dsr roll call for Top O Mich

[krazy karl]

Hey Gootz....I dont think the fuel tank opening is gonna be an issue at Top O. I left a message with Don Hagerl and I think its not gonna be a huge issue. Just thought you would wanna know....See ya soon...Nick.

I'm going to appear dumb I guess, but what is the fuel tank opening issue? Something other than fuel quality?
Karl
88-C

[bill boyes]

Some fuel neck openings where so small that the fuel test probe would not go into the tank. Thus the 1 1/2 in opening rule.

[optimus]

D merc on ebay

hey guys, there is a nice D merc on ebay, located in Petoskey, its right on your way!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1956-...spagenameZWDVW
eBay Motors: 1956 Mercury Mark 55H Outboard Racing Motor Engine (item 260143688126 end time Aug-02-07 10:34:39 PDT)

[CSR4C]

I hope a marathon racer grabs this real quick, before a collector gets it for $1800. Race it in this years Top O', then resell it for a profit.

[krazy karl]

I hope a marathon racer grabs this real quick, before a collector gets it for $1800. Race it in this years Top O', then resell it for a profit.

It's already gone. That was a real bargain too.

[jeff55v]

Tech question

While I have the country's best marathon racers attention, please indulge me with this question:
It's been about 20 years since I've raced a runabout, so bear with me. I want to learn a little more about this turn fin arrangement on the bottom of my runabout.
I have a small "chip" fin mounted at the rear of each outside chine. There's also a bracket mounted to the transom directly behind each chip fin. Each of these brackets hold a fin that is longer (deeper) than the chine mounted fins. There are no turn fins on the bottom of the boat.
My question is this: Is this all I'm gonna need to turn this boat?
I know nobody can give me an exact answer with the lack of detail I've provided. I've just never driven, or seen, a fin setup like this before. I have seen other marathon boats with two small fins on the bottom of the boat. Each one mounted just on either side of the centerline. I can see where my boat used to have a single turn fin mounted on the bottom right on the centerline. But there's nothing there now.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

[pearson95m]

First off, it totally depends on the boat/driver combination. If the boat you are speaking of is the same boat i'm thinking, a few guys had problems "spinning out" in turning and therefor the addition of chin fins. Adding a bottom center fin will (on the average) help with turning, however in some cases it could mess with the flow of water over the bottom of the boat in a turn. The best thing to do is test with it and test without it and see what works best for you. Make long sweeping turns along with tight sharp ones and feel it out. Also, when you check the bottom look to see if there had been a bottom fin at one time. The previous owner may have just removed the hardware for use on a different boat.

Some guys just feel more safe with a bottom fin and therefor it can be a psychological advatage to them. Most marathon boats have at least one bottom fin. I don't think you can go wrong by putting one on, but it also might not be necessary.

hope that helps
Josh

[krazy karl]

Turn Fin

I was just finishing a fairly long response to the turn fin question when my computer decided to install an update to Firefox and everything went away. So I will attempt it again but shorter. I have a Sorensen Long Haul Marathon boat. It came with a small center fin and one on the chine near the transom about 3" long and about 1 1/4" deep. This is my first rollup and I am still getting used to it. My other boats are or have been Hal Kelly runabouts or similar. My Long Haul does gentle sweepers flat and what I would call a "controlled spin out" rolled up and not much in between. Darrell, an excellent driver, says to rollup in bits to achieve moderate turns but I haven't been able to master the technique so I just installed a larger fin on the bottom and also a larger one on the chine. I hope these changes will increase the amount of flat turning and slow down the amount of turning when rolled up. My theory is this larger chine fin will prevent the motor from pushing the boat around so quickly when rolled up. I may be all wet or getting wet this weekend when I test it. What do you guys think? Am I going in the right direction? All comments welcomed.
kk

[pearson95m]

it seems difficult explaining how to roll up a boat. Its like trying to explain to someone how to ride a bike. The best advise I can give is exactly what you're doing... test, test, test... just going out and playing around is the best thing you can do at this time. Fins will only help improve your turns and may save your azz in a tight situation, but it still comes down to feeling the boat and getting comfortable rolling it up. There is a balance between the degree of turning, body position, speed and power that you just have to find by testing the boat. Yes, adding a fin will help with control and could save you in a tough situation, so doing this is probably a good idea. If you're running one of Sorensen's boats, then who better to get advise about that style of boat then him. Personally, I'd test without any fins until I could turn reasonably well, then I'd start adding fins. Fins should be thought of as a last resort. It worries me a little that some people count on them to turn, especially for Top O.

[Gootz 142M]

Turn Fins

My thoughts are that yes you will need a fin on the bottom and it should be mounted in the center about the same area as where the throttle is. So look at the boat from the side where the throttle is and place it on center to the bottom. Then as Josh states Test! It always helps!

[jeff55v]

Ah, yes...

Thank you Josh, Gootz and others for your help. After I read Josh's remarks, I went out and looked under my boat. I can see where the center fin had been removed and had not been west'ed over. So it makes sense that there should be one under there. I guess I should have figured that one out on my own. ( One of those thump my forehead with my palm moments!)
I have a good bottom fin to put under there. It came off of my 'ol Feathercraft BU. It should work well. I'll locate it in the same place the old one was, about 30" from the back of the boat.
But I still did learn a few things about the side fins on my boat. Thanks all for your help.

[CSR4C]

The boat Karl has is my old C boat. The boat has fairly steep chines, works great for sharp turns like Oxbow or Devil's Elbow. On more sweeping turns the technique I used was a series of partway on the chine then off the chine. If that isn't clear to Karl, we will have a few hours to go over it on the way to Top O'.
My latest boat have double chines, which works well on all types of turns.

Darrell
C-4-C