Like many others, I have had a problem with my Aquacraft Lucas Oil Catamaran “catching air” from the front of the sponsons and flipping over.
The salt water pond where we run was originally designed for sail boaters and does have a good amount of current and wind which exasperates the tendency of catamaran hull designs to blow over at speed.
After my speed upgrades to the boat, such as a UL-1 2030kv motor and Octura X642 prop, the top speed of the boat jumped from about 41 mph to 52 mph. This increase in speed also increased the likelihood of flipping over and damaging the hull as a result.
However, even with a good amount of negative strut adjustment to force the front of the hull down, the boat would still occasionally catch air and flip over. This is very hard on the hull, which unfortunately cannot be reinforced without cutting open the tub and changing the whole configuration of the boat.
One day after a very hard flip, the left side seam of the boat cracked open from tip to tail. It had to be repaired externally, which wasn’t ideal and left the boat vulnerable to further damage if it continued to flip over at speed. It got to the point that I couldn’t reliably run the boat without fear of damaging further and left me with only two choices.
Either leave the boat on the shelf and don’t run it or drop the speed capabilities of the boat to prevent further blow overs and damage. Neither of which I wanted to do.
Luckily I was made aware of the Hug Racing Airfoil. It allowed me to adjust forward downforce on the hull without having to overly drop the rear strut. This not only allowed the boat to plane better and run more efficient, but also to increase both speed and runtime while maintaining stability.
With the Hug Racing Airfoil, I was able to adjust my rear strut back to neutral while at the same time greatly lowering the boat’s tendency to catch air and flip over at speed. It’s also very light weight and taped on for easy installation and removal.
I have been very pleased with the Hug Racing Airfoil, it has allowed me to enjoy my Lucas Oil again, I highly recommend this product!
Below are some pics of installation and positioning of the Airfoil:
Airfoil 1.jpg
What you need to install, the airfoil, tape and scissors.
What you need to install.jpg
Orientation of airfoil - Top Side
Orientation of Airfoil - Top Side.jpg
Airfoil in High Downforce Setting
Airfoil at High Downforce Setting.jpg
Airfoil in Low Downforce Setting
Airfoil at Low Downforce Setting.jpg
Bookmarks