August 2021 Speedboat Magazine

S PEEDBO AT M A G A ZINE

INSIDE: NAIL-BITING OFFSHORE RACING FRENZY!

OUR

SUMMER Swimsuit Issue!

5 Gorgeous Girls, 10 Amazing Boats!

HOT NEW

2021 Models from ELIMINATOR, FOUNTAIN, DONZI A UG U S T 202 1

AU GU ST 2021

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2/11/19 10:51 AM

TABLE OF CONTENTS AUGUST

COLUMNS

8 RAY LEE 10 BOB TEAGUE 12 INDUSTRY NEWS

36 CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS

FEATURES

Fountain Powerboats debuts an old favorite—updated and modernized, but with the classic lines and powerhouse performance.

14 PARTY OF FIVE

Our photo crew heads to Lake Elsinore once again to pair up hot boats with the hottest girls.

28 LAKE RACE

In the second stop in the 2021 APBA Offshore National Series, 36 boats battle in 11 classes at LOTO.

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S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

Performance Boat Center’s four-day extravaganza becomes the best-attended of the brand’s incredible reunions.

42 LIGHTNING STRIKES! 48 FRENCH TICKLER

Donzi's 33' ZX remains a frequent sight at speedboat events, and Chris French’s personal rocket is a beauty.

52 TWO NEW

Eliminator unveils a pair of new models—the 31XO and 33X—that each feature an extra-wide beam.

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Cover Photo by Tom Leigh Table of Contents photo by Rob Rich

Speedboat.com Published by DCO Enterprises, LLC Publishers Ray Lee

ray@speedboat.com

Chris Davidson

chris@speedboat.com Editor Brett Bayne

brett@speedboat.com Senior Tech Editors Bob Teague

bobteague@teaguecustommarine.com

Jim Wilkes

jim@speedboat.com

Tech Editors Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins

National Sales Ray Lee Director ray@speedboat.com

Art Director Gail Hada-Insley

Helicopter Services Fred Young

fyoung@live.com Photographers

BRETT’S COVE

62 THE WOMEN OF SDBA

Meet drag boating’s triple threat: a trio of adrenaline junkies who just happen to be female.

66 JET SET

Jay Adamson's Anthony jetboat undergoes a year-long odyssey to make it look practically brand new.

74 MAY MADNESS

National Jet Boat Association competition heats up as 78 registered racers endure one last race with Covid-19 restrictions.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Speedboat Magazine, 9216 Bally Court, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730.

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S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE The Fourth of July festivities are just around the corner, which had me thinking of my plans for the upcoming holiday weekend. Then I started wondering what everyone else had planned, as well.

I imagine a lot (if not most) of you will probably head to your favorite waterways across the country to spend time on your boats with friends and family. It is an unofficial national pastime for the Independence Day celebration as American as apple pie and backyard barbecues and one that I enjoy

A Time to Be Loud and Proud participating in. After all, it is the birthday of our great United States of America.

My “home” waterway is Lake Havasu, Arizona and where my boat lives so it’s an easy and convenient option for me. It is always a popular destination for us here on the West Coast and there’s never a shortage of horsepower or hijinks. However, it’s not all debauchery and shenanigans. That is a common misconception. If you choose to stay away from the madness, there are plenty of spots to do so.

Our routine for “the fourth” is simple yet tried and true. And one that we’ve repeated for years. It’s always an early launch day.

?????????????????.

Some opt for the pre-dawn hours, but sunrise seems to work well for us. Those that don’t start early run the risk of the launch ramps filling up and closing. My crew is usually the same. My fiancée Julie is always my first mate and the remaining seats on my Lavey Craft 2750 NuEra will be occupied by my friends and their kids, who aren’t so little anymore so the boat has gotten smaller and tighter.

We stock up on food, snacks and beverages the evening before because the stores aren’t usually open at that early hour. The fried chicken from Smith’s has become a staple. We also fuel the boat during that

same outing. The less we have to do in the early morning, the better. We all know it’s going to be a long day, but my crew has been meticulously conditioned over years of strict regimen. There is little room for tomfoolery.

(Publisher’s note: I seldom use this word, but it felt appropriate in this instance. Plus, I thought it would look cool in print.)

Once on the water, we usually head towards the south end of the lake to Havasu Springs, followed by numerous stops on the way back up––sometimes just for a cool-off “dip” in the lake when the temperatures are regularly well over 100 degrees. Three Dunes, Steamboat Cove, Copper Canyon, and a number of other lesser-known coves are among the options lists. All the while being serenaded by my on-board stereo with some of the best classic rock and country tunes ever recorded. Then it’s a cruise through the ever-bustling Bridgewater Channel to witness the aforementioned “debauchery and hijinks,” which there is never a shortage of.

Then it’s northbound, we go, where the options become the Sandbar, Devil’s Elbow in the Gorge, Pirate Cove Resort or Topock 66. It’s usually a majority rule decision, as I am OK with any of them. Or all of them.

As the sun begins to set, I am cognizant to eventually start making our way back to Thompson Bay, where the annual fireworks show is displayed, usually at 9:00 p.m. I’ll

[Continues on page 59]

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TEAGUE ON TECH BOB TEAGUE

700 SCi Head Gasket Dear Bob: I have a Mercury Racing 700 SCI kit. I ran the tank out of gas while under power. I did a compression test that showed 60 PSI on cylinders 4 and 6. The rest of the cylinders tested between 120 and 130 psi.

I took the motor apart and it looks like I just blew a head gasket. Is this a common occurrence? Should I just go back with a stock factory head gasket or is there something better? Is this commonly caused by running the engine out of gas while at full power?

Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

William Katchmar Yucaipa, CA Mercury Racing uses a Cometic multilayer head gasket. It is the best choice for head gaskets.

Mercury’s part number is 27-811546A03.

This is the same head gasket used on the later 525EFI’s, 600SCi’s and 700SCI’s. A similar gasket from Cometic is part number 5760-040.

Be certain that any head gasket you select is designed for Generation V or VI GM big block Chevy engines. If the gasket is designed for Mark IV engines, the coolant passages are not correct and internal coolant leaks are likely. Many times, if the combustion heat or detonation were severe enough, it could also have compromised the valves. It is also likely that your cylinder heads will need to be surfaced. You will need to use the correct intake gaskets and other specialty seals, O-rings, and pinch clamps during your re-assembly process. If you prefer to do the repair yourself, I would contact a certified Mercury Racing dealer for assistance or take the boat to one.

You may want to install ARP head studs instead of bolts. It is important that the cor-

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Above left: Stock MerCruiser power steering pump. Above right: IMCO fitting adapter for a stock Mercury power steering tank.

rect stud kit is used. We create the kit from individual ARP parts. Also, the bottom row of studs cannot be too long because they will interfere with the header flange.

It is never good to run an engine out of fuel under load conditions. It is even more

of a problem with supercharged engines.

The program on the 700SCI monitors fuel pressure and modifies the injector pulse width if the fuel pressure is low. But there is no compensation or guardian for running out of fuel.

Crankcase Evacuation

Dear Bob: Can you run a crankcase evacuation system from valve covers to wet tail pipes?

Thanks!

Dana Mullins Charleston, WV I would not advise running a crankcase evacuation system to wet tail pipes. It could result in moisture getting back to the engine if any exhaust back pressure exists. It is also possible that steam would revert after the engine is shut off.

Typically, with dry headers, crankcase evacuation systems utilize a oneway check valve. This type of system might work as long as the point where the vent is placed into the tail pipe is in the dry section of a water jacketed tail pipe. The evacuation tube would have to be placed at an angle and welded in place through both the inner and outer tubes. If you have any signs of water reversion at idle, you may also have moisture entering the ventilation system because of reversion pulses at idle that might cause the check valves to malfunction.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Rum Runners, Speed & Marine Victorious in OPA Jersey Race

A

fter kicking off the 2021 offshore race season in Cocoa Beach’s Atlantic Ocean waters, then mov-

ing the action to the Lake of the Ozarks (see Page 28 for full coverage), OPA competitors returned to the Atlantic June 13 for bout #3 in Point Pleasant, NJ. The race featured boats in several bracket classes (1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), as well as Vee Extreme and Pro Stock Vee. A few classes (Vee Extreme, Class 1 and Class 2) featured boats running uncontested.

The day’s highlight was indisputably Pro Stock Vee, with a field of 10 boats. Driver Kyle Miller and throttleman Jay Wohltman in #32 Speed & Marine (formerly Woah Mama!) battled driver Chris Uzzi and throt-

Above: Driver Michael McColgan and throttleman Fran Vellutato of #601 Rum Runners (below) took the victory in Class 6, repeating their success in Cocoa Beach.

tleman Rob Hartmann in #13 Nobody’s Business for the lead. (It was the first race of the season for both teams.) The two boats traded off on the lead until Speed & Marine pulled ahead of the pack to take the unofficial win. Nobody’s Business was

Driver Mark Henderson and throttleman Eddie Simmons of Agora Day Spa were victorious in Class 5. Simmons later jumped into another Class 5 boat—Shoreline Plumbing—which ran with the Class 4 entries following some last-minute repairs.

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the second-place finisher, with #3 Wazzup taking third. Numerous teams in this class were local New Jersey racers.

Bracket Class 7 was also well-represented, with five entries. They were led by owner/driver Ken Bird in #749 On a Mission taking the win. It was followed by #765 Goofin’ Around, #766 Chug It, #707 Locked Up Again and #717 Aquaholic.

In Bracket Class 4, #441 Saris Racing took a big lead and ultimately the win, followed by #426 Tsunami and #411 Perdition.

In Bracket Class 6, Mike McColgan and Francis Vellutato in #601 Rum Runners— which had taken first place in Cocoa Beach—also took the win in Point Pleasant, followed by #611 Smith Brothers, #633 Wicked Racing and #609 Moderation. #568 Agora Day Spa grabbed the win after running uncontested in Class 5, as their sole competitor, #509 Shoreline Plumbing, had some mechanical issues that prevented the team from participating in the day’s first race. However, driver Brent Appiarius and throttleman Eddie Simmons resolved those problems by the second race, allowing them race alongside Class 4 competitors; they were awarded second place and points for Class 5.

Bounty Hunter ran uncontested in Class 1, Strictly Business ran uncontested in Class 2 and Knucklehead Instigator ran uncontested in Vee Extreme. Congratulations to all! speedboat.com

photography by

Ray Lee

Our photo crew heads to Lake Elsinore once again to pair up hot boats with the hottest girls.

five

PARTY OF

I

t’s finally summer…and, in honor of a longstanding tradition, Speedboat’s editors gathered some of the area’s most gorgeous models and invited them to pose on a bunch of kick-ass hot boats!

Our feature attraction this month is from Eliminator Boats of Mira Loma, CA, which practically invented the Southern California go-fast hot boat. The company debuted its 255 Speedster outboard-powered cat in 2019; when test driver Bob Teague got behind the wheel of a version powered by twin Mercury Racing 300Rs, it delivered 112 mph top end. With twin Mercury Racing 400Rs, it is capable of speeds surpassing 120 mph.

This month, as the centerpiece of our 2021 Summer Swimsuit issue, we were granted access to the very first 255 Speedster powered by an I/O! Customer Mike Villa chose a Mercury Racing 565 setup, which delivers a solid 95 mph ride. The boat features Gator Step

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flooring, two 9" Simrad screens, combination vinyl and suede interior, XR drive with ITS and Kicker Audio system. The gelcoat, designed by company President Jake Fraleigh, features a carbon fiber inlay. As you can see, the girls felt right at home on this amazing catamaran, and insisted being taken for a ride on Lake Elsinore. Well, what would your answer be? Please enjoy our roundup of 10 stunning craft, and our five stunning models. speedboat.com

Owner Mike Villa, 63, is stoked by the Speedster, his third Eliminator. Now retired, he loves the turnkey 565: “Honestly, I like the sound of a big-block Chevy,” he laughs. Villa now lives in Lake Havasu, and was thrilled to have the boat on display at this year’s Desert Storm Street Party. Below: Our five beautiful models (from left) Becca, Kathy, Haley, Ashley, Ariana.

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PARTY OF FIVE

Scott Broviak has had several boats featured in our pages, including the 1978 DiMarco Mid-Life Crisis and a restored Cole TR-2. This year, we’re displaying his 18’ Mako, built by dragboat legend Don Ermshar and rigged by Andy DeMent and Bill Diez. It’s a V-drive that sports an engine transplanted from his Cole: a Dan Douglas 540 Chevy featuring a Don Hampton 1471 high-helix blower, ARF heads and a long block by Danny Douglas. Joe Martin put all of the hardware together, and Mark Tramantano of AquaDynamics helped redo the bottom. Broviak is currently campaigning the boat on the NJBA circuit.

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PARTY OF FIVE

This 1980 Brendella, Smoke on the Water, was most recently seen in our April 2020 issue, in a story called The Dade Zone. At the time, former IHBA and NDBA was taking a ride in the boat a week before his 91st birthday at the Fire on the Mountain Dragboat Reunion on Lake Ming. Dade raced this boat a few decades ago, and this year, his son Michael brought it out to Lake Elsinore for our swimsuit shoot. A story depicting the boat’s full restoration will appear in a future issue of Speedboat.

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PARTY OF FIVE It’s a family affair: son Kenny Spring owns the 21' Rayson Craft on this page, while his father Tom Spring is the owner of the 18' Spitfire on the facing page. The Rayson was built by Rudy Ramos for waterski racer Sam Maus; it has changed hands a few times. ”Two years ago, I placed an ad on one of the boating websites looking for an old boat I had, and somebody replied that they knew where I could find a 21’ Rayson Craft,” Kenny says. “That’s always been my dream boat, so I contacted the seller and sure enough, the deal worked out.” The boat was in terrible shape, though—expect to see a full restoration feature story in a future issue of Speedboat.

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Kenny Spring’s dad, Tom Spring, is the owner of this 18' Spitfire. Tom is a huge fan of V-drive boats. While in high school during the early 1970s, he and his older brother both went in on their first hot-rod boat.

The Spitfire is his fifth V-drive; he acquired it this year after seeing it on the “show boats” aisle at the Long Beach boat races a few years ago. The Spitfire’s 454c.i. engine runs on methanol and was built to race as in the K boat class. That’s Tom’s adorable 4-year-old grandson (Kenny’s son) posing with our adorable bathing beauties, right. speedboat.com

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PARTY OF FIVE

David Gunn’s father, Michael, built his 18’6” Bahner back in 1986, and has been running it himself for the last six years or so. Originally powered by a 454 (punched out to 484) with an 871 blower and nitrous, it was repowered by Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine a year ago; it’s now pushed by a 540 c.i. Merlin block with aluminum heads and 1071 Littlefield blower. The boat still sports its original gelcoat; Gunn Justin uses Bender it up grew andup down going the to Colorado Lake Nacimiento; River. “Ithis performs father still has a home on the lake, as well great,” as a sporty he says.

21’ Connolly powered by a big-block Chevy. Justin was only 8 years old when his dad worked out a deal to acquire this 1969 Schiada flatbottom. “My dad told me, ‘When you grow up, this is going to be your project.’ It sat on the side of our house for 20 years. The gelcoat got so bad that if it got wet and you touched it, the paint would come off in your hand,” he says. The story of how Justin brought the hull back to life will be told in these pages soon!

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PARTY OF FIVE

This 1984 Howard Daycruiser is owned by Michael Brink. Since childhood, Michael and his family were good friends with Rogers founder Roger Weiman.

So Michael grew up around the hot-boat culture and learned everything he could about horsepower. After owning a number of boats, including a Rayson Craft and a Hallett, Michael purchased the Howard daycruiser and it’s been an ongoing project ever since. He actually traded a bare Rayson Craft hull for the motor that’s now in the Howard.

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Teal Next Time is the name of Robert Olivarez’s 19' Hondo Skier. “My wife and I came up with that name,” he says. “We were out at the river one day, trying to think of names to go along with its color. Then, when we were getting ready to go home, our friends said, ‘OK, till next time.’ And that’s how we got the name.” The boat’s Gen IV 454 is four-bolt main bored 30 over; it’s got a Holley Dominator intake, Dominator carb and MSD ignition with MSD billet distributor. It’s also got ceramiccoated Bassett headers.

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PARTY OF FIVE

Kyle Schaul’s 1976 19' Hallett Bubbledeck jetboat is the 26-year-old’s first boat. He spotted it listed for sale on Facebook as powered by a 455 Olds engine.

“Those motors are kind of iffy,” he says. “I sucked a valve, and it ruined the whole motor. So I got rid of that and built a new motor last season.” The new setup consists of a 460 big-block that started life as a short block; it’s bored 30 over and features aluminum heads, new springs and valves, 10.5 compression and a Berkeley pump.

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Colin Fry is the son of the late, great boat racer Michael Fry. Colin’s 1968 18’ (Barron) Hallett, all original and fully rebuilt. It’s powered by the original 454 Olds with a mild cam and a Casale V-drive. The boat was originally owned by Colin’s grandfather, Ed Fry; it’s been passed down through the generations to Colin and his wife, Katie.

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by

Brett Bayne •

photos by

Jim Davis, Rob Rich and Brad Glidewell

LAKE RACE In the second stop in the 2021 APBA

Offshore National Series, 36 boats battle in 11 classes at LOTO.

P

owerboat P1/OPA competitors trekked to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks for four suspenseful races comprising 11 classes as the

second bout in the APBA Offshore National Series got underway. In addition to 36 OPA competitors, more than 20 Formula One boats joined in on the fun for the 2021 NGK F1 Powerboat Championships (see Page 34).

Eight teams came out to battle for the trophy in Super Stock Class, which had been won by Team Allen Lawn Care in Cocoa Beach only a couple of weeks earlier.

(Five of the eight boats call the Lake of the Ozarks home.) In this ten-lap race, CMR Roofing driver Eric Belisle and throttleman Shaun Torrente grabbed an early lead, chased by Myrick Coil and Rusty Williams in Performance Boat Center/FASS Fuel Systems and Rob Unnerstall and Casey Boaz in CR Racing. The positioning didn’t change much, if at all, for the duration of the race, with CMR Roofing taking first place, followed by Performance Boat Center/FASS Fuel Systems and CR Racing.

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The Earl & Rose Rand Memorial Lake Race Trophy will be emblazoned with the names of those who have contributed to offshore racing at LOTO. The first names to be memorialized are Bob Morgan, Jeff “JT” Tillman and Keith Holmes.

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Left: Taylor Scism (holding Saylor Moe, daughter of family friends Shawn and Linde Moe) accepts her award for the Stock 450 Class win driving Marine Technology (above) with throttleman Johnny Tomlinson. Below: Team CMR Roofing.com (including driver Eric Belisle and throttleman Shaun Torrente) celebrate their Super Stock win. Performance Boat Center/FASS Fuel Systems (bottom) finished second, but the team (including driver Myrick Coil and throttleman Rusty Williams) led the class in points following the race—and would go on to win their class in Sarasota.

(Following this race, Coil and Williams led the Super Stock class in points.)

Bracket Class 2 featured driver Billy Shipley and throttleman Chad Woody in Team Woody, a 35' Fountain powered by Tyler Crockett engines. It was one of three Team Woody competitors chasing—and finding—victories during the weekend (see Page 29). Team Woody was pitted against the legendary Bat Boat MTI (with driver Elliot Gray and throttleman Terry Forsythe) and We on Top (with driver Robert Bryant speedboat.com

and throttleman Brian Cole). Although the Bat Boat enjoyed a comfortable lead during the first half of the race, it experienced mechanical gremlins, alternately falling off and getting back on plane. This allowed Team Woody to take the lead and finish in first place, while We on Top (with driver Heath Kirkwood and throttlman Brian Cole) finished in second place.

“The water was great out there,” Shipley said. “Once we got into our own water and ran out in front by ourselves, it was just like

making passes on the lake. We’re from Fort Worth, so our local lake, Possum Kingdom Lake, is similar to this one. It’s kind of flat, super fast, full speed the entire time, except for when you have to slow down in the turns.”

Several bracket classes—notably 4, 5 and 6—saw their unofficial wins change by the time the evening’s awards ceremony rolled around, due to boats determined to have “broken out” of their restrictive speed limits.

[Text continues on page 60] S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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LAKE RACE

VEE EXTREME: Knucklehead Racing (top left) ran unopposed and took the win in the class. The 42' Fountain is raced by driver Ed Smith and throttleman Anthony Smith (above).

MOD VEE: Owner/driver Steve Kildahl usually races Boatfloater.com (above) with his son Stephen, but since he couldn’t make the race, his sister Kaley operated the throttles instead. At right, father and daughter accept their trophy.

STOCK VEE: Driver Travis Pettko and throttleman Steve Papp (left) of #47 Relentless accept their first-place award.

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S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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TEAM WOODY

CLASS 2: Billy Shipley and Chad Woody (left) accept their award for their victory in the Fountain #227 Team Woody.

The three Team Woody competitors (bottom to top): The 35' Fountain, 28' Lavey Craft and 30' Phantom.

Team Woody’s trio of first-place awards.

CLASS 5: The 30' Phantom, piloted by Micheal Stancombe (shown at right with son Dominic) and JJ Turk (shown with son Cameron).

CLASS 3: Driver Jeff Muehlhausen and throttleman Brad Wade (above) of the Team Woody canopied 28' Lavey Craft accept their first-place trophy. speedboat.com

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LAKE RACE

CLASS 4: Driver Grant Greytok and throttleman “Lil Bill” Reeves (left) were victorious in GNS Motorsports—news that came as a big surprise to the team at the awards ceremony!

CLASS 6: Deception, driven by Jesse Schmig and throttled by Robert Bryant, took first. Right: The team accepts their trophy.

CLASS 7: Julian Maldonado and Ray Maldonado (above) finished first in their 22' Velocity Jackhammer (right).

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GENERATION NEXT: Meet Offshore’s 14-Year-Old Wunderkind

I

CLASS 4: Micheal Stancombe has been pulling double duty this season, campaigning both the 30’ Phantom Team Woody in Class 5 (see Page 31) as well as the 21' Challenger Ella’s Nightmare in Class 4 (above). Stancombe’s 14-year-old son Dominic (top, accepting their second-place award) is Ella’s driver. speedboat.com

by

Eric Colby

n his first 24 hours of offshore powerboat racing, Dominic Stancombe experienced the ranges of emotion that a competitor can feel during an event at the Lake Race in Lake of the Ozarks, MO, last weekend. First, on Friday, he and his dad Micheal Stancombe headed out to test their 21' Challenger, Ella’s Nightmare, but the 3.0-liter Mariner outboard wouldn’t fire.

Cue anxiety.

While his father and friends tried to trace the problem, Dominic took the team’s boat through registration and tech inspection—

by himself. Cue stress. Then he passed the swim test.

“We couldn’t get the boat working and got help from a lot of Team Woody people and Goofin’ Around helped us and Robert Ryan helped us,” said Dominic. Cue camaraderie.

At around midnight, they got the engine running and turned in for the night. Cue relief. Until Saturday night after the race, Mike Stancombe estimated that he had gotten seven hours of sleep since Thursday evening. The Stancombes were one of a handful of families that were teaming up in

the cockpit for the first time throughout the fleet. Cancer survivor Nate Hunt throttled the 41' Apache, Predator, in Class 4 and his wife Connie was the navigator. Steve Kildahl usually races with hits son Stephen Kildahl in their 29' Extreme, Boatfloater. com, but for the Lake Race daughter Kaley Kildahl stepped in.

Race day dawned on Saturday and after going through his first physical and second driver’s meeting, Dominic was

ready. At the start, having all four Class 7 boats running side-by-side was a little unnerving for the 14-year-old. Dominic was driving and Mike throttled.

“It was pretty bumpy,” said Dominic. “It was close seeing all the class 7 boats all four in a row. I wish I had my camera.”

When the green flag flew, Mike didn’t try to keep up with the hard-charging 22' Velocitys, Jackhammer and Goofin’ Around. He wanted [Continues on page 58] S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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LAKE RACE

by

Valerie Collins |

photography courtesy of

moto-mg.com

F1s Hit Lake of the Ozarks For First Time in History field, leading wire to wire. Finishing in second was #24 Spencer Love of Santa Rosa Valley, CA followed by #17 Dylan Anderson of Nashville, TN, taking third.

The second heat for F1 was a reverse-order start, with competitors lining up in reverse order of their earlier finish. With the wind coming across from the coves, drivers had their hands full. While pushing from 5th place to 4th, #71 Jimmy Kerr blew over directly in front of one of the race sponsor restaurants, Neon Taco, stopping the race one lap early. This resulted in a trio of new top-three finishers led by #77 Mike Quindazzi of Parker, AZ— who suffered from battery issues in the earlier heat—followed by

T

he NGK Spark Plugs Formula One Powerboat Championship brought its high-performance show to

Lake of the Ozarks for the very first time. The third event of the NGK F1 Series’ 2021 season, the Formula 1 Lake Race ran as a companion event to OPA’s Lake Race occurring during the 90th Anniversary of the town’s beloved Bagnell Dam. Lake of the Ozarks is also the hometown of NGK F1 Series Manager Tim Seebold, making the success of this long-awaited event even sweeter.

The event brought together three different disciplines of boat racing, providing a wide assortment of racing entertainment for every type of powerboat fan. Formula 1 and Tri-Hull were the two classes from NGK F1 with a total of 25 entries, while OPA brought its offshore fleet for a weekend filled with sun, fun and nonstop racing action.

The state of Missouri was once a stronghold for high-stakes tunnel boat racing as it hosted the famous St. Louis Grand Prix, which started in 1972 and ended with the last race in 2008.

Thus, the fans were extremely delighted to see the outboard tunnels back for a show in the Show-Me State, a new tradition that the series hopes will continue for years to come.

Precision planning by the organizers kept the action hopping with non-stop competition on the water. The event saw several high-speed spills, but with the sport’s long running focus on safety enhancements, those competitors were free of injuries.

In the Formula 1 class, competitors came from all over North America, hungry to compete for a third time after a year of Covid19 quarantine. The winner of the first two events of the season, #93 RJ West, was not able to make this round due to family commitments, leaving the odds for “favorite to win” up in the air.

Instead of the usual modified Le Mans-style, flag-drop dock start, organizers opted for a rolling start, with racers paired up two by two, following a pace boat. During the first F1 heat of the day, #9 Johnny Fleming of The Woodlands, TX, easily bested the

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Johnny Fleming in the #9 entry won the first Formula 1 heat.

Terry Rinker won the Formula 1 final race.

Tri-Hull winner Whittney Terry Fletcher.

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F1 Nail-Biter In the Formula 1 final race, #17 Dylan Anderson shot out into the lead, but his dreams of victory came to a halt on lap #2, when his boat fell into an enormous hole at the turn, which spun his racing craft around, swapping ends, bow to stern. He emerged uninjured.

former multi-champion #10 Terry Rinker driving for Phase Three Performance. Third place went to #13 Aaron Wachholtz of Forest Lake, MN, his first weekend racing in a new boat he personally built.

The lineup for the F1 Final race put #17 Dylan Anderson starting on pole with #9 Johnny Fleming, #10 Terry Rinker and #24 Spencer Love starting in 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions. Anderson shot out into the lead, but his dreams of victory came to a halt on lap #2, when his boat fell into an enormous hole at the turn, which spun his racing craft around, swapping ends, bow to stern. On the restart, #10 Rinker took the lead and never looked back. Finishing on the podium with Rinker was second place finisher #9 Fleming and third place going to #24 Love.

Rinker, who had taken several years off from racing, was asked to come back into the sport by team owner Jim Slack, whose original Phase Three Performance driver, Canadian Rusty Wyatt, learned he could not cross the border from Canada due to Covid19 restrictions.

When asked about his victory, Rinker said, “It is always great to win an inaugural event knowing that title will always stand, as speedboat.com

it does for the 2017 Springfield, Ohio event as well.” Regarding his time away from the sport, he said, “It was tough stepping away from competition a few years ago.

Fortunately, I was still able to be involved and took great pride in watching my son Ashton showcase his talent amongst the elite group of competition in F1.”

The Tri-Hull class, with its own private brand of raucous racing competition, arrived at Lake of the Ozarks without its 2021 points leader, Cory Walker of Richmond, TX. Nearly a dozen racers were on hand to become the next event winner. #13 Grant Schubert of Richmond, TX—who is a high school student and youngest racer of the class—won the qualifying heat like an old-time veteran. Heat #2 was won by #99 Devyn Brown of Katy, TX and Heat #3 was won by the only woman in the field, the daring #9 Whittney Terry Fletcher.

The Tri-Hull Final starting grid saw Schubert on the pole, followed by Fletcher, Brown and the formidable 77-year-old Jerry Rinker #52, who has been racing boats for a whopping 70 years and is the 2019 NGK TriHull Champion. By lap 4, Rinker had moved into the third spot, with an incredible battle

between Schubert and Fletcher just ahead in his view.

By lap number 15, #99 Devyn Brown had worked his way up to third behind Fletcher.

Two laps later, Fletcher took advantage of lapped traffic and made a move on leader Schubert, diving to his inside and running off with the lead, securing her first Tri-Hull win.

Fletcher, who hails from Thibodaux, LA, described her win: “Sometimes you have to leave them confused for a second! Actually, it’s more like I dove in and hoped it would work.” When asked about her patience before making her winning move, she explained, “I’ve always been pretty good at driving the boat hard, but I never had much patience to wait for the right move. Hopefully, this means I’m learning. This win is a big, wonderful feeling, and I am so happy to share it with my husband, my dad, stepmom, and my brother.” Whittney’s brother—F1 driver Dustin Terry—was on hand to give her the traditional “dunking” for first time race winners, which is a splashdown into the same water that provided the victory. “My guys all had to catch me in running jumps.

Dustin caught me, bear-hugged me, then immediately threw me in the water!”

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photos by

Rob Rich

CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS Performance Boat Center’s four-day extravaganza becomes the bestattended of the brand’s incredible reunions.

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C

igarette Racing has experienced a number of recent milestones.

Former Mercury Racing

General Manager Erik Christ-iansen became president of the company in 2019. In May, Lionheart Capital founder and CEO Ophir Sternberg partnered with entrepreneur John Ruiz to purchase the company from Skip Braver, who had owned it for 20 years. And this year, Lake of the Ozarksbased Performance Boat Center broke its own attendance record at the annual Cigarette Rendezvous. Last year, the event drew 105 boats; this year, attendance spiked at 111.

“We had a great group of people,” said PBC

co-owner Brett Manire. “Everything went tremendously, no issues. The weather was hot, but everybody had a good time and I’m already looking forward to next June.”

The four-day event kicked off with an impromptu meet-and-greet at PBC’s famous Redhead Tiki Bar on Thursday night. After breakfast and a driver’s meeting on Friday, the helicopter landed promptly at 10:30 and everybody set course for Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar and Grill in Gravois Mills for the aerial photo shoot. The rest of the weekend incorporated jaunts to all of the traditional venues, restaurants and hangouts for food, refreshments and pool fun: Backwater Jacks Bar & Restaurant, Big Dick’s Halfway Inn, Dog

Days Bar & Grill and, of course, the Redhead Yacht Club back at PBC. As always, the weekend culminated with the awards dinner, where the following people were recognized: Andrew Make and Jeremy Riggs & family (Spirit), Bill Hendrix (Classic), Michael McClelland (Congeniality), Jimmy Kirkland (Travel), and Kent Weizner & family (Trendy).

“Obviously, this is a longer and more challenging event than our one-day fun run,” Manire says. “But it’s also more rewarding, with all walks of life and all kinds of successful people telling us what a great time they had and how great of a job we did with the event.”

Michael McClelland drives his 38 Top Gun, Loaded Gun, powered by Mercury Racing 525s.

Above: Strip Poker is owned by Gary Maxwell of Iowa. It’s powered by Mercury Racing 900SCs. Below: This beautiful 42X owned by Jeff Wrona of Arkansas features staggered Mercury Racing 700 SCi engines.

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CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS

Ricky Lamberti pilots his 38 Top Gun.

This extraordinary 42' Tiger is owned and operated by offshore racer Larry Pinegar.

It’s powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 525s.

Tracy Bauman of Vandalia, MO, drives his 38' Top Gun, powered by Mercury Racing 525s.

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110950_SpeedboatmagNov19_004,043,065,081,84.indd 43

10/18/19 10:27 PM

CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS Left: Todd Fountain and friends in his 41' GTR, powered by quad Mercury Racing 450R outboards.

Below: Here’s Scott Rosenbach of Chicago, IL, aboard his 42 GTO Reserve, powered by quad Mercury Racing 400R outboards.

Below: Jeremy Riggs drives Bad Ass Rig, a 41' SD with twin HP520s. Riggs won the event’s Spirit Award.

Below right: Tyler Miller—throttleman of offshore racing’s famed Supercat competitor M-CON—enjoys his 41' Nighthawk with wife Lindsey and friends.

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Fountain Powerboats debuts an old favorite— updated and modernized, but with the classic lines and powerhouse performance.

story by

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Brett Bayne •

S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

photography by

Mark Spencer speedboat.com

F

ountain’s 42' Lightning is back. With a vengeance. Shortly after the model debuted 30 years ago, it had become a symbol of excellence, not only around the offshore race courses of the world, but among

enthusiasts with a thirst for high performance. For three decades, the 42' has been front and center in Fountain’s drive to recreational and racing glory, thanks in large part to founder Reggie Fountain’s super-ventilating bottom design.

(In 2004, Reggie and Ben Robertson made history, setting a V-bottom speed record of 177.359 mph in a 42' Lightning with twin 1,500-hp Sterling engines.) The Lightning platform heightens the pursuit of exhilarating speed with its potential to align with and thrive under seemingly limitless horsepower—an admirable trait, whether you like the front position at the poker run or merely the sensation of a controlled entrance into an exclusive performance realm.

When Iconic Marine Group purchased Fountain in 2016, the center console market was exploding, and its core business had become its sport and fishing boats.

Consequently, the Lightning brand—notably the 42' and 47'—went into hibernation.

However, IMG has been gradually beefing up its high-performance offerings within both its Fountain and Donzi brands; their plan has been to reestablish the company as a major force in the high-performance stern-drive segment, and that goal has now fully become a reality. IMG’s lineup of I/O-powered vees now includes Baja’s 24', 27' and 36' models, Donzi’s 22' and 38' ZRC, and the Fountain 47'. And their 34' Thunder Cat is a pulse-pounding thrill ride, pushed by a pair of Mercury Racing 450R outboards.

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LIGHTNING STRIKES

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After reviving and freshening up the 47’ Lightning, Fountain announced in April 2020 that it would be relaunching the legendary 42'. Another milestone has arrived: IMG recently invited Speedboat’s editors to its North Carolina headquarters to take a ride in the first new 42' Lightning out of the mold (sold to customer Greg Knutson of Portland, OR). Our lingering question: How do you improve upon one of the ultimate power-sport experiences—or at least

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set it apart? As company president Jeff Harris says, “It’s probably the greatest-running, allaround vee bottom hull. It’s set a lot of kilo records over the years, winning multiple National and World titles. No other hull in its length has had a winning record in offshore racing as the 42.” (And he should know—he’s had plenty of success racing them himself.)

In revising the model, Team Fountain hasn’t tried to re-engineer the bottom of the boat they’ve sold so many of over the

years; it’s just the latest iteration of the bottom that existed before IMG purchased the company, according to Harris. “We’ve digitized it, made it really symmetrical, and built all new molds,” he says. What has been changed is the deck of the boat. It’s an all-new design that simultaneously sports a new look while retaining a throwback to the model’s legacy. They’ve kept a lot of the lines the same, especially on the foredeck, and retained the wraparound windshield

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LIGHTNING STRIKES (originally part of a late-1990s redesign).

Our test boat, owned by Knutson, features a white gelcoat with a “legacy stripe” look that he requested (he also owns a Fountain 38' Fever with the same classic straight stripes). But Fountain can give you any kind of multicolor gelcoat or graphics package that a customer might desire.

Ergonomically, it’s very easy to get in and out of the boat. The interior features some molded-in steps on both sides of the rear seats leading up to the engine compartment for easy access to or from the transom, a super-usable step-down swim platform and a pull-out ladder. It’s extremely user-friendly.

Sitting in the starboard-side driver’s seat, you may notice that the controls are on your left side, but the new design allows you to order right-hand controls. “Some legacy Fountain customers wanted the throttles on the left, because that’s the way Fountains were built all those years ago,” Harris says.

“But some customers never liked that—they wanted throttles on the right side, because that just feels right to some people. So we’ve designed the dash so you can do it either way. In turn, we can put the cupholder on the right or the left, depending on what you want to do.”

The sleek, updated dash features Livorsi gauges and a Garmin screen, and although Knutson didn’t order them, optional Vessel

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View screens may also be placed on the backs of both front bolsters for the passengers in the rear seats. Other cockpit features include Shadow-Caster LED lighting, cool stereo system and luxurious upholstery hand-crafted in house.

The cabin, which is still accessed by a sliding door, has sculpted to accommodate anything from mild to wild, depending on the customer’s wishes. Numerous amenities are available, including an enclosed head with flushing toilet, wet bar, holding

tank, air conditioning, etc. “Or you can keep it basic to keep the boat light, if you’re looking for the ultimate performance,” Harris says. “The lighter you keep the bow area, the faster your boat’s going to run.”

Even though Knutson ordered a fairly elaborate cabin, the 42' still runs incredibly well. Powered by Mercury Racing’s dual-cal 1100/1350 engines, the boat’s performance was outstanding. It idles very smoothly, got out of the hole quickly, popped onto plane with ease and ran straight as a string as we cruised comfortably first at 22 mph as the motors’ twin turbos purred quietly. In 1100 mode, you can steer the Lightning with one finger; switch over to 1350 mode, and the boat can reach speeds up to 140 mph. It’s a great engine package—with its transmission system, we had no problem docking—it’s as smooth as a Mercury Racing 520. And of course, this engine runs on 91 octane fuel when the 1350-hp fob is engaged.

The evolution of the 42' Lightning continues to amaze and impress us, and that includes the boat’s vacuum-bag infusion, which makes it stronger and lighter. There’s no wood anywhere on this boat—everything is composite. With its stunning fit and finish, excellent handling and incredible updated look, we’re reminded of the many great Lightnings of the past and the new technology that drives Fountain into the future. speedboat.com

FRENCH TICKLER photography by

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Todd Taylor

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A relic from Donzi’s stable in the 1990s and early 2000s, the 33' ZX remains a frequent sight at speedboat events, and Chris French’s personal rocket is a beauty. speedboat.com

T

he 33' ZX Daytona became part of the Donzi lineup just about 30 years ago, and although it faded out of production after 2005, there are still quite a few

of them around. It’s not at all unusual to see them at poker runs all around the country, and their perseverance has been well documented in these pages. “Rip across the water at speeds normally reserved for wide-open empty stretches of asphalt!” was the phrase Donzi once used to lure customers, and by all accounts, she was everything an offshore vessel should be.

Sporting a 9'3" beam and 32'6" overall length, the 33' ZX was, according to the reviews, comfortable and fast for its time.

Base power was a pair of Mercury Racing HP500EFI engines, but when upgraded to speedboat.com

twin HP575 SCis, one marine publication clocked their tester at 83+ mph at 5,200 rpm nearly two decades ago. According to their staff, the boat excelled in rough water, handling 2- to 5-foot seas very impressively.

Chris French can corroborate the 33’s agility and punch. The brick contractor based in Millstadt, IL, is very fond of his 2004-model Donzi, the imaginatively named French Tickler. French caught the boating bug as a young man,

when a neighbor invited him and his family to hang out on their 21-foot Caravelle Interceptor bowrider at their local river.

Later, when he bought his first house, part of the overall package was the 1986 26' Scarab XL. Still later, at the behest of his wife, French bought a 2003 25' Baja Outlaw.

“Then we visited a friend at the Lake of the Ozarks and started going down there a lot,” French recalls. “My wife said she wanted to go there more, but told her it S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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FRENCH TICKLER

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The 33' Donzi ZX came with twin Mercury Racing HP500EFI engines standard; French’s 33' is powered by twin 496HO Mags, which push it to 73 mph.

was a bad idea to go out on the weekend on a 25-footer at the Lake of the Ozarks. We’re going to get our butts kicked.” So, after a lengthy search, French discovered the 33' Donzi, which was located on Lake Mead in Las Vegas, NV. He’s the third owner of the boat, which is powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 496HOs. Using the 33’ at LOTO takes a certain degree of skill and knowhow. “You have to know what you’re doing and where you gotta be,” French says. “If you’re out there on the Fourth of July or a busy holiday weekend, you’re going to get bounced around a little bit. But the majority of the weekends, we can get out in the middle of the lake and do 50 mph, and it’s a nice, comfortable ride. It handles the water pretty good—the dang thing’s so heavy, it breaks through a lot of the waves.” French reports a top speed of 73 mph.

“The handling of the boat is outstanding,” he says. “It responds when you turn the wheel and it does what you want it to do. It’s really nice.”

As for amenities, the Donzi features electric bolster seats, cabin accent lighting, pop-up cleats, sliding Plexiglass door with lock, engine room fire extinguisher, engine room lighting, CMI exhaust, galley with stainless steel sink, top-load refrigerator, glove box, porta potti, sink, shower, K-planes, full external hydraulic steering, swim ladder, tie bar, windscreen and stock Gaffrig gauges. Some recent additions include a depth finder and some underwater LED lights, installed by the previous owner.

French says he’d like to upgrade the boat further with some Livorsi gauges and shifters.

“We try to pick a project about once a year,” he says. “This year, we’re adding HydroGrip non-slip marine flooring; next year, we’re talking about putting a new stereo in it. We love being able to stay aboard the boat for a weekend if we want to.”

French, who pilots the French Tickler with his wife Stephanie and their 5-year-old son Lester, regularly attend the BFD (BajaFountain-Donzi) fun run at LOTO, and are hoping to attend the Support Our Troops Poker Run soon as well.

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photography by

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Tom Leigh and Daren Van Ryte

S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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TWO NEW!

Eliminator’s latest innovation: A pair of new models with an extra-wide beam.

O

f the many reasons to admire Eliminator Boats— Southern California’s legendary producer of custom speed machines—

firmly situated at the top of the list is their refusal to stand on their laurels. Led by Jake Fraleigh, the Mira Loma, CA-based team is constantly innovating, re-thinking, re-imagining, and inventing new ideas and directions. And it’s admirable that they take a speedboat.com

great deal of input from their customer base: not only do they listen to feedback from their clients, they convert their ideas into new products.

Such is the case with Eliminator’s two new releases for 2021, both of which base their bottoms on the shop’s legendary 30' Daytona. Almost simultaneously, Eliminator has unveiled the 33X and 31XO Speedster models; the “X” representing “extra wide.”

Both boats sport an 118" beam; the 33X is

32'6" overall, while the 31XO is 31'2". One major difference between the two boats is that while the 31XO is an outboard-powered boat, the 33X has been set up exclusively for I/O power. “It’s a home run for me,” Fraleigh says of the wide platform. “We’re absolutely in love with it.”

The 31XO: The first of the 31XO Speedsters is powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards and was sold to customer Steven Satcher of Riverside, CA. It’s his first full-on S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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TWO NEW performance boat in a deal that transpired after a Daytona-owning friend recommended he shop for an Eliminator.

“When I first put together my order for the boat, only the 400Rs were available,” he says. “Then as the process unfolded, the 450Rs became available, so I ended up upgrading, upgrading to the 450s.”

Satcher says he digs all of the boat’s performance characteristics, including its impressive holeshot. That dynamic was improved by the addition of jackplates from

The 31XO shares the same bottom as its big sister, the 33X. The first boat out of the mold features a similarly roomy cockpit made possible by the extra-wide beam. Like the 33X, it sports a staircase nestled between the rear seats for easy access to the back of the boat, a Simrad screen-dominated dash and luxurious upholstery. The back of the bolsters also sport Simrad screens for viewing by the rear passengers.

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Porta Products Corp. (New Smyrna Beach, FL) known as the Porta Bracket. “I have the adjustable jackplates, along with trim on the motors, and that helps it get out of the hole really well,” he says. “I have the ability to drop those jackplates all the way down by 4 or 5 inches. It helps get the props deeper in the water and makes the holeshot really quick.”

Satcher also loves the 31XO’s sports car feel. “When you get it up on plane and go to take off, it definitely feels like you’re driving a sports car.” He praises the boat’s fit and finish, interior and all performance characteristics. “We’re still working on top speed,” he says, adding that he’s seen 120 mph and is still in search of the ideal prop for the tallest possible number.

Among the cool features of the first 31XO is its rear-bench staircase up to the transom (as well as its no-gauge dash), and the addition of screens in the backs of the front bolsters. “Those Simrad screens are really cool,” Satcher says. “They can be modified in all kinds of ways, and it’s great that the back-seat passengers can all see how fast we’re going.”

Satcher, a subcontractor for plaster and drywall painting, enjoys using the boat with his wife, Nicole. speedboat.com

TWO NEW

The first 33X out of the mold is owned by returning customer Lance Merchain, who worked with Eliminator to design a simple and elegant design, with a low freeboard, uncluttered dash and Gator Step flooring. The 33X is designed exclusively for I/O power; Merchain opted for twin Mercury Racing 700 SCis with #6 drives and a Stage 3 Whipple kit, resulting in a top speed of 151 mph.

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The 33X: The first 33X out of the mold was built with twin Mercury Racing 700 SCis with #6 drives and a Stage 3 Whipple kit, resulting in a top speed of 151 mph, according to Fraleigh. Featuring a walkoff bustle, ample cockpit room and two couches and a large bow pad underneath the deck, the larger of Eliminator’s two new models looks astounding and is an incredible performer to boot.

“The boat turns exceptionally well— the handling is amazing all across the board,” he says. “She feels the same at 80 mph that she does at 150.”

The first 33X out of the mold was purchased by customer Lance Merchain; five [Continues on page 82] speedboat.com

LAKE RACE [DOMINIC STANCOMBE continues from page 33] to let Dominic get some seat time in clean water. “Once the other two boats passed us and one was behind us, I knew we couldn’t really pass them,” said Dominic. “It just felt like we were on the lake.”

The Stancombes were using Bluetooth intercoms inside their helmets and Dominic said he couldn’t always hear his dad. He said

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that for most of the four-lap race, he felt like he and Mike were “just cruising.” Class 7 has a top speed of 60 mph and Dominic said he’s comfortable at around 60 or 70.

“You’re always apprehensive your first time out with your son and I’m sure dad had the same feelings with me,” said Mike, who raced successfully with his father George in

numerous classes in their 36 Skater that has flown the CT Peppers and Lucas Oil colors.

On the water, the Stancombes thought they had finished third, which was good for a podium. Prior to the race, Dominic had mentioned that it would be cool if he could continue the family tradition and win in his first foray into the sport.

At the awards ceremony, when the thirdplace finisher for Class 7 was announced as Punisher, Mike briefly thought, “We were standing there at the awards ceremony and if those two lead boats broke out and we won this thing, my son is going to have the biggest head on the planet.”

Ella’s Nightmare took second place in Class 7. The boat’s name came from Dominic’s great grandmother Ella, whom Mike said would probably have preferred that Dominic not follow in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps.

Moving forward, Micheal and Dominic plan to race the Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix in Sarasota, FL, on June 26 weekend and then the two Midwest races in Michigan City, IN, and St. Clair, MI. After that, Dominic needs to go back to high school.

“We knew this year would be just what we could do,” said Mike. Now that he knows Dominic enjoys the sport, Mike said he’s looking for a newer Class 7 boat that he can push harder in myriad conditions. Mike also races for Team Woody and took the victory in Class 5 with JJ Turk in Team Woody’s 30' Phantom.

The one experience that might have been surprise for Dominic was that the team picked up a check for $1,200 for finishing second. That’s not something competitors should expect in any class, but Offshore Powerboat Association officials hope that as more sponsors come on board, more money will be available to more classes.

Looking forward to Sarasota in late June, Dominic admitted he has some concerns because he’s heard the race can be rough.

“I hope that it’s going to be a little bit calmer so I can get some practice in for driving,” he said. But regardless of the conditions, he’s relishing the experience. “It was exciting,” he said. It was fun to be with my dad and I’m doing it because I’m in the boat with someone I trust.”

Editor’s note: At press time, Dominic went on to win his class at the race in Sarasota, FL. Details in our next issue. Congratulations! speedboat.com

OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE [Continued from page 8] take the opposite route back through “the Channel” to find a spot to park and again spectate the frivolities. By this time, many of the other boats’ crew members have had more than their share of adult beverages, which makes for unparalleled entertainment. You can always pick out the newbies, as well as the seasoned pros.

Just prior to the sky getting dark, we’ll go find our “perfect spot” to anchor down in the Bay and watch the glorious fireworks overhead. As the darkness of the night is illuminated from the beautiful glow of the pyrotechnics, I’ll play my patriotic music, loud and proud, as the nearby boats turn down their party music to listen to soundtrack of the U.S.A. It’s always an emotional moment as we remember the freedom and liberty that we sometimes take for granted. As Lee Greenwood put it so eloquently, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.”

God bless the U.S.A.!

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LAKE RACE [Continues from page 29] In Bracket 4 Class, competitors ran 10 laps, limited to 85 mph. Cocoa Beach winners Dean Stahlman and Nate Hunt in Predator faced some fierce competition in Old School, featuring driver Matt Soper and throttleman Daniel Soper. Old School enjoyed a considerable lead throughout the race, unofficially finishing first, with Predator finishing second. During the race, Grant Greytok (driver) and Bill Reeves (throttles) of GNS

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Motorsports spun out, recovered, then had a fuel line come loose, pulled inside, fixed the problem, and resumed racing.

But in a twist, both Predator and Old School were ultimately ruled to have broken out, leaving an astonished Greytok and Reeves to learn they’d won the race when their names were called at the awards dinner. “It was a bit of a surprise to us, to be straight up honest with you—I was expecting

a third-place finish,” Greytok told Speedboat.

“Matt ran a flawless race in Old School, in my opinion. It just goes to show you that you’re not only racing the other boats out there— you’re racing the GPS too.”

In Bracket 5 Class, competitors ran eight laps limited to 75 mph. #509 Shoreline Plumbing, with driver Brent Appiarius and throttleman John Coen, attempted to repeat their Cocoa Beach victory, and appeared to finish in first place ahead of #527 Team Woody, #517 Bulletproof and #520 Reindl Powerboats after leading in all eight laps.

However, Team Woody (featuring driver JJ Turk and throttleman Micheal Stancombe) took the win.

“Team Woody actually passed Shoreline in the last turn of the race,” Billy Shipley told Speedboat. “That was missed by TV and by the announcers. In any case, Shoreline’s GPS only recorded half of the race and data, so they were disqualified, which also sealed the deal for our Class 5 win.”

In a similar set of circumstances, Bracket 6 Class—limited to 70 mph—saw Deception leading for most of the race, but in the final lap, Rum Runners/NuWave Marine— which had been consistently in second place—overtook them and appeared to capture the win in the class. However, the Rum Runners team of Mike McColgan and Francis Vellutato were determined to have broken out during lap 5, pushing them back to seventh place and handing the win to Deception driver Jesse Schmig and throttleman Robert Bryant.

In Bracket 7 Class—featuring boats with a single outboard engine limited to 60 mph—it was Jackhammer (with driver Ray Maldonado and throttleman Julian Maldonado) claiming victory, while Ella’s Nightmare (with driver Dominic Stancombe and throttleman Micheal Stancombe) finished second. (See Page 31 for more on this team.) Several boats ran unopposed in their classes, including Factory Stock class (Marine Technology), Bracket 3 (Team Woody), Stock Vee (Relentless), Mod Vee (Boatfloater.com) and Vee Extreme (Knucklehead Racing).

Following the race, competitors met at Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (see Page 12 for those results) and Sarasota, FL; they will then head to Eastlake, OH, St. Clair, MI, and Michigan City, IN. Congratulations to all! speedboat.com

Brett’s

COVE

JET SET

1975 ANTHONY RESTORATION speedboat.com

Featuring

NJBA May Madness WOMEN of SDBA

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photography courtesy

D. Gillen Photography and Frank Robinson

The Women of

Mallori Carroll

W

hile women like Carrie Sixkiller-Jones, Taylor Scism, Lindsey Denooyer and Kaley Kildahl regularly tear up the water in offshore racing, Speedboat would like to salute three very special ladies from the world of dragboat competition.

In our March 2016 issue, we published a story about Kansas native Shelby Ebert, who entered the sport at age 14 and has since added numerous championship rings to her collection. This month, we profile three women from Texas who are currently racing in Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) competition. At press time, the group had wrapped up the first three races of the 2021 schedule—in Bryan, Paris and San Angelo—with four more on the schedule. (Only the final two races venture outside of Texas: the finals in Oklahoma and a non-points meet at Arizona’s Firebird Lake in November). These women are an inspiring addition to competition, and we hope their stories will encourage more women to enter the sport.

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SDBA

Megan Warren Meet drag boating’s triple threat: a trio of adrenaline junkies who just happen to be female.

First up is Mallori Carroll, 27, who is currently campaigning #810 A Little More Therapy in Pro Mod class. Like Shelby Ebert, Mallori is a second-generation racer—her dad is SDBA President David Carroll. Mallori’s inroad into racing was at the minimum-requirement age of 10 years old, on a Jet Ski at Marble Falls, TX. She earned two world championships (in 2005 and 2008) racing the Kawasaki; when she turned 16, she got her driver’s license and got behind the wheel of her first boat. Starting in River Racer class (“As low as you can go,” she laughs), she has since competed in virtually every class:

Theresa Ward Stock Eliminator, Modified Eliminator, Top Eliminator, Pro Eliminator and now Pro Mod, this being her first full season in the class. “Last year, we were cut short because of Covid,” she says. “I was racing Pro Eliminator and blew my motor up halfway through the season, so it was kind of a blessing in disguise. It seemed like the perfect time to step up, so we did, and I haven’t looked back.”

She says she learns something new every time she climbs into the capsule of her Pro Mod machine. “Dad has always told me, ‘The moment that you’re not scared of this boat is the moment that you’re getting out of it.’ He also taught me that you have to win in every class that you race in. So that’s what we’ve done— we’d win a race, then we’d move up. We’ve been fortunate. We have a great team, so we’re looking to win Pro Mod.” Megan Warren is the wife of 20-year veteran racer Lee Warren, whose Top Fuel Hydro Whiskey River was truly a force to be reckoned with. And, like Mallori, Megan’s dad also comes from a powspeedboat.com

erboating background (he’s an outboard mechanic, as is her grandfather). Now it’s Megan’s turn to bring the family muscle to the course. For years, she and her family have volunteered to run the “in ramp” at the start of the course, helping to unload the boats and watching them take off right in front of her—it’s the best seat in the house.

(It’s also where she met Lee.) “We got to hang out in the water, and that has always been my fondest memory of boat racing,” she says. Of course, by the time she got behind the wheel for her license pass, she was already a seasoned veteran at the “in ramp” and good friends with everybody, so Megan was on very familiar ground (so to speak). “When they put me on the rope, I knew exactly what to do and how to do it, so there was no nervousness about that.

But then there was the sound of the motor and being confined and constricted!” she laughs. “The adrenaline is totally out of this world.” She credits Lee for sharing “all of his valuable insight” on how to operate the Say When machine in Pro Mod. This season, she is campaigning the #169 Capital Punishment boat in Stock Eliminator class. When she’s not racing, she works at the front desk of her family’s boat shop, R/T Marine, as a service writer. Megan says she’s delighted when customers see photos on the shop wall of her racing. “They look up at me and their whole personality changes,” she laughs.

“They’re like, ‘Wow! That’s you? Really?

How fast do you go? What does it feel like?’

It’s cool when they realize that you have that confidence to do that when they don’t even want to drive past 70 mph.” speedboat.com

Mallori Carroll races A Little More Therapy. She won her first race at the end of last season, in Grove, OK. According to tradition, when you win your first race, you get thrown into the lake...and the temperature in Grove, OK, at the time was 35°F! One thing that keeps Megan passionate about the sport is the camaraderie among the racers. “It’s very family oriented,” she says. “We all add everybody else on social media and keep up with each other.” She admits that her mother, Mary, was initially put off by the idea of her racing: “She was terrified about the whole thing, really nervous for a long time,” she says. “But she’s actually grown to enjoy it—she comes to the races and doesn’t show her nervousness anymore. She’s super supportive.”

Theresa Ward and husband, Gus, met on the race course. She started racing in 2000, starting out in River Racer—at the time, a 12-second quarter-mile class, while Gus ran a separate boat in Top Alcohol Hydro.

She progressed into Stock Eliminator and then Modified Eliminator before taking a few years off with Gus. Eventually, she bought his boat, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF—get it?) from him and turned it into a Pro Mod competitor, which they alternate driving from race to race. In 2018, S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

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THE WOMEN OF SDBA

Megan Warren has raced the green #448 Say When boat in Pro Mod with husband Lee, as well as the yellow #169 Capital Punishment boat in Stock Eliminator (far right, center).

Bottom right: The whole crew: Darrel Bledsoe, Lee Warren, Megan Warren, Mary Ratliff and Sammy Ratliff.

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Theresa Ward launched her racing career in 2000, starting in River Racer class and transitioning to Stock Eliminator, Modified Eliminator and finally Pro Mod. Above: Racing Whiskey Tango Foxtrot in Pro Mod. Theresa made headlines with her first win in the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series at the Diamond Drag Boat Nationals held in Wheatland, MO. She ran a 5.3404 ET at a speed of 167.411 mph, and is the first female ever to have won racing in Pro Outlaw class.

“That’s the only race I’ve won in my entire career,” she says. “I’ve runnered-up over and over and over, but I was always the bridesmaid, never a bride.”

Theresa credits the inspiration to enter the sport to Nancy and Jerry Davis. Jerry famously ran a Top Alcohol Flat competitor speedboat.com

War Party back when Theresa was running a 1977 Tahiti jetboat on Texas’s Lake Conroe with her kids. When a friend dared Theresa to enter a drag boat race scheduled at the lake, she refused—until she happened to meet Jerry and his wife one day.

“He was the Top Alcohol Flat world champion,” she says. “His boat was amazing, and he and his wife were so encouraging and they just kind of talked me into racing! I actually didn’t know drag boats even raced competitively.”

The Wards are running behind this

season, as they’re having the capsule of their boat redone, and it’s a short season to boot. But she’s looking forward to getting back out on the course soon and being competitive.

“I’m an adrenaline junkie,” she says, “but what really keeps me coming back year after year is the people. I know everybody says that, but I truly believe dragboat racers are an amazing breed. I’ve have literally seen competitors take parts off of their boats to help me and vice versa to get me to the next round.”

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Jet

photography by

Ray Lee

SET

The Adamson family’s 1975 Anthony jetboat had fallen into a sad state of disrepair—until son Jay embarked on a year-long odyssey to make it look practically brand new.

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I

n 1975, James and Joan Adamson spotted what would become their lifelong thrill ride: a 21’ Anthony, sitting at the factory in Hawaiian Gardens, CA (about 20

miles south of Los Angeles), not far from their home in Lakewood. “We had been looking at boats all day, but we didn’t like any of them,” recalls Joan, now 83. “And then we walked into this place and I saw this boat, and I loved it. I especially loved the color.” The boat, freshly out of the mold, didn’t yet have the seats installed, but owner Tony Hagwood hastily arranged them in the boat so the Adamsons could see what they looked like. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll put the seats in temporarily,” Hagwood said.

That did the trick—James and Tony made a handshake deal, and for $6,400, they had themselves a boat in their driveway two weeks later.

At the time of purchase, their son Jay was about 16 years old. After a decades of river use by the family—including Jay’s three siblings—the boat developed a gas leak in the early 2000s, and it fell into a state of disuse. “It sat at mom and dad’s house, and I didn’t take the incentive to fix it,” Jay admits.

Eventually, the seats totally rotted out and the gelcoat had sat baking in the sun.

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JET SET

Left and below left: After years of sitting outside getting weatherbeaten, Jay Adamson made the decision in early 2020 to get the the family’s 1975 Anthony refurbished, refreshed and restored. Here’s how it looked at the beginning of its year-long odyssey, after many years of disuse and disrepair.

Above: The boat is now at GS Marine (Norco, CA), where Greg Shoemaker and his team has just completed gelcoating the top of the boat.

The Anthony has been wheeled out into the sun for this photo. Below: Work continues at GS Marine as the freshly reworked pump is reinstalled, the entire bottom redone, and work begins on the floor of the boat. In addition, the team is about to replace all of the gauges.

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JET SET

James Adamson surveys the progress of the restoration at GS Marine. The bottom of the boat has been completed and work continues on the floor of the boat.

Amazingly, the artist who originally painted the Anthony Boats logo on the boat back in the 1970s came back to paint the new logo on the restored Anthony.

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Above: Jay picks up the new diamond-tufted seats from Barajas Upholstery (Riverside, CA), which matched the design of the original seats “to a tee.”

Above right: Work now completed on the boat, James and Joan pose next to the Anthony in the 45’x25’ shop that James built to store both the boat and his motor home. The boat will be lovingly maintained and protected from the elements from now on—no more sitting outside indefinitely! Right: The Adamsons get set to launch the boat this past spring for the first time since its restoration.

“Jay has always been the one to clean the boat and take care of it,” Joan says. “Well, after the boat had sat there for so many years, I said, ‘We have to restore this boat.’

And Jay almost jumped up out of his seat, he was so excited. ‘So you and dad can enjoy it again?’ I said, ‘Yes. We’re 83 and 85. If we don’t do it now, we won’t ever do it. I want to enjoy that boat.’ Jay said, ‘Mom, I will get you in that boat.’ ” So, at the beginning of last year, Jay hauled it to Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine (Norco, CA), where he re-gelled the boat, blueprinted and made repairs to the bottom, totally redid the floors, went through the pump and basically made the boat look totally new again.

Meanwhile, Barajas Upholstery (Riverside, speedboat.com

CA), were conscripted to match the design of the original seats and upholstery, which they did perfectly. That includes the totally upholstered engine compartment, a true 1970s throwback. The boat’s original engine was rebuilt, but nearly all of its original parts continue to be part of the motor setup—only the carburetor, air filter and metal hoses were replaced. The boat now looks—and runs— like it just came off the lot.

With work now completed on the boat, James built a 45'x25' shop to store both the boat and his motor home in. It will now be lovingly maintained and protected from the elements from now on. “When Jay brought the boat back and put it into this big garage we built, I cried when I first saw it,” Joan

recalls. “It looked exactly the way it did when we first bought it and the kids skied behind it.

It’s just a very personal thing for us, because all of our kids skied behind it, and most of our grandchildren skied behind it as well.

And now we hope that our great grandchildren will ski behind it.” (Jay’s siblings include Jayme, Jeff and Joel; together with James and Joan, you can start to see a pattern—and it’s one that has continued with Joan’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.)

Jay offers special thanks to the following people who helped make the project a success: Paul Ransom, the teams at L&R Engine (Santa Fe Springs, CA) and Specialized Coatings (Huntington Beach, CA) and his son James, who helped with the motor.

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JET SET Right: The Anthony’s brand-new dash features new gauges and steering wheel. The boat uses both port-side throttles and a foot pedal—both of which will get plenty of use at Lake Elsinore, where there is no speed limit. James picked out the wheel and the gauges. The original steering wheel was a chrome wheel with black sponge around it; James opted for a wooden-style wheel.

Left: The Anthony is still powered by the original engine, which includes all of the original parts— only the carburetor, air filter and metal hoses were replaced. The pump is also original. The setup includes a Place Diverter, which Jay says improves the ride while going through choppy water.

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S P E E D B O A T | August 2021

73

MAY

MADNESS

story and photography by

Mark McLaughlin

National Jet Boat Association competition heats up as 78 registered racers endure one last race with Covid-19 restrictions.

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P

icture-perfect weather set the stage for NJBA’s third race of the season (and the last until September) at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA. Temperatures hung in the low to mid 80s with no wind to speak of,

but Covid-19 restrictions would still be in effect for at least another week, meaning there was no way to change the no-spectator-and-vendor rules. A total of 78 registered boats came to haul ass and have some fun.

The Blown Gas Flats showed up with a nice field of 11 entries. Jim Shelton seemed to have his boat back under control after last month’s pass trying to drive from the other side of the boat during a wild ride. The #4 qualifier made it count in the finals when he needed it most. After running a sub 20-second pass in the semifinals against Tony Scarlata, he got lucky and got the win while Tony red lit. A holeshot victory for Shelton over Shane Westerfield in the final round gave him his first win of the season.

In Pro Comp Hydro, Dan Jensen qualified #6 out of 10 boats entered. He had a pretty good weekend finishing on the top in PCH, while also capturing runner-up in speedboat.com

the Quick Eliminator class. His elapsed times all weekend were between 6.11 and 6.04, with the breakout loss in the finals of QE of a 5.93.

After the April money race in Top Alcohol Flat, there were only half the boats left to race at May Madness. With blown-up motors and broken parts lying on the bottom of the lake, there were only three left in competition. Brian Nelson’s Rude Awakening top alcohol jetboat not only qualified #1, he won the race and set a new record in the class for elapsed time. At times it looked like he was going to take off like an airplane. Fortunately, he got her settled down and continued on for the victory.

Lance Gilbert was the season’s first three-time winner. Driving for Steve Raasch in the If Looks Could Kill machine, he drove to the victory in Modified Eliminator class for the third time in all three races, then doubled down for the second time this year in the Super Eliminator class also with the victory. Meanwhile, Pro Outlaw’s David Fuentes only comes out a few times a year—but when he does, all bets are off. His Money Shot hydro qualified #1, and went to the top of the class.

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PRO COMP HYDRO: This pass of Dan Jensen was his “bye” run into Sunday’s finals. He qualified #6 out of 10 boats. His third pass was just enhanced a bit so I could play with the right lane and add some sunlight to it reflecting off the water.

Jensen finished on top in PCH; he was runner-up in the Quick Eliminator class as well.

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MAY MADNESS BLOWN GAS FLAT: After running a sub 20-second pass in the semifinals against Tony Scarlata, #4 qualifier Jim Shelton got lucky and got the win while Scarlata red-lit. The holeshot victory for Shelton over Shane Westerfield gave him his first win of the season. Gary Riggens (far lane) qualifies alongside Shelton.

Shane Westerfield, the #2 qualifier in BGF, enjoys his time in front of the #1 qualifier, Tony Scarlata (far lane).

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MOD ELIMINATOR: Lance Gilbert (above, driving for Steve Raasch in the If Looks Could Kill machine) was the winner in ME class for the third time in all three races. Tony Rossi (far lane) qualifies in his new flatty for the first time. Top Inset: Raasch and Gilbert display their trophies.

Right: Newbie Perry Rennie brought out his new flat and qualified #2 in the Mod Eliminator group.

The Day Dream entry finished up in the runner-up position for his first trophy with the NJBA. speedboat.com

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MAY MADNESS TOP ALCOHOL FLAT: Brian Nelson’s Rude Awakening not only qualified #1, he won the race and set a new record in the class for elapsed time. Inset: Tony Scarlata, driving Ron and Joey Grose’s Wet Dream capsuled flatty, finished up in the runnerup position behind Nelson’s jetboat. Wet Dream also ran in the Pro Comp Flat class, qualifying only 13th and going out quietly in round 1 of eliminations.

PRO OUTLAW: David Fuentes only comes out a few times a year, but when he does, he makes the other guys in the class wonder, “WTF?” His Money Shot hydro qualified #1 and went to the top of the class.

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TOP ELIMINATOR: Eight boats lined the holding rope for this competitive class with #3 qualifier Bill McGuinn up against Scott Dolezal, who qualified #8 going into eliminations. Rescue 1 quietly oversees the race in the background as McGuinn (far lane) takes out Scott. These guys are great competitors, that they will even stand together and get a picture with their hardware.

PRO OUTLAW: First round eliminations in the class saw Gary Bauer (far lane) up against Vic Esposito.

The #2 qualifier, Bauer red-lit against Esposito, who would go on to face Fuentes in the final, where Fuentes’ 5.43 beat out Vic’s 5.46.

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MAY MADNESS QUICK ELIMINATOR was the biggest class of the weekend. This 6.0 second bracket class had a 14-boat field after Saturday qualifying. Here comes Wes Conn of Arizona—he shows up, qualifies #3 and takes out the field to capture his first win in the class. Conn (shown at right with his trophy) is another fairly new driver to the NJBA; the regulars in QE are still wondering where he came from. Watch out for September, everyone. There’s more to come!

TWO NEW [Continued from page 56] others have been sold and were at various stages on the assembly line as this issue went to press. Boat #2, currently being rigged, will be powered by a pair of Teague Custom Marine 1400 engines, while another will be the first in an open-bow walkthrough configuration. The 33X can accept any I/O package, from a 565 on up.

The 33X is actually Merchain’s fourth Eliminator, following a 26' Eagle, 28' Eagle and 26' Daytona ICC. “They’re all great boats,” he tells Speedboat. “As a kid, we used to go to the shop to look at them. My Dad would always say, ‘These are the boats that the rich and famous people own. One day, we’ll own one of these.’ So growing up, it was always a goal to someday own an Eliminator. That was the dream.”

One day, Merchain says, he met Fraleigh at a bar, and the two started discussing ideas about twin-engine boats. Many of the Merchains’ friends had twin-engine boats, and they were thinking about buying their own.

“Jake started telling me about his idea about building a new model that was a bit wider and longer than the original 30, maybe with a wraparound windshield.

It was just a thought—there wasn’t even a picture to look at. So the sky was the limit. Suddenly we had the opportunity to build something that wasn’t somebody else’s boat.”

Merchain says he appreciates the extra width of the 33X—it adds more room to the cockpit and is a solid boon to its drivability. “The width definitely adds something substantial to the handling,” he says. “The 33X handles like a dream, and it turns very well—going through the Gorge in Havasu, you can go into a turn at the elbow up there at 90 or 100 mph, and the boat stays nice and flat, which is nice. I’ve never been in a boat that lays flat and it turns as well. It doesn’t want to roll the front sponson or lift the back of the boat up—it stays true to itself. Of course,” he laughs, “being so wide, it does limit your ability to be able to park in some places.” Merchain reports a top speed of 151 mph (so far).

As for the boat’s amenities, the Merchains are big fans of the newerstyle seats, as well as the flatter deck they requested. “We got rid of all the scoops

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and tried to keep it simple and bring it back to the roots of the flat deck on a race boat,” he says. He describes his 33X as a fully functional pleasure boat with full bench seats and a bed below deck, with fans and an ice chest to keep his children cool—there’s ample headroom for the kids down below.

“It’s definitely a lower-profile boat,” he says. “We tried to keep the freeboard pretty low because we wanted a more riverfriendly design, similar, too a 28' Daytona LP, which has those lower, sleek body lines.”

In addition, there’s special lighting throughout the cockpit and the same walk-

up staircase in the back seat between the four individually molded rear seats—which, like the 31XO, is made possible by the boat’s extra width. “You’re actually able to walk up like a traditional wide body cat would have,” he says. “Otherwise, we didn’t do anything too crazy. We did no gauges—we kept it simple with all Simrad screens. It’s everything you should have in a pleasure boat, but still being able to go 150 mph.”

Merchain, who sells Snap-On tools in Orange, CA, uses the boat at Lake Havasu with his wife, Kelsey, where they also have a home.

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