So I have thoroughly confused myself now.............lol. I was looking at the expresscraft thunderbolt, and was talked out of it. I was looking at some aeromarine stuff, and now think I may want (or need) a deep vee.

I run in varied conditions, from glass to chop. With the same engine, would a vee or cat be faster in smooth water? I know in the chop the vee should have the edge. This is purely recreational and I want to have a good reliable fast boat.

I have a pro mod 26 zenoah for it............

Thanks!

It all depends on the boats you are considering really. For example, some monos, like a AC Lazer 45 or a XXX, monos that have been designed specifically for heat racing, in general will be very "sticky" on smooth water. They will pick up several MPH in some good chop. You can however set them up looser to be fast on smooth water.

Some cats are like that too...a fine example is the Seaducer cat. That boat is very sticky in calm water, but will shine in rough water. The Insane Gen 2 is somewhat similar. Not sure about the Gen 3.

In general boats that have been specifically designed for heat racing will have those characteristics. Those that were not really designed for heat racing will be the opposite in general. They will be light and fast on smooth water, but almost impossible to setup for heat racing in rough water.

Do you have any particular hulls that catch your eye? Maybe we can help narrow it down some.

When you say glass to chop...what is "chop" for you?

philip clemmons wrote:
Why were you talked out of the Thunderbolt?

I have been mostly convinced that I need to go Aeromarine. As far as th cats go, I liked the look of the Thunderbolt (Expresscraft), but everyone seems to think build quality is marginal, and the seam is a PITA. I liked the looks of it the best...........The second choice would be the Aeromarine Avenger. I am going from a Blackjack 55, and although it is not a quality boat, it is quite large. I wanted to stay in the same size boat, but use my 26 promod zenoah. The larger Aeromarine stuff is not recomended for a 26...........So I have narrowed it down to the Avenger (44") or the Apache (50"), or (56"). I like the look of the 50" better, and it is better suited for a 26. We run on lakes with full size boats that see waves, and have some private ponds too. Condiitons from glass to 6-12" waves/chop. All around it seems like the Apache may be the way to go..............