Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

Oh , thought about this and also found out by accident .
It was kinda breezy last night and I went out and tested an airboat .
Thing is , it went FASTER with the wind to it back and KNEW that this helped the speeds out a LOT .
So , with 15 MPH tailwinds ... not sure how much faster , but I know the boat DID indeed run faster .
So , my poll is this ..
When going for the record ... should the winds be allowed or not and if yes , what would be the max allowable ?

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

for any speed test to be fair, it should be made in two passes. First pass in whatever direction the driver wants, then turn around, run back in the exact opposite path. Average the 2 speeds.

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

what he said /\

thought you knew that?

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

Reason I asked , is that some of the vids that I have seen of the fellows going for speed , seem to be ONLY going in ONE direction . ( not saying that the vids I viewed , were where they had a tailwind , but ... just food for thought since they seem to be only running ONE way when using their radar and with a tailwind , this could CERTAINLY aid them with their speeds )

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

I agree with the two passes in opposite directions,then average out the two runs.
This will then cancel out the wind assist argument .[>:]

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

The only problem I see with doing it this way (averaging the speeds of a run in each direction) is bringing the boat back in to check and clear the GPS between runs.

Realistcally, any single top speed recorded either on GPS or by radar is a snapshot of a split second in time and may not be representative of the highest speed the boat can do consistently. Perhaps a more accurate method would be to average the top speed of say 3 or 5 runs in calm or very light (under 5 mph winds) wind conditions.

Of course all of this brings up the question, what about those folks running on a stream, river, or other body of water with a current? This will have an impact on speed as well.

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

Good point .... running on only a lake ...I never thought about that one .
And yeah .. there are some HIGH moving streams ... ( got one REAL close by . Heck , I could just PLACE my NOT running hull in the water and it would travel at around 5 to 10 mph by itself - LOL )

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

Now you got me lol :D running down stream & with a tail wind
Im busted lol
but i guess 24 mph isnt no record but it gives me a idea
of how fast my slowest nitro airboat go's & that was a 2 way run by radar on
a pond with a old wore out .os .30 with a 9x6 MA prop & a wore out coraplast hull
on 15% nitro fuel

NOt bragging just the facts , it was fun to find out what it did [8D]

RE: Winds or no winds ( for speed records )
 

You can't have a speed record unless it's on an approved course with the proper timing equipment and a GPS ain't gonna get it.
In the NAMBA and IMPBA record trials you make passes in both directions without a stop in between runs otherwise they don't count. It's a gamble as to when the passes are made, early morning, before sundown or any time in between as you can get a good or bad run at any time. It can be dead calm when you fire u but have a gust of wind come up by the time you're going through the traps.
Keep in mind that Andy Brown's 120 +MPH passes were done in less than ideal conditions with the boat that hadn't been dialed in yet! With the right hull design you can actually go faster into the wind than with it as it can lift the hull making it lighter on the water.