The New 2018 Boat

For 2018 we will be racing under the OCRDA (Offshore Circuit Racing Drivers Association) Which means a New Boat! We will be racing a Phantom 18 equipped with a race tuned 135hp 2.0l V6 Mercury outboard.

51Racing OCRDA R1
Skipping Along Nicely
In The Mix at Torquay
Phantom 18 Air Bourne
51Racing choppy waters
Coming Through
Buzzing the Rocks
Number 51

Winter 2017/2018 has been a busy one! We have been getting our new boat ready and upgrading the already fantastic race proven Phantom 18 hull ready for racing. Shes been stripped, re-inforced and completely over hauled. The interior was stripped back to bare hull and the racing fit out started. A new stronger Transom and tougher Knees have been fitted to keep the V6 Mercury Monster on the back, a Light Weight floor bonded in, checker plate Aluminium console fitted, two brand new Cobra Racing Seats bolted in and a much needed crew Intercom system. Up front we added a “just in case” emergency Air Bag.

For propulsion we turned to the Monsterous Race Tuned 135hp 2.0l  V6 Mercury. The Mercury is a light but powerful 2 stroke Outboard that we have fitted with custom Steel Developments Race Props and flexible 70lt fuel tank.

Don’t think it stops there! During the 2018 season we will be adding to the list of Upgrades as we learn more about our Phantom. On the list so far are some balast and Out There Technologies are already fabricating a solid Carbon Fibre rear cockpit cover for Aerodynamics at speed.

The Old Boat

Thundercats are where we started and raced up until the end of the 2017 season. Originally designed as surf rescue boats it became clear from the start that these Cats would be great for racing. The Thunder Cat inflatable catamarans come in varying shapes and sizes from manufacturers mainly in South Africa where the sport began way back in the early eighties…

51 Racing
51 Racing
51 Racing 18
51 Racing 05
51 Racing
51 Racing Team
51 Racing Team
51Racing-001

The Boats are twin-hulled inflatables, typically powered by a race-tuned short shaft 50hp 2 stroke Tohatsu outboard engine.

ThunderCats are capable of achieving speeds of up to 60mph and can corner at this speed exposing the crew to G forces of nearly 3 G’s.

Each boat carries a two-man crew working together to keep these beasts upright, not too dissimilar to the way motorcycle sidecar racing teams work. “The Driver” controls the speed and direction.

“The Crew” balancing, trimming and spotting for the pilot.