Tag Archives: powerboat

Hydroplane Pits

The hydroplane races at Oak Harbor had a variety of classes of contenders.  Many of the boats appeared on course from a marina across the harbor but the most exotic of the boats were operated from alongside the spectator area.  A pit area was set up on the shore.  Here the crews were busy preparing the boats to race – occasionally carrying out engine runs.  There was no slip so the way boats were put in the water involved a crane lifting them up and depositing them alongside a jetty close by.  The initial lifts seemed to be a bit slow and inaccurate but a little practice and they were soon moving them across and back after the races with ease.

Kankakee Powerboat Nationals

wpid8181-AU0E6147.jpgMy friend Joel has introduced me to many things that are fun to shoot.  One of them is powerboat racing and the Nationals at Kankakee are particularly good fun to watch.  Taking place on the Kankakee River, it is a great location for spectators since you can be on either side of the river and still be close to the action.  With the boats screaming up and down the river, they are close to you a lot of the time and you feel really involved with the action.

wpid8173-C59F8549.jpgThere are a variety of classes of boat taking part.  The engines in use also determine the class so the same boat can race in different classes with different engines bolted on the back.  Straight line speed of the boats is impressive but I find the cornering to be even better.  They hit the corners at speed and then just turn.  They seem to cut into the water and turn in no distance at all.  They throw up some spray and then blast down the next straight.

wpid8183-AU0E6595.jpgThe races are fast and furious and the action means that you can be shooting almost constantly.  In fact, that was exactly what I was doing.  So many shots.  After a couple of races, I realized I needed to pace myself or I would end up running out of cards before the day was out.  Even so, I still ended up with an awful lot of shots to go through.  Combined with a bunch of other events shortly afterwards, it meant it took me quite a while to get through the whole shoot.  However, I have managed to narrow it down a bit and these shots are hopefully a good summary of the day.

Powerboats

wpid7491-AU0E8232.jpgMy friend Joel is always a good source of interesting things to do. He recently came up with a great day out. Michigan City in Indiana plays host to an offshore power-boating race. The offshore boats are substantial boats that are capable of operating well out in the water. In this case, though, the course was set close in to shore so it was easy for spectators to watch.

wpid7499-AU0E9075.jpgOffshore powerboats are pretty impressive beasts. They are big boats and come in a variety of designs. The most obvious distinction is whether they are a monohull or a catamaran. That seemed to make a big difference on this course which had two straights with a pretty tight turn at each end. The cats seemed to be far better suited to making the turn than the monohulls and that advantage was not to be overcome in the races.

wpid7481-AU0E7495.jpgThe boats have two crew on board. For those that are not familiar with this type of power boating, one is the driver and the other is the throttle man. Driving seems pretty self explanatory but the throttle job is a lot more nuanced than you might guess. These boats have very big engines and deliver a huge amount of power to the props. If they were racing on a smooth surface, all might be okay and you could set your power and go. However, the water is not smooth and so the boat tends to jump around a lot. The trim of the boat can be set by flaps on the back but, every time the boat gets airborne (and they get airborne quite a lot), the props can come out of the water.

wpid7479-C59F3626.jpgThis is when the throttle man earns his cash.  A powerful engine that suddenly goes from pushing against a propeller in water to pushing against air is liable to accelerate very rapidly.  In days gone by, the outcome of this was a cooked engine.  Apparently, the limiters on the engines now work pretty well but it is still an art to maintaining the power when in the water but pulling it back as the props come clear of the surface.  There is a lot of cycling on the throttles during a race.

wpid7493-AU0E8298.jpgThe part that the crew like the least is, conversely, the part that the spectator likes the most.  As I go through images, the ones that look the most dynamic are the ones when the boat is out of the water.  Look at a shot of a powerboat low in the water and it is hard to appreciate that it is really moving.  See it in mid air as it launches off a wave with the props spinning in nothing much and you know that it isn’t hanging around.  Being in the air is bad for the crew for more than one reason.  With no prop in the water, there is no thrust.  Admittedly, the air resistance is less than they get in water but, when up on the step and with the prop doing its work, they are best able to move on.  Of course, the thump that is the return to the water is not comfortable, even with the shock absorbing seats they have, and it slows them down a bit too.

wpid7483-AU0E7696.jpgIt would be remiss of me to not mention that there were some aviation themed opportunities at the races too.  A helicopter was filming the races and a couple of planes were flying by during breaks in the racing.  However, they will get their own posts another day.  Thanks for the suggestion and the company Joel and it was good to meet Chris as well, an ex-pat Welshman with an aerospace background!  We Brits get everywhere!