BROWNIE

When I worked for Tom Gentry/Johm Connor on the Gentry TransaAtlantic project, we tested hull shapes to build a record setter across the Atlantic that would be truly noteworthy. We invited everyone who thought they had the right stuff to submit a design, and we would tank test it. Our tank was the New River in Ft. Lauderdale. We started with Harry Schoell's instrumented towboat, and a few models. All my stuff got knocked out in the first round (much like my boxing career). We had some really heavy hitters submit designs, and we tested every goddam one of them. I pulled models for nearly three years. Learned a lot. We finally ended up with a design from the former head of advanced ship design from the US Navy. We fiddled and fiddled with it, and ended up with a 184' long, 50' wide, 24' high, hard sided surface effect ship (skirts front and back). 1 million pounds, 100 knots. 38,000 hp, surface drives. It was a really crappy boat, but boy, was it efficient! We didn't bother with styling at that point, and it looked the box that Sonny Levi's boat came in. The picture is our second boxiest boat model. The day before we were starting to build a 1/5th model, Tom dumped his cat in Key West, and that was that. Dammit!

tommymonza

It looks like a SeaCat.

T2x

What does...the boat...or Brownie?

BOBCATMATHEWS

Here ya go!

tommymonza

Exactly.

Mystic

Brownie, those pictures brought back some very fond memories of towing that rig up and down the canals with you. Especially when you made me ride on it to simulate the fuel load. Such a shame it didn't make it any farther than it did.

jc

offshoredrillin

what ever happened to the boat that had a knife like bow that was trying to set a world record, that was a pretty cool design, the bow sliced through the water not on top.

PARADOX

Great history Brownie..
Did you ever seen the boats racing from Calais to Dover.. across the English Channel ? Looked like surface submarines.
I have to dig out ome old pictures one of these days.

T2x

"Sea Knife-CANDO" was an idea whose time will never come. The thing needed to be towed on plane in spite of having Mercury's biggest engines in the bilge...and broached like a Mother****** when it finally got going.

This is a prime example of "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."....especially in the hands of "A fool and his money..."

If you are referring to the more recent example of this design...this time with outriggers to keep it in a straight line..."World Race"....complete with biodiesel, touchy feely hokum.... the results were predictably similar. One dead fisherman, a chronic lack of funding, a tremendous waste of money, and a foul smelling engine compartment.

T2x

tommymonza

When i was in Paris last fall the World Race Tri was there.

They were looking for crew to finish the trip at like
$20,ooo a head.There was a bunch of pictures with narratives next to them posted on a big board next to the boat by the former crew.Anyways after reading some of them I think I would rather go to a Turkish prison for a spell rather than get on that thing.

I took pics of that board ,it was pretty amusing, Just have to find them.

Brownie who designed the boat that you are towing in the pics ?