TOPIC: Twins

Spotted this on the road the other day and was not sure what I was looking at. I'd bet she really goes.

Looks "Top Secret" whatever they are! I'm guessing surface drive, I don't think they're jets.

I sure would love to see that boat run. Borg Warner/Arneson surface piercing drives? Was the back glass custom, or chopped off something else...Never saw a top secret home grown prototype like this. Someone has talent...can't imagine the performance potential.

Nice job on the highway recon Love it.

That is a odd ball for sure and it would be nice to know what they are.
If you look close at the way the straps are on the units they are pulled tight giving shape to whatever they are. If they are surface drives they seem to have some sort of body to them that I have never seen. If they were B/W or arenson's there should be the upper trim/steering ram and not a inclosure as they appear, also the lack of the lower finn that normaly would be on one just ahead of the blades.
It does appear that it is a bolt on unit judging the color differance.
Also the shape of the box's and the shape of the holes they are in tells me they don't move side to side for steering way to tight leaving me to believe they are some kind of jet.
Just some observations I really have no clue but great find.

I was thinking like Cosmic. The rear picture looks like the back has some taper to the exit points which may allow a little side to side motion?? Could they be full body jet ski cut-offs stuffed in there.

Next time, Terry will have to pull out the "light" and pull him over to get "the rest of the story". Great job finding a mystery boat for us Terry! I do see some interesting stuff as I drive around the greater Chicagoland area...looks like now I need a dash cam to document Guess it is a UFO (floating that is).

Terry, glad to see you using the Angel Soft tissue on the dash. Spent my whole career actually running the machine that makes the stuff.
Oh yah, nice boat too.

Thanks Guys and I think you nailed it as surface drives. At first glance I suspected jets but then noticed a glint of polished metal through the opening of that shroud which could have been the prop. Also looks as though the stern has been modified with an extension.



Hey Cal,
Thanks for pointing out the Angel Soft. I think my wife put those up there and I forgot all about them. And it’s not that I don’t need them with allergies kicking my butt lately. I just grab an old rag or some napkins or in an emergency a shirt sleeve works and you can imagine how she frowns on that.
Terry

Looks like the "Top secret" boat is configured to have the drives pivot at angles, judging from the shape of the reliefs in the extension. Must be to assist in banking the boat in turns. Maybe that's an inherent problem with the surface drive, because the prop is so high in the water, it has less leverage to bank the boat. Pretty ingenious if it works! That last one is caraaayyzzy too!! Don't think I've seen one with the gear cases outboard like that. I just love the new surface drive technology, very exciting!!

I really don't think anyone is even going to make a turn at 100
+ mph on the water. I would be cleaning my shorts even going in a straight line.

IIRC, they steer with the skegs - that's why they're so big - they act as rudders

It looks like the whole back of the boat was grafted on. It also looks like there is a loose 3 or 4 sided sleeve over the drives and then the bag pulled over so even the shape of the bag is deceptive. That looks more like hiding something than protecting because the boat certainly had not been well kept looking at fade. Also not sure why one would choose such a boat to bolt on ready made arensons......huge money.
My guess is with the intentional hiding........someone is inventing something the drive world has not yet seen!
Randy

Yeah, that was my point with the "Top Secret" remark. I really think the way the drives swing up and down as they turn, following the V of the hull, is maybe the experiment. I haven't seen another system that does this, but it would keep the props at the optimal height during cornering. Again, I think this new technology is exciting, and I hope the guy does well with it. It's very rare these days to see an average Joe come out with something new instead of a giant corporation.

Maybe there is a situation here of the cart before the horse. No one would put new outdrives on a 40+ year old boat and a rusty trailer to try and see how fast it would go. Looking at the canvas cover over the "engine" area and the way the transom is angle cut leads me to believe that whatever those are - swivel to change boat direction. Maybe prototype independent jet drives installed just to see how they fit, weigh distribution, function, experimentation. Guessing there isn't even seats in that boat. Maybe control cable, steering, instruments etc. Boat would probably be launched, tied to a public doc, pictures taken, motor(s) started, if any. A couple of guys or gals getting the low budget ducks in a row for the next step forward. Whatever it is or was I wish Terry would have followed it to a destination, now we're all guessing and probably 100% wrong. Makes for good internet fodder though.
Obviously covered with cardboard before the canvas bags were put on, you can see how the straps contort the cover. What is curious is the underside which is the same on both units, could be intake areas. Nothing there would suggest props.

Yeah Cal, it's hard to say if that's deflection or just the cloth billowing upon either side of the strap. If the top corners weren't so perfectly rounded, I would agree. Perhaps just some thin aluminum or maybe plastic. Looks like that might, might be the blades of a duo-prop there on the bottom? My guess is that the power plants, or single power plant, which is along the lines of something I'm working on, are mounted in that hull extension as well, and the idea is to produce a self-contained surface drive unit that will mount on a variety of boats, inboard or outboard...
Yeah Terry, why didn't you follow the guy? You couldn't have had anything better to do

Hey Guys,

As I mentioned previously I think I saw polished metal through the opening in the shrouds which could have been props.



And believe me, if we were rolling on surface streets, I would have attempted to talk with this fellow.

Terry

So, what were you... flying? In the river on a boat with a telephoto lens?

Yeah I was flying… at 70 mph on I94. And this iPhone does have a zoom feature.