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WEST VALLEY CITY — Decker Lake drew a lot of visitors Friday as the National Racing Finals of the Model Boat competitions commenced.
The North American Model Boat Association held their annual national race for the first time in Utah. Around 300 boats and their drivers from around the country gathered to compete in the high performance watercraft race. The model boats can sail up to 50 miles an hour.
Alan Hobbs, a Montana native, attended the event with high hopes.
"I started in the 1970's," Hobbs said. "It's been well over 30-35 years."
Hobbs and many others competing in the national competition have raced all over the world. Many of their children have caught the remote control racing bug too and compete with them in the variety of boating categories.
"We have electric boats, we have nitro powered boats with an oil mix and then you have gas powered boats," said president of the Decker Lake Dunkers Karl Loveless.
The racers compete in various classes at the event. When the announcer gives the cue, they have two minutes to get the engines started. The pilots stand on a platform with their remote controls, and then the boats are literally tossed into the water when the race begins.
Each race consists of six laps totaling one mile.
"At this altitude, it's difficult to get over 75 miles and hour, maybe 80," Hobbs said. "But at sea level, they get well over 100 miles an hour."
The motor boat races do have accidents at times, and the boats will flip over and go dead in the water. After the conclusion of the race, an official will go on the lake in a boat and retrieve the disabled model.
"(The races takes) constant tweaking," Loveless said. "You're always looking for that extra speed, that little edge over your competitor."
The final day of racing will be Saturday and the winners of each class will be determined. The races are free and open to the public.
