Glen-L.com

Hi guys and gals... Other than the looks of the two whats the difference between both in performance? Which one is a faster more stable boat?

I have a 496 HO (425hp) mercruiser engine that needs to sit in a boat and thought of a dragster type boat like these two.

What is your opinion?

I have a Glen-L frame kit for the Thunderbolt for sale, still crated if that design interests you.

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As Conan the Barbarian says, " It's not how hard you can hit, it's how hard you can get hit and remain standing".

Thanks for the offer lake racer but i don't need them

Hmmh... Hotrod?? Thunderbolt?? Nobody?

Was under the impression that many here built both these boats..

Better check the MerCruiser weight ... A similar engine (Crusader 8.1 MPI with freshwater cooling) weighs in at 1200 pounds with a 1:1 transmission. The recommended engine weight for the Hot Rod is less than 800 lbs. A custom built Small Block can equal the power and torque of a Big Block with less weight. At 16'-6", the Hot Rod's hull cannot be extended. Its a very stable, tough little boat. The extra freeboard is a bonus when the wind picks up.

A low profile with a healthy beam and adequate length to provide stability at the higher speeds is what you're looking for. At 17'-3", the Thunderbolt with its flaring sides that act as anti-trip chines would be a better match. It can be extended up to 10% by re-spacing the frames from the aft end of the stem to the transom a proportional amount. At 18'-6", the Tornado is another candidate. The hull cannot be lengthened and the recommended engine weight is limited to 800 lbs.

If you do most of your boating in rough water, a V bottom or Cat design may be a better choice. Our next build may be an inboard-powered Aqua Cat ...

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Paul Kane
Kane Custom Boats
Chelsea, Quebec

Building the Glen-L Hot Rod : http://www.kanecustomboats.com

Greetings Z_Wood:

I agree with Paul Kane that the Thunderbolt is likely more stable due to flaring sides. I know that you said you were considering performance, not esthetics. Of course I am a fan of Paul's nicely executed Hot Rod, but the Thunderbolt is a strong contender for the best looking of Glen-L's performance v-drives!

I asked an old-timer who has built several boats including a Thunderbolt what he thought. Back in the 1960s he had friends who had built a Glen-L Hot Rod so he has a good frame of reference of both designs. Here's what he said regarding Hot Rod versus Thunderbolt:

"The main thing between the two is the ease of construction. Speed is determined by H.P. The bottoms of both hulls are min. dead rise. I found the Thunderbolt very stable in rough water and control [is set using the] cavitation plates."

I think he means that the Thunderbolt is a slightly more elaborate design, especially if you choose the angled transom. He also points out that the bottom of both designs are very similar hence the performance should be similar with top speed dictated only by the horsepower.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Larry Williams
Yorba Linda, CA

Ah great thanx much for the replies!!

Well the thing is i bought both the hot rod and thunderbolt plans but was contemplating which to build first. Think i might go with the thunderbolt... i like its sexy lines!

As for a motor i have the option of going custom build small block LS7... Question is how much horsepower can i throw at this puppy without killing myself or having the hull shred to bits?? I want a speed demon!

Cheers
Zane

There is a wonderful Thunderbolt example on the Performance Boats forum:

http://www.performanceboats.com/v-drive ... cks-3.html

Includes the following photos:





A real beauty!

Regards,

Larry Williams
Yorba Linda, CA

That almost makes me want to build one.....I already have that flame arrestor!!!

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream

Maan theres some really nice boats on that site!! Now i really wanna build me a crazy speed demon!!!

How will the boats available here handle 80 - 90+ MPH and which one will do it best?

Is there anyone here with one of them boats hitting 80+ mph??

Cheers

Ok so iv opted for neither of these two boats and gonna build the Rampage instead and throw that 496 HO in it with a Bravo XR stern drive which is the setup i already have but could go with jet pump instead but need opinions. I can see that one guy here built this boat with a bravo stern drive but couldn't get to him to send him a pm :s

Can anybody help?

Cheers

Close... real close!

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Paul Miller in Memphis, TN
"Yeah, I had lunch with him last week at the Cracker Barrel out on I-40."

Close to 80 or real close to 90? :p

What boat, power, setup?

Sorry, didn't mean to be so cryptic. I was just teasing you...

88.3 mph on GPS
406 SBC built on a four-bolt 400 truck motor
Holley 750 double-pumper
Single-plane Edelbrock with 3" rise
Pro-Action iron heads, 14*, ported & flowed
2.125" intake / 1.625" exhaust
472hp at 5600 RPM on the best of three dyno pulls
22% gears in the Casale split-case
10-5/8" x 16" steel, two-blade, elephant ear by Ron Hill
Motor's center of mass is 8" aft of designer's recommendation
I had the motor set up with 0.0005" greater clearance in the mains for better oiling at extended WOT use

I normally run with a three-blade prop (11" X 15" steel by Menkens) and with the cav plates set to about 2* down plane, relative to the bottom, at full up control to keep the bow lift under control. Speed is in the low-mid 70's set like this. A majoe factor with this speed is the total weight. The bare hull is a verified 540 lbs. after paint. All-up wet weight is probably (not verified) in the 1550 lb range w/o driver. I won't tell you what I weigh...

When I set it up to air out with the cav plate angle at about 5* above the bottom it really flies on the tow-blade prop. It's too scary to do that, though. I'm older and more sane than I was at 20 when I raced.

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Paul Miller in Memphis, TN
"Yeah, I had lunch with him last week at the Cracker Barrel out on I-40."

Wow... 88mph is very impressive!! What boat is that?

Im assuming the water needs to be super flat to even try to hit those speeds right?


haha and i hear ya on the more sane part!!