Spring Boat Shop Tour – 17
U-17 Miss Red Dot at home in Preston, Washington
A trip to visit the home of Our Gang Racing’s U-17 Miss Red Dot takes you on a scenic drive into the Cascade foothills East of Seattle.
Nate Brown’s facility, near Preston, Washington has been the scene of a lot of boat construction and repair over the years, including the current U-17 and the final phase of construction on Erick Ellstrom’s Spirit of Qatar.
Our Gang Racing's shop is in a scenic area in the Cascade Foothills.
Miss Red Dot sits in the very bay where it was finished in 2007, as work is completed in preparation for the 2012 Air National Guard H1 Hydroplane season.
The boat’s bright and familiar color scheme will return in 2012, but Miss Red Dot will have a more conventional profile. The “Flying Nun” cowling that gave the boat a distinctive shape will give way to a new cowl like those used on most of the rest of the fleet.
Nate Brown with the mold for the U-17's new cowling.
Dave Bell, the 2011 H1 Crew Chief of the Year, says, “We actually seemed to pick up a little speed when we used the more conventional shape, so we decided to go to it full time. The conventional cowling also gives us lower exhaust temperatures on the turbine versus the nun version.”
The crew performed fairly routine maintenance on the boat itself during the off-season with only a few small refinements made to the hull. The strut was removed for the first time since it was built. The team discovered some delamination in the area of the strut. The fiberglass and carbon fiber layers were cut off, the foam core inspected, filled and the outer hull then repaired. The boat received a thorough inspection and cracks in the decking were glued, filled, sanded and painted.
Our Gang Racing's machine shop was busy in the off-season.
The strut, rudders, skid fins and brackets were sent out to be inspected for cracks and fatigue. The old motor mounts were removed and a different system will be employed to mount the turbines. This will allow for a faster turbine change and will align the 3 turbines better.
The team feels it has upgraded the engine, gearbox and propeller programs and should be able to improve on the performance that put the team in the top five in 2011.
Dave Bell & Dick Desroche install a gear box in the U-17 hull.
In addition to having three turbine engines dyno’ed and race ready, the team will have more gearbox “splits” and propeller combinations available, making it possible to tune the boat ride for a wider variety of conditions.
The team’s boat trailer also received an overhaul including new brakes, hydraulic systems serviced and improved pistons.
John O’Brien, one of the partners in Our Gang Racing LLC, has been hard at work on the boat as well as his 2nd year on the H1 Board of Directors. His duties on the board include negotiating international race site contracts, national television contracts, and technical rules for the sport. John was instrumental in rule change for 2012 to allow Kelly Stocklin to run the alternate turbine, a T-53, in his large G-class boat.
Kip Brown, the team's primary driver, will do all the driving in 2012.
Unlike 2011, where the team’s primary driver Kip Brown split the seat time with Cal Phipps, Brown plans to be in the boat for every lap of competition in 2012.
“We have made progress with this team every year since it was created,” said Brown. “This year we think we have a chance to take this thing to the next level. “
It appears this team’s many fans can look forward to an exciting season on the 2012 Air National Guard Series tour.
Spring Boat Shop Tour – 17
U-17 Miss Red Dot at home in Preston, Washington
A trip to visit the home of Our Gang Racing’s U-17 Miss Red Dot takes you on a scenic drive into the Cascade foothills East of Seattle.
Nate Brown’s facility, near Preston, Washington has been the scene of a lot of boat construction and repair over the years, including the current U-17 and the final phase of construction on Erick Ellstrom’s Spirit of Qatar.
Our Gang Racing's shop is in a scenic area in the Cascade Foothills.
Miss Red Dot sits in the very bay where it was finished in 2007, as work is completed in preparation for the 2012 Air National Guard H1 Hydroplane season.
The boat’s bright and familiar color scheme will return in 2012, but Miss Red Dot will have a more conventional profile. The “Flying Nun” cowling that gave the boat a distinctive shape will give way to a new cowl like those used on most of the rest of the fleet.
Nate Brown with the mold for the U-17's new cowling.
Dave Bell, the 2011 H1 Crew Chief of the Year, says, “We actually seemed to pick up a little speed when we used the more conventional shape, so we decided to go to it full time. The conventional cowling also gives us lower exhaust temperatures on the turbine versus the nun version.”
The crew performed fairly routine maintenance on the boat itself during the off-season with only a few small refinements made to the hull. The strut was removed for the first time since it was built. The team discovered some delamination in the area of the strut. The fiberglass and carbon fiber layers were cut off, the foam core inspected, filled and the outer hull then repaired. The boat received a thorough inspection and cracks in the decking were glued, filled, sanded and painted.
Our Gang Racing's machine shop was busy in the off-season.
The strut, rudders, skid fins and brackets were sent out to be inspected for cracks and fatigue. The old motor mounts were removed and a different system will be employed to mount the turbines. This will allow for a faster turbine change and will align the 3 turbines better.
The team feels it has upgraded the engine, gearbox and propeller programs and should be able to improve on the performance that put the team in the top five in 2011.
Dave Bell & Dick Desroche install a gear box in the U-17 hull.
In addition to having three turbine engines dyno’ed and race ready, the team will have more gearbox “splits” and propeller combinations available, making it possible to tune the boat ride for a wider variety of conditions.
The team’s boat trailer also received an overhaul including new brakes, hydraulic systems serviced and improved pistons.
John O’Brien, one of the partners in Our Gang Racing LLC, has been hard at work on the boat as well as his 2nd year on the H1 Board of Directors. His duties on the board include negotiating international race site contracts, national television contracts, and technical rules for the sport. John was instrumental in rule change for 2012 to allow Kelly Stocklin to run the alternate turbine, a T-53, in his large G-class boat.
Kip Brown, the team's primary driver, will do all the driving in 2012.
Unlike 2011, where the team’s primary driver Kip Brown split the seat time with Cal Phipps, Brown plans to be in the boat for every lap of competition in 2012.
“We have made progress with this team every year since it was created,” said Brown. “This year we think we have a chance to take this thing to the next level. “
It appears this team’s many fans can look forward to an exciting season on the 2012 Air National Guard Series tour.