Variable Deadrise Hull...Newer version!

[Fr. Frank]

This is just the old Steve Stepp/Gulfwind Marine hull design with just slightly wider lifting strakes (3" as opposed to 2 1/2")

This hull was first produced as the 22' Velocity in '82, then the 30' and 33' versions were added in '83 and '84, before Velocity was bought out by Regal in '86. Back in '84 I was the throttleman for several races for Gulfwind on the 30' #27 outboard hull running twin 2.4 Bridgeport Mercs.

[76Red18]

This is just the old Steve Stepp/Gulfwind Marine hull design with just slightly wider lifting strakes (3" as opposed to 2 1/2")

This hull was first produced as the 22' Velocity in '82, then the 30' and 33' versions were added in '83 and '84, before Velocity was bought out by Regal in '86. Back in '84 I was the throttleman for several races for Gulfwind on the 30' #27 outboard hull running twin 2.4 Bridgeport Mercs.

So how'd she ride?????????

[Fr. Frank]

So how'd she ride?????????

The 30' Velocity was smooth as silk at anything under 30 mph, trimmed down with the K-planes slightly down. In a chop she was slap-happy at anything over that up to about 50mph or so unless you had lots of down plane. Without tucking the nose down it'd pound your fillings out, or make you lose your dentures.

The 22' was worse, and was unmanageable under any configuration at 50+ in a moderate to heavy chop. If it came down at an angle, it would rebound straight sideways.

But the 30' Velocity, between 50 and 75mph (76 was top speed in ideal conditions with the twin Bridgeports), in a moderate chop with no swell, she'd just float across the top of the chop, with hardly a quiver. Above 65 up to max you could even trim the motors high and raise the K-planes to -2. No chine walk at all, just a slow counter-clockwise oscillation of the nose. (Both motors were RH rotation)

In rough water, though, such as a choppy 3-5 or higher sea conditions, the sharper bow entry boats like Sutphen, Cigarette, Martini, and Magnum tended to perform better than the Velocity in a following sea. The Velocity hull was really made for mild to moderate sea conditions.

BTW, I quit racing after we stuffed at nearly 70 mph off Pompano Beach in late '84. We went from boat to submarine in about 1.3 seconds. Worse yet, it was my fault in coming off the throttles a half-second too soon launching off a big swell. But she didn't sink. We even came up with one engine still running. Nobody really hurt though, thanks be to God.

[JohnB]

Volocity is right up the road from me. I see them out on lake monroe, watching them run the lake chop, I would not want to ride in one of those offshore. They look like they are on the edge of control most of the time.

[BigLew]

Fr. Frank,

I can't imagine 70+ on the water, and to stuff to boot, as you say! Glad to hear all survived to talk about it.

It sounds like one could find God real fast in such circumstances---not a bad deal when I think about it! GB!

[Fr. Frank]

Of all the boats I've run 70+ with, I must say the most comfortable ride I've experienced offshore was a '81 Magnum Marine 38 Sport Express. It had triple supercharged 650hp Gale Banks prepped Mercruisers with #4 Speedmaster drives, and could actually run WFO at about 74 or 75 mph in 2-4' seas without touching the throttles most of the time. It was 38' long with a 12' beam. Very, very nice.

The boat belonged to a union organizer from New York, who had that boat, a 36' Tiara Pursuit express fisherman, and an ordinary 20' Regal cuddy.

In all of his boats, he only knew how to go three speeds - idle speed, trolling speed, and WFO. He was constantly blowing and replacing engines in the Magnum. He eventually traded the Magnum in on a 44' Tempest with twin big Cat diesels and Arneson drives.

We had the Magnum and Regal in forklifted dry storage in Lake Worth Yachting Center in Hypoluxo back in '85. Sometimes the perks of managing marinas back then were very pleasant, indeed.