M35 flips at Havasu during the Desert Storm poker run. Word on the water is the m35 caught the prop wash of the leading m41 and caused the boat to go airborne. Thankfully everyone is alive.
Check out Speed on Water for full story.
http://www.speedonthewater.com/in-th...n-crew-ok.html

 

wow. glad to hear there were no injuries.

 

Wow...that's scary. Good to hear everyone was ok.

 

Wow that's pretty intense.

 

I often wonder how there are not more crashes on the boats going 150+mph. Catch some air under it and its all over. I would think there would be a spoiler on the front that if you were nose high you could use some downforce to press it back to the water.

 

I am totally agree with you. You are 100% good here that there would be a spoiler on the top side that if you were nose high you could use some downforce to press it back to the water.

 

TYC and AndrewK, cats can go these speeds BECAUSE they catch air in the tunnel. This "air pack" creates lift and reduces hydrodynamic drag. It is a careful and delicate balance between lift and drag. When that balance is significantly upset - whether by air turbulence, cross wake or rooster tail - things can go wrong very quickly. So quickly, a human cannot react fast enough to introduce a control input even if one were available.

By the time a boat is airborne, vertically (as in these pictures), any nose wing would be in an aerodynamic stall. Even if, somehow, it were not, the wing area - compared to the huge tunnel surface area - would be ineffective. (Ever carry a sheet of plywood in wind?) The practical solution is to anticipate potential disturbances and gently steer to calmer water (get out of the wake) or carefully slow down.

 

You learn something every day. Thanks.

 

Exactly why I stick with a V hull. I love my Velocity