News

back to current news

October 25, 2008

The Dillon Pro Tunnel: It's a new GT Pro tunnel boat that's on my drawing board right now. Scroll down (the home page) to see the introductory graphic.

The Pro Tunnel will be a few inches wider than the Mini Tunnel -- both in tunnel width and overall beam. The tunnel is also a bit deeper.

Another interesting thing is, I won't be driving this boat. More on that later.

I hope to start construction soon. As always, I'll publish pictures and updates as the project moves along.

October 21, 2008

We had our TCPBA Awards Banquet this past weekend. Most of the GT Pro class was in attendence. Top Highpoints honors went to Yours Truly, with Stephanie Hansen taking a close second, and Megan Halver at third.

We are particularly proud that the "Most Improved Driver" award went to Stephanie. She figured quite prominently in my race reports this past season. The only time I wasn't looking for her over my shoulder was when I was helplessly watching her off my port bow. Congratulations, Stephanie!!

Some new activity from two of my boatbuilders in the Customer Boat section.

Keith Drennon sent some new pictures of his Mini Vee, now largely built and ready for finishing.

And newcomer Mark Beckwith, who bought his plans earlier this month, has obviously been very busy on his Mini Vee project, and is already looking toward his next boat.

I've got a new project in the works, too. Here's a hint: the Dillon Pro Tunnel. It's only on my "drawing board" so far. Details to come soon.

October 11, 2008

Plans for the Dillon Pro Vee are now available. See the description HERE. I have included a short video, shot by Bob Stone at Little Falls in September. (Also available in the "Media Center," below.) He says he has another one, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

As always, there are construction notes provided online to guide the builder. And you can see them right now. The link above will lead you there.

October 6, 2008

The 2008 GT Pro race results are now fully tabulated, including a list of all drivers ranked by their high points total.

Congratulations to the two young ladies who raced GT Pro in 2008:

The "Dillon" boats showed a range of results, with two wins for the Mini Vee and three for the Pro Vee.

October 5, 2008

I took the new propeller (see previous post) out for another test on Friday. But first, I took the hammer to it. Bill's attempt to reduce what was originally excessive pitch yielded rather flat blade tips. I tapped them back just a bit, so that they were more in line with rest of the blade.

Also, I installed a water pressure gauge. With the engine jacked to new heights, and my water intake now well above the bottom of the boat, I am very concerned about getting water.

The next run showed some promise, with rpm still in the 6900+ range and speed up to 44 mph. So I got out the hammer again.

Next run I was down to 6800+ and a fraction off in speed at about 43.8 mph. Also, my water pressure was dropping from a max of 14 psi down to 7-8 psi at wide open throttle.

Not sure what to do next, I went home. My next test may start with a small increase in engine height just to see how the water pressure reacts. If that's ok, then I'll get back to working the prop, maybe adding a bit of cup. If water pressure proves a problem then it may be time to start cutting back prop diameter.

To possibly complicate the whole issue, I'm changing engines back to the Johnson that I initially installed last spring then replaced when it started acting up. The Johnson ran fine in the tank yesterday; now I want to test it on the lake to see if it needs some serious attention this winter.

October 3, 2008

Yesterday I tried a new propeller, built for me by my friend Bill in Louisiana. It is in the neighborhood of 15 pitch, but the diameter is a full eleven inches. The standard OMC props we've all been running are ten inches.

Test results so far are unimpressive, but they suggest some possibilities. I started out at 6700 rpm and about 42 mph. (The Pro Vee's best speed so far is 46 mph.) After jacking the motor up three separate times, to a total height increase of about one inch, the rpm only increased to 6900, and the speed only to 43 mph.

Hole shot, by the way was excellent. Because this is not a thru-hub prop, it initially fills with exhaust allowing it to spin up nicely while deep in the water. Then the boat climbs right out of the water and goes.

I did a little hammering on the prop this morning and hope to test again this afternoon. I'll let you know....