Osborne and Jason Sims 10 1/2 laps
P Offshore 11 1/2 laps David Newland/Jason Sims
Q Offshore 11 3/4 laps Mike Paganelli
T Offshore 12 1/4 laps Mike Paganelli

[FE Wannabe]

It was my first RC racing experience of any kind and I have to say I am hooked! Everyone was very friendly and willing to help a newbie racer like me, especially my So Cal FE racing brethren. Great racing, great food, great friends. It doesn't get much better.

And what can I say about Dave Newland, he is an amazing racer and at the same time keeping the whole Nats under control and running smoothly. We would not have had half the event we had with out him.:bowdown:

Lenny Blake was an awesome CD for the event, keeping the heats running like clockwork and keeping the racing fair and fun.:tiphat:

It was great being in the company of some of the best of the best racers in the US, if not the world. It is very impressive the commitment they have to be the best.

I can't wait to get racing again!

Brad

[R.J.S]

Darin,congrats on the N-2 Hydro win!Talk about thinking outside the box!Was that a Mystic?

[Steven Vaccaro]

Sponsor thank-you photos - Thanks to Pat McDonald

Delta Force Racing

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Aquacraft

79727


Dynogy Batteries { Mark F. ; performanceRCLipos.com}

79728


Insane Boats

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Group Photo

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I guess Offshore didnt get a picture? :noidea:

[properchopper]

I guess Offshore didnt get a picture? :noidea:

Steven, Here's the group you sponsored :thumbup:

79791

More will be revealed when you open up the package that's on its way :spy:

[Steven Vaccaro]

Steven, Here's the group you sponsored :thumbup:

79791

More will be revealed when you open up the package that's on its way :spy:

Ah, the good stuff. I like surprises!!

[D. Newland]

A few more tidbits.

There was a lot of anticipation of the new Aquacraft Revolt. Brian was able to run within 3 seconds of my best heat time, and I run a very well dialed Delta Force 26 that I feel I had done more homework about the P-Ltd mono race setup than anybody there. For only having the boat a few weeks, the Revolt was impressive.

Also, Darin took 3rd place in P-Ltd Mono with his Impulse 31. He made a slight change to the turnfin geometry and has the boat running very well.

It's great to have options. Both boats are viable boats for P-Ltd racing, which is fantastic news.

Thank you to the manufacturers for developing product that can literally be dropped into the most popular FE racing class!

[RaceMechaniX]

Some pics of the event in no particular order:

7980279803798047980579806

[RaceMechaniX]

Some pics of the event in no particular order:

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[RaceMechaniX]

Image Uploader is overloaded apprantently, will add more later

[RaceMechaniX]

Some pics of the event in no particular order:

7986679867798687986979870

[properchopper]

Nice pictures T !

[PatrickM]

79843
I guess Offshore didnt get a picture? :noidea:Here's the participant plate everyone in the group pic received.....

[Darin Jordan]

OK... after a total of 2587.5 miles driven, and a week of surviving on 4 hours sleep a night... I think I finally have things put away, and have processed my thoughts enough to provide a decent report.

First off... Many, MANY thanks to the organizers of the event. This is a LOT of work and provides very little reward aside from the satisfaction of job well done. David, Mark and Kim Grim, Tony Heller and the SoCal FE crew, Pat McDonald, Tracy Osborn, Lanno (the supurb recovery boat driver), Lenny, our CD, and EVERYONE else who pitched in. Thank you for providing this opportunity for the rest of us.


Racing... Well... what can I say... I'll try to focus on the positive, because, frankly, my racing prep was good, but my luck was terrible! Finishing % is a bit part of a 4 round event, and I failed to make that part happen in many of my classes. Felt I was very competive in many, but just couldn't seem to settle in for 4 complete rounds in most.

N2 Mono - I ran a Pro Boat Impulse 26 with a Neu 1509 1Y and a 440/3 prop. I didn't expect to be competitive, as this is essentially an offshore setup going up against some DIALED sprint setups. HOwever, I stayed clean, ran well, and finished all my heats. Not sure where I placed, but I had fun in this class. The boat actually takes power fairly well for what it is.

P-Hydro - Ran my Raptor with a Losi 2400KV Xcelorin motor on 4S1P. Had plenty of speed and power and was right in the mix... right up until, in one of the later rounds, a motor mounting screw stipped, allowing the motor to shift and tearing apart the driveline. Done for the day there.

P-Sport - Ran my new Phil Thomas Stealth 30. Initially I has a 2100KV Losi Xcelorin motor in there and it felt a little slow. Handling was still questionable. HOnestly, and Brian will attest to this, we were ready to throw these boats under the nearest tractor trailer and be done with them when the week started. Handling was questionable and they wouldn't say on the water. HOWEVER, with a lot of testing and tuning, they've grown on us. We got them working very well and again, I felt I was competitive, albiet, likely not in the hunt for this particular class against the very well tuned and driven Whiplash contingent.

I switched motors after round 2 of the class to the 2400KV setup and spun a smaller prop. The handling was excellent and I had plenty of speed. I think I ended up upside down at least once, however. The highlight of this class for me, once we figured out how to make the boats work, was the heat that found me chasing down Stephen Williamson for the lead with his Insane 30. I worked my way up from mid-pack, and was running him down hard, but he drove like a champ for two laps and was able to hold off the charge! For a guy with only one eye, Stephen drove amazingly. Nicely done, my friend!

P-Ltd Cat - Not having the motor options that the AQ guys have, I decided to go a different direction. Using a Miss Geico, with a stock PB 1500KV motor, and the new 80A Dynamite/Pro Boat ESC, I swung a HUGE wheel and was in the hunt the entire 4 rounds. I didn't feel I gave anything up to the compeition, and was running out front more than once, but racing luck was not on my side. In more than one heat, the boat "tripped" in the hard right-hander down at the end of the back straight. I'd spend several laps running hard, then the boat would suddenly grab and roll over. After running the Mystic in N2 Hydro, I believe now this was mostly due to the huge prop I had to run to make the 1500KV motor give the speed needed to compete. In the third heat, I launched and the boat wouldn't steer... turns out the servo arm fell off. NICE! :rolleyes: That's about how things went for me all week.

N2-Offshore - I had a bit of a twist for this class. I've kept it under wraps, but I built a Pro Boat Mystic that I affectionately call the "29 Minus-Two". Turns out that if you remove the overhang from a Mystic/Miss Geico, and trip another 1/2" off the sponson tips, you end up with an N2 Legal Offshore Cat. I used Impulse 31 hardware, which put the rudder and prop back where it started. Only had to trim 1/4" off the stock driveshaft to make it all work.

I was originally going to power it with a Neu 1512 1.5D (3200KV) and spin a nice wheel (47-50mm prop), but after some testing, I decided to switch to a 1515 1.5D (2700KV) with a Hydra 240 and 2S2P 10,000 mAh Thunder Power packs. I had PLENTY of speed, but was again bit by the "tripping" issue. Pretty much the same place as with the Geico. Not fun. Those little DF 26's are REALLY dialed for this class. Tough to beat. It was fun doing something different, however, and the boat was put to use later in the week, which I discuss a bit later.

P-Ltd Offshore. I ran the Geico again, and was plagued with the same tripping issue. Theme developing here... HUGE Prop... hard right-hand corners... Not a good mixture.

P-Offshore - I attempted to run an Impulse 31 in this class. Was doing OK, but I needed to have locked down the boat a bit more to keep it upright when the conditions go south. Just too small of a boat to try to make handled the speeds and water conditions developed by a real P-Mono sized boat.

P-Ltd Mono - Ran a pretty much stock Impulse 31, with the exception of running the 1500KV Pro Boat motor, and the 80A ESC. The only change I made to the exterior of the boat was to fab up some new turn fins. YES, these will eventually work their way into the product line, or into the aftermarket. I've already talked to Steven about fabbing them, and they DO make a huge difference. The boat handled amazingly at these speeds and holding lane one was NOT an issue! I ran the boat good enough to place 3rd, which isn't too bad. Again, those little DF26's are tough to beat. I think the rivalry between the Revolts and the Impulses is solid, and I think that either boat, driven well and properly setup, can be a winner. It's GREAT to have options to get new people involved!

Thread word limit... to be continued... ;)

[Darin Jordan]

The REST of the story...

P-Ltd OPC - Well... the Lynx performed WAY beyond my, and I think many others, expectations. It was on rails, handled great, was a rocket in the straights, and was just solid! After running away in the first heat, I went into the second heat feeling pretty good. First time all week that my right hand wasn't shaking like a total rookie on the drivers stand about 3-laps in! Brian and I had a tight battle going, but that little comment that I made to him while we were selecting out 3 classes for the team competition came back to haunt me! "Brian, I REALLY think I should pick OPC because I think I'm going to beat you in that class"... WHAT the HELL was I thinking saying THAT to him! Hahahah... He'll open that little silver box and it'll be all over! Well... he grabbed lane one at the start, and I patiently was running tight in lane two, waiting for my chance. He slid wide exiting 4 (well, they called it turn 2 at the NATs), and I grabbed lane one at the exit. He tightened up a little TOO much and drove across my bow, resulting in my ending up upside down. He DQ'd himself, which was very gentlemanly of him, and we hugged and laughed about it. There were two more heats to get some points.

Well... I was coming up for a PERFECT start in Heat three... 3... 2.... 1.... BEEP! I squeeze the throttle and ZINNNNGGGG..... the flex cable brakes 10 feet from the start/finish line... My heart sunk! Again, the kind of luck I had all week.

I regrouped for round 4, and so did the officials. They combined the remaining OPC racers into a single heat of 6. We battled through turn one, I came out in front, and ran away from the pack. I think that 2nd place was about 1/3rd or 1/2 lap down. This boat is amazing.

Kudos to my girl, Kylie... She was my co-driver of choice all week, takes care of all her own equipment (battery charging, setup, etc), and is an amazing girl. She finished all 4 heats and placed well enough to take 1st! Nicely done, Sweetheart!

I did pull out the Lynx on Sunday for the 2-Lap TT and established a new P-Ltd OPC 2-Lap record of 30.xxx with the same heat racing setup. Brian pulled out his magic silver box and I was able to lower the record to 28.9xx. Pretty solid. There is at least another second there with this same setup, but it's a little tough to get it to transition from the turn to the straight with this prop. Needs a little more setup time and some better water to make it happen. Looking forward to trying again!

P-Mono - IM31... too much power... upside down a lot. I tried, but knew I was bringing a Knife to a gun fight here. All of this is great data for the next round of development, however... ;^)


N2-Hydro - I had a small rigger all setup for this class. There were 5 people entered, and I figured that finishing would be key, so when I was unpacking stuff on Saturday morning, I got the idea to run my Mystic 29 Minus-Two with a killer Neu setup in it. Tyler loaned me a 1515 0.5Y and I ran a 440/3 prop. Boat ran like a ROCKET for the 1st heat... Was able to actually run with Haines down the straights and could hold lane one at full throttle without any issue. Ken ended up flipping, and I took the 1st heat win. For rounds 2 and 3, I detuned the prop a bit and settled for a solid 2nd in those heats. This setup didn't show ANY signs of tripping in the turns, and would hold lane one pretty well. With the slower prop, I had a battle with Tommy Levessy, who was running one of BBY's riggers, but was able to hold him off for a few laps, afterwhich he ended up upside down or stalled or something.

For the final heat, Ken and Jason threw Jason's N2 Hydro back toghether and were going to try to shut me out for 2nd place. If Ken won, I needed second to win overall. If Ken DNFd or didn't win, all I needed was a 3rd or better. Really playing the odds here! I propped back up, and did what I had done all day at the start... take off EARLY in the mill, set in lane one, and nail the start. Well... I did just that, but slid really wide through the 1st turn. could have been called I think, and I felt bad about it, but I think everyone got through. Jason ended up upside down somewhere on the course, and Ken was running away for the win. However, I was clearly in 2nd, with no pressure, so I settled in and cruised for 2nd place and the overall! Unfortunately, Tommy's rigger stalled exiting 4 and ended up sinking. NOt sure if they ever got it back.

I did learn that this hull works JUST FINE with a high-RPM, small prop setup! I had no tripping problems at all with this setup, and will keep that in mind in the future!


P-Ltd Hydro - Was running my Raptor and in the 1st round, decided to lay off a bit and see how the heat settled out. I wasn't 100% confident in my boat after having to rebuild the driveline and put on a new prop after the P-Hydro rounds earlier in the week, so sticking it into the fold with guys like Douggie, Brian, Ken, Jason, etc.... didn't make a lot of sense. After the 1st lap, however, I found myself in 4th and the boat was running REALLY well, so I throttled on. Kylie was co-driving and correctly called the dead/slow boat exiting 4, which was Tommy Levessy driving one of BBY's Winston Eagles... Not sure what he did, but I swung WAY wide, and suddenly the Eagle went shooting across in front of me, I believe partially airborne, and I sawed it in half! Tore off my right sponson and essentialy ended my day with that boat. I would like to appologize for the rather loud curse-word I uttered as it happened! Tommy appologized afterwards and it's all good. Stuff happens, and it seemed like it was my week for it!

P-Ltd Sport Hydro - Had the Stealth Dialed. Got a 3rd, then a 1st, then a close 2nd racing against Tyler... Was in the hunt. For reasons still unknown, three of us apparently didn't hear, or weren't called, or ????, the final heat and my boat sat in my pits, taped up and ready to go, while the heat ran without us. It is what it is...


Overall, it was a great, frustrating, tiring, exhillerating, and FUN week! Let's do it again!

Best part of the whole deal was hanging out with my friends, old and new... Brian, John, Tyler, Mark, Mike Pags, Ken, Jason, Tony, Stephen, Douggy, Dave,... the list goes on and on! This is the best part of these trips for me, and I look forward to doing it again!

Thanks again to all those who worked so hard to make this happen.

I have some pics that I'll try to post tomorrow.

Until next time!

[Darin Jordan]

I would also be remiss if I didn't take the time to thank our title sponsor, Steven Vaccaro and OffshoreElectrics.com.

Not only did Steven time and time again go out of his way to get those last minute parts to me (and I'm assuming I'm not the only one!), but without this site, organizing the event would have been much more difficult. THANK YOU Steven for all you do for this hobby!

[Darin Jordan]

When trying to race 3 to 4 classes a day, one doesn't have time to take a lot of photos or video, but here are some random shots I managed...

[RaceMechaniX]

I've added a bunch of pics to my IW album here: http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?app=gallery&album=1382

[Darin Jordan]

I've added a bunch of pics to my IW album here: http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?app=gallery&album=1382

Cool... thanks Tyler! Without these, I wouldn't have any pics of my boats, or the event, without you guys snapping some! Thanks for sharing.

[Doug Smock]

Good stuff!! Thanks fellas.
D.

[CHIEFY_44]

This post is to also say thank you to Steve for his sponsorship of the nats and yeah darin I'm sure u were not the only one he rushed parts out to,
Darin also want to say that that heat we were in was possibly the best race I have been in, and possibly the best I have driven ever, maybe the thought of you chasing me made me step my game up, it was awesome man maybe we'll do it again sometime, plus thank you for all ur help in the past I really hope horizon hobbies realize what a great pr person u are for them.