Craig Arfons Boat

[Franklin]

http://www.americanjetcars.com/arfons/craig/carf4.htm

Craig Arfons was the son of WALT Arfons and the NEPHEW of Art Arfons.

His boat was first run without an afterburner but test runs indicated this wouldn't provide sufficient power. Although Craig's boat wasn't the first water speed record boat to have an afterburner installed, it was the first to use an afterburner during a record attempt.

At a speed that has been variously estimated at 340 mph to 400 mph, Craig's boat began sponson walking then blew over.

After the blow over, the boat came down sideways on edge and broke in half just behind the engine air inlets.

Except for a missing windshield (said to be the result of a battery from inside the cockpit flying forward) and the missing side entry hatch, the forward half of the boat was recovered intact as a single piece.

If one of the anchors for his restraint harness had not failed during the crash, there is a real possibility Craig might have survived.

[olredalert]

------Growing up outside of Akron as a kid in the 50s and 60s I knew of the Arfons family and eventually met both Art and his brother. I never knew Craig, and honestly didnt know he was going for a world speed record on the water. When did this happen?............Bill S

[ALLAN BROWN]

------Growing up outside of Akron as a kid in the 50s and 60s I knew of the Arfons family and eventually met both Art and his brother. I never knew Craig, and honestly didnt know he was going for a world speed record on the water. When did this happen?............Bill SI have the tape of Craig doing the big one. He brought that boat to my office at Cigarette two weeks before his attempt in northern Florida. He had read my criticism of Richard Noble's Jet boat aerodynamics. I agreed with Craig that it would not blow over backwards. It didn't. In super slow motion, the boat begins to oscillate on the roll axis (chinewalk), lifting one sponson, then the other. Finally, it lifted both at the same time. Same as throwing a dart with no feathers. At full thrust, the back end passed the front end. End of story....

[Franklin]

I have the tape of Craig doing the big one. He brought that boat to my office at Cigarette two weeks before his attempt in northern Florida. He had read my criticism of Richard Noble's Jet boat aerodynamics. I agreed with Craig that it would not blow over backwards. It didn't. In super slow motion, the boat begins to oscillate on the roll axis (chinewalk), lifting one sponson, then the other. Finally, it lifted both at the same time. Same as throwing a dart with no feathers. At full thrust, the back end passed the front end. End of story....

Allan - By the time Craig died I had known him for nine years and would like to think that his last project was fundamentally sound. I was at Lake Jackson for most of Craig's trial runs as well as his official attempt. The only time they ever ran the boat on smooth water under completely calm conditions was the last run. I was at the south end of the lake standing well to the left of the boat's planned course. Instead by the time the boat went airborne it had veered substantially to Craig's right and was heading directly toward my position. I have since wondered if Craig might have thought he was about to run out of lake and abruptly chopped the power, exacerbating the chinewalk that lead to the boat becoming airborne.

[Franklin]

http://www.kiss-cote.com/science/drag.htm (http://www.kiss-cote.com/science/drag.htm)

Allan - Could the chinewalking on Craig's boat have been the result of hydrodynamics not aerodynamics?

[Franklin]

http://www.americanjetcars.com/arfons/art/art62.htm

Allan - Having now read your comments about the benefits of riblets in reducing or eliminating chinewalking, I now wonder if Art Arfons planned use of rolling tires to reduce drag on his jet boat may have been a far more insightful and prescient innovation than anyone imagined at the time.

[ALLAN BROWN]

http://www.americanjetcars.com/arfons/art/art62.htm

Allan - Having now read your comments about the benefits of riblets in reducing or eliminating chinewalking, I now wonder if Art Arfons planned use of rolling tires to reduce drag on his jet boat may have been a far more insightful and prescient innovation than anyone imagined at the time.I don't think anyone knows the answer to that. I rode across the top of a big puddle with my fat ass on a 750# 1200 Yammy, and it didn't slow down a BIT!