The Silly Season

[deeougee]

Your right Mike it's not thousands but the cost is more than enough to substantially bridge the price gap between the 2 motors. As far as running a stock Yamato and being competitive goes that only happens when you have a great prop, can tune a motor and can make consistently great starts. Depends on what you mean by competitive? Mid-pack? It's certainly not top 3 in region 6. And yes, testing, boat time and practicing starts goes a long ways toward being competitive. So let's not kid ourselves here, the reason why we blueprint Yamato engines to begin with is to go faster, it's part of the equation to winning consistently in 20 and CSH.

[squirrelboydeluxe]

deeougee
I got to see an elec start assembled on a Sidewinder engine last winter when I was at the factory
It looked AWESOME- very compact & well executed
I can tell you one thing- it certainly changed my thinking about SW & boat racing in general
It made me love SW EVEN MORE because now there would be ONE LESS THING I would need help with at the races (no need for a rope puller)

In my racing program, my biggest struggle is NOT HAVING HELP I CAN COUNT ON

GO SIDEWINDER GO
522-P

[flatsmoke]

Now you're talking my language Don.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Lee Sutter

[Flatiron]

I was thinking this Exact thing about Sidewinder as I looked at there Website. I would like to get away from Yamato's but the Sidewinder don't make me feel real comfortable.

[Ram4x4]

Not surprised. We had a new guy take a couple of second places in CSH with a sealed motor and using the 2-blade prop. I really think weight is a bigger factor than we think.

[GrandpaRacer]

At the last Wakefield nationals race my son won a CSH elimination heat with a sealed 302 and a cleaned up foot. Yup, we were surprised too.

[Matt Dagostino]

My guess is you will have a slice of all of them..........Happy Turkey Day!!............The Captain.

[Big Don]

My biggest decision, Apple, Cherry ,Apple Caramel, Pecan or Pumpkin Pie.....hmmmmm, maybe a little of each.

Everyone have a great day because at the end of all this other... stuff, we still are all friends, have to go to work and this stuff really has no impact on anything.

[pav225]

Deeougee,
People can chose to spend as much money on their race equipment as they want. Just look at all the cool tow vehicles, trailers, paint jobs, etc etc.
You can buy a SW and go racing. You can also buy a new Yamato and go racing, but you will need to do the gearcase. I would disagree that you need to take the motor apart and spend thousands on machining etc. Just like spending money on a trick tow vehicle, you can chose to spend you money on the internals of your Yamato or SW, but you don't need to in order to be competitive.
It's important that newer folks, especially, understand that you don't need to be a "motor wizard" to be competitive. Your time and money is better spent testing and getting lots of boat time.
Happy Thanksgiving,
- Mike

[94H]

Ryan
I see your now in Indiana. Show up at our Indiana Outboard races next year and you'll see more than three mod boats in our heats. Let's not change class rules based on regional preferences.

Where are you located in Indiana. I'm guessing Wawasee.

Bob koschka- indianapolis

[bmitch1]

We really like our SW15 and one of our drivers got a ride in a SW20 this year and it was everything we had been told (great ride, fun to drive), but I'm struggling to invest that $5,000 when a new family spun a bearing out of their 2017 SW20 during that same race weekend, and broke the next. The two factors the Yamato folks have working for them and against the grand vision is reliability and accessibility... I'm very interested in what the mod guys are doing with the PRD class - the powerhead is the most complicated part of the power package so they're getting an off-the-shelf mass-produced karting product and making the flexibility of choosing an accessible tower from many existing motors, and putting it on a known gearfoot... all for less than $3k. I support growing B-stock and working out the bugs - add the Y80 if you think it will help.

Otherwise we have to look at the facts - no other mass manufacturer is producing a basic package that appears to integrate efficiently into the current environment. Adapt creatively or go 4-stroke. I do think it's worth watching the reintroduction of fuel-injected 2-strokes being done by KTM... same lightweight, power but meeting emission requirements.

[deeougee]

Here's the kicker when a newbie is considering running CSH and buying a new motor. Oh, by the way your going to have to tear that motor down and blueprint it if you want to make it competitive. What? Really? It's a brand new motor? Technically no.....So add all the cost of machining, parts, etc. to that 3000 or so and now that Yamato 321 is a lot closer in cost to the Sidewinder. Even running 300 SSH your adding 600 to have the engine sealed. So this whole thing about the Yamato being cheap to buy and run is an illusion! Remember SW engine dimensions are controlled by Sidewinder LLC so you won't have to keep up with technical engine rule changes in the future like we do now with the Yamato. Having to get engines and parts from overseas is less than ideal isn't it? Certainly a barrier to growth. There is no Yamato dealer around the corner from you. Sidewinder LLC is the only North American game in town at this point for a new engine. At this point my concern with Sidewinder LLC is that we haven't seen any progression. The website hasn't been updated since the engine launch, lack of promotion, issues with the SW 20, there are concerns at this point. How many of you know about the electric start option for the engines? Where is the parts list? If I'm a potential customer of your product I look at how you run your business and how well you support your product. I think back to the days of the Merc Challenge Series and how Mercury used their engines for promotion and recognition and controlled the stock program where Mercury engines were concerned. I see lots of potential but we can't seem to get out of our own way. The discussion is certainly generating a lot ideas and thoughts on the future and the current situation.

[jsilvestri]

Again, available, affordable, reliable equipment!!! That does not include calling across the pond to get a motor. I had many conversations about this with Nate Forshey when he raced. He couldn't believe how we did things. Especially, argue about the same things for decades! Make a decision and move on! By the way, he's racing BMX with his nephews with sponsorship.

Outboard racing is a good sport but our operations/business model is all wrong! Especially, for today's youth. How many of them are going to work on their own equipment? Let alone piece and part a motor together to go race. Why do you think 300SSH is so popular with new and existing racers???

When you get gas at your local gas station what do you see in the back of trucks??? Dirt Bikes, ATV's, etc... Available equipment bought on credit and making cheap monthly payments!

Why is putting the model 80 in the B class such a bad idea? They are obsolete in 20 yet there are still several out there. Moving the 80 into B rejuvenated the life of that motor and helps the B class. Win win!!! And, if the model 80 guy still wants to run 20 they now can race two classes. More bang for buck!

If you want a successful outboard model, listen to Dean and Dana as they had it figured out 10 plus years ago by combining stock and mod! The inability to change and grow is why we are here. It's nice as a member to have the ability to help steer the organization but I or we shouldn't be driving it and that is our biggest problem! Who is going to step up, make changes and take on the heat??? Otherwise we are spinning our tires and this will be being discussed again 10 years from now.

[ryan_4z]

Yamatos from the UK will not sustain our whole outboard racing sport in the US for the long term.

[ryan_4z]

Dana, I think you are the best analyst of this information we have. But I do not think that the side fin is the reason. Other classes has spikes in popularity in that period also. I seem to remember more people racing more often, and more classes. Roll-up CSR boats become unavailabe except Broccoli runabouts in those years. Evolution of the roll-up had trailed off in favor of the faster hydrobouts.

But, as you mention, 3-4 boat races are the real drag. I think our current spectrum of engines could be organized so that we have fewer classes, everyone still races and there are decent fields in every class. Once we accomplish the goal of making our sport exciting and appealing, people will naturally want to join.

And, of course, we need new equipment that is actually ready and available for purchase.