Glen-L.com

Given the same HP engine, which of these Glen-L hull designs is faster?...
15' Crackerbox
16' Missile
17' HotRod
17' Thunderbolt
18' Tornado

Thanks!

Everyone builds their boat in a different way using different wood and finish ending up with a boat that can be heaver or lighter than the next so its very hard to say, as the 15' crackerbox is the smallest and with a direct drive could be the lightest and therefore the fastest, but then again I'm building one so I would say that

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Malahini, SEAN-NÓS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd6vkPjEy4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uDVzcVpdhc
crackerbox build http://s753.photobucket.com/albums/xx17 ... =slideshow

Some boats run better on glassy smooth water, some run better on a bit of chop.
But, at first glance, I would look at the best beam/length ratio.
But that is just me, I am a guy running on choppy water mostly.

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God Bless our Troops; especially our Snipers

If speed is your over-riding factor then look for a design as Kens notes with the lowest beam/length ratio.

But don't overlook a second factor. The deadrise. The deeper the V, the more drag the hull is subject to.

A flat bottomed boat has significantly less drag, so theoretically you will get higher speed. But, the hull will also become "unstable" at a speed lower than a deeper V bottom.

And then there are about 100 other factors that will affect not only the speed but the stability of a given hull. The bottom line often is, a hard chined boat under about 21 feet is only "stable" up to about 45 mph. Bass boat styles, basically just a hull with a deck on top or hydrofoil styles are capable of significantly more speed without becoming "dangerous to drive". Other designs fall somewhere in between.

So if all you want is pure speed, build a hydro...

Otherwise, pick a boat that will actually suit your needs, because going 60 in something you hate is nowhere near as fun as doing 40 in something you love

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Graham

Yes, Plywood is "real" wood

A "professional" is someone who gets paid for their work - it doesn't necessarily mean they are good at it

Wow, that is well said. Learn it, Live it, Love it.

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2011 MALAHINI - KICKED IN THE HEAD

I wake up with a 16ft woody every morning
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=534DBtp1Cnc
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/2011malahini/

Oh come on guys, he just wants to go fast nothing wrong with that!

A bit of a ramble on my thoughts - They're all fairly similar, actually, but the engine/ride will be different in each. For instance, one builder has a cracker-box that goes 78 with a modified 350. Another has a tornado that goes a little over 80 with a 450, and a thunderbolt has gone 90 with a modified 425. They all go really friggin fast, is the point so as everyone said it really depends which boat you want. As far as I know, they're all flat bottom - the crackerbox is the most classic, but the least practical imo - it's also the only one to have the engine in the middle of the boat, which limits absoloute top speed, though it still goes damn fast. The Missle/Hotrod are similar, but the hotrod is slightly longer - both are, IMO, the most practical because they have the largest freeboard, but unfortunately that probably also means they're the slowest. The thunderbolt and tornado are both lowpro speed boats meant only for going fast, and do very well at it - depending on how well you build/power, you might be able to hit triple digits - the tornado hull has already, if I'm not mistaken. So really it's what kind of boat you want, and how big you want it and how much you're able/willing to spend. Money aside, the tornado can probably go the fastest, followed closely by the (slightly classier) thunderbolt. The hot rod might be the best overall combination of speed, looks, and practicality - check out mr hot rod's - he's got a whole site to chronicle the build, and boy is she a beauty! Finally, the crackerbox is a bit different then the rest in that it's a short front engined speedster - a porsche 911 if you will, engine in a weird place and no room for anything but you and a passanger - but damn to people want one!

Denon