Why all the concern with top speed?

[Bilgamesh]

I'm not trying to be combative, but I really don't get all the concern with top speed. Why does it matter, and what would you use it for? Are there a lot of folks out there going WOT and full speed? I don't see any. It reminds me of the movie "Boogie Nights" when the two guys are asking one another how much they can bench press. Maybe somebody can shed some light on this need for speed!

 

[cpubud]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

its a man thing.

 

[Viking...]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

Funny,

I was just thinking how there aren't many posts about "how fast" and "top speed".
Suddenly, there are several popping up here and there.

It's the old story, guys like to compare, to see how they stack up.
No big deal...all in good fun I think.

 

[_chris_]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I'm not trying to be combative, but I really don't get all the concern with top speed. Why does it matter, and what would you use it for? Are there a lot of folks out there going WOT and full speed? I don't see any. It reminds me of the movie "Boogie Nights" when the two guys are asking one another how much they can bench press. Maybe somebody can shed some light on this need for speed!

I can bench press 240 I am not all that concerned with going top speed but I feel my boat was built with a better top speed which would in turn give me a better cruising speed. I go to Lake Mohave a few times a year and would like to make a 3 hour trip up the lake into a 2 and a half hour trip if possible. I think a 130 HP motor should cruise a little faster than 21-22 on my 18'.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

It's all about efficiency and max engine life. You match your set up and prop to the max recommended rpm. Once you have the rig running at max efficiency at wide open, it'll be at max efficiency at any rpm you chose to run. If your max rpm is too low the motor may die a horrible death from lugging prematurely.

 

[QC]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

1) Maxing top speed with a given setup can lead to better efficiency at cruise speeds

2) Nailing your WOT RPM properly, insures proper operation at all RPM

3) It's fun to get your hull up and light feeling

4) We are hardwired to seek bigger, better, faster

5) Optimizing any combination is similar to improving anything you own or do. Why do you do that?

6) It's fun

 

[79monarch]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

You must have been reading my thread on 50mph, I only wanted to see what everyone else thought my boat was capable of because it's a new-to-me boat and I had a few different numbers being thrown at me. I don't plan on running it wide open all the time I was just curious.

 

[bsktball55]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

While I don't go WOT all the time, I do like to air it out every once in a while and have some fun going fast. The faster, the better as long as the conditions are safe. The same reason that all car manufacturers are constantly coming out with higher horsepower motors.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I get a kick outta the bass boat guys who aren't happy because it only does 74mph.
Men's hobbies are always expensive, its an anxiety thing for some.

I have a freind who got bored with his boat so he got into model airplanes, he paid $12K for a model plane.

To me, he's seeking something that he'll never find in stuff that can be bought with cash.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I just run what ever speed is fast enought for the kids to have fun on the tube.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

Because going fast is fun.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

QC all ready stated this but it bears repeating;
Maxing top speed with a given setup can lead to better efficiency at cruise speeds


we cruise on 3 lakes near a 100 miles or so long. to get where we are going
we like to cruise at 30 or so mph. depending on the motor package and size of boat this can be wot. so we need a boat that runs at least 40 mph pulse to put us in this cruise range and be in the engines sweet spot for economy and ability to get on plane in a reasonable time
while i doubt any one really runs at wot for long the wot ability directly effects your long term cruise speed

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

Yeah If you don't know your top speed and rpm's you don't have a base line of how your boat is setup.




And I like going fast!

 

[MudSkunk]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

tracker says my boat should go max 28mph with the engine and hull i have. it will get to 28 mph according to my gps/fish finder and the gauge on the dash. it still has a little more throttle to use. that speed is plenty fast to me.

speed is irrelevant if your wanting to be the fastest. there is always someone with a little more money than you that has a little less sense.

in my opinion the only thing that matters is it fast enough for your use. does it pull the skiers fast enough or get to the fishing hole quick enough?? bass boats that you see on tv are super fast and they are super uncomfortable to fish from. their whole purpose is to get from spot to spot as quickly as possible to fish as much area as you can for a tournament. i have fished with folks now and then that have had such boats and i really dont care for em. but that is all personal taste.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I get it. When I was younger, I used to try to fine tune anything I had to make it perform at its best. It didn't seem like it at the time but I had all the time in the world then by comparison. Some people have to traverse great distances and of course, you want to be able to get there as quickly as possible. And the thrill, hey, going fast is fun!

When it comes to bragging rights, no sport is immune. This made me think of a story I heard some years back. I dug up a copy and post it here for your amusement. It's being related by a former pilot of an SR-71 Blackbird:

One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. 'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was. 'Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground,' ATC responded.

The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.' We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.

 

[jkust]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I don't know or care how fast my cars or snowmobiles go top end but for some reason I do care about my top speed of my boat. Cars and sleds give me a thrill with acceleration not speed unless I was on a track. I think because when I can hit 90 on a snowmobile in a few seconds and not be near top speed or hit 100 in my car with just a leisurly pass, 50ish just doesn't do it. Besides the efficiency arguments, I just like going fast. I think it is just hard wired in whether it is running, driving, swimming or whatever.

 

[mphy98]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

Bing an old speed junkie, to quote a movie line "I feel the need for speed." Sometimes it just feels good to go fast. NEVER with the kids in the car or boat.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

For me, it's an efficiency thing. As some have already stated, if you're set up and propped correctly at WOT you'll be set at all speeds.

Kinda envy the lake boaters here- I've owned this boat for 2 months and have yet to hit a day calm enough to do over 30 mph. I usually cruise at 3000-3200 rpm, which equates to 23 - 26 mph. That's the comfortable speed for this boat in the usual wake, chop and swell conditions I have here.

One of these days maybe I'll have an opportunity to wring it out and see what the top end looks like.

 

[captharv]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

+1 on the post above.
I want my boats to do a cruising speed of 26-28 MPH @3600 RPMs. Why? Thats where the torque and HP curves cross and thats the most efficient engine speed. For most boats, the efficient hull cruise speed is about 26-28. So, if everything matches, the engine will last. Mine is 8 yrs old and no major problems.
I have had 14 boats in my lifetime. The above holds true for I/O boats.

 

[QC]

Re: Why all the concern with top speed?

I agree about the hull speed note above, and that's why they are more efficient there.

Thats where the torque and HP curves cross and thats the most efficient engine speed.

Torque and horsepower only cross because of the scale of the graph you're looking at. Change it to Newton Meters and it doesn't work. Move the scale and the crossing point changes. An engine's most efficient RPM is usually lower, but hull efficiency is a lot more important to a marine application than engine efficiency. Sort of stuck with the RPM as we only have one gear . . .