Parker or Bust!

[Skoontz]

Steve:

Regarding the hydraulic jack plate....We have quite a bit of heavy equipment, and hydraulics are something that are a very easy fix in most cases. So lets assume the cylinder surfaces are all clean, not scored, all the hard chrome intact. If you can't visably see oil running from the seals, or from hydro hose hook ups, it's internal. Make yourself a polish leak down connection, just as you would for a cylinder leak down test. Then start pulling lines and see if you can hear air or bubbling in the resevoir. More times than not, on many diferernt brands of equipment, (we only have CAT anymore) there is a little piece of crap or corruption caught in the valve seat that opens to flow to hydro oil. I'de start with a good cleaning, then do your leak down unless you see oil apparent and flowing to the outside of the unit.

That's my two cents....A pet pieve of mine is having to re-adjust equipment booms because of slow leaks as you say.

[steve sr.]

Hey son what up. Well its monday and time to get to work. I'll be on the phone off and on all day talking to Stoker and finding out about B&K.. And tring to work somthing out for some sponsers....How much room do we have on the deck for billboards. I know its a little early but if we're comitted to doing this then lets try and get some help.

What was the name of the outfit up by Vegas that works on Johnrudes, isn't that kinda half way....Maybe we could get Herpst Casinos as a sponsor. They seem to take all my cash when I go to town.

[647and918]

Hey son what up. Well its monday and time to get to work. I'll be on the phone off and on all day talking to Stoker and finding out about B&K.. And tring to work somthing out for some sponsers....How much room do we have on the deck for billboards. I know its a little early but if we're comitted to doing this then lets try and get some help.

What was the name of the outfit up by Vegas that works on Johnrudes, isn't that kinda half way....Maybe we could get Herpst Casinos as a sponsor. They seem to take all my cash when I go to town.

I talked to Donna about dragging the boat over to Al a few days ago, but I was planning on waiting a month or two... It's still warm enough to spend the day at the lake here right now (I think it was 95 today)... I want to get it done though... I'll talk to her again tonight or tomorrow and maybe we'll push it up a little...

Don't go nuts on the sponsors... It's just not that important, and I don't need to take a billboard to the lake... If you can't spell the Herbst's name, I'm guessing they aren't interested though...

I'm thinking I'm definitely going to have him throw it on the dyno... Something is causing the RPM to drop, which is obviously not helping... I couldn't get much over 5400 the other day; that's at least 1K-1.5K down from where it should be able to run, and at least 400-500 less than I was cruising around at before the lower unit detonated (which means it isn't just a function of the prop being too big, something else is going on)...

When I get some dates nailed down I'll start bugging Ron about props... I'd like to try that 28 he had at Parker and see how it runs... We need something to help lift the arse end of the boat out of the water and keep the nose down... I'm sure he can come up with something...

[steve sr.]

I saw your other thread on future dates, Don't even think about it. There is no way the Blue Brick can be ready by Thanksgiving. Besides your wife would kill you and mine would divorce me (well thats not so bad, but still your wife would kill you).

March 1st and 2nd wouldn't be so bad, we could call it my birthday and Ming is just around the corner from my house. Now April 12th and 13th at Bluewater sounds good (it's half way now). And then the Sept 27 and 28 dates as a warm up for the Parrker Enduro...

Hmmmm looks like we might have a race schedual..When did you say you were going to get those Little Gym banners made?? (tax write off time)

Oh well, you work your end and let me know so I can work mine. My wife is pretty much up for anything as long as I'm gone and she don't have to go. We get along so well you know.... Sometime ask me why she really didn't come to Parker....Who knows maybe I could find you another step-mom. This time someone who enjoys boat racing. (just kidding) (I think!!)

[Ron Hill]

Fidencio has done extensive bottom work for Stoker and Bowden. Fidencio did the gel coat on "OLD SCHOOL" and is a master with fiberglass.

If you need your Stoker bottom fixed to "RACING SPECS"...Fidencio is the man...Of course, I take my 25 % off the top...He did boat 55 before Parker, this year (2007)...(If that means anything)...

JUST AN FYI:

John Castelli drove my 21 foot Eliminator through the kilos, after Parker, at 118 MPH..If you look who won Division V, it was a V-8. After John ran my Eliminator through the kilos, I sold the boat, motor and trailer, telling John that he'd never go that fast again in a boat without a capsule.....And he never did. John went on to win the 24 Hour of Rouen, France...maybe twice....

Trust me, the V-8 OMC can be fast....

I hate to post this...but........I think I've bought a Stoker for next year's race.....and it isn't Bowden's boat...

[fyremanbill]

One more boat and the Stokers will need to have their own event. Really speaks volumes about the design of that boat.

[647and918]

One more boat and the Stokers will need to have their own event. Really speaks volumes about the design of that boat.

You know, there seems to be a real love/hate division with this hull... As far as I'm concerned, it's probably the most stable of the three tunnels that I have experience with... The Daytona was great, but I always felt like I was a hair away from going over backwards and it was a heck of a lot easier to hook in a turn... The Sleekcraft version seemed to run pretty well, but I don't remember it being this stable either... Maybe it's just because mine is so heavy and I really haven't flown it yet, but just feels better...

Ron - I don't know who Fidencio is. I'm going to be taking the brick over to Al in a week or two and he mentioned that he has someone around the corner from him that can take care of the bottom. Same person?

steve sr. - I'm not going to be ready for Parker in a couple of weeks. I'm not running it hard again until the motor mounts are done... I may run out to the lake a couple of times before I come over though... I think I found someone to do new gas tanks for me, but I want to run the ones I have out of gas and yank them out to see how it runs without them (running off the front tank)... I'll get my neighbor to come out and act as a chase boat so we can get video / still shots so I can see how much of the back end comes out of the water (I can compare that to the shots I have of Parker)... If you assume about 6.7 lbs/gallon and that those tanks are about 18 gallons apiece, that shifts about 240 lbs (plus the weight of the tanks themselves) farther forward... I'm actually contemplating just putting one huge tank up front (to keep the nose down and move all the fuel weight completely forward) and leaving the side tanks out all together...

I am planning on trying to run all the Nostalgia races (other than Thanksgiving)... My wife is not yet aware of that...

[steve sr.]

I knew after Parker it wasen't the end. Like I said get the awnings made and tell her it's a tax write off (and fun to). Put a thanks to our sponsers on the deck and start putting them on. Someone helps a little their name goes on the deck. Someone helps alot their name goes on the side. Ron helps with a prop his name goes on the transom. Someone helps a whole lot and we park the boat infront of their place a few days a year

[647and918]

I knew after Parker it wasen't the end. Like I said get the awnings made and tell her it's a tax write off (and fun to). Put a thanks to our sponsers on the deck and start putting them on. Someone helps a little their name goes on the deck. Someone helps alot their name goes on the side. Ron helps with a prop his name goes on the transom. Someone helps a whole lot and we park the boat infront of their place a few days a year

Did you really say you wanted to put Ron's name on the a$$ end of my boat?

Mayber we could find an insurance company and put their logo on the bottom? ("If you can read this call Joe's Insurance Specialists for me, 'cause I'm screwed...")

[steve sr.]

If you put anyones name on the bottom of the boat it should be Stokers with yea we finally got it fast enough to blow over. On the serious side, when you comin over? And will you spend a few days with us? Or just over drop and run? If your going to spend a few days it should be when you pick it up so we can go down and test it a little. Not that you can't stay both times.

Have you changed the gear case oil yet? Or re checked the plugs? Or checked the bottom? When you takin the blue brick out again? You know that name is going to stick, I kinda like it.

Haven't talked to Tim since we left Parker, think I'll give him a call tomarrow and see how he's doing. We need crew members like him. I think i've lined up two other cops for next year. Thought about calling uncle Russ but I don't think they have enough beer in Parker to keep him happy.