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44-446: A hydroplane (or hydro , or thunderboat ) is a type of motorboat used exclusively for racing. A unique characteristic of hydroplanes is that they only use the water they are on for propulsion and steering and not for flotation—when going at full speed they are primarily held aloft by a principle of fluid dynamics known as " planing ," with only a fraction of their hull touching the water. The unlimited hydroplane racing series

88-413: A game that Seitz played in his youth. The game can be played against another person or solitaire. Devoted fans keep track of the results and assess how players' performances compare to their real-life statistics. The game company later produced football , golf , basketball , hockey , bowling , boxing , soccer , and saddle racing games modeled after the baseball game (cards, boards, and dice). In

132-485: A man who develops his own game, gets too involved with the fictional players and characters he invents, and ultimately loses his mind. Author Soren Narnia makes APBA the center of his 2006 novel "Roll! They Cried;" the chance to right past wrongs leads a ballplayer to attempt redemption through his APBA card. David Duchovny's novel Bucky F*cking Dent references the narrators' father playing APBA Football as an escape. Many sports publications have published accounts of

176-414: A minimum of 3,060 kg (6,750 lb). The modern turbine-powered unlimited hydroplane is derived from the 3-point prop-riding hydroplanes of the 1950s. These were the first boats to ride on a cushion of air trapped between "sponsons" mounted on the sides of the front of the boat, and the bottom half of the propeller, which were all that touched the water. They were called "Unlimited" because they were

220-422: A radically different design since the three-point propriding design was introduced was referred to as Canard . It reversed the width properties, having a very narrow bow that only touched the water in one place, and two small outrigger sponsons in the back. Early hydroplanes had mostly straight lines and flat surfaces aside from the uniformly curved bow and sponsons. The curved bow was eventually replaced by what

264-531: Is a game company founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania . It was created in 1951 by trucking firm purchaser J. Richard Seitz (1915-1992). The acronym stands for "American Professional Baseball Association", the name of a board game league Seitz devised in 1931 with eight high school classmates. After World War II, he formed APBA Game Co., working out of his living room. In 2011, after 60 years in Pennsylvania,

308-436: Is forced downwards by the bottom of the boat's hull . The water therefore exerts an equal and opposite force upwards, lifting the vast majority of the hull out of the water. This process, happening at the surface of the water, is known as ' foiling '. Early designs of the 1920s were often built by amateurs, who employed the lightest materials available to them at the time, which were often glued timber boarding or plywood on

352-415: Is known as a pickle fork bow, where a space is left between the front few feet of the sponsons. Also, the centered single, vertical tail (similar to the ones on most modern airplanes) was gradually replaced by a horizontal stabilizer supported by vertical tails on either side of the boat. Later, as fine-tuning the hydrodynamics became more important, the bottoms of the main hull have subtle curves to give

396-615: The water speed record (160.323 mph) in Lake Washington , off Seattle, Washington's Sand Point , on June 26, 1950, breaking the previous (ten-plus-year-old) record (141.740 mph (228.108 km/h) by almost 20 mph (32 km/h). Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1964 in the jet engine hydroplane, Bluebird . Starting in 1980, they have increasingly used Vietnam War -era turboshaft engines from helicopters (in 1973–1974, one hydroplane, U-95 , used turbine engines in races to test

440-751: The 1980s and 1990s, computer adaptations of some of these games were produced. APBA enthusiasts have included Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush ; presidential son-in-law David Eisenhower ; New York mayor Ed Koch ; actor Jeff Daniels ; ballplayers Bump Wills , Jim Sundberg and Dave Magadan ; sports agent and Detroit Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem ; MLB writer Rick Hummel ; and journalist and memoirist Franz Lidz . For much of its history APBA's main competitor has been Strat-O-Matic . Other rivals include, or have included, Replay Publishing , Statis Pro Baseball , MLB Showdown and, in APBA's early years, Big League Manager. In 2000 APBA redesigned

484-481: The 1980s, the turbine gradually displaced piston power. The H1 Unlimited class is sanctioned by APBA , its governing body in North America and UIM , its international body. Unlimited Hydroplanes are fast boats capable of more than 320 km/h (200 mph) on the straights and running average lap speeds of 209–266 km/h (130–165 mph). They are 8.5–9.1 m (28–30 ft) in length and weigh

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528-415: The APBA software. In August 2012, APBA released an updated version of Baseball for Windows 5.5, called APBA Computer Baseball version 5.75. The game came with 3 complete major league seasons(1921, 1961, and 2011). This release was updated again in 2015 with the seasons included changed to 1957, 1976, and 2014. Game players can order additional disks individually for all major league seasons from 1901 through

572-577: The Bill Muncey Trophy was first awarded in 2007. for Season High Point Team 1 Source: Hydroplane (boat) A hydroplane (or hydro , or thunderboat ) is a fast motorboat , where the hull shape is such that at speed, the weight of the boat is supported by planing forces, rather than simple buoyancy . A key aspect of hydroplanes is that they use the water they are on for lift rather than buoyancy, as well as for propulsion and steering : when travelling at high speed water

616-631: The Bucket List Racing Team runs a T-53 turbine. As of 2022, the U-3 Go3 Racing is the only piston powered boat in the fleet, powered by a twin turbocharged Allison V-12. Since 1946, the National High Point Championships are awarded to the team and to the driver with the most points at the end of the season. The Martini & Rossi National Champion Perpetual Trophy was first awarded in 1959, and

660-639: The Southern and Midwestern US, but did not attract the media attention that the expensive and exotic-looking Gold Cup Class counterparts had. In 1946 after the hiatus due to the war, the MVPBA was absorbed into the APBA, and as a result the 725s and the Gold Cups merged to become the APBA Unlimited Class . Following the protest-ridden 1956 APBA Gold Cup at Detroit, which took 85 days to settle,

704-704: The Unlimited Class severed all but nominal ties with the APBA. In 1957, the Unlimited Racing Commission (URC) was formed. In the 1990s, the URC was renamed the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association (UHRA). In 2001, HYDRO-PROP, Inc., bought the licensing rights to the Unlimited Class from the APBA and managed the unlimited class through the 2004 racing season. The American Boat Racing Association (ABRA)

748-490: The best lift. The aviation industry has been the main source of engines for the boats. For the first few decades after World War II, they used surplus World War II-era internal-combustion airplane engines, typically Rolls-Royce Merlins or Griffons , or Allison V-1710s , all liquid-cooled V-12s . The loud roar of these engines earned hydroplanes the nickname thunderboats or dinoboats . The Ted Jones -designed Slo-Mo-Shun IV three-point, Allison-powered hydroplane set

792-526: The company acquired Random House's software division in 1989, and the original game developers, Miller Associates, took over publishing and sales in 1990. In 1993, Miller and APBA announced a version of the game for the Windows platform, and it came out that summer. It received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from Electronic Entertainment . Titled APBA Presents Baseball for Windows (with the first two words in small print), Miller continued to update and publish

836-460: The company headquarters was moved to Alpharetta, Georgia . The company's first offering was a baseball simulation table game using cards to represent each major league player, boards to represent different on-base scenarios (e.g. "Bases Empty", "Runners on First and Third," "Bases Loaded"), and dice to generate random numbers. Seitz's mail-order product derived from the game National Pastime, invented and patented by Clifford Van Beek in 1925,

880-762: The convention is a tournament played by the attendees. APBA conventions go back as far as June 1973, when more than 300 fans got together at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia for a convention sponsored by the game's independent publication, the APBA Journal. David Eisenhower was among the attendees. The convention tournament was won by Robert Weeks. A record 650 got together in New York City in June 1975, with Barry Koopersmith

924-444: The country from April to October. Many Unlimited drivers got their start in the "limited" classes. Prior to 1977, every official water speed record had been set by an American, Briton, Irishman or Canadian. On November 20, Australian Ken Warby piloted his Spirit of Australia purely on the jet thrust of its Westinghouse J34 turbojet to a velocity of 464.5 km/h (288.6 mph) to beat Lee Taylor's record. Warby, who had built

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968-560: The craft in his back yard, used the publicity to find sponsorship to pay for improvements to the Spirit . On October 8, 1978, Warby travelled to Blowering Dam , Australia, and broke both the 480 km/h (300 mph) and 500 km/h (310 mph) barriers with an average speed of 510 km/h (320 mph). As of 2018, Warby's record still stands, and there have only been two official attempts to break it. Hydroplane Racing League (HRL) [1] APBA APBA (pronounced "APP-bah")

1012-453: The earlier editions' Ernie Harwell . Complications in game development, as well as errors in the code that had gone long unrepaired, delayed the release. As of November 2011, the current release schedule has not been announced. The current version of the game runs on Windows 7 in 32-bit mode. For 64 bit versions of Windows 7, it requires Virtual Mode software. Some APBA players maintain computers with older versions of Windows solely for running

1056-425: The floor, 4-millimetre (0.16 in) plywood topsides, and varnished canvas decks. Most were about 4 metres (13 ft) long and stepped hulls were employed with a 75-millimetre (3.0 in) step to induce air under the hull, to enable the boat to float on air bubbles. The principle behind 'planing' was not fully understood. Thus, hulls were flat bottomed with an upward curve at the bow and the step 2 ⁄ 3 of

1100-632: The game company. The limits on team winning percentages were dropped after 2002. The 2013 convention was held near the new corporate offices in Georgia; it was unique in that it produced the first back-to-back tournament winner (Steve Skoff). In addition, Brian Wells, a two-time winner himself, was inducted into the APBA Hall of Fame along with his father, Greg Wells (who won the 2013 APBA Football championship, defeating Greg Barath in Canton, Ohio, home of

1144-553: The game software; their final version, 5.5, came out in the summer of 1999. Late in 2000, APBA announced that it had agreed to take over sales and service for the game; Miller Associates disbanded. In February 2007 the APBA Game Company announced that they had acquired the rights to the Baseball for Windows code, and planned an upgrade to be released in the fall of 2008, featuring the voice of Pete Van Wieren , replacing

1188-472: The games' appeal. In December, 1980, Franz Lidz wrote an excellent piece in Sports Illustrated called "APBA IS THE NAME, BASEBALL IS THE GAME, AND OBSESSION IS THE RESULT," which highlighted the devotion felt towards the game by fans and ballplayers alike. APBA continues to have a devoted following, with conventions now held every year under the game company's sponsorship. The highlight of

1232-465: The helm. That day the No-Vac set the world water speed record for an outboard powered boat of 78 miles per hour (126 km/h). The basic hull design of most hydroplanes has remained relatively unchanged since the 1950s: two sponsons in front, one on each side of the bow; behind the wide bow , is a narrower, mostly rectangular section housing the driver, engine, and steering equipment. The aft part of

1276-567: The only class of boat racing the APBA that had no restrictions on the displacement size of their piston engines. The designation Unlimited has stayed with the class in the turbine era, even though there are restrictions on the turbine engine and its fuel. Almost all the H1 Unlimited hydroplanes are powered by Lycoming T55 turbine engines, originally used in Chinook helicopters. The U-440 of

1320-401: The packaging of its baseball game and for a brief time expanded its marketing approach to include hobby shops and sport card dealers, with limited success. In 1984, the game company authorized a computer version of an advanced "master" version of their baseball game. It was published by Random House in 1985, first for PC computers and later for Apple. McGraw-Hill became the publisher after

1364-461: The present, with other special disks also available. Computer Gaming World in 1992 criticized aspects of version 1.5's interface, but praised the sophistication of the MicroManager module's BaseballTalk language for creating custom managers for simulated games. The magazine called APBA "a work in progress, an impressive baseball park under construction ... but for what it delivers today, at

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1408-435: The price asked, APBA Baseball would not be my first choice". Computer Gaming World in 1993 approved of the "gorgeous" ballparks, sophisticated drafting and statistical options, and "easy-to-use interface" of APBA Presents: Baseball for Windows . The magazine concluded that the developers should "be congratulated for making a true Windows product", with "realistic representation of baseball". APBA Baseball for Windows

1452-554: The rule change was to end the domination of its star driver, Gar Wood , who had won five consecutive Gold Cups from 1917. One win in 1920 in his twin Liberty L-12 powered Miss America , averaged 113.317 km/h (70.412 mph) in the 48 km (30 mi) race over an 8 km (5 mi) course and set a race record that stood until 1946. "King Gar" had entered fifteen Gold Cup heats during those pinnacle years. He finished first twelve times and second three times. Throughout

1496-541: The technology). The most commonly used turbine is the Lycoming T55 , used in the CH-47 Chinook . Efforts have occasionally been made to use automotive engines, but they generally have not proven competitive. The "limited" classes of inboard hydroplane racing are organized under the name Inboard Powerboat Circuit. These classes utilize automotive power, as well as two-stroke power. There are races throughout

1540-650: The tournament winner. The third and final APBA Journal convention was held in June 1976 in Philadelphia, with Richard Beggs winning the tournament. The tournament structure for those conventions allowed participants to construct a team from all the cards they owned. (The Journal continued to be published under different management until 2002, but never held another convention.) Conventions resumed in Lancaster in July 1995 under game company sponsorship. The tournament

1584-425: The vessel is supported in the water by the lower half of the propeller, which is designed to operate semi-submerged at all times. The goal is to keep as little of the boat in contact with the water as possible, as water is much denser than air, exerting more drag on the vehicle. Essentially the boat 'flies' over the surface of the water rather than actually traveling through it. One of the few significant attempts at

1628-689: The way aft. The sheer weight of a 100 hp. engine was enough to keep the bow from digging in. In Ireland the sport was managed by the Motor Yacht Club of Ireland which had a base at the Lough Ree Yacht Club near Athlone. One of the earliest examples can be seen in the May 1935 Popular Mechanics issue. "Mile A Minute-Thrills of the Water" tells the story of the No-Vac by LeRoy F. Malrose Sr. aka. Fred W. McQuigg (pen name). Malrose

1672-632: The years, only two boats showed up to challenge Miss America; one of those was piloted by George Wood, Gar's younger brother, in Miss Chicago. Another reason for the rule change was to make racing more affordable. In 1929, the 725 cu in (11.88 L) Class was introduced by the Mississippi Valley Power Boat Association (MVPBA). The majority of these boats were powered by Hispano-Suiza 8 aircraft engines or Curtiss OX-5s . These boats were popular in

1716-624: Was a finalist for Computer Gaming World ' s Sports Game of the Year award, losing to Front Page Sports Football Pro . The editors wrote that despite new graphics "it is still the statistical model and replay accuracy of this new game, like its venerable ancestor, that command's everyone's attention". References to APBA have appeared in many novels and videos. Many APBA fans see similarity in Robert Coover's novel The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. , which follows

1760-624: Was formed in 2005 and was renamed H1 Unlimited in 2009. The turbine engine was first used in competition by the U-95 "Whiz-per" in 1974, which sank that August at Seattle . The next entrant with turbine power was the Pay 'n Pak in 1980 on the Columbia River at Tri-Cities , but it flipped 2½ times in a test run prior to the Sunday heats. It was the sole turbine again the following year, but through

1804-477: Was founded in 1946 when the unlimited class of boats was allowed to compete following World War II and the subsequent availability of surplus aircraft engines . It had been disbanded in 1922 in favor of the newly introduced "Gold Cup Class." The world's first sanctioned unlimited hydroplane race was held 121 years ago in 1903 in Ireland at Queenstown , and was very modest by later race standards. That race

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1848-559: Was limited to stock teams that finished with percentages between .480 and .515. Chris Dineen's 1982 Expos prevailed. The June 1998 tournament, held in nearby Millersville , was limited to teams with percentages below .550. Ten-year-old Devin Flawd won, using the 1995 Mariners. Conventions have been held annually beginning in 2001 (aside from 2020, due to restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic). All except 2003 were sponsored by

1892-467: Was the lead design illustrator for Popular Mechanics magazine, which at the time was located in Chicago. The No-Vac design and build actually began in 1933, when Malrose conceptualized an airfoil hull surface design which proved to produce far less drag than conventional "V" style boat hull designs of the time. In June 1933 the No-Vac was put to the test with professional racing driver Jimmy Rodgers at

1936-417: Was won by Dorothy Levitt, driving an 11-meter (35 ft) boat, powered by a 56-kilowatt (75 hp) Napier engine, at an average speed of 31.4 km/h (19.5 mph). The boats were initially restricted to engines of a maximum of 10.24 liters (625 cu in), later increased to 12.00 liters (732 cu in). Hulls with "steps" or " shingles " on the underside were prohibited. One reason for

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