The new Hot Rod..Is it true?

[BentRod]

I've raced Hot Rods for a long time and even though I think I've retired, (you never can be sure ), I have heard that the new HR is going to be a reed valve motor. This came from a source I feel is reliable. I still have one of my motors left.
If this is true I'll keep my Hot Rod and forget about the new ones. I feel that they may be easy to get, but they will never be a real Hot Rod. I had the impression that the new ones were going to be about the same as the originals but built stronger. The Hot Rod has always been a rotary valve motor and anything else isn't a Hot Rod, just another motor. I'll have to be shown that the new ones are as fast as the real thing.

[csh2z]

I can't speak for the co. obviously, but I will give you what I believe to be true. One of the highest priorities is to manufacture the best racing motor available. They have analyzed every part of the original motor and have redesigned whatever necessary to improve performance and longevity. Safety, being a major consideration, has more to do with switching to a reed valve design than anything else. I know also that they are continuing to persue the rotary valve as well. They want to be able to start the motor in the water without lifting the prop out of the water. In order to make this venture viable they will have to provide a high quality reasonably priced product. It is also very important to make these motors versatile enough to transition from one class to another with minimal cost to the drivers. The proposal approved at the National Meeting last year was that they would be able to provide motors for the J,A,15/B and 25 classes in Stock with similar possibilities in the Mod category. It is necessary to make available a very large market for this venture to succeed well into the future. I hope this helps. I'm sure you will be hearing from the factory for all the news.
John Runne 2-Z

[14-H]

New Hot Rod

Dean Sutherland has promised me that he will be posting some photos of the new prototype A Class Hot Rod soon. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Hot Rod is going this route due to an inability to find someone to produce the rotary valve crank at a reasonable price.

Interestingly, at the Annual Meeting, a new lead may have surfaced on the rotary valve crank front. Additionally, Mr. Selewach, the new owner, indicated that he has not written off production of a rotary valve crankshaft.

Nevertheless, I am confident that the ownership of the future of this little engine about which I am so fond is in good hands. Be patient. Ed Hearn.

[Bill Huson]

Start in water???

Gee, both the rotary valve 15 Hot Rods I had started with the prop in the water. They had an OMC ignition, that helped RE flywheel, and the tower housing had relief holes according to tech spec. Also, George Price and Richard Hebel, the engine builders, paid attention to the oft overlooked needle size and setting on the Lectron carb. Methinks most racers just fiddled with the high speed jet. Anyhoo, our 15 HRs started in the water and actually idled! Amazing what a bit of carb tweaking will do. Start technique, enricher on, rope until it pops, usually oen or two pulls, enricher off, set throttle about 1/3 open, rope and VAROOM! You're running.

The HR 20s we had were a different story. Motoplat ignitions. No relief holes in tower, me to lazy and we had lifters for the start. Even with relief holes and carb tweaking I'm not sure those buggers would start with the prop buried. One engine had NO flywheel, just a rope plate. The 2nd one had a flywheel (?) that might have gone a pound and a half. Advantage, when you yankiing the kill switch those engines stopped blink-fast.

[Bill Huson]

All the above aside (RE my prior post) . . .

Rotary valve or reed valve isn't a drop-dead issue. Apparently stock outboard has and engine designer/builder willing to make us NEW ENGINES! And the plan is to build NEW ENGINES in a variety of classes!!! This means a person interested in going outboard racing will be able to whip out his/her checkbook/plastic/cvash and say "I wanna go racing! Gimmee one of those NEW Hot Rods!" Yeah, fer sure. So a reed valve version won't crank or sound like the old Rod, but if they are AVAILABLE and NEW I see no downside to this plan.

[BentRod]

The Hot Rod

I'll be the first to agree with you. I think that having the new Hot Rods is one of the greatest things to happen to racing in many years. A motor that is readily available and with all the parts you need. I'm also sure that it will make it's mark in racing ranks after it;s been worked with and tweaked. If they start to build models with rotary valves and maybe different displacements even an old coot like me will set and take notice. Imagine a C or D Hot Rod. I still love my old one, The only motor to get me a HP title in AOF. A full season with out a hiccup.

[Bill Huson]

Heh . . .

I ran my 15 Rod for several years without fussing with it. I think I changed plugs once, and after I qualified for the finals at the APBA `89 Nats I decided to treat it to a gear oil change. Oops. Discovered the gearfoot was close to lunched and the inspector let me change the gearfoot. Every spring I'd check compression = 195 psi per cylinder, hey, let's go racing!

[thunderracing]

the only real racing outboards

i started boat racing running in bsh 15 hotrod.to me this is the only real racing outboard!!! mercs evin johnson all fishing motors

[Lights]

Hot Rods

Did Someone say "Imagine a C or D Hot Rod "? Now that would be awsome!