It depends on the hull design. Keeping a boat on the water is a balance of lift versus weight. The PT SS45 is a great example, sport hydros are not cats. It was originally designed with lots of lift to go, at most, 50 mph (this from Phil himself). As we began increasing the speed with FE components, the aero lift became an issue as speeds passed 65 mph. The front tabs helped, but so did the weight of NiMH cells (24 in the case of a club member's 65+ mph record holder about 8 years ago). For SAWs the weight does not hurt, as long as there is sufficient runup and slow down room on the pond. You just have to start your run deeper....
When we went to lighter LiPo power, the lower weight hurt boat stability at speed. Phil did some hull re-design which helped, but the lift/weight physics can't be overcome with strut settings alone - not on this hull at least. It amazes me to see the SS45 exceeding 100 mph, and I know it wasn't easy to get there ($$$). Our club oval races three of them, and they are in the high-60s/low-70s in race water running 6S2P. The 2P weight helps, but they still can blow over. What we need are hulls specifically designed for 70+ mph, then weight could be reduced for better performance on oval and on shorter SAW ponds. But so far, no Q-sized hulls seem to get there. The newest ML boats seem closest, but what we really need for higher speeds are sport hydros which look more like riggers - the Insane sport hydros come to mind. But then purists would wring their hands and cry foul......
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When we went to lighter LiPo power, the lower weight hurt boat stability at speed. Phil did some hull re-design which helped, but the lift/weight physics can't be overcome with strut settings alone - not on this hull at least. It amazes me to see the SS45 exceeding 100 mph, and I know it wasn't easy to get there ($$$). Our club oval races three of them, and they are in the high-60s/low-70s in race water running 6S2P. The 2P weight helps, but they still can blow over. What we need are hulls specifically designed for 70+ mph, then weight could be reduced for better performance on oval and on shorter SAW ponds. But so far, no Q-sized hulls seem to get there. The newest ML boats seem closest, but what we really need for higher speeds are sport hydros which look more like riggers - the Insane sport hydros come to mind. But then purists would wring their hands and cry foul......

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