Hydroid wrote:
Brilliant!! So, someone tell us about that mini-tunnel pad, stock or custom? I get it, reduces wetted surface at speed.
Tell us more.
The concave pad? It does look a little different than others I've seen, almost as if the edges have been squared off instead of a rounder concave. I pulled this from hydrostream.org:
What was the purpose of the concave pad? Some say it was to aid in cornering. I have also heard that it was an early attempt at air entrapment. The real reason: a gimmick. Pipkorn wanted everyone to think that it improved the boat's operation. At first, he had thoughts of the design working like a slalom ski, but it came to be that it was simply his signature - and one that would make any competitor's splashing of his hull really stand out. So in the end, he really just wanted to make the boats different and to cause comments. It obviously worked since people still comment on it today. The real truth is, though, that HydroStream found the boat to turn better when they filled in the concave and made the pad flat. And that is the way Ron designed the Viking which was a definite improvement.
