...engineer performance!

with Foreword by Mark Rotharmel...
 - world renowned F1 Champion
 - Canadian Boating Federation Hall of Famer
 - Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famer
 - host of Powerboat Television Show
 - founding chairman of the Performance Boat Club of Canada
 - columnist and feature contributor for Boats & Places Magazine

Foreword

By Mark Rotharmel

In man’s pursuit of speed across water, powerboat builders throughout the world combine theory with experience to bring us faster, safer and better handling boats. Watching a present-day Offshore Catamaran or Formula One Tunnel Boat fly effortlessly over waves at post 140 mph, rarely would one consider the early designers who brought forward their creations, or the trial-and-error testing by passionate drivers who risked their lives competing in what arguably has been deemed the most dangerous sport in the world. 

While a must-read resource for boat builders, Jim Russell’s insightful account of tunnel hull design includes a comprehensive look at recreational high performance, powerboat racing and how the sport has been, and continues to be shaped. In this, the twelfth printing of “Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design”, the author combines practical experience with his extensive engineering, analytical and literary skills to help us understand each and every aspect of what it takes to succeed in building these phenomenal powerboats. 

Recognizing the experimental nature of tunnel boat design, Russell arms the reader with proven calculations and considerations that remove much of the guesswork used by builders of the past. He knows of what he writes. Jim Russell is himself a past North American racing champion, a designer/builder who campaigned his own boats for years on the OPC circuit. He is also my friend, a person to be admired for his intelligence and devotion to high performance boating. 

During the past 25 years, we have remained in close contact. While racing many different boats, including Molinaris, Seebolds, Burgess’ and a Furnell Flyer/SEI, Jim was there to witness several of my crashes – three blow-overs, three barrel-rolls and two stuffs. 

Unlike Jim, I drove other people’s designs. As a factory racing driver for Mercury and OMC, I was given the best boats of their time. Still, they were inherently unstable when stretched beyond reasonable limits. But stretching is what racing drivers do. That’s how limitations are established. 

After retiring from F1, I signed on with Power Boat Television to test and analyze high performance pleasure boats. While most of the cats and tunnels today are thoughtfully designed, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Let no manufacturer tell you their air-entrapment boat is perfectly safe. It is only as safe as the driver is knowledgeable and experienced.  

While educational, there is much more to “Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design” than theory and dynamics. Commemorating the sport’s heroes and leaders, it is an entertaining, reflective journey back in time. Performance boating has a grand history, which is one secret to be shared! 

about Jim Russell

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