Funny pics & videos from around the web...

Agreed. I was thinking of the outside of the boat. Sometimes you see guardrails around OB's typically on a patrol boat to help prevent hull damage to another vessel. I thought maybe this helped serve that purpose? Plus the engine must 'spin' the boat more easily from that position? I wonder if they have any kind of a keel.

Growing up around the Clearwater area (long - long ago), all the mullet skiffs used for deploying gill nets on the flats had a similar arrangement. Typically a low freeboard, beamy wooden boat with a center mounted outboard in a dedicated engine well along with shallow hull tunnel to allow engine to be mounted higher.

Ahh, that makes sense - I always assumed it was a guard of sorts

The prevailing opinion/experience based on a quick internet search is that it is a commercial design which helps keep the OB prop from fouling nets, and also allows deployment of gear such as pots over the transom more easily without fear of the prop. Sounds reasonable?

A variety of older small sailboats used wells, but I'm not aware of any new-ish models that have them.

A local example is the Thunderbird, e.g. in this picture:

I hope nobody got seriously injured but this looks like a perfectly synchronized backflip.



At those speeds, these boats should have horizontal rudders (elevators, canards) for pitch control. Nothing has changed since those deadly games in the ancient Rome, panem et circenses. The spectators still want to see blood.

A $5mill house boat:
Snapped the picture this morning, just South of Miami harbor and East of the ICW.
Notice his anchor ball is up, but not anchored: Internal stilts are lifting it out of the water, supposedly engineered for 155 mph hurricane winds..

When I was active the rules did not allow any aerodynamic appendixes that could be adjusted during the race. I think this is still the case, otherwise boats would be flying for real...

Again, when I was into this, we tried to get the speed down and not up with the rules. I also remember before this rule came up that a cat with an adjustable wing in the front, had an accident when it got loose and hit the drivers...

B.t.w. The race where this incident happened took place in Florida. Did not seem to cause any headlines in Your area .

I have done many stupid (dangerous) things in my younger life but I would have never participated in one of those boat races. Before I would have driven a boat at flying speeds, I would have rather taken a real aircraft.

The Bugatti chief engineer was asked how long the tires of the 1.000 HP Veron would last at 400 km per hour. He said, we do not know, because the 100 Liter fuel tank will be empty after 15 minutes at that speed.

Some time ago a bunch of wealthy middle east entrepreneurs (just to be friendly) tried to establish a type of formular one boat race circus in Northern Europe. Due to lack of interest by the spectators and the media, it died very soon.



Such races would not be possible in the North Sea or in the Baltic. To much rules and restrictions

Yes, we race to the UIM rules where safety is the priority. But we also have Poker Runs, more or less without rules, where the kids can run a Nortech Gas Turbine Cat in over 100 knots without even helmets...

Ever worked on the boat, while in the water, and dropped a part/tool into the bottom of the marina?

These 2 grey-beards have learned how to cover themselves.

That sailboat is a Hallberg-Rassy. The Rolls-Royce among sail boats for normal mortal sailors. Those parts are expensive .

It's cold out. Like Momma said, always wear a hat.