PERFORMANCE INTERNATIONAL Sport Hydro

Radio Control Boat Modeler, Aug 2004 by Bell, Rick

Unlimited potential!

Whether it's full-scale or a model, nothing says "speed" more than an unlimited hydroplane; and in the RC boat-racing world, hydro sport racing is one of the most exciting classes to experience and watch. The boats are big and fast and look realistic. Every time the hydro class is called, the banks are lined with spectators waiting to see high-speed thrills and chills! To have five or six boats run at nearly 70mph and head for turn 1 while jockeying for the inside line-well, anything can happen, and it usually does!

Now you can capture the same heart-pounding experience with Performance International's Sport Hydro.

DESIGN ORIGINS

Chris Rabito, Virgil Erickson and David Wickboldt introduced the Sport Hydro design in late 1999. When it first saw the light of day, the organized sport hydro class was nonexistent, but not for long. Two boaters, Carlo Catalanato and Chris Herzog, liked the design so much that they decided to start some friendly hydro competition. Andy Millet, another hydro fanatic full of ambition, wanted in on the action and started racing the new hull around the country. This opened many eyes to the potential of hydro-class racing and generated much interest, and sport hydro has evolved into one of racing's most exciting and hotly contested classes. After all, it's the closest you'll get to big, unlimited racing without actually strapping on a turbine and getting out on the water. Chris Rabito was one of the first manufacturers to mount gas Zenoah pull-start engines in hydros back in the late '80s.

BIG STUFF COMES IN BIG PACKAGES

At 43 inches long and with a beam of 21 inches, this boat is imposing when you pull it out of the box; when I first saw it, I was immediately impressed. The hand-laid fiberglass hull is gelcoated and ready for you to install the hardware kit. Its custom paint job is flawless. Knowing that this race-winning design combines excellent performance and stability, I couldn't wait to hit the water. Let's take a closer look.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

There's not much to do to get the Sport Hydro on the water. The Modified RaceReady package includes the gelcoated fiberglass hull with the stout birch plywood structure, a radio box, a 26cc Zenoah marine gas engine and a radio system-all installed. all running hardware is aluminum, and the fasteners are stainless steel. The rudder has an integral pick-up for positive engine cooling.

The rigid hull is one piece and consists of the lower hull, the upper deck and the cowl. The hull and deck are joined, and the engine compartment, radio box and aft compartment have been molded into the deck. This, along with the birch engine rails, makes the hull very stiff. The hull is very straight and true with sharp edges, so it will track straight and turn properly. The radio box is sealed with a Plexiglas lid that's cut to fit into a recess; waterproof tape securely holds the lid in place.

The supplied engine comes in two versions-Modified and Race; which one you get depends on your pocketbook. To whet your appetite for speed, the Race-ready model is rated at just over 6hp and spins the prop at 18,000rpm. No wonder Performance International's hydros can hit speeds approaching 70mph! The Zenoah features a pull-starter and a double-ball-bearing-supported crankshaft, and it's sealed to increase crankcase pressure. A custom header connects the engine to the steel tuned pipe. The engine is mounted on four L-brackets, which in turn are secured to the birch rails.

The engine sits in the cockpit and is water-cooled, as are the header at the exhaust port and the pipe coupler. To start the engine, you must remove the cowl; it's held in place with an aluminum tongue at its nose and with two O-ring cowl keepers at the rear. This is a very simple and secure method to hold it in place during high-speed runs.

THE DRIVE TRAIN

Simple is the key word here: a well-aligned ¼-inch flex shaft runs inside a Teflon-sleeved brass stuffing tube to get power from the engine to the prop. The tube is secured to the strut that supports the prop shaft and the prop. The prop is held with a locknut and engages a standard ¼-inch drive dog. The strut's leading and trailing edges are streamlined to reduce drag-nice touch!

HARDWARE

The wedge-shaped rudder and the turn fin are made of aluminum. The rudder is drilled from the top and has two integral water pick-ups. The turn fin is attached to the right sponson with aluminum L-brackets. Both the rudder and turn fin will pivot upward in the event they strike any solid object in the water. A soft brass bolt is used as the lower attachment of both. The leading edge of the turn fin is sharpened to also cut drag. The hardware is from Speedmaster Model Products.

PARTING THOUGHTS

I was very impressed by the high-quality workmanship of Performance International's Sport Hydro. With its smooth, graceful lines, the hydro looks fast even out of the water. Out of the box in "Oval Race Trim," this extremely fast RTR model is capable of speeds up to 70mph. And although it's fast, its design makes it one of the most stable boats I've ever driven. The entire package earns high marks for completeness, quality and performance.