Product Review Article...
Follow-up article on this awesome Cracker Box kit from Zipkits!
You can see the actual build of the "Cracker Bratz" in this article .
Well folks, I finally got to try the I-Box in some heat racing action! I did a few changes to the boat since the first article was published, notably adding a custom made stinger muffler by T-Mod Racing. Mike Tyson (owner of T-Mod Racing) has always been great at helping me out with custom mufflers. If you need a muffler, standard or custom, I really recommend getting in touch with him.
Also while running the boat at the races I came to the conclusion that taping down the cover where the drivers sit just wouldn't cut it (you can actually see the tape peeling off in a couple of the pics below). I setup a single O-ring tie-down on the back of the cover to hold it in place and it works great.
Although I do not have much experience running crackerboxes (had run a Homelite powered Cracker in the past) I really like the I-Box and believe it to be a race competitive hull in its class. I have been running the boat with an Octura X-472 prop as per the manufacturer's recommendations. I tried other props but couldn't seem to get the boat to run right. I contacted Joe Petro (owner of Zipkits) and he suggested the X472. The boat runs good with this prop. One thing you will notice with this hull when running it in calm water is that it tends to run very "tight", so much so that at first I was really wondering what I was doing wrong. Joe confirmed that the boat was designed for oval racing and that this was normal. It did loosen up in heat racing conditions and the boat was really fun to drive! This is a new class of racing for me that I am sure I will love. It is worth noting that I did not really build this boat for racing. It is equiped with a clutch and water pump so that it would make a good beginner boat. I plan on building another cracker box for racing though, as this one's owners (my daughters) don't like me racing it!
Here are a few pictures of the boat in action at our cottage and at the Northern Nats in London Ontario Canada.
Happy Boating!
Action Shots
Racing at the Northern Nats in London
