Hamilton Reef
02-16-2007, 10:09 AM
Past, future of go-fast boats on display at Boat Show
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1171028733312510.xml&coll=6
02/16/07 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor hmeyerson@grpress.com
Joey Ruiter didn't set out to design the aquatic version of a Star Wars pod racer, but the award-winning designer with more than two dozen patents said his newest idea, The Front-Runner, is more aircraft than boat.
Riding on a hydrofoil, its hull lifts out of the water, pulled by two 215-horsepower jet-drive engines mounted in forward pontoons. The boat is expected to do 80 mph.
But its airplane-like steering system is expected to allow it to bank much the way a plane does. Or a pod racer -- the fantastic flying craft found in "Star Wars: Episode I," constructed of an anti-gravity pod pulled by two or more huge turbine engines.
Anti-gravity pods may be hard to come by here on earth, but Ruiter said The Front-Runner may be the next best thing.
He was enamored with the way pod racers could maneuver and slalom through the trees and mountains. They were quick, responsive and generated a lot of G-forces on the turns.
"It's not what I set out to design, but when I was done, it was pretty close," said the 30-year-old Grand Rapids product designer, who will debut his concept at the 62nd annual Grand Rapids Boat Show at DeVos Place next week.
The show promises to be a go-fast boater's dream with boats from the past, present and future. Ruiter's futuristic design will have its counterpoint in the vintage race boats, including Babyface Nelson, a replica of the 30-foot Baby Bootlegger that won the Gold Cup in 1924 and 1925.
The antique boat replica, built by Bruce Hutchinson of Gull Lake, will be one of several shown by the Members of the Water Wonderland Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. The group also will have a 1950s vintage 19-foot hydroplane called Z-Z-Zip, which was clocked at 148.638 mph in 1965.
Contemporary boaters with a taste for speed will have plenty to compare.
There will be 400 boats on display. Those include a variety of board and ski boats like the MasterCraft Cross Sport Extreme shown by Action Watersports.
Formula Offshore Race Boats will be shown by Dry Harbour Motorsports. And the new Kawasaki 250, a three-seat personal watercraft with a top end more than 70 mph, will be shown by Shawmut Hills.
Show manager Henri Boucher said there will be fewer large motor yachts and sailboats than in past years, but more inboard ski boats and offshore fishing boats.
"We plan to fill the building with boats," said Boucher,
adding that the lineup runs from eight-foot kayaks and fishing boats to large live-aboard power cruisers.
Visitors who want to glimpse the future can stop by and visit with Ruiter throughout the show. He will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the inspiration for his invention.
A graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design and Ferris State University, Ruiter splits his time between boating and furniture-design projects. Last year he won an international furniture design contest with a chair called Profile. He also designs seats for boat manufacturers.
The Front-Runner is a boat that Ruiter would love to drive, a boat that could be used to explore the Mississippi River, the flat and hidden waters of Lake Powell or just taken out for a heart-pumping lark.
"I love the outdoors: camping, hiking and that kind of thing" said the Grand Haven native. "It's a boat that will run in very shallow water and can be run up on shore."
Its unusual lines grew out of Ruiter's preference for simplicity in design, the final product of a process he calls "deconstruction," teasing out the essential functions required and doing away with the rest.
"The furniture I've designed has been minimalistic, but getting to the final design can be complex." he said.
Ruiter's revolutionary design, having engines up front pulling the boat, has yet to be tested on the water. The Front-Runner is a visual prototype that he hopes will inspire more "out of the box thinking," by manufacturers. He has plans to develop a working prototype in the near future.
"When you strip it down, you end up with a very minimalistic form that is all function and a ton of space," he said. "The industry is focused on larger boats. People are focused on larger boats, larger gadgets and large TVs.
"I want to focus on smaller boats -- cool boats."
The Front-Runner is expected to cost about $40,000, he said, about the same as other twin-engine, jet-drive boats.
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1171028733312510.xml&coll=6
02/16/07 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor hmeyerson@grpress.com
Joey Ruiter didn't set out to design the aquatic version of a Star Wars pod racer, but the award-winning designer with more than two dozen patents said his newest idea, The Front-Runner, is more aircraft than boat.
Riding on a hydrofoil, its hull lifts out of the water, pulled by two 215-horsepower jet-drive engines mounted in forward pontoons. The boat is expected to do 80 mph.
But its airplane-like steering system is expected to allow it to bank much the way a plane does. Or a pod racer -- the fantastic flying craft found in "Star Wars: Episode I," constructed of an anti-gravity pod pulled by two or more huge turbine engines.
Anti-gravity pods may be hard to come by here on earth, but Ruiter said The Front-Runner may be the next best thing.
He was enamored with the way pod racers could maneuver and slalom through the trees and mountains. They were quick, responsive and generated a lot of G-forces on the turns.
"It's not what I set out to design, but when I was done, it was pretty close," said the 30-year-old Grand Rapids product designer, who will debut his concept at the 62nd annual Grand Rapids Boat Show at DeVos Place next week.
The show promises to be a go-fast boater's dream with boats from the past, present and future. Ruiter's futuristic design will have its counterpoint in the vintage race boats, including Babyface Nelson, a replica of the 30-foot Baby Bootlegger that won the Gold Cup in 1924 and 1925.
The antique boat replica, built by Bruce Hutchinson of Gull Lake, will be one of several shown by the Members of the Water Wonderland Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. The group also will have a 1950s vintage 19-foot hydroplane called Z-Z-Zip, which was clocked at 148.638 mph in 1965.
Contemporary boaters with a taste for speed will have plenty to compare.
There will be 400 boats on display. Those include a variety of board and ski boats like the MasterCraft Cross Sport Extreme shown by Action Watersports.
Formula Offshore Race Boats will be shown by Dry Harbour Motorsports. And the new Kawasaki 250, a three-seat personal watercraft with a top end more than 70 mph, will be shown by Shawmut Hills.
Show manager Henri Boucher said there will be fewer large motor yachts and sailboats than in past years, but more inboard ski boats and offshore fishing boats.
"We plan to fill the building with boats," said Boucher,
adding that the lineup runs from eight-foot kayaks and fishing boats to large live-aboard power cruisers.
Visitors who want to glimpse the future can stop by and visit with Ruiter throughout the show. He will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the inspiration for his invention.
A graduate of Kendall College of Art and Design and Ferris State University, Ruiter splits his time between boating and furniture-design projects. Last year he won an international furniture design contest with a chair called Profile. He also designs seats for boat manufacturers.
The Front-Runner is a boat that Ruiter would love to drive, a boat that could be used to explore the Mississippi River, the flat and hidden waters of Lake Powell or just taken out for a heart-pumping lark.
"I love the outdoors: camping, hiking and that kind of thing" said the Grand Haven native. "It's a boat that will run in very shallow water and can be run up on shore."
Its unusual lines grew out of Ruiter's preference for simplicity in design, the final product of a process he calls "deconstruction," teasing out the essential functions required and doing away with the rest.
"The furniture I've designed has been minimalistic, but getting to the final design can be complex." he said.
Ruiter's revolutionary design, having engines up front pulling the boat, has yet to be tested on the water. The Front-Runner is a visual prototype that he hopes will inspire more "out of the box thinking," by manufacturers. He has plans to develop a working prototype in the near future.
"When you strip it down, you end up with a very minimalistic form that is all function and a ton of space," he said. "The industry is focused on larger boats. People are focused on larger boats, larger gadgets and large TVs.
"I want to focus on smaller boats -- cool boats."
The Front-Runner is expected to cost about $40,000, he said, about the same as other twin-engine, jet-drive boats.