What on earth...?

[Leapy]

...is this?

http://www.rib.net/forum/attachment....1&d=1317120363

This is the best picture I could do in the circumstances. Just to help the question along...it looks like an old speedboat hull, there's an 'oil drum' perched on the back with the words "HOT" written on it, the prop is the size of a small egg whisk (just above the number plate), the exhaust (poking out the lhs) is the size of Jack-The-Lad's Subaru Imprezza.

[Nasher]

It's a Little Yellow Racing Boat.

It's obvious really

Nasher.

[willk]

I'm gonna follow Nasher's offering with another take entirely...

That's not the exhaust. It's a flue/funnel. I reckon she's a steamboat.

Really, I do.

I think.

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by willk

I reckon she's a steamboat

That was my first thought too...but then I looked at the hull and noticed it wasn't clinkered and varnished and guy driving the pick-em-up truck wasn't wearing a flat cap

Later, all I could think of was the JetSkiGull put up by NOS and the bbq A Level project from gotchiguy. Can't think why...

[Nasher]

Seriously, I believe there is a class of race boat that uses very small engines, very similar to moped racing for bikes. Its all about weight, and making the most of what little of everything the rules allow.

The exhaust is probably an expansion chamber tuned to work at a very high RPM and probably sound like a very large Bee.

Nasher.

[thomas]

It it some sort of ducted fan on the back?

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by thomas

It it some sort of ducted fan on the back?

Are you sure that's not the spare wheel on the back of the car?

I thought for a split second that it might be a pulse jet, but on more detail inspection reckon it's an exhaust sticking out the top.

I think I can see a small prop on the bottom of the transom, so that would suggest an inboard. Nasher's suggestion is the favorite.

[jambo]

Its a small air boat!

J

[thomas]

this sort of thing...

[Leapy]

Originally Posted by jambo

Its a small air boat!

J

Could be...if only it had a fan and didn't have a propellor

When I said in the OP it had an oil drum on the back (which wasn't the spare wheel of the truck ), I'll expand...it had a stainless steel fabrication similar in size and shape to an oil drum. The word 'HOT' was written on the back of the 'drum' and the steel was tarnished as in kin-HOT. The 'drum' had two letter box sized cut outs in the top. The propellor egg whisk was smaller than on my Suzuki 5hp. There was a cable driven rudder system to the right of the egg whisk. The Jack-The-Lad Subaru exhaust/funnel/chimney looked like it was made from flexible aluminium air con ducting. The V shaped hull had chines and was fibreglass.

Odd and intriguing it was, an air boat it wasn't Nasher sounds like he's there or thereabouts but I still don't understand how it produces power

[willk]

Hot means hot then. If it was that hot, it had flames in it. Firebox.

Steam, I tells ya.

[Nos4r2]

That exhaustlooks a bit like it belongs on a small turbine.

[captnjack]

Originally Posted by Leapy

The propellor egg whisk was smaller than on my Suzuki 5hp.

Hydroplane racing props are quite small, they turn really fast though, like 10,000 rpm. 190mph boats like these have props not much bigger than that: » The Boat

So its actually somewhat proportional to that little boat's size.

I'm guessing the "hot" item is dry exhaust, exhaust into the water would slow her down.

[captnjack]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

That exhaustlooks a bit like it belongs on a small turbine.

Yes, turbine engines are common on hydro racers.

[m chappelow]

Whatever it is looks to me like he needs to sort out the trailer offside brake light

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by m chappelow

Whatever it is looks to me like he needs to sort out the trailer offside brake light

oooh .. timw will be around shortly with his ribnet clipboard patrol award now why didnt I spot it