saw

[bwells]

When running SAW, how far apart are the lights and how far of a run do you have before you hit the first light.

[Ub Hauled]

they are about 100meters apart and you have all the room you want (or have) to enter the
timed zone.

[Doug Smock]

The traps should be exactly 330' apart from one another, 1/16th of a mile.

Doug

[bwells]

Wow, that is WAY more than I was expecting, thanks for the info

[Fluid]

That's what makes SAW racing so difficult. Lots of folks can get a high GPS reading for a few feet, but to hold that speed for 330 feet - plus the run up and slow down - can be very difficult. And to say you have as much room as you want before and after the traps is a bit misleading. Some SAW lakes are short and stopping a very fast boat before hitting the bank can be a challenge. I've seen several boats hit, or almost hit, the far bank after their run.



.

[Bill-SOCAL]

What Jay said. The first thing that I noticed doing SAWS was how much slower my SAWS times were than what the GPS said.

GPS is almost ALWAYS faster than SAWS speeds. GPS grabs the instantaneous max speed and is often prone to error.

On the other hand, the lights never lie!!!

This is why when I see GPS speeds posted my first thought is how I'd like to see them do that speed on a SAWS course.

[Gary]

OOHHH boy....i new my boat was a slug! Now i have to measure out my runs and try to get it more accurate.LOL

[Simon.O.]

This is a good thread.
As you guys know, it is me and the pond + gps
I know most of the limitations of gps systems and accept them.

I try to do my runs over at least 80m and if I can get a clear run for the full 100m I will keep the power on.
This way I get what I call an honest run.

One of my ponds has a couple of bouys for the flappy boats and I use them as markers for my runs. I run down the back and turn wide at near wot beyond the first mark, line up and go wot. A straight pass of 100m ( if the swans do not paddle over) and down to the narrow end of the pond.

I get 2 or 3 of these runs before I bring any hull in for "health checks"

There are no "lights" local to me so I am happy to do it this way.
I hold all the class records on my pond except for 2 mono classes, Adrian has those

[Fluid]

Simon, I use a similar procedure when I'm setting up for the SAWs. We have a 1200-foot long lake, so I will position the boat at one end, get it up to full throttle ASAP, and hold it until I think I will coast into the far bank. For a "real" SAW run holding WOT for 330-feet is not enough, you need to be at full speed when you it the start and don't chop throttle until you are past the end.

I have made many passes at SAW events with the GPS on board, and the GPS speed is within 1-2 mph of the clock time - unless I goof up. If the GPS is more than 2 mph faster than the official time I know I screwed up and was still accelerating through the traps or had a bad line. The latter is another reason why GPS and official times are often way off.


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[ozzie-crawl]

having a data logger can be good in this area as you can watch your whole run and get an average of your speed not just max speed,
i like to do 3-4 passes then see what the speed is each way

[Bill-SOCAL]

Simon, I use a similar procedure when I'm setting up for the SAWs. We have a 1200-foot long lake, so I will position the boat at one end, get it up to full throttle ASAP, and hold it until I think I will coast into the far bank. For a "real" SAW run holding WOT for 330-feet is not enough, you need to be at full speed when you it the start and don't chop throttle until you are past the end.

I have made many passes at SAW events with the GPS on board, and the GPS speed is within 1-2 mph of the clock time - unless I goof up. If the GPS is more than 2 mph faster than the official time I know I screwed up and was still accelerating through the traps or had a bad line. The latter is another reason why GPS and official times are often way off.


.

Yours is not the way most who post GPS speeds do it. I see guys who run around a set of buoys and nail it for very short bursts, mostly on the back straight. That is the least accurate way.

GPS accurate improves when you get good long run up and cover at least the distance of the SAWS course at full speed.

On the other hand the Garmin in my F-150 registered a max speed on a recent trip of 257 MPH

[BILL OXIDEAN]

Saws

The biggest mistake I've seen people make running through a saws trap is not getting the propper "run up"

Many boats I've seen are accellerating through the traps.
The object is to enter the trap at FULL speed, and a person's line can make all the difference in the world

Some SAWS boats display violent characteristics, I have an N-2 mono that I must SLOWLY get out of the throttle at the end of the run, or the boat will spin out

Some hydros need to be gotten out of slowly or they will dive

You want to set the boat up so it runs PERFECTLY straight at full clamp. you do NOT want to be on the rudder at all through the trap space.
If your boat takes too much rudder to run straight, I've seen people angle their strut right or left to counteract torque rock, and prop walk

You want the boat pointed straight within the first 50 feet of your runup. 6 of the 23 SAWS records I've broken were done with one hand. once I hear the word "TIMING!" I snatch my hand off the wheel.

How much run up a boat needs can depend on a few factors. Its good to know your boat, and have a great idea when its at full speed.

I tend to like plenty of run up, usually more than I need. i've also seen people get out of the throttle just before the exit light which is a no no as well.

[properchopper]

Some SAW lakes are short and stopping a very fast boat before hitting the bank can be a challenge.

Jay, brings to mind the 2006 Legg Lake SAWS where Tim Higdon had 3rd channel air brakes on his rigger : remember that ?

[Simon.O.]

Jay, brings to mind the 2006 Legg Lake SAWS where Tim Higdon had 3rd channel air brakes on his rigger : remember that ?

I believe Chris Harris and Joerg.W also use air brakes. It is good to see that there are now 3 that I can research.

[Ub Hauled]

Jay, brings to mind the 2006 Legg Lake SAWS where Tim Higdon had 3rd channel air brakes on his rigger : remember that ?

I think Tims was turning the rudders in weird positions to stop, not an air break...
don't quote me though.

I believe Chris Harris and Joerg.W also use air brakes. It is good to see that there are now 3 that I can research.

As my memory recalls, Joerg was playing with the breaks but was never successful,
don't quote me though.

As far as I know Harris is the only one that has had success with the air breaks.