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    180 mph hydroplane built by two Michigan men
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    KAWKAWLIN TOWNSHIP, MI -- Inside Jon Staudacher's workshop there sits a shiny red grand prix hydroplane that makes the boats of Bay City's River Roar look like mosquitos.

    Staudacher isn't new to designing race boats. He has watched about 150 boats come out of his shop over the past few decades, but it has been a few years since he's designed a race boat of this caliber. For many years, he ran a hydroplane and stunt aircraft business that carried his name, Staudacher Hydroplanes Inc. and Staudacher Aircraft. He's retired today, but still tinkers with boats and racecars.

    Drew Miller, a Bay City contractor who first learned the craft of boat-building from Staudacher as a high school student in the 1980s, built and painted this new wooden watercraft. On Monday, Randy English, a crew chief from a Louisiana-based racing company, picks up the boat to take it down to Florida for a race before heading north and competing in the Canadian Hydroplane Association circuit in Quebec.

    "This boat is going to a circuit where the guys play rough on rough waters," Staudacher said. "You don't take this out for a nice time on the water."

    Miller has been building the boat since December and was putting the final touches on it Thursday, April 16. He didn't build the boat's engine, but knows how powerful it's going to be.

    "The engine is 500-cubic-inches with a blower and has between 1,200- and 1,400-horsepower," he said.

    In other words, it's pretty fast.

    Miller said the hydroplane should be able to cruise at more than 180 mph. Its fuel tank, built by Staudacher, can burn 7 gallons of fuel per minute.

    "It might be the most powerful boat I've worked on," Miller said.

    Experts aren't sure, however, how it's going to compete. News of Miller and Staudacher's boat hit hydroplane racing blogs last month, with some people wondering how the wooden boat is going to compete against today's more common composite boats, like those built by Bert Henderson, another renown boat builder, in Ontario.

    "All the experts are saying the Staudacher should turn as well but the Henderson hull might be a shade bit faster on the straightaway," writes one blogger for GrandPrixHydroplane.com. "They're also saying on our short, tight courses, the Henderson hulls are built stronger and should hold up a little better."

    Staudacher really isn't sure.

    "We'll find out once it's out there," he said. "Right now, it's a 50-50 coin flip."

    One advantage of wood is that it's cheaper. A composite boat without the engine can cost about $90,000, Miller said. He declined to comment on the value of the boat he built.

    Staudacher initially designed the boat to be wider than what he has typically designed. After Miller started building it, however, the circuit released a last-minute rule change, forcing him to revamp the design.

    "People who know boats can look at the bottom of the boat and see what was done to work around that rule-change," Staudacher said.

    While it's unclear how the wooden boat is going to race against the composite boats on the water, it certainly looks fast. The paint job was designed by Miller's daughter Meegan who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Miller said the purchaser of the boat didn't care what it looked like, as long as it incorporated red, black, white and some natural wood.

    "She's pretty artistic and came up with a great design," Miller said.

    Natural wood contrasts with the bright red. A long white lightning bolt runs along both sides of the cockpit.

    All adhesives for the boats were supplied by Bay City-based Gougeon Bros. Inc., Staudacher said.

    Building the boat has been a full circle experience for Miller, who met Staudacher as a high school student at the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center.

    Staudacher judged a building competition and was impressed with Miller's skills. He later offered him a job in his shop at a time when he was building boats and racecars.

    "It has been a lot of fun working with him, I've definitely learned a lot and am grateful for the experience," Miller said.

    Staudacher said one of Miller's best qualities is not getting frustrated by the obstacles thrown at him while building something as intricate as a hydroplane.

    "It's guaranteed that something is always going to go wrong," Staudacher said. "The guys who are really good at this keep working hard and don't let it affect them. Drew is one of those guys. He's really talented and such a hard worker."

    After dedicating the last five months to building the boat, Miller said he plans on going back to his day job as a builder.

    "It has been a great experience, but now it's time to get back to work," he said. "We'll see what's next."

    As for Staudacher, there's an unfinished sailboat in his shop right now.

    "This one is an experiment for me," he said.


    Full Article and Photos: http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/i...race_boat.html
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    Founding Member / Super Moderator Ratickle's Avatar
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    That's a good looking boat. Nice to still have that kind of boatbuilding craftsmanship here in Michigan..
    Getting bad advice is unfortunate, taking bad advice is a Serious matter!!
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    Randy’s other GP, the brand new Staudacher, was supposed to be painted this week and John Lohone (Randy’s engine builder) will be installing the engine this week at Jon’s shop in northern Michigan. I know a lot of people are waiting to see how Staudacher’s wood boat will compete against the Henderson hulls. I guess all the experts are saying the Staudacher should turn as well but the Henderson hull might be a shade bit faster on the straightaway. Their also saying on our short tight courses the Henderson hulls are built stronger and should hold up a little better. Also, the Staudacher is a lot less money, so there’s always trade offs. Randy has been racing Jon’s boats as long as I’ve been racing and he wants to give it a try. One things for certain, he will be competitive believe me.

    http://grandprixhydroplane.com/tag/news/
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    Registered rschap1's Avatar
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    Pretty cool
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    #5
    Founding Member / Super Moderator Ratickle's Avatar
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    Yep, it is. It is amazing when you look into all of the boats that Staudacher has built over the years.
    Getting bad advice is unfortunate, taking bad advice is a Serious matter!!
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    #6
    Founding Member / Super Moderator Ratickle's Avatar
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    I was chatting with jetcruzr, and he raced one of Staudacher's Grand Prix boats. So did Steve David, among others.....
    Getting bad advice is unfortunate, taking bad advice is a Serious matter!!
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