There are a lot of things that can be done to a boat to make it faster, without ever touching the motor. Super smooth hull bottom, proper hard racing bronze paint, proper speed wax, minimal appendages into the water like avoiding those big anvil iron type sounders and using the flush kind, proper propeller type - design - and pitch, and weight. Also don't go to a race with a full 60 gal in that fuel tank ~!
By the way I'm painting my hull bottom with a single hair paint brush and buffing it with a q-tip. The rudder is contoured, sanded, polished and chromed. Don't forget the propeller wax.
There is a story around Nashville that Owsley Cheek (Maxwell House Coffee Fortune told me personally before he passed away. Apparently way back in the old days there were a few people in the area who had some nice wood speedboats, I think Mr. Cheek had a Dodge. There was some sort of a wager about who had the fastest boat so Mr. Cheek hired a (horse racing) jockey to drive his, I think the guy weighed 90 pounds, lol. His home, "the Cheekwood Mansion" is now the location of fabulous botanical gardens, art museums, etc. open to the public and owned by Metropolitan Davidson County Nashville as a gift from the Cheek family.
I know the family has some Cumberland River boating photos stashed away somewhere, sure would be fun to dig em out.
Regards,
Paul
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