Offshore racing for trailerboats

Tackling big swells in an adrenaline-charged offshore race with your skiboat or family trailerboat may sound a little crazy. But it can be done, and it won't break the bank.

The Australian offshore circuit, the Acme Fibreglass Powerboat Series, is awash with million-dollar class 1 machines often seen in TrailerBoat such as Maritimo skippered by veteran competitor Bill Barry-Cotter, Acme Fibreglass and Smorgon Steel.

While these five-tonne twin turbo supercharged monsters carve effortlessly over deep rolling swell in excess of 120mph (193kmh), it's the smaller boats in National A and Production classes that ride roughshod in the conditions, bravely facing the elements with tenacity, sheer guts and a comparatively shallow pockets.

GETTING SET
Novice offshore racers usually enter the Production class first, and easily transform social boats into race machines. All that is required is a helmet and lifejacket for you and your navigator, an engine kill switch attached to both occupants and additional safety equipment for your boat as dictated by the law of the state in which you are racing. It's a given that you have a boat licence, but you'll need to be a member of a powerboat club and purchase a day licence to race at each event from the governing Australian Offshore Powerboat Club (AOPC), which will cost $200.

The Production class is divided into two: the basic Production class rules limit engine size to less than four litres, while Production Unlimited boats can carry engines over four litres.

AOPC rear commodore Russell Embleton says the Production class is the perfect vehicle for the "weekend warrior" who wants to give offshore racing a go. "Production is a Friday afternoon decision kind of class. It's where guys start out to see if they like it," he says.

National A class is the next step up, and is considered a championship class. This means you accrue points throughout the seven-race series. There are also two divisions: boats up to 5.3m can have a maximum engine capacity of 2.7lt, while boats up to 6.3m are allowed to race with a 3lt engine. Both allow EFI, and there's a minimum weight of 625kg for safety considerations. Drivers also need to have undertaken a first-aid course and have a certificate in CPR.

OFF AND RACING
For the past 12 months Production competitor Darren Martin has campaigned one of the smallest boats on the circuit: a 21ft Haines Signature 1900S called Repeat Offender with navigator Justin Tegg. Darren says racing offshore has been a blast. "It's the speed and the challenge," he says. "We are pretty much on the edge the whole race and most people think we are pretty crazy."

Since entering the series last year Darren says the only change he has made to his boat is additional stringers in the hull for more strength in the rougher conditions.

While you can race your existing boat sans esky and fishing rods at very little initial cost, many drivers in the National A class have dug deeper to either modify their boats or build new racing machines.

Antony DeFina and Simon Thomas began racing a Haines 2100 in Production, then moved up to National A. The pair had a boat made from the same mould as their Signature but added an extra three feet, a 140lt ballast tank at the front, trim tabs and custom designed the seating and decking so they sit one behind the other.

The finished product, Thycon, evolved through a series of trial and error runs for throttle position, seating and engine height, but is a front-runner in the class. Power is a Mercury 300X developing roughly 320hp. "It is the most powerful consumer engine you can buy, but it is still an off-the-shelf motor," says Antony.

He estimates setup cost was between $40,000 and $50,000 although the boys did a lot of the work themselves.

Fellow National A racer Don McClymont, who competes with his wife Richelle, estimates a similar figure for his custom-made timber at Gillette Racing. Reaching top speeds of 80mph (130kmh) with a 2.5lt carbie Mercury, the boat has had its teething problems.

"I changed the bottom of the hull because it wasn't fast enough," says Don. A safety cell was installed and then removed when the boat ran a bit heavy-handed. "It's a competitive class, so I needed to make the boat strong, but lightweight," he said.

You don't need to be a marine genius to custom design your race boat: second-hand speedsters can range around the $20,000 mark.

THRILLS AND SPILLS
Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's nasty, but racing in the smaller classes in big water does have a downside. Shorter boats will cop a virtual hiding in rough water, and there's guaranteed to be some big air, potential mechanical troubles, wash-overs and the odd sore neck.

This season though, there's been a much higher attrition rate in the bigger classes, with Class 1 competitor Tony Low and Simon Isherwood in Smorgon Steel taking an almost-fatal tumble in Tasmania and Mark Gilbert's Class 2 Global Racing burned to a crisp in Newcastle, NSW.

The secret to success? "If you drive like a maniac you will get hurt", says Don. "You need to drive to the conditions and set up the boat to be safe."

Antony agrees. "By having a great deal of respect for the ocean, you'll make it through unscathed," he says. "The secret to offshore racing is not to win all the time, but to finish."

The final two rounds of the 2005 Acme Fibreglass Powerboat Series will be held on July 2/3 at Mooloolaba and July 9/10 at the Gold Coast, Queensland.

There's serious talk of launching a stock Production class in 2006 where standard boats and engines will be available for "day" drivers. Stay tuned to TrailerBoat for more updates.

For more information on offshore racing, contact Russell Embleton on 0411 624 304 or visit www.aopc.com.au for race schedules and class descriptions.