Headlines
Popeye-La Tortuga 44' - The giants of the seventies
- Thread starter Black Tornado
- Start date
:sifone:
T2x
Icon/Charter Member
Agreed...and we all can also agree that any of these boats when setup for an actual race (fuel load, weight forward, rough water props,etc) were considerably slower. the little Cigarette's and Skean Dhu were small special purpose boats designed for speed alone. Nordskog, whose boat was full sized, controlled the APBA at that time and had huge horsepower in his turbo charged engines. I am not saying that he cheated, rather that his boat fit the limit of the rules as written, and even he couldn't get near 100 mph. Most of the other Open boats had less power, and more dependability in the big seas races of the time.
I still would like to know precisely how the biggest boat on the race course at that time could also be the fastest?
T2x
T2x
Icon/Charter Member
That's when someone has a clear cut superiority in a given area over the competition........ Like Brownie's ability with women......
FLYING FISH
New member
Skean dhu
Skean Dhu, a special purpose boat designed for speed alone? What makes you think that.It won it`s class on several occasions in Class IIID offshore racing,which was more than a trip round the bay (as per key west) and that was in a class with more than 4 boats as the U.S. like to do, and then call themselves World Champions,but that`s a thread in itself.OK it wasn`t OP1,but still a noteworthy achievement.
Skean Dhu, a special purpose boat designed for speed alone? What makes you think that.It won it`s class on several occasions in Class IIID offshore racing,which was more than a trip round the bay (as per key west) and that was in a class with more than 4 boats as the U.S. like to do, and then call themselves World Champions,but that`s a thread in itself.OK it wasn`t OP1,but still a noteworthy achievement.
thats three strakes 160 km /hr sorry you were not around to see them run. slow boats 40 cig 40 corsa 40 gara 40 somthing tempest sonny miller
the msv 44 built for mr carmati at that time had twin v12 bpms 1200 hp each at 4500 rpm connected to bpm z boxes 1.20 to1 overdrive,this turns the prop over 5000 rpm. these engines were hand built by OTAM S.P.A. They were dyno tested and installed by them. The exhaust were dry exiting thru the hatchs . ssm3 4 blade props. flippo sold this boat for me and attended the sea trials. sonny miller thanks for the question
TrippM
New member
What year was that done?
T2x
Icon/Charter Member
So was that the boat you referred to earlier in the quote below?
"yellow popeye msv 44 ran in pointpleasent ( fuego tutto) 100mph"
Also how did you get # 3 drives to survive with 1200 hp running through them?
Sorry to keep asking questions, but I am trying to understand the speeds attributed to the open boats racing in the U.S.
T2x
T2x
Icon/Charter Member
Point taken, but that hull was a trimaran, and considerably faster and lighter than any standard vee bottomed hull of that era. A few of those designs made it over here (they still pop up from time to time in newer "original" forms of one kind or another) The bottom line is that the Skean Dhu style hull was faster in calm water than a vee, and not quite as fast as a good cat.
As far as US World champions are concerned, back when Skean Dhu was racing the US fleets were the largest in the world........
Your comment no doubt pertains to the nonsense that has called itself "racing" for the the last 5 to 7 years stateside.
T2x
not sure flippo was still living in Italy and still a magnum dealer ,maybe 77-78. just before flippo and katrina bought magnum from don,they also moved into the palm bay club. I will check when I shipped this boat . maybe marco can call OTAM in porto fino and pull the Carimati file and also Burno Mentasti file, to check dates. sonny miller thanks I will post photo s
Top Banana
Icon/Founding Member
Avanti......yes, that was pulled from a mold that JC Simon sold to someone in NJ or somewhere.
Paradox has one on here only it is 33 feet, same bottom as the Banana and Coyote with just two strakes not three like the Cobra MSV boats.
Avanti....yes Brownie wouldn't do as well with an Avanti as he would with an Advantage in those particular situations Rich spoke of.
Top Banana
Icon/Founding Member
Ted and Katrin bought Magnum in 76. Don owned both Cigarette and Magnum at the same time in part of 75 and part of 76 until the deal was done.
FLYING FISH
New member
Popeye builder?
Unless I`ve missed something on this thread,I still can`t be clear on the builder of the 44ft Popeye.If MSV Inc built La Tortuga,where does Mands Marine fit in the Popeye build.Also if Miller was the designer,what role did Saccenti and Varese play,or was it an overlap of design ideas.
Unless I`ve missed something on this thread,I still can`t be clear on the builder of the 44ft Popeye.If MSV Inc built La Tortuga,where does Mands Marine fit in the Popeye build.Also if Miller was the designer,what role did Saccenti and Varese play,or was it an overlap of design ideas.
TrippM
New member
Could you give us more details on those engines? 1200hp engines in that time period, that would hold together, had to be very rare. I'm curious about the technology used to achieve those numbers.
Mands marine is no where , Why are they pretending to have done this project?Msv built the 44 ft brown popeye race boat.Msv built the yellow cut down 44 ft popeye race boat. Msv built the dark yellow cut down 44 ft la tortuga race boat .Bob saccenti and I built all these boats together and raced them. I drew the drawings for this plug 44 ft - 8 ft wide - with a new sharp entry.we wanted to lighten the bow. most boats at that time were 9.6 wide ,heavy bow ,harder to trim up.they also created more wind drag. Bob and I hired nick chapman to build this plug in our shop in hollywood fla. bob vrooman and crew prepaired this hull plug ready for mold work.I will explain the strake design later.Vrooman also layed up this hull mold.chapman also built our deck plug and Vrooman again layed up our deck mold. the first hull and deck that was laid up was the big brown 44 msv popeye.all others were done later.I was on three other race teams thunderbird 9 races/ magnum donzi 4 races / cigarette 11races and the building and or rigging of these boats. I was ready for a new and better designed off shore boat project.bob saccenti and I worked together on this project from the start to the sea trial and finish of popeye. hull 1 . the boat has proven it s self . without bob saccenti Icould not have done this project.we were equal partners and will get equal credit. we are like brothers.I moved to europe, hard to see old friends. Varese replaced dominic after the fire in NJ. we started the 44 msv la tortuga with Varese and that was a new boat also built in our shop in hollywood.Later I rented the mold to mr joel halpern to build 10 hulls ,4 race layup and the rest pleasure boats.In the contract he or anyone else had no rites take of mold or remanufacture this boat in any way.he also had display in clear view cobra/38r MSV. bill swain brought me the checks from joel for each boat.they hired my glass crew with my ok.mr simon had no permission to use our hull for anything, bob and I should be credited for our hull design and champion ship by mr halpern also all other boat that were copied from us . SONNY MILLER
the normal bpm v 12 is 620 on low octane fuel ,square wet exhaust.also small webber carbs / std cams.. 4500 rpm carimati s v 12 engines were hand built. I recall his best pair of engines were turbo charged. 4500 rpm only,any more they explode. seatec 10 liter engines are at 1100 hp burning diesel fuel /4400 rpm/ and they are six cylinder? turbo
FLYING FISH
New member
MSV History
Thanks for that Sonny.You mention 8ft wide hulls.For your interest,all Don Shead OP1 boats from Miss Enfield in 1969 to the CUV hulls were 8ft beam,i.e. stretched from 32ft to 41ft long over a period of 18yrs.
Thanks for that Sonny.You mention 8ft wide hulls.For your interest,all Don Shead OP1 boats from Miss Enfield in 1969 to the CUV hulls were 8ft beam,i.e. stretched from 32ft to 41ft long over a period of 18yrs.
yes,I forgot to mention europe , while racing with merrick lewis in europe I saw some of these boats . there styling and sleek forms were fantastic.they made a big impression on us. the races in england were like a boat show for race boats .all great teams , they should never be forgotten. Sonny miller.
Similar threads
