I needed a Turbine Boat hull about 28' to 32' in length that
would be stable at speeds in excess of 120 mph
In
selecting my boat, I've looked closely at the Eliminator
Daytona 28, Eliminator
Daytona 30, Spektre
30, Spektre
32, and Skater
32 hulls. Ranging in price from about $65,000 on up to
over $255,000 I quickly realized fitting the proper boat hull
into my budget may turn out to be a challenge.
Now
if only I can locate one at an affordable price. I visited
a local Daytona Dealer and the salesman must have thought
I was 'made of money'. Instead of looking up the options I
asked about and quoting me a figure, he seemed to 'pull numbers
out of the air'. For example; "Oh a trailer like that
will run you about ten grand" he said. I'm thinking a
professional would have opened the book and kindly quoted
me the cost.
When
I explained I needed a bare hull (with no power or drive as
I was going to install my T58 turbine) he insisted I could
not purchase just a bare hull. Supposedly all Daytonas must
be delivered with Mercury power. So I'm supposed to pay retail,
pull the new motor and drive, patch the transom, then install
my surface drive and turbine? What a bunch of BS! Needless
to say, I was definitely not impressed with their customer
service and could not exit fast enough. I'd love to post the
name of the dealer here, but that's just not my style. I'll
reserve that information for 'in person' conversations.
I
found out later that I should have asked for the Sales Manager
himself, as he's reputed to be a 'straight shooter'. Too late.
I don't believe they'll get my future business.
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My
current boat has an "open bow" and I really
like that option for the easy forward access and versatility
it offers. A canvas cover would be installed for high-speed
running.
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This
Eliminator Daytona 28 features the Integrated Cockpit
Canopies styled after the F-16 canopies and features
lots of forward storage areas for your gear.
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There's
also plenty of room in the aft cockpit for a turbine
engine.
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Nice
graphics and matching trailer make an attractive package.
The bimini cover has got to go; it has no function in
a turbine boat running at 110+ mph.
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Many
other cat boat builders are 'getting onboard' by also offering
an open bow option. Several that are definitely worth a 'closer
look' include the 28 Sport Cat by Advantage
Boats, the 260 Venom by Cobra
Performance Boats, the 28 Scepter by Magic
Power Boats, the 27 Shadow by Ultra
Boats, and of course the 27 Daytona by Eliminator
Boats.
After
lot's of 'shopping around', I got my boat: a 30' Cobra 'Terminator'
Cat!
Here's
some 'before' photos of my project boat. I got a great
deal on a Cobra 30' Terminator Cat. Originally designed
for offshore racing by Peter
Casini, this hull won numerous regional, national,
and world
offshore championships.
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After racking up several
years of race
victories including regional and national offshore championships (and the World Championship in 1992), Cobra Boats went into production and
made this same hull available to the general public
for a short period of only three years.
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This
hull is constructed with a specially developed Dupont laminate
of Kevlar
® E-glass, combined with a tough vinylester resin, hand-laid
over an aircraft-grade balsa core. The resulting light weight
hull has substantially improved impact resistance and is extremely
rigid. This is pretty obvious from the photo above- I estimate
they must be at least six feet in the air!
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I
found this gem 'lounging around' down in the desert.
It's been stored for several years and was way under
powered with a 385 HP Mercruiser Big Block 454. It was
pretty obvious to me it had a real 'hard life' as I
inspected the hull and fittings. But, it was perfect
for my project and I bought it just for the hull. I
intended to 'gut' everything, pull the motor + drive
and replace it with my turbine. Perfect for someone's'
re-power project, I'll package up the entire EFI motor,
manifolds, exhaust system, outdrive, power trim pump,
hydraulic steering, stainless prop and drive shower.
I'll even include the motor mounts and instruments.
Here's a performance
review of how well this motor/outdrive performs.
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In
addition to being extremely rigid, this Kevlar hull
weighs only 2455 pounds. Compare to the Spektre
30 which weighs 5,800 lbs. and the Eliminator
Daytona 30 which weighs in at 6,800 lbs. This Cobra
Terminator is going to rip- What we have here is a thoroughbred
race horse!
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Can
you image how my Cobra Terminator will handle after I reduce
the overall engine/drive-train weight (by almost half) and
more than triple the horsepower? . . . . in a word, AWESOME!
With my 1400 HP General
Electric turbine installed, I'm quite sure this Cobra
Terminator will live up to it's name and will meet the textbook
definition of "haul ass". We'll have a thoroughbred race horse
on steroids!
I
inspected the interior (as I scrubbed the bilge) and found
no cracks, zero soft spots, or any defects of any kind. It's
just as solid as the day it came out of the mold. I used my
60,000 BTU propane shop heater to dry it all out, got it properly
preserved, then tarped it down for the winter.
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The
following Spring I pulled the engine and outdrive
and it sold in less than 24 hours. Everything I won't
need for the turbine went with; external steering cylinder,
gauges, harness, it's all gone. I ripped out wiring,
carpeting, right down to the bare shell. Now I guess
I'm committed. Come to think of it, some folks have
already told me I should be committed.
The
rear bench seat will also be removed (it's only left
in place to support the tarp cover in this view on the
right looking down from my shop). I should have enough
room for seating on each side of the turbine (two up
front and two in the rear). Lot's of soundproofing lining
a 'doghouse' over the turbine should keep the noise
down to manageable levels.
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All
the boats I've had were all right-hand drive so I'll relocate
the controls on this hull also.
My
composite transom has been repaired and new topcoat finish has been applied.
Now
we're installing the 1400 HP monster gas turbine
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The
T58 is bolted in; now it's officially a 'Turbine Powered
Boat'.
The
rear mounts secure the gearbox to the composite motor
mounts.
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I
used 'quick disconnect' pins so pulling the motor only
takes a couple minutes.
While
I was in a 'metal cutting mood' I also got the tail
pipe cutout.
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Brackets
have been fabricated to route my throttle cables.
I'm
using 'push rod' connected to two-wire aircraft 'pull
pull' style (same as the old warbirds).
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I'm
'dry fitting' all my hoses. This dry sump tank supplies
synthetic lube oil to the gas turbine engine through
AN16 Stainless Steel Aircraft Braided Hoses. I'm using 'quick disconnects' everywhere so my engine can be removed in just a couple minutes.
The
throttle linkage is visible on this side. This lube
oil tank is plumbed to the reduction gearbox (also known
as the Speed Decreaser Gearbox or SDG). I plumbed through
a heat exchanger from an old warbird to cool the gearbox
oil.
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I
fabricated a bracket to support the end of the Fuel
Control.
The use of a connecting link allows the Gas Generator
to expand lengthwise while still providing vertical
support.
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Another
bracket supports the center of the combustion chamber;
allowing for expansion while still providing support.
The
stainless exhaust has been fabricated.
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With
the exhaust duct in place I can trim the engine hatch
to fit Then I'll fabricate a stainless 'collar' to go
around the exhaust pipe. This will keep the heat off
the fiberglass and allow an exit point (1" gap)
for the hot air being vented out of the engine area.
The
rear bulkhead is split, so I fabricated a stainless
stiff arm for support. Quick disconnect pins allow fast
removal for easy access.
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A
friend of mine over at Hardy
Engineering and Manufacturing did some nice machine
work on my coupling. Now my 6 Rib serpentine belt runs
on the surface drive coupling to power my alternator.
Here's
my Disk Brake setup. This allows me to stop the output
shaft from turning during the start cycle (effectively
provides 'neutral' as it prevents the prop from turning
and keeps the boat stationary).
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Once
the rpm of the gas turbine has stabilized at idle, I
release the shaft brake, the prop starts turning, my
alternator starts charging, and away we go. Here my
alternator bracket is in place; I used a carbon fiber
bracket for the top support.
More
to follow.
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Now the rigging begins
The
engine bay has been primed, painted with 'Vivid Red' AwlGrip
2 polyurethane, and clear coated, so we're 'all clear' to
install components. I used composites for the brackets wherever
I could for the exceptional strength and light weight. All
bare metal has been powder coated or painted to prevent corrosion.
I got a great deal on marine carpet through Ingles
Carpet for the cockpit.
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On
this side the fuel filters, pumps, and pressure regulators
are mounted. The power steering pump has a black shroud
over the cooling fins with a fan drawing air out the
top to ensure proper cooling.
The
gearbox lube oil tank and oil cooler can be seen on
this side.
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This
is where the lube oil lines cross under the gearbox-
it's an example of the attention to detail that I consider
critical to the success of this project. It takes time,
but is worth doing it correctly the first time.
The
alternator and brake assembly bracket is installed.
Next I'll route the AN3 stainless braided hoses to a
"T", then all the way up to the brake valve
and brake pedal. The alternator bracket is electrically
isolated from the brake caliper bracket, surface drive
and gas turbine to reduce stray voltage (which contributes
to electrolysis).
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The
plumbing is now hooked up.
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With
two independent fuel systems dependability is assured.
If either tank has a problem, that side can be bypassed
and the other tank will provide fuel to the gas turbine.
I used AN8 stainless steel braided hose for the fuel
supply and return lines.
The
hydraulic pumps that power the Arneson Surface Drive
trim and Power Hinges are tucked away on the transom
above the alternator and shaft brake. The small orange
tank supplies 80W-90W gear lube to the surface drive.
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We've
mounted a wheel barrow load of components and pulled a few
miles of wire.
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Aircraft
'adel clamps' properly support the bundles of aircraft
wire (to prevent chafing).
A
complete set of analog aircraft instruments monitors
every system. Analog instruments were selected as these
greatly simplify the drivers workload: I can glance
at the position of the pointers (quickly noticing any
abnormal readings).
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The
instruments are (top row from left) Left Volts, Right Volts,
Left Fuel Quantity, Right Fuel Quantity, Gearbox Oil Pressure,
Turbine Oil Pressure. Bottom row (from left) Ammeter, Fuel
Pressure, Fuel Flow, Gearbox Oil Temp, Turbine Oil Temp. The
Garmin
GPSMAP 545s Chartplotter is centered in front of the pilot
and the top two large instruments on either side are Percent
RPM (Power Turbine and Gas Generator) and below that the Trim
Indicator on the left and Exhaust Gas Temp on the right. Gearbox
Torque is on the far right.
Mounting
the Minn Kota maneuvering thrusters
My
gas turbine powered boat is only made to do one thing; go
very fast. It's not designed to maneuver around the marina.
And I don't want the noise from the gas turbine to upset other
boaters. To satisfy these requirements, I'm using using a
pair of 80 Lb. Minn
Kota RT-160/EM electric trolling motors (controlled by
an 8-way joystick) to quietly get me out from the dock.
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It's been taking a while to fabricate the thruster mounts
out of stainless steel and powder coat all the parts.
They're finally done. On the left you see the thruster
in the 'down' position.
The
thrusters are raised electrically for high speed running.
Here the right thruster is in the 'stowed' (up) position.
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The
thruster brackets use the K-Planes hinge pins for mounting
(this prevents me from having to bore holes in my transom).
A dashboard switch controls two electric actuators that tilt
each thruster up and out of the way prior to high speed running
(completely independent of the K-Plane trim tabs). An aircraft
landing gear indicator mounted on the instrument panel displays
the actual position of the thrusters. An interlock allows
them to run only when down (fully submerged for proper cooling).
It's a fairly complex system, but well worth the effort.
Wrapping
up the interior
The
wiring is done: I've designed my electrical systems, fabricated
brackets, mounted components and strung miles of wires.
It didn't take long to install the carpet and seats.
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The
Navigator is seated comfortably with a Garmin
GPSMAP 545s Chartplotter centered in front.
The
Drivers station is laid out with analog instruments
all within easy view. At the drivers feet, the accelerator
pedal is on the right, the shaft brake in the center,
and a black bar (foot rest) on the left. A horn button
is mounted on the bulkhead above the footrest (pressed
with the left foot) which allows both hands to remain
on the wheel.
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Emergency
battery disconnect switches are located on the rear
cockpit bulkhead.
The
interior is comfortable with enough room for four adults
and plenty of space to move around to handle mooring
lines, stow gear, etc.
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Not
just 'another pretty boat', I've incorporated many features
that make it safe and easier to live with.
I
used Akzo Nobel black Aircraft Walkway Paint to add
a non-skid strip down the fore deck.
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A
row of handles allows safe access to the bow eye in
any weather.
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I
rebuilt my forward Bomar deck hatches (sandblasted,
powder coated, new gaskets) and used XtraBond
9500 Polyurethane Sealant to seal them. The hatches
were relocated forward to allow easy access to the front
cleats.
Available in over
100 colors, XtraBond 9500 is a good match to the
AwlGrip 'sun yellow' 2-part polyurethane paint and 'safety
yellow' powder coating I've been using throughout my
turbine powered boat project.
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I've
completed the last major task of installing
rollers on the trailer.
Next
we'll service the lube oil systems and get ready to fire up
the gas turbine in the boat for the first time.
We should be testing
on the water in a few months. More
to follow.
I
can hardly wait to run my turbine boat through Deception Pass
and out into the San Juan Islands at 125+ mph!
After testing, I'll take lots of photos and add another web
page showing the details of the finished project (with several
videos of high speed passes).
See
the details of my composite
repair.
My
turbine
powered boat is now complete.
Why
put so much money and time into a boat?
My
story began many years ago with inspiration from a magazine
article. Judging by the response I sometimes get from
folks (when I describe my turbine powered Kevlar Race Boat
project), there's still a lot of people that just don't get
it. Driving a turbine powered cat is not just recreation.
And it's certainly not just another 'boat ride'. It's fun,
relatively safe, great recreation. Definitely a 'legal high'.
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Try
your best to imagine this; Do you recall your first
ride on a roller coaster? You know how you go from the
feeling of 'sheer terror' on that first big drop to
'adrenalized elation' when you realize you're still
alive (and seated safely in the car)?
That's
the feeling you get when you ride in a turbine powered
cat!
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Over and over, the ride takes you from one thrill to
the next. Get some air while jumping across the 'whitecaps'.
Taking long sweeping turns at speed. Running full-throttle
across the 'flat-as-glass' open bay. It's just one wicked
adrenaline rush to the next. All heads turn wherever
you take the boat. There's always many technical questions
to be answered. And those who 'resist the urge' to look
the first time just stop and stare when they hear the
unmistakable sound of the turbine. It's quite the legal
high. Now that's just what you are able to imagine.
Just
wait till you take a ride in the 'real thing' at speeds
in excess of 120 mph through the beautiful San
Juan Islands! In a word awesome!
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I'm
interested in learning about the early race days of the Cobra
Terminator. I've searched and searched, but just can't seem
to locate any more details or photos of Peter Casini's early
race victories with this boat. If you have any information
or photos relating to the history of the Cobra Terminator
(likely in the early to mid 90's time frame) please contact
me
Thanks
to all those folks who have provided tips, technical advice,
and information to help me with this project.
Soon I hope to be skimming across the waves at 120 miles an
hour with a permanent grim etched on my face!
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