Circle vs drag

[JimboG]

Hi all,
Clearly new to the game here. Besides the obvious, what’s the difference between a circle and a drag boat and can a circle boat be a good lake boat?

 

[bagged97taco]

Circle boats make Great Lake boats. Drag boats are usually laid up pretty light and circle boats are pretty heavy. Depends on what you want to do with the boat. I have a drag boat around 500# bare hull and it does just fine at the lake. No stress cracks. Now my buddy is building a dimarco that is around 400# and he is afraid to take it to the lake. I had a Biesemeyer race deck and if I had to guess the hull probably weighed in around 750-800# if not more.

 

[1homeblown]

Hi all,
Clearly new to the game here. Besides the obvious, what’s the difference between a circle and a drag boat and can a circle boat be a good lake boat?

Welcome to the addiction. Lots of differences between the two. Hull design, engine set-up (lot of circle guys run their driveline off of the snout), vdrive/prop rotation....etc etc. both can be set up to be a good lake boat as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HAP]

My 1963 16' Glasspar Super G hull alone weighs 1,300lbs. A real tank.

R,
HAP

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Hi all,
Clearly new to the game here. Besides the obvious, what’s the difference between a circle and a drag boat and can a circle boat be a good lake boat?

In some cases there's drastic differences. An Unlimited Hydroplane is technically a v-drive Circle boat just like a Top Fuel Hydro is a v-drive drag boat. Assuming you're talking flat bottom lake boats, again there's a vast difference in some cases. I'm assuming (because your question is vague) the comparison is for typical weekender type usage between a traditional runner bottom flat and a Biesemeyer style sprint hull.

So pairing these hulls as far as ride and assuming they're set up for performance (strut angle and v-drive location) the difference is the B boat is a little wider, has less rocker and most of the time is heavier. These things give the Biesemeyer style boat a smoother ride over rougher water and the heavier lay up means less chance to accumulate stress cracks.

Lightweight hulls of both variety's didn't come out until around the mid 70's.

 

[rivermobster]

Hi all,
Clearly new to the game here. Besides the obvious, what’s the difference between a circle and a drag boat and can a circle boat be a good lake boat?

Welcome clearly new. Besides the obvious...

A circle boat will be a solid lake boat right of the trailer, in most cases.

Drag boats were meant to run for a VERY limited amount of time. You'd probably have to do a LOT of mods to make a boat that would run all day out of a drag boat.

Like Sharp Shooter said. That's a really vague question.

What's your budget like?

 

[Wheeler]

A circle boat will be a solid lake boat right of the trailer, in most cases.

Drag boats were meant to run for a VERY limited amount of time. You'd probably have to do a LOT of mods to make a boat that would run all day out of a drag boat.

So say's the OG of pontoon boat owners.

 

[rivermobster]

So say's the OG of pontoon boat owners.

I'm sorry...

Did you just say you wanted me to post the pic of your new jet boat? Is that what I'm hearing here??

 

[Revndave]

I'm new to the v drive game as well. I bought a 2007 Biesemeyer circle boat. I will be running on The Parker Strip.

 

[Dana757]

I’ve owned both and the circle boat (flatbottom) I can take out and whip on. It turns much better and just seems much more solid. I run it in stuff I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing with my runnerbottom. They all have their limitations though.

 

[JimboG]

Thanks for all the responses! My goal would be a lake/river cruiser boat. I was thinking circle boats were setup with the backward engine and perhaps a few other things that made the boat turn easier/faster and maybe only turn left. That didn’t sound like a good lake boat set up. My goal would be to mostly cruise the river between Davis dam and the sand bar. Once in a while on Lake Mohave and Havasu but only in very nice water. Slow cruising is fun but so is going fast once in a while. Is a blown, carbed engine that can Run on pump gas to much to ask for?

 

[bagged97taco]

Blown carbed motor is the way to go for a lake boat. Or just build a nice single carbed n/a motor and have fun.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Thanks for all the responses! My goal would be a lake/river cruiser boat. I was thinking circle boats were setup with the backward engine and perhaps a few other things that made the boat turn easier/faster and maybe only turn left.

You have this all wrong. A circle boat with the engine mounted forward (not backwards) has the power take off PTO mounted to the crank snout. This is to aid in left hand turning, but in no way makes it so the boat only turns left. That's just crazy. Almost all the Australian circle race boat engines are mounted backwards like a drag boat. This has no effect on whether or not you use the boat for lake use.

That didn’t sound like a good lake boat set up. My goal would be to mostly cruise the river between Davis dam and the sand bar. Is a blown, carbed engine that can Run on pump gas to much to ask for?

It's too much to ask for if you're afraid of it. Otherwise, why would this be a problem? Just make sure it's built and tuned right and go have fun.

 

[Dana757]

Thanks for all the responses! My goal would be a lake/river cruiser boat. I was thinking circle boats were setup with the backward engine and perhaps a few other things that made the boat turn easier/faster and maybe only turn left. That didn’t sound like a good lake boat set up. My goal would be to mostly cruise the river between Davis dam and the sand bar. Once in a while on Lake Mohave and Havasu but only in very nice water. Slow cruising is fun but so is going fast once in a while. Is a blown, carbed engine that can Run on pump gas to much to ask for?

blown carb would be fine. Once you go injection younever go back though.

 

[renodaytona]

I'm currently in this same dilemma, I'm on the hunt for a v-drive but I think want something that actually turns like a K-boat. This will be for the days I don't want to drag the Daytona out to Lahontan. A trip over for Andy and Dog's V-drive run at windmill and maybe some Camp Far West trips as well.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

The problem with this question is it leaves out a ton of variables. Flat bottom boat building spans 7 decades. A 50's drag boat is worlds apart from something being layed up today. So hull design, weight, rigging and power all play a part in the equation on both sides of the fence.

For the question to be answered properly, you need to take each boat individually and break it down. You can't just say drag boat or circle boat without getting more specific.

 

[sintax]

The problem with this question is it leaves out a ton of variables. Flat bottom boat building spans 7 decades. A 50's drag boat is worlds apart from something being layed up today. So hull design, weight, rigging and power all play a part in the equation on both sides of the fence.

For the question to be answered properly, you need to take each boat individually and break it down. You can't just say drag boat or circle boat without getting more specific.

That brings up a solid question, I know that there has been hull and bottom development in the last 20 years on flats for drag, but what about any major development on bottom design for the circle guys? Theres still a few guys popping out b-boats, but is there enough demand for change?

 

[Sharp Shooter]

That brings up a solid question, I know that there has been hull and bottom development in the last 20 years on flats for drag, but what about any major development on bottom design for the circle guys? Theres still a few guys popping out b-boats, but is there enough demand for change?

Regarding circle bottoms, they vary greatly. Some have strakes some don't, some are offset, some are deeper than others some are curved and we're just talking strakes. When a hull design is splashed it's not uncommon for the new boats to have changes. When Ron Bolton splashed the ski deck Biesemeyer he made some bottom changes. Goettell changed the Biese bottom etc. The Barron sprint, Riviera, Eliminator Spider, Advantage copies with refinements. As far as major changes only Mike Stock has tackled that challenge in the last 20 years. His El Cid isn't completely original though, he started with a Rayson-Craft design from way back and made changes underneath. His R&D is likely an on going work in progress.

Drag boats are another story. All drag flats before '71 were either true flats or had sponsons attached (rare). When the runner bottom came out everybody copied and did their thing to them but most had differences as well. I'm not aware of any bottom development from the last 20 years. What have they changed?