How to start in the sport of inflatable boat racing
From a competitors view, this is the way to start racing:
Introduction
First of all you need to figure if this tough sport is for you. Physically and mentally it could be draining and the beating of the boat against the ribs in the middle of the ocean is not everyone’s cup of tea. This is a black or white sport. You either love it or you think the people participating are mad.
Find out were the closest club in your region is. Contact details can be found on www.saiba.co.za Saiba (South African Inflatable Boating Association) is the governing body of our sport. Saiba consists of a president, executive members and the eight club chairman.
Contact the chairman of your club and he will steer you in the right direction.
The common feeling is to first start as a co-pilot to learn the ropes. During this period, you realize that you love the sport or it is too tough. Make sure you download the UIM rulebook to get you up to date with the rules of the sport.
Let’s say you would like to pilot your own rig. First you need a co-pilot who is committed. That is very important. Second to commitment comes weight. The lighter the crew, the quicker the craft. For every 4kg’s, you lose 1 km/h.
Informal tip: Co-pilots don’t lose weight except for Stef Olivier.
Sponsors
For a template of an adjustable sponsorship proposal, click here
Classes
Now you should decide in what class to race. There are three different classes, standard, blueprint and modified class.
Standard class: This is basically a standard motor with some modifications. Rulings on these can be found in the rulebook.
This is usually the class newcomers enter. This is affordable, reliable and low maintenance.
Blueprint class: The motors are allowed to be modified to a certain extent. I.e. bored, rev limiters cut, lighter pistons, porting, skimming, etc
Modified class: This is not recommended for beginners. These motors are high maintenance, tend to break regularly and are very expensive. In this class there are no limitations except that the cylinders are not allowed to exceed 850 cc’s.
Tip: Go to one of the technical mechanics (Tim Bosson) to make sure your motor is legal.
The motors currently raced are 50 horse power Tohatsu’s and Yamaha’s. Yamaha are only allowed in the modified class. The main dealer in South Africa for Tohatsu’s is Motor King and Marine in Pretoria.
Boat manufacturers
To race, you need a rig. First, let’s start with the boat:
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There are different manufactures and each boat have their pro’s and con’s. Our suggestion is to go to the logs and look at what the top teams are racing. To start off, a good second-hand inflatable is suitable. The best option is to buy a complete rig new, but this could be very pricy. (+- R 65 000) A second hand rig would be best for a beginner pilot. (R 25 000 – R 30 000) Make sure to contact one of the leading pilots to go and view the rig with you. It does happen that unsuspecting new comers buy dud rigs and then have problems which ultimately force them to quit racing.
Tip: Make sure if the boat is left or right hand drive. It is better to race left hand on the throttle, seeing that 90% of the corners on a circuit is left hand down turns.
Trailer ’s can be bought second-hand or built by yourself. It’s good to build in a box for storage and extra space.
Now you have a boat, a trailer and a motor. The next step is to get fuel containers. There are two types: “papsakke” a.k.a. bladders or plastic tanks. The bladders are expensive and can leak, burst or tear. But it’s soft, cushioning a hard landing when you did not held on properly. Bladders can also handle up to 70liters which can be quit handy. Plastic tanks are durable and can last a lifetime, can’t break and are cheap. Yamaha and Tohatsu tanks one can usually get with a motor or from your old man’s boat. These days the Hulk tanks are popular with tanks in 12L, 22L and 30L. The most top pilots prefer plastic tanks.
Safety equipment
Safety equipment forms part of your boat and the following is a standard list of equipment:
Anchor 1,5kg with approved chain 2m (minimum 4mm thick) Drogue anchor
ID sheet, for boats whose pontoons aren’t red, yellow or orange in colour Anchor rope x 50m Racing lifejackets (Viking Safety) Paddles x 2 Helmets (full faced, motoX type) sprayed in 100% yellow or red or orange, goggles. Space blankets x 2 Toolkit with spark plugs (x3) Emergency water x 2 litres Pencil flares (in date) x6 1000ft Flares x 2 First aid kit Smoke markers
Stainless steel propellers
15 bunny |
15 semi cleaver | 18 cleaver |
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Arguably the most important part of your boat is the correct propeller, setup correctly to the motor and boat for the weight in the boat and the conditions.
Props defer in pitch and shape. Pitch can be explained when (in theory) the prop does a full rotation, the distance the prop propels the craft can be measured in inches.
The lower the pitch, the more grip and bite the prop offers. The lower the pitch, the lower the top end speed. In rough water and surf racing the teams tend to use lower pitch props, for instance: 15 Yamaha semi cleaver or a 14 bunny. (Quicksilver or Vengeance) The higher the pitch, the slower the craft will be on pull away. But top end will be faster. For instance a 18 cleaver, 18 bunny (Chopper) up to a 21 pitch cleaver.
Always test a prop before buying one second hand. A prop, together with skill, weight and knowledge of water conditions, is vital in performing well. There is a saying that a good prop will never be sold by its owner. Top pilots who retire will sell everything, except those one or two golden props.
You can buy a 15 Vengeance of the shelf. Then the prop needs to be worked by a pro. It needs to be cupped, welded up, balanced and thinned. There are only a few guys. Mike Hamill, Mike Hatting, and Lionel Ball who can be recommended. Depending on the boat, the first two props you should buy is a 15 bunny, and a 15 semi-cleaver of 14 bunny. Then next a big pitch for flat water long distance racing of very flat long distance sea racing. (18 pitch chopper of cleaver)
Tip: Speak to the top pilots and gather all the information before buying a prop. This gets very technical.
Setup of your boat
As previously mentioned, the weight, prop and setup are crucial for success.
Top teams win because of their knowledge of their equipment, conditions and understanding between the pilot and co-pilot.
The motor can shift up and down the transom. The higher you go, the more speed you gain, the boat become unstable and the more the prop slip. The lower you drop the motor, the more stable the craft become, more drive, but lower top end.
In rough conditions teams tend to drop the motor to provide stability and constant drive from the low pitch prop. Flat water or very flat sea conditions the motor gets jacked up for more revs and speed.
Trim of the boat determines the angle of attack. This happens when you place spacers between the motor bracket and transom. At the top, the boat will be more negative and stable. This setting is usually when you race head-on into the wind. Spacing at the bottom, the boat will be more positive and “flighty”. This minimizes hi-jackers touching the water and increasing the speed.
Tip: spend days and hours on the water adjusting the motor
Racing format
Start by racing club events to gain experience and a national license.
You will receive the race regs (race regulations) from your club chairman regarding the format of racing and other important info.
You enter the race before hand by filling out a form (downloadable from the Saiba site) and fax or e-mail it to your club chairman.
Every race starts with pilots briefing where the OOD (officer of the day, chief in charge) explains the starts, course and safety issues.
The 5 different types of racing:
| Surf Circuit | Flat water circuit or Dam racing | Long haul (sea) Flat water long haul | ||
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| Ultra Long hauls (Trans Agulhas and Trans Atlantic) |
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VERY IMPORTANT:
Always remember that the sport comes first. No one is more important than the sport. When you plan on doing something or say something, first ask yourself: Are the sport going to benefit from this?
This is your passion. This is your love. This is what real men (and woman) do.