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Boats roar down Willamette River course during annual races |
By David Sale, Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail David at
dsale@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The noise of revving
engines and the scent of gasoline that filled the air this holiday
weekend was not from lawn mowers or weed whackers carrying out
Memorial Day chores, but the return of boat racing to Roger’s
Landing.
Saturday and Sunday marked the 59th consecutive year of the Newberg
Boat Club’s annual meet, drawing 89 competitors from across the
Northwest, said club chairman Ken Kaiser.
“This meet used to be the start of the racing season, but these
days it’s the third race of the year, due to increasing numbers in
the sport,” he added.
To many
the words “hydroplane racing” suggest the large, turbine-engined,
corporate-sponsored boats seen on television. But while smaller in
scale, the boat races at Roger’s Landing were no less thrilling to
watch.
Many of the boats sported the same two-pointed, wide-bottomed
hydroplane hulls as their larger cousins, a design that allows much
of the hull to rest on a cushion of air while in motion. (Others,
known as runabouts, had a traditional, single-point hull design.)
Measuring around 10 feet in length and powered by ordinary outboard
motors, these racing boats are within the grasp of the average speed
demon.
“We try to keep everything stock as much as possible in the
sportsman’s class — engines, propellers, and so on — so it’s
affordable,” Kaiser said. “Then we have the modified class for
tinkerers, people who want to customize their engines.”
Following guidelines from the American Power Boat Racing
Association, competitors were divided into two classes, based on
engine type: the “A” class using 15-horsepower Johnson or Evinrude
outboards; and the “C” class using 30-horsepower Yamato engines.
“Those are actually built in Japan for pro boat racing and at the
end of the season the manufacturer reconditions them and sells them
in the U.S.,” Kaiser added.
Racers have a considerable amount of time and effort invested in
their craft nonetheless, said racer Bill Blackwell of Beaverton, one
of the few people to build and sell them commercially.
“I design and build them from scratch — it’s a hobby more than a
business,” he said. “Most racers buy plans or kits and build their
own.”
Made of marine-grade plywood over a spruce frame, the small size
and light weight allow the boats to hit speeds up to 60 mph,
depending on the model.
“Everyone had one of these back in the ‘50s — it was the equivalent
of a Jet Ski,” Blackwell said. “I grew up in Seattle and my family
had one that I would tinker with and I just kind of fell into the
sport.”
In “the pit,” as the park’s parking lot was christened for the
event, Blackwell readied his “C” class hydroplane for the next heat.
Pilots steer with one hand while gripping the throttle with another
(equipped with a deadman switch for safety) while kneeling on a
piece of foam fastened to the bottom of the boat.
Nearby, Carl Lewis of Federal Way, Wash., conferred with his son
Kyle over a Yamato engine with a malfunctioning fuel valve. The two
discussed whether to swap the engine for another between heats, but
instead simply apply duct tape to hold the valve in position.
“We’ve had issues with it and weren’t sure it would run, but Kyle
did well and had the best overall time,” Carl said proudly. “I’ve
probably got about $5,000 invested in our equipment — but compared
to other motor sports, that’s not so bad.”
The races begin from a running start, with the pilots circling the
course and jockeying for position until the starting flag. Finding a
place at the head of the pack is often the secret to victory, Kyle
said.
“I came from behind on the start and was in a good position around
the first turn, but Mike Perman — the national champ last year —
stayed ahead,” he said. “But a couple boats jumped the gun (crossing
the start line before the official beginning, a disqualification),
and that helped.”
Like in go-kart racing, father-son teams are a fixture of the
league, Kaiser said, counting himself and his family among that
number.
“It’s the most gut-wrenching feeling, to send your kid out there,”
he said. “You’ve practiced, but when he’s out there in the pack, you
just hope nothing goes wrong. But even the times when someone
finishes in last place, they’re still grinning from ear to ear.”
“It’s a very family-oriented sport,” Kaiser added. “The teams all
travel together, camp together, have barbecues after the meet.
There’s a lot of time to hang out and make friends. I was in a car
accident on the way to a meet last year, and racers I knew came to
visit me in the hospital. That’s the type of community that we
have.”
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Published
May 30, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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