Speedboat August Online Edition

Ragin’ Cajun Poker Run!

TICKFAW 200!

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 3

6/4/15 4:40 PM

S

Where true luxury meets speed and dependability at over 110mph.

Your next boat purchase is an investment in both your family and yourself. Make the right choice.

www.NordicBoatsUSA.com

50 years of serving the custom boat industry.

The 28SS with twin 300s... The fastest way to get to 100mph!

LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA • 800.279.5398 • E-MAIL: sales@NordicBoatsUSA.com

NORDIC_spread_0615.indd 4

5/6/15 12:41 AM

NORDIC_spread_0615.indd 5

5/6/15 12:41 AM

TABLE OF CONTENTS July 2015

COLUMNS 10 RAY LEE 12 ALEXI SAHAGIAN 14 GREG SHOEMAKER 57 NEW PRODUCTS 58 READER RIDES

36 THE 4TH DIMENSION

FEATURES

44 ULTRA REGATTA

18 TICKFAW 200 At this Southern Louisiana poker run, the watchwords are hospitality, food and nonstop fun.

26 SUNSATION 34 CCX The Schaldenbrand brothers from Michigan create a stunning “Sport Console” ass-hauler.

With ravishing Britney’s help, we salute the boaters who adorn their rides with stars and stripes.

40 SEE PTTOW THEY RUN The Southern California Offshore Powerboat Elite hosts a unique group of business leaders.

Ultra Custom Boats returns to Lake Havasu’s Nautical Resort for a regatta—after a seven-year hiatus.

48 SLAMMIN’ ON THE SALMON The bravest-ever racers brave the elements at the 31st Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race.

52 COCOA BEACH OFFSHORE RACE Super Boats knife through choppy Florida waters during a heart-pounding Grand Prix.

30 AIR, LAND & SEA Stu Jones and the Florida Powerboat Club head to Key West in a variety of transportation options.

6

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

06-07_SB_TOC.indd 6

speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:49 PM

Speedboat.com To find your nearest location to purchase a copy of Speedboat Magazine go to: www.WheresMyMagazine.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 Jim Wilkes jim@speedboat.com

Alexi Sahagian alexi@speedboat.com

BRETT’S COVE 62 ROCKIN’ RAYSON Danny Morrell gets his thrill on competing in his stunning GN machine.

66 KEEP ’EM LAUGHLIN A bevy of fast ’n’ nasty jetboats invade the famous Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV.

72 SPRING FLING AT MING NJBA racers put on a wild show in Bakersfield.

Tech Editors Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins National Sales Kerri Trapani Director kerri@speedboat.com Art Director Gail Hada-Insley Helicopter Services Fred Young fyoung@live.com

Photographers Todd Taylor, Jay Nichols Randy Nuzzo, Kenny Dunlop, Stu Jones, Jeff Girardi, Andrew Gates Operations Manager Michele Plummer michele@speedboat.com

Subscriptions

subscriptions@speedboat.com

Webmaster Craig Lathrop craig@speedboat.com

Web Design Element Media Design

76 BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO PHOENIX Lucas Oil brings its typically outrageous drag-racing show to Arizona.

Cover photo by Todd Taylor Editorial: Speedboat Magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. All manuscripts, materials, photographs and artwork submitted are at mailer’s risk and must include self-addressed envelope with proper postage if requested to be returned. All letters sent to Speedboat will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes, and are subject to Performance Boats’ right to edit and comment editorially. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part is expressly forbidden, except by written permission of the publisher.

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

speedboat.com

06-07_SB_TOC.indd 7

Editorial Offices 9216 Bally Court Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 (888) 577-2628 (BOAT)

SPEEDBOAT MAGAZINE (ISSN#1941-9473) is published 8 times a year by DCO Enterprises LLC. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Domestic $34.00 for 8 issues, Canada $56.00 for 8 issues, International $60.00 for 8 issues. All prices are for one year and in US funds. For subscription info: call (888) 577-2628.

PRINTED IN USA These rates represent Speedboat’s standard subscription rate and should not be confused with any special rates or premiums otherwise advertised or offered.

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

7

6/4/15 4:50 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 9

6/4/15 4:40 PM

OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE

Empire of the ‘Sun’ Evolution— The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state.

This is the word that comes to my mind when I hear about center-console boats.

Initially, these style hulls were designed for the main purpose of being a fisherman’s craft, complete with rod holders and live wells. With large open areas around the interior of the boat, the angler could roam about freely to bring his/her catch up to the surface. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fast. But you could catch fish in it and bring them home for supper.

While the center console boat is still widely used for such fishing excursions, it has since become the vessel of choice for larger group outings for a day of pleasure boating. These boats have evolved from a utilitarian vessel into a 10

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

10_PB_RAY_0715-RL.indd 10

bona fide performance boat, especially on the East Coast.

With high performance manufacturers such as Sunsation, Cigarette, MTI, Skater, Mystic, Statement and Outerlimits all including at least one model of a center console boat within their lineup, it has become impossible to ignore them within our pages.

While we were at the Miami International Boat Show earlier this year, the Speedboat Magazine team went on test rides onboard the Sunsation, MTI and the Statement.

Brett Bayne, Jay Forbes and I were thoroughly impressed with the entire package that the center console world had to offer and felt we had to investigate a little deeper. So deeper, we went.

We noticed that the manufacturers in Miami that were offering test rides in their boats were rarely the high performance vee-bottom or super cat, but mostly these center-console boats. I understand the appeal. I liken it to the vastly popular deck boats that cruise the waterways of the West Coast. Also, with the horsepower and number of outboard engines growing, it’s easy to see yourself spending the day with a half dozen or more of your closest friends on the water. Even the one with the short straw gets onboard.

With the help of brothers Joe and Wayne Schaldenbrand and partner Jared Morris of Sunsation Powerboats, we set up a performance trial in Lake Havasu

City, AZ to test their stunning 2015 34’ CCX (Center Cabin X-treme), owned by Kort and Jessica Wittich of Covington, LA. While it was not exactly an “offshore” test as these boats are accustomed to, the conditions that day in the basin simulated the ocean rather sufficiently.

The boat “Kort Ordered” came to us with triple Mercury 300’s, two huge Garmin touch screen displays, carbon fiber upholstery, dash and panels, matching SuperTruck custom tow rig and all the bells and whistles to match the eccentric owners. With an electric blue theme throughout that absolutely popped in the sunlight, even the dark Arizona night couldn’t cloak this boat’s aura, due to the blue LED lights that glowed in the boat, on the trailer and even on the tow vehicle.

With Speedboat test team driver Bob Teague at the helm, Jared Morris on the starboard side and me to the port, we ran this “fishing boat” through the same exercises as we do with any other performance boat that we test.

With nearly three-quarter full tank of fuel, the boat was exceedingly impressive. Teague didn’t ease up on the testing either. We extracted every bit of performance from that Sunsation, even coming down to whether the rear bench should remain up or down, to achieve its top speed. (See full feature on Page 26.)

We look forward to featuring and testing more Center Console boats (or “Sport Console boats,” as Joe Schaldenbrand likes to call them) in the future. We’ve seen them stripped down to the bare basics and we’ve seen them dressed up to the nines. But either way or in between, it seems that the Center Console boats are here to stay. And we welcome them all to Speedboat Magazine! speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:51 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 11

6/4/15 4:40 PM

ON THE DYNO ALEXI SAHAGIAN Rotor Noise

Idle Flare

Dear Alexi: My 540 dry sump engine has a Whipple supercharger on it. It’s got about 200 hard hours on it. The boat runs well, but makes quite a racket at idle and a bit through the

Dear Alexi: I’ve got twin 565-c.i. engines installed in my boat. I installed AEM Infinity EFI systems on them. I used a single-plane EFI intake and runners from you guys and got the engines up and running on the dyno here in Texas. The issue I am having is getting the idle flare to be more like an LS engine, where they start up with a high rev before tapering down. Can you explain a better way for me to tune this?

Thanks!

Tony Gilbert Troy, MI

rpm range. It does not misfire and seems to be hitting on all eight cylinders. Any clue to what this might be? The noise is coming from the front top of the supercharger area.

Joe Dillan Fort Lauderdale, FL It sounds like you may have a rotor contact and or wear issue. Usually if the hours of the charger get up there and the maintenance is iffy, you can develop what we call rotor contact in the case. These superchargers—along with most others—have a very tight clearance to make them perform best. When the front two gears that drive them develop lash (space/wear) between them, the rotor timing (clearance) gets really close and at some point contact each other. Usually you will hear it at idle most of the time first then through the entire range if you don’t have the supercharger looked at. My suggestion is to remove the blower or rotor pack and send it in to a repair facility or directly to the manufacturer to get it handled. If you don’t, you will be introducing metal into your intake system as the rotors clash and cause further damage.

12

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

12_PB_ALEXI_0715.indd 12

Yes, the AEM Infinity has several options within the Wizard and the layouts to tune startup flare.

Let’s first make sure the hardware is set up correct. I will assume this is a single IAC PWM type idle motor if you purchased it from us. In this case we set the IAC park position in the software at 100%. The reason for that is it is feeding a very large engine and the idle valve can only actuate so far. The other item you may look at is the decay rate of the after start IAC countdown. You want to make the countdown fairly quick. Do this because when you start the motor, you do not want the idle rpm to hang for ever before it drops unless it is dead cold. You can actually set the parameters by temperature, etc., in the layouts. It is really detailed software and once you play with it a bit, you will love it.

So, again, startup flare has a lot to do with how much air volume is between the throttle blade and the actual intake valve, the type and amount of IAC motors you are using and the tune. One thing I may mention is that you want it like an LS engine. Keep in mind that most of those newer LS engine are Drive by Wire. Due to this, the IAC is a function of the electric throttle blade movement,

so it has way more effect on all of these parameters as it moves the entire blade to create the flare. You may try to convert as you AEM infinity will drive up to 2 DBW throttle bodies. Just food for thought. Thanks for writing in.

Convert to EFI Dear Alexi: I purchased a supercharger EFI motor from a reputable builder several years back. I want to convert it to EFI, but they do not want to do the job. Is there a kit I can buy to do it myself? It is a 540 with a Whipple 4.0 on it. Help!

Frank Conillo Los Angeles, CA

Of course there is a kit. I would make sure that it is out of any warranty before you exercise the conversion. You can purchase all of the EFI parts from several vendors to convert it. Usually you will need a rear throttle body assembly, rail and injector kit along with a harness, ECU and sensors to get started. We always recommend a new EFI distributor and a few other small parts. Once you get all of this and install it on your engine, give us a call, as we have thousands of base maps we can email you to get started. There are several EFI management systems to choose from; however, if you follow most OEM manufacturers, you will see that really there are three to choose from.

Hope that helps, and feel free to call in for more details. speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:53 PM

Eddie Knox Racing / PROBLEM CHILD Top Fuel Hydro ‘06, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13 World Champion TFH World Record: Speed 262.238mph / ET 3.3

Bad Attitude Racing 1st in Class 175 mph at 2014 LOTO

Sudden Force Racing Water Ski Team

Steve Sequiera – Owner/Driver K-24 “Back to the Future” Race Team #512 WOT Marine Racing Team

P-74 Crackerbox Pro 2014 Lucas Oil World Champion

K-69 “Freedom Child”, Rankin/Jennings Racing World Champion Champion 2011, ‘12, ‘13

These champions choose NRI. Tony Scarlata, NRI Team Driver 28x World Champion Top Alcohol Flat World Record: 5.168 ET

Insurance coverage for ALL types of boats.

Nick Rose Insurance (661) 253-1131 (CA) (928) 669-2900 (AZ) PHOTO CREDIT: STRYDER PHOTO

NickRoseInsurance.com

Auto • Marine • Home • Life • Commercial • Health facebook

NRI_033115.indd 3

MyGarage

Instagram

4/6/15 4:09 PM

JET TECH GREG SHOEMAKER Need Plumbing Help!

Dear Jet Tech: I was recently informed that the plumbing setup on my boat was incorrect. Can you explain the correct setup and route of plumbing for the water cooling lines?

I’m including some photos of my current setup. Thank you!

John O’Hara Irvine, CA

way it is, you run a good chance of filling the headers full water and then hydrolocking the engine.

Increased Air Intake Dear Jet Tech: I’m looking to increase the available air intake for the 466 c.i. in my CV23, but have limited available height for a spark arrestor (like -3”). I was thinking about possibly utilizing an old, lower-profile air cleaner housing with dual snorkels, and running intake hoses close to the port and starboard air intakes. A pancake adapter with a single hose would be good also, but I haven’t been able to locate anything like that. I am currently using a 2.75” tall, -8” diameter spark arrestor. What do you think about these options?

George Sanders Portsmouth, OR What you have proposed to do is really a good idea. Years ago, I had a 27 Warlock with twin big block Chevys, and if you are familiar with that boat, it has a very small engine compartment. The engines were starving for air, so we took two bilge blowers and turned them around backwards. Then, when we wanted more air, the customer would turn the bilge blowers on and the boat would respond and run a lot better.

Finicky Engine

You come out of the pump to the front of the engine to the water to the front of the engine where the old water pump would go. Looking at the pictures, this looks like it has already been done.

Out of the thermostat housing to an overboard line, then the other side of the thermostat you would go to a Bassett T valve and hook those lines to the headers. The photos indicate that this has not been done. If you leave the plumbing the

14

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

14_SB_Shoemaker.indd 14

Dear Jet Tech: I recently installed an Aeromotive electric fuel pump for my SJ. The pump is rated for over 1,000 hp. It’s on a 505 BBC with a 1050 Proform carb (1/2” line). I have it regulated down to 8 psi. I think the motor makes around 600 to 630 hp.

Coming in to the dock, I ran it 4,000 for a few minutes and went to around 5,800 for a few seconds, then let out all the way to an idle. Fuel pressure was at 6 psi right after the pull, but at idle, it wanted to die and I had to throttle it up a few times to get it to recover. Then when I was

loading it on the trailer, the same thing happened.

Nothing else has changed. I did put new plugs in over the winter.

I will say that I will never run a mechanical pump on any boat I have, ever again. After sitting for a few weeks, it’s nice to turn the key on and prime the system, pat the gas twice and you’re off—it beats the heck out of turning it over and over again.

What should I do? Less fuel pressure?

More fuel pressure? Thanks for your advice.

Bob Hoff Henderson, NV Bob, It sounds like you either have the float too high or a needle and seat stuck. Check your float levels in the water and make sure on the site hole you are just at the bottom of the hole.

Has the boat been sitting for a long time? With today’s fuel, we have had nothing but problems with needle and seats and accelerators pumps.

Plumbing Water to Heads Dear Jet Tech: As I am re-plumbing my boat right now, I was thinking of a better way to help with detonation. A friend suggested routing water to the heads first, then out of the front of block. Are there any pros or cons to this method? My engine is a Ford 460 with 11:1 compression and Lightning headers.

Sam Moscowitz Phoenix, AZ Are you trying to run pump gas with 11 to 1 compression? The plumbing on a 460 Ford is water in the front and exit out of the thermostat housing. I have heard of guys trying to plumb it through the heads first and had problems sticking valves in the guides. My advice is to plumb it according to Ford.

speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:54 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 15

6/4/15 4:40 PM

09,11,21,23,25,31,53,61,81,84_newADS.indd 23

4/4/15 3:26 PM

07,09,11,19,23,25,33,55,5981,84_newADS.indd 7

2/3/15 5:36 PM

Tickfaw 200

At this Southern Louisiana bash, the watchwords are hospitality, food and nonstop fun.

Story by John Caparell • Photos by freezeframe.us

H

eld at the Blood River Marina in poker run hand for $100 versus paying $250.) This motivates Springfield, LA, the Tickfaw 200 boaters to visit every venue during the event.

The Tickfaw run is held on two lakes: Lake Maurepas poker run was launched by the legendary

“Crazy Charlie” Albert, and is currently organized by marina owner Joey Fontenot and VP Casey Harrison. Thanks to their efforts—as well as invaluable assistance of their friends, families, volunteers, employees and local agencies—this sleepy marina transforms into one of the most exciting poker runs in the country.

The event is spread out over two days, and all stops are open throughout the event. There are no group starts or de facto races to the first card stop: Everyone can complete the event at their leisure. The more stops you visit, the more cards you were dealt at the end of the day. (This year, if you went to at least seven card stops, you could buy another

and Lake Ponchartrain, with poker run stops on both lakes.

An enormous area of water is covered, providing attendees with both river and lake boating fun. These areas include the two lakes, fed by fresh water rivers that include the Tickfaw, Tangipahoa, Amite, Tchefuncte, and Bogue Falaya.

The event provides miles of boating with a variety of boating conditions, from wide calm lake water to a rough wind whipped Ponchartrain chaos. The river boating is also amazing, as you have twisty winding river tributaries including a man-made diversion canal.

The atmosphere on the poker run is relaxed and laid back, and the organizers work overtime to make sure participants [Story continues on page 82]

18

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 18

speedboat.com

6/4/15 7:26 PM

Above: Liv 4 Today, Brian Shelton’s 38 MTI with Mercury 700 SCIs. Below: Saddle Up, Anthony Reece’s 2012 42' Statement, powered

by Mercury 700s with #6 drives.

speedboat.com

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 19

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 19

6/4/15 7:26 PM

Tickfaw 200

Above right: John Hice of Panama City Beach, FL, owns the 1975 18’ Taylor Dragn’ Fever, powered by a big-block Dart 509 c.i. engine and American Turbine pump. Above left: George Olson’s outboard-powered Playcraft pontoon.

Twin-outboard Skater.

This is a caption placeholder. This is a caption placeholder. This is a caption placeholder. This is a captiholder.

This 388 Hustler is owned

by Rob Stringer of Ridgeland, MS.

20

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 20

speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:54 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 21

6/4/15 4:40 PM

Tickfaw 200

Rick Malone of Nashville, TN, owns this DCB F26.

Mark Buehring’s 2004 32' Skater with custom 572" Chevrolet Whipplecharged engines and Arneson drives.

Two 598-c.i. (1,100-hp) engines Ron Sporl Ron Sporl Performance

Bo Lum’s 1992 32' Baja Gettin’ Tipsy.

Twin-outboard Motion 30SS cat.

Feelin’ Nauti, a 28’8” Sunsation, is owned by Randy Cavanaugh of Brandon, MS.

Brad Marcotte’s 2000 35' Motion, powered by two Chevy 540s.

22

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 22

speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:54 PM

Mason Milstead’s 32' Skater, powered by 710 Viper V10 twin engines with #6 drives.

Lisa Fry’s Force, called Liquid Force.

Bob Christie in his Cigarette 42X.

Larry Smith drives his Velocity powerboat.

speedboat.com

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 23

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

23

6/4/15 4:55 PM

Tickfaw 200 Kent Streeter’s Donzi 35' ZX, powered byIlmor engines.

Ohh Wow, a 1991 Cigarette Cafe Racer, is owned by Robert Bush.

Dave and Keli Lockwood in their Hustler 388 Slingshot, OCD Overload.

24

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 24

speedboat.com

6/4/15 4:55 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 25

6/4/15 4:40 PM

Story by Brett Bayne • Photos by Todd Taylor

The evolution of the center-console design—from functional fish-hauler to adrenaline-inducing, unapologetic ass-hauler—has been a slow but fascinating transformation. In the past, our staff has been reluctant to test or feature these category-blurring hulls; in rare instances, some did sneak in because we’re suckers for anything with a nasty performance growl.

After the economy tanked, our market began trending toward an alternative to the traditional closed-bow ocean missile: high-performance center consoles, providing a new lease on life to an increasing number of go-fast builders, from Statement and Nor-Tech to MTI and Cigarette. Today, Sunsation of Algonac, MI—once exclusively a manufacturer of 26

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

26-29,59_Sunsation_0715_r1-RL.indd 26

28' to 43' traditional deep-vee sport boats—reports that center consoles now account for the majority of its sales.

It all started with the sexy, magnificent 34 CCX (Center Cabin Xtreme), which Sunsation owners Joe and Wayne Schaldenbrand began tooling in 2012 and officially unveiled at the 2013 installment of the Miami International Boat Show. The brothers’ debut boat was one of the most talked-about new models at the exhibit, with numerous amenities that included roomy twin lounge contoured seats over the center console, an astonishingly large cabin with 7½ feet of head room and a beam of 10 feet.

“We’re not the first ones out,” Joe told us during the boat’s layup phase. “We might have missed the first surge, but we’re speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:14 PM

Sunsation 34CCX

The brothers from Michigan repeat their earlier success with an all-new Sport Console.

W

Sunsation • 34CCX Length: 34' Beam: 10' Engine on test boat: triple Mercury Verados Top speed (tested): 73 mph Speed at 3,500 rpm: 35 mph Speed at 4,000 rpm: 43 mph Speed at 4,500 rpm: 48 mph Speed at 5,000 rpm: 55 mph Speed at 5,500 rpm: 60 mph Speed at 6,250 rpm: 70 mph Minimum planing speed with tabs: 22.1 mph Minimum planing speed without tabs: 25.4 mph

speedboat.com

26-29,59_Sunsation_0715_r1-RL.indd 27

Sunsation Powerboats 9666 Kretz Drive • Algonac, MI 48001 (810) 794-4888 SPEEDBOAT sunsationboats.com/

|

July 2015 27

6/4/15 5:14 PM

Sunsation34CCX

The CCX’s cabin boasts seven feet of headroom. It features an array of creature comforts, including air conditioning, Corian counters, wet bar, champagne holders, LED lighting, TV sets and a head.

“We noticed that none of the centerconsole owners used a cabin—they were telling us they didn’t need a cabin. Well, the reason they don’t use them is because nobody gave it to them.” —Joe Schaldenbrand 28

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

26-29,59_Sunsation_0715_r1-RL.indd 28

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:14 PM

going to have something pretty solid when it comes to market,” he added with typical Midwestern understatement. “We’re not going to lose sight of our sport boats, but it has become very difficult to get financing for them and to get insurance for them,” he added. “Those two elements alone have driven us to the center console market.”

As we predicted, the 34 CCX was an immediate and deserving hit, and the Schaldenbrands soon made good on their promise to begin work on a 29-foot sister ship, a model that, appropriately, became one of the most popular models of the 2014 Miami boat show. Sunsation will complete the hat trick with a 32-foot version of the CCX. The 29 and 34 CCX look and behave nothing like your typical center console—in fact, these musclecraft are so different that Joe Schaldenbrand has come to refer to them as “Sport Consoles”—a term he hopes ultimately takes root in the lexicon of modern-day performance chatter. “It’s a lot better—a center console is a fishing boat,” Joe says. “They’re functional for fishing, but they’re not aesthetically pleasing and they’re not entertaining. That’s what we have. You can fish out of our boats, but the majority of our customers are boating for entertainment, not fishing.”

When Joe and Wayne set out to develop their CCX series, they drove and rode on virtually every center console they could get our hands on. “To be honest, we really didn’t care for any of them,” Joe sighs. “We really didn’t like the way they drove and rode and handled. What we realized is that they actually have too much weight up top—the vertical center of gravity is way speedboat.com

26-29,59_Sunsation_0715_r1-RL.indd 29

too high; they roll back and forth and list a lot when they’re cruising. That isn’t really an issue for fishermen, who are typically only doing 45 mph. But we were aiming for speeds more like 80 mph. We knew our boat would be a game-changer.”

The Schaldenbrands worked overtime to work out the hydrodynamics of the boat’s bottom, as well as the aerodynamics of a hull with a permanent top. “I’m very good at driving a sport boat and reading the waves, and I can tell what it’s going to do,” Joe says. “But I can’t see the wind coming, and the change in the wind gusts can affect center consoles.”

Wayne designed a very lightweight top and kept it at a very neutral position to avoid any lift that would result in an illhandling ride. It was also crucial to avoid trapping air in the boat—thus, the entire front of the windshield is open, so that when the air hits the windshield, it goes right through the top.

“These are things that you need to do in a sport console that you don’t need to in a center console,” Joe says.

Another critical way the Schaldenbrands have reinvented the center console involves the boat’s cabin. “We noticed that none of the center-console owners used a cabin—they were telling us they didn’t need a cabin,” Joe says. “Well, the reason they don’t use them is because nobody gave it to them.

On every center console I saw, I’d open up the door and the first think I saw was a toilet. Who wants to spend a lot of time around a toilet?” So Wayne hid the head, as it’s used so sparingly, lowered the floors as much as possible to create an attractive and roomy lounge on the outside and built an remarkably large cabin on the inside.

“I think we actually changed the industry’s expectations on what a center-console cabin can be,” Joe says. “We call it the “Holy S**t” cabin, because when people see the cabin, they say, “Holy s**t! Look in there!” We have seven feet of headroom, but it doesn’t appear to be that way on the outside of the boat. We put air conditioning in the cabin, along with Corian counters, wet bars, champagne holders, LED lighting and TV sets. The brothers have sculpted an atmosphere that begs enjoyment—you can’t help wanting to go in and enjoy it.

“The kids can get out of the sun, the wife can go in and change [Continues on page 59] SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 29

6/4/15 5:14 PM

Air, Land & Sea Stu Jones and the Florida Powerboat Club head to Key West—in a variety of transportation options!

30

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

30-32,34,60_AIR_LAND_SEA_0715-RL_r3.indd 30

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:15 PM

Photos by Jerry Wyszatycki

T

he Florida Powerboat Club’s Second Annual Air, Land & Sea Poker Run

provided a unique mix of fun for motorsports enthusiasts across numerous recreational platforms, featuring two dozen teams from around the U.S. and Canada in cars, boats and aircraft, as they enjoyed the scenic ride from Miami to Key West.

The competition was not about speed or about who could arrive first. Rather, it was all the luck of the draw as each team pulled poker cards at checkpoints in Key Largo, Marathon and Key West. Some of the highlights included photo sessions from a helicopter as the group crossed the landmark Seven-Mile bridge, where boats, cars and small aircraft cruised in formation for some exciting photo sequences.

[Text continues on page 60]

speedboat.com

30-32,34,60_AIR_LAND_SEA_0715-RL_r3.indd 31

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 31

6/4/15 5:15 PM

Air, Land & Sea

Top: Mark and Eileen Fischer of Lake Worth, FL, in their Nor-Tech 527 Where’s Eileen Now?, powered by twin 1,350-hp turbocharged Mercury Racing engines. Above: Mark with Stu Jones.

Sylvain and Chantal Oligny of Quebec, Canada, in their DCB M35 powered by Mercury Racing 700s.

32

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

30-32,34,60_AIR_LAND_SEA_0715-RL_r3.indd 32

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:15 PM

Air, Land & Sea

Below: FPC’s Key West beauties model at the Island Fish Co. lunch stop in Marathon.

Above: FPC leaders Jackie and Stu Jones.

Below: The Cuban-inspired dinner buffet at Conch Republic Seafood Co. Bottom: Jim and Lynn Archambault flew their Piper Saratoga from Atlanta to participate in the run, and pulled the lucky cards that won them the event’s “Air” Class.

34

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

30-32,34,60_AIR_LAND_SEA_0715-RL_r3.indd 34

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:15 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 35

6/4/15 4:40 PM

36

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

36-39_4thdimension_0715-RL.indd 36

speedboat.com

6/4/15 6:12 PM

THE

TH

Saluting the boaters who adorn their rides with stars and stripes.

Dimension Bryan Tuvell of Suffolk, VA, in his 2003 33' Donzi ZX, powered by twin 496 HOs with Bravo 1 X drives.

Photos by Jeff Gerardi, Todd Taylor, Randy Nuzzo and Paul Kemiel

W

hat would our July issue be with- sources. Randy Nuzzo, our Virginia-based photographer, out a salute to the boat owners typically covers poker runs along the Eastern seaboard; he

who are proud to show off the red, white and blue every time they hit the water?

This year, we’re getting into the “independent” spirit with the help of our swimsuit model Britney, posing here during last year’s Lake of the Ozarks Poker Run and reminding that it’s sexy to be patriotic.

The boats pictured here were gathered from a variety of speedboat.com

36-39_4thdimension_0715-RL.indd 37

has shot plenty of boats with all-American paint schemes, including the image above. Meanwhile, legendary action photographer Paul Kemiel submitted an array of patrioticlooking offshore raceboats from the past, and Jeff Gerardi of FreezeFrame.us captured a pair of red, white and blues during the recent Tickfaw 200 poker run on the following pages (see Page 18 for more of his great work).

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 37

6/4/15 6:12 PM

The 4th Dimension

Lonnie Huff’s 35’ Cigarette Top Gun.

Jacob Licone of Hayes, VA, in Postage Due, a 42' Fountain.

Patriot, a 35’ Motion cat, was piloted by driver Roger Taylor and throttleman Bob Hamlin in the Pro #1 class during the 1996 Offshore World Championships in Key West, Florida.

The boat was powered by three 300-hp Mercury outboards.

38

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

36-39_4thdimension_0715-RL.indd 38

speedboat.com

6/4/15 6:12 PM

Team Velocity Racing at the Tickfaw 200 poker run.

John Ainslie of Virginia Beach in his 2001 Fountain 42 Lightning.

speedboat.com

36-39_4thdimension_0715-RL.indd 39

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

39

6/4/15 6:12 PM

See PTTOW they run

SCOPE hosts a unique group of business leaders.

F

or the second year in a row, the boating

group SCOPE—short for the Southern California Offshore Powerboat Elite—hosted the exclusive, invite-only networking group known as PTTOW to a speedboat excursion off the coast of Long Beach, CA. Undoubtedly still buzzing from the trip last year, 32 members of PTTOW arrived for the opportunity to blast across the Pacific Ocean in some of the finest offshore boats the West Coast has to offer.

PTTOW (it stands for Plan to Take on the World) invites the top CEOs, CMOs and other influential leaders from various industries to form a group designed to help “shape tomorrow’s culture.” Members include pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, music icons Quincy Jones and Will.i.am, Olympic gold medalist Shaun White and the Dalai Lama, to name a few of their notables. Some members that took part in the run this year included Randy Freer from the Fox Network, Derek Koenig from the Discovery Channel, Craig Brommers from Abercrombie & Fitch and Russell Wallach from Live Nation.

SCOPE 2015 President “Junkyard Bill” Steiner organized the event, all in the name of charity. PTTOW’s own Fernando

Landeros donated $10,000 to the club for the offshore outing. But then SCOPE will again donate the entire amount to Operation Gratitude, an organization that assembles gifts and care packages for our troops deployed overseas.

The captains for the day were Bill Steiner, Fred Inman Jr., Gary Smith, Tom Whitham, Jared and Eric Hardin, Sean Moore, Carl Goldsmith and Jeff Barrus, piloting boats that ranged from a 28' Nordic Heat to a 42' Outerlimits Legacy and everywhere in between. All owners volunteered their boats, fuel, time and skills for the worthy cause.

The eight boats met up midday at the docks near Huntington Beach and then convoyed up to San Pedro to pick up the eager participants. The captains were all willing to provide the wildest rides possible for them and they were not disappointed.

“This was way more intense than I thought it would be!” exclaimed one passenger.

“We just went over 100 mph! I never knew boats could go that fast!” said another.

The event was another success for both SCOPE and Operation Gratitude and there are already plans for another PTTOW run next year.

Story and Photos by Ray Lee

40

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

40-42_PPTOW_0715_r1-RL.indd 40

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:17 PM

Above: PTTOW’s Fernando Landeros gives SCOPE President Bill Steiner a check.

Right: Imco’s Nordic 39' Inferno, driven by Fred Inman Jr. Below: The Nordic alongside Bill Steiner’s 38' Cigarette Top Gun.

speedboat.com

40-42_PPTOW_0715_r1-RL.indd 41

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 41

6/4/15 5:17 PM

See PTTOW they run Carl Goldsmith’s 36' Gladiator Lip-Ship Edition.

Below: Jared and Eric Hardin’s 37' Outerlimits Stiletto.

Left and below: Gary Smith’s 42’ Outerlimits Legacy.

Sean Moore’s 42’ Fountain.

The SCOPE fleet docks in San Pedro, awaiting PTTOW members.

42

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

40-42_PPTOW_0715_r1-RL.indd 42

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:17 PM

ULTRA Blast!

Photos by Todd Taylor

U

ltra Custom Boats returned to Lake

Havasu’s Nautical Resort for a regatta—after a seven-year hiatus—under the auspices of its new owner, Rusty Romberg. Only a modest turnout was anticipated, so when more than a hundred people with 45 boats showed up, the crew at Ultra had their work cut out for them. Romberg, aided by former owner John West, set up a raffle, gave away gifts, handed out awards, organized a group photo and were generally delighted to host a surprising number of smaller boats, in addition to the famous NASCAR and PBR Ultras. In attendance was the owner of a brand-new 28 deck boat with twin canopies that had just been delivered that morning.

44

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

44-47_ULTRA_0715_RL_r1.indd 44

speedboat.com

6/5/15 12:56 AM

Mitch Peterson (above) won the Ultra poker run with 4 of a Kind; runners-up included Andy Klee (3 of a Kind) and Matt Bartlett (flush).

speedboat.com

44-47_ULTRA_0715_RL_r1.indd 45

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 45

6/5/15 12:56 AM

ULTRA regatta

46

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

44-47_ULTRA_0715_RL_r1.indd 46

speedboat.com

6/5/15 12:56 AM

speedboat.com

44-47_ULTRA_0715_RL_r1.indd 47

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

47

6/5/15 12:56 AM

Slammin’ on the Salmon R

ecord crowds flocked to watch the collection of brave souls compete in the 31st Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race—the only officially sanctioned whitewater boat race in the U.S.

It’s considered particularly lucky if “only” one boat sinks during this competition, making this a lucky race indeed—although not a particularly lucky one for Jake Barney, whose boat spent four days at the bottom of the river before being recovered and fully salvageable. (Barney suffered a whiplash injury after his helmet was ripped off during the wreck.)

Ross Schlotthauer, driving his boat Burley, repeated his success as Unlimited Class champion, and set a new fastest-lap record with an eight-mile sprint from Lightning Creek to Island Bar in only 4 minutes and 23 seconds. Hailing from Spokane, WA, Schlotthauer was victorious in 2014 with a 10-lap time of 50:53. Speedboat sends congratulations to all of the winners at this year’s incredible competition!

Racers brave the elements at the 31st Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race.

48

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

48-51_salmon_0715.indd 48

speedboat.com

6/4/15 6:22 PM

Below: Ross Schlotthauer in Burley, the event’s winner in Unlimited and overall. Above right: Ryan Rogers and Larry Keatts won second overall and placed in Unlimited Class.

Above middle: Unlimited Class third-place finisher Bill Shaffer in Bud Light Baller.

Above right: Unlimited fourth-place finisher Keith Kendall in Rude Awakening.

Photos by Frank Mignerey

speedboat.com

48-51_salmon_0715.indd 49

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 49

6/4/15 6:22 PM

Slammin’ on the Salmon

CX Class Veteran Canadian racers Barry Fenton and Dennis Bell in class winner Backdraft.

Trevor and Chris Yochum in Hundred Proof finished second in CX Class.

CX’s third-place finishers, Jake Barney and Lucas Brecheisen of Lewiston, ID, had a great first lap before sinking Never Satisfied near City Park. The boat was recovered four days later.

50

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

48-51_salmon_0715.indd 50

speedboat.com

6/4/15 6:22 PM

FX Class Winners Adam Steffes and Shaun Fiamengo of Lewiston, ID, in Rookie Driver.

Second-place FX finishers Shay and Grady White in Predator.

Third-place FX finishers Ryan Hudson and Jeff Edwardsen, both of Lewiston, ID, in Sneaky Snake.

speedboat.com

48-51_salmon_0715.indd 51

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

51

6/4/15 6:25 PM

SHOWDOWN Super Boats knife through choppy Florida waters during a heart-pounding Grand Prix.

A

in COCOA BEACH

n estimated 80,000 spectators came to see competitors duke it out during the offshore season’s first Super Boat

International race of the season: the sixth annual Thunder on Cocoa Beach Super Boat Grand Prix.

With the start and finish at Shepard Park and the turn-off Lori Wilson Park, the competition featured fierce action across often tumultuous rollers that wound up causing damage to several boats, perhaps none more severely than to Superboat class entry Broadco, the 40' MTI driven by Chuck Broaddus of St. Clair, MI. The catamaran suffered a catastrophic blowover accident, and limped away with major damage to the hull and 750-hp Ilmor engines.

Proving their mettle was the team piloting CMS, a 52' MTI that emerged victorious in Superboat Unlimited Class. CMS clocked in with an elapsed time of 56:07, barely scraping past Miss Geico’s time of 57:52.

Stihl (racing in Superboat Class), Twisted Metal Motorsports (Superboat Extreme) and Sun Print (Superboat Vee) also won in their respective classes, with Stihl recovering after a shaky start. In SuperBoat Stock class, owner/driver Kyler Talbot and throttleman Jay Muller took their 32' Doug Wright machine, Talbot Excavating, to the winner’s circle, with Reliable Services Group and Papa’s Pilar Rum coming in second and third. The Developer, a 38' Fountain, was victorious in Manufacturer P3, while Fast Forward zoomed to first place in Manufacturer P4.

Superboat Unlimited Winner CMS 03, piloted by Jeff Harris and John Tomlinson.

52

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

52-56_CocoaBeach_0715_r3.indd 52

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:19 PM

Photos by Pete Boden

Manufacturer P3 The Developer, owned and driven

by John Larkin II.

speedboat.com

52-56_CocoaBeach_0715_r3.indd 53

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 53

6/4/15 5:19 PM

Showdown in Cocoa Beach

Manufacturer P4 Above: Two Cruel, a 30' Phantom, came in third in a field of five boats.

Left: Second-place finisher Christies Photographic Solutions.

Below: Class winner Fast Forward, a 26' Corsa driven by Gino Marrone and throttled by Joe Irwin, both of New Port Richey, FL.

54

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

52-56_CocoaBeach_0715_r3.indd 54

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:19 PM

52-56_CocoaBeach_0715_r3.indd 55

6/4/15 5:19 PM

Showdown in Cocoa Beach

Superboat Stihl, a 38' Skater powered by twin 700-hp Mercury Scorpions.

Superboat Extreme Below: Winner Twisted Metal Motorsports, a 42' Fountain. Right: Second-place finisher Lucas Oil, a 48' Silverhook.

Superboat Stock Winner Talbot Excavating, a 32' Doug Wright hull driven by Kyler Talbot of Bremerton, WA.

56

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

52-56_CocoaBeach_0715_r3.indd 56

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:19 PM

New Products BRETT BAYNE Precision Tuned Impeller Place Diverter and Controls of La Habra, CA, is marketing a Precision Tuned Impeller (PTI) that features a larger opening for bet-

ter flow, and is custom machined, blueprinted and balanced. Originally designed by engineers at Berkeley in the early 1990s, the impeller features a progressive pitch

with slightly steeper angles and a more aggressive pitch than the stock Berkeley impeller. “This gives it a larger mouth opening between the vanes,” explains Tim Place, “and they work very well for midrange torque.”

The impellers are now available in aluminum, and will soon be available in bronze and stainless as well. “All of the racers love this design, so we’re planning to build them in stainless,” Place says.

The design is one that Place Diverter inherited when the company purchased the assets of Jack Keaton's Heritage Manufacturing last year. Heritage built and distributed high performance Berkeley jet drive replacement parts for more than 30 years. As such, Place Diverter now offers a full line of jet drive re-build kits, parts and accessories.

For more information, contact Place Diverter and Controls, 1060 S. Cypress, Suite C, La Habra, CA 90631; call (714) 870-7140 or visit placediverter.com.

520 Header Upgrades Now you can generate more power from your stock 520 engine with a new 520 upgrade package from Custom Marine Inc. of Neenah, WI. The upgrade is the latest R&D project from the company that’s designed for the do-it-yourselfer, and available for both the 520 Sport Tubes and 520 E-Top Headers.

Tested at Innovation Marine of Sarasota, FL, on a new 520-hp engine, the 520 Sport Tubes offer up to 48 hp more power, improved mid-range acceleration and torque, and a downturn collector that improves water fill for improved mid-range acceleration and torque. It also features equalized primaries for increased performance.

Retail prices begin as low as $4,900 a pair. For more information, please visit custommarine.com.

57_PRODUCTS_0715.indd 57

6/4/15 5:19 PM

Reader Rides

By Brett

Bayne

19' Sleekcraft Mark Padgett Henderson, NV

P

adgett, a 42-year-old contractor, says he inherited

his passion for performance boats from Pops—his father, John. “He was always building custom motorcycles, hot rods, boats and off-road vehicles,” he recalls fondly. This 1986 Sleekcraft Kauai is the first boat Padgett ever built by myself, in his garage, with his two hands. He discovered the hull five years ago in Arizona.

“The most bitchin’ thing about the boat is that I can haul five other people around in it,” he says. “I can waterski and cruise, and when I want to, I can leave them on shore, turn up the nozzle, put my foot into it and grab a race or two!”

The Sleek has seen 80 mph on GPS while heading downriver in Laughlin, NV. The boat is pushed by a 468 Chevy, which delivers between 450-500 ponies. It’s got a Comp cam, Comp chain roller timing set, JE pistons, Eagle rods, Chevy steel crank, Millings high-volume oil pump, stainless Manley valves, Comp springs and a pair of Holleys sitting on a tunnel ram. In addition, the Berkeley jet sports a Place diverter. The boat runs on 92 pump gas, but likes to party with race fuel.

58

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

58_ReaderRides_0715-RL.indd 58

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:49 PM

Sunsation34CCX [Continued from page 29] clothes, or you can just go down and relax.

It’s not a head,” says Joe. “It has a head, but it’s not a head.”

On to the power side of the equation: With triple 300 Verados, the 34 CCX delivers a solid 75-mph ride in optimum conditions, but expect that number to inflate as 350 and 400 outboards make their way to the transom. For our test, Sunsation handed Bob Teague the keys to the 34 on display at Desert Storm, where the Verados were spinning 14.5"x25"pitch lab-finished Merc Revolution props through a 1.85:1 gear ratio. On a 70-degree day with low humidity, Teague coaxed 73 mph at 6,250 rpm in bumpy conditions and a gas tank that was three-quarters full. True to Joe’s word, the Sunsation delivered a solid and stable ride through the rough Havasu waters. Its smooth, easy handling and responsive steering create an addictive feel, and the 34’s rich performance heritage seems to filter through the wheel as you guide it through the paces. Smooth, easy S-turns were met with the same, steady bottom response as more aggressive, harder-cut corner maneuvers, and the throttle enables more precise, instantaneous control. The power setup also provides solid acceleration off the line and through the midrange. “The acceleration in this thing is phenomenal,” Joe concurs. “As a driver, you have to be cautious that everybody knows when you’re ready to hit the throttle.” The CCX also backs up extremely well—Sunsation has put a reverse angle on the transom to allow the driver to back up to a dock with ease, a quality we definitely appreciated.

Aesthetically, the boat couldn’t be better designed, tooled and executed—it’s a stunner. Teague awarded high marks through the entire range of workmanship characteristics, including mold work, Mitcher-T paint job, rubrail, etc.

The photos adorning this feature speak for themselves; Sunsation’s success with their breakthrough “sport console” is welldeserved, and we’re counting the minutes until our encounter with the next model off the line. Expect the Schaldenbrands to offer three CCXs by this time next year: a 29' with an 8' beam, a 32' with a 9' beam and a 34' with a 10' beam. And the evolutionary process continues.

26-29,59_Sunsation_0715_r1-RL.indd 59

6/4/15 5:14 PM

Air, Land & Sea [Continued from page 30] Although staged by Florida Powerboat Club, the boat entry turnout was relatively small for an FPC event, as many of FPC northern members has migrated back to home ports for their summer boating season. That said, the number of outstanding car entries increased from the previous year with iconic brands including Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, sharing the roadways with a high-tech electric Tesla and an American V8 muscle 1969 Camaro!

Even the customized Chevy van-turnedbeach-cruiser with chopped top and rally paint job turned heads, as the poker run traveled the scenic US-1 Highway from Miami to Key West.

Benny D’Angelo of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in his Cigarette 38 Top Gun, Team Houdini, powered by Mercury Racing 525s.

Three days of superb weather kept the group in high spirits, as Key West delivered its expected level of Old Town charm and vibrant Duval Street nightlife. Winners were awarded in all three categories, Air, Land & Sea at the Saturday night dinner party hosted at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, FPC’s unofficial Key West Headquarters. The OffleaseOnly-sponsored cars included a Rolls Royce Ghost and a Ferrari California Convertible, which were displayed in the heart of the Poker Run Village, at the Conch Republic Seafood Company. Other “Land Class” showstoppers included a twin-turbo Lamborghini that consumed 116 Octane race fuel and shot flames from the exhaust!

In the water, the BoatsDirectUSA- sponsored Nor-Tech 527, Where’s Eileen Now?, brought oohs and ahhs from thousands of visitors who strolled the Historic Seaport walkway and quickly fumbled for their iPhones to take snapshots to send home!

Of course, the “air class” entries did not go un-noticed, as two amphibious SeaRey aircraft departed from the pavement in Miami, but landed in Blackwater sound in Key Largo, then taxied up to rest on the beach at Gilberts Resort. “It was like a scene out of a James Bond movie,” said Stu Jones, event organizer and president of Florida Powerboat Club. “We’ve seen a lot of cool boats over the two decade history of running poker runs in Florida, but to have all these awesome cars and aircraft to join into the format...it’s just taken these events to a whole new wow factor.”

30-32,34,60_AIR_LAND_SEA_0715-RL_r3.indd 60

6/4/15 5:15 PM

Brett’s ROCKIN’ RAYSON!

ALSO: Jet Boat & Drag Racing Competition 61_BrettsCove_cover_0715.indd 61

6/4/15 5:50 PM

Racin’ Rayson Photos by Andrew Gates

Danny Morrell gets his thrill on competing in his GN machine.

caption

62

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

62-65_RAYSON_0715-RL 1.indd 62

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:50 PM

D

anny Morrell purchased his first jetboat,

a 16' Tahiti powered by a 455 Olds engine, back in 1970—the first of many jets he would own over the years. Several decades later, he switched to a V-drive: a Sanger Runner bottom. In 2010, when the racing bug bit, he bought a Rayson Craft…which promptly delaminated on him. Enter Joey D’Cucci, who in 2012 saved the deck of the old boat, built him a new bottom and totally re-rigged it the resulting Rayson/D’Cucci hybrid, which features a 468 Chevrolet built by D’Cucci. Morrell, who once owned a landscape business and worked variously as a drug and alcohol counselor, truck driver and construction worker, is now retired. He isn’t a frequent racer—at press time, he has finished about five races in Parker and Burley with the credo: “Have fun, don’t get hurt and don’t get wet.” He plans to race again as soon as his wife, a a purchasing director, retires next year. “She works out of town and it makes it hard on us,” Morrell says. “Then we’ll pick and choose which races we want to go to.”

speedboat.com

62-65_RAYSON_0715-RL 1.indd 63

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 63

6/4/15 5:50 PM

Rockin’ Rayson

64

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

62-65_RAYSON_0715-RL 1.indd 64

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:50 PM

speedboat.com

62-65_RAYSON_0715-RL 1.indd 65

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

65

6/4/15 5:50 PM

Keep ’em

Jetboats invade the famous Avi Resort.

LAUGHLIN T

he SoCalJetBoats group Sgathered recently

at the Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV, for its latest gettogether. Their name is a bit misleading, as they aren’t exclusive to Southern California or even jetboats; the common denominators are really speed and fun. “It’s whoever shows up,” says group leader Brad Martin, who mounts half a dozen of these events a year.

“We’re not biased about what propulsion unit they’re using.

We all get together and have a good time. We all appreciate the same thing, just hanging out at the river and sharing some beers and sharing stories.” Martin has been organizing these events for about eight years—he films them and edits together a full-length DVD at the end of each year. “I’m working on my third DVD right now,” he says.

SoCalJetboats started out as a small group, and picked up new members as its Internet presence grew and more people joined in. “It’s not a club or anything,” Martin says. “It’s just an online forum and everybody gets together and has a good time and checks out each other’s boats. I would say that the Laughlin event the biggest turnout that I’ve had yet.” Nearly 70 boats were on hand, with about 150 people attending.

Photoography by Kenny Dunlop “Hallett Dave” in his 1977 18.6” Hallett Mini Cruiser.

66

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 66

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:52 PM

Sean and Heather Kana’s 1981 Eliminator Sprint.

caption

Johnnie Montour’s 1981 Cole T-Deck. speedboat.com

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 67

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 67

6/4/15 5:52 PM

Keep ’em Laughlin

Above: Corey Riddle’s 1978 Eliminator Sprint.

Below: Danny Dietrich’s 1973 Miller (left) and Bryan Jacob’s 1974 Horizon (right).

Chris Tatman’s 1977 18’ Rayson Craft.

68

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 68

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:52 PM

Jason and Jennifer Lowery’s 1977 Bahner Bubble Deck.

speedboat.com

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 69

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

69

6/4/15 5:53 PM

Keep ’em Laughlin

Mike Towning pops a wheelie in his 1974 18’ Southwind.

70

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 70

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:53 PM

Above and below: Zach Smith throws an impressive rooster tail in his 20’ Southwind Cruiser.

Left: Hal Bloomer’s 1986 18’ Advantage Bubble Deck.

Below: Jim Penner in his 1979 19’ Texas Tunnel (far lane) and Dennis Capogni in his 1978 18’ California Performance hull.

speedboat.com

66-71_Laughlin_0715.indd 71

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

71

6/4/15 5:53 PM

Story and Photos by Mark

McLaughlin

Unblown Gas Hydro Bryan Gilday in Hired Gun Unblown takes the win in the class. Bryan was also the number-one qualifier.

Spring fling at NJBA racers put on a wild show in Bakersfield.

MING

Super Eliminator Kelly Rhead qualified in the number-one position going into Sunday’s eliminations, beating out Roger Roadstrom for the win.

72

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

72-75_MING_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 72

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:53 PM

Blown Gas Jet Arnold Von Bargen took the win and the trophy in his Unblown Budget machine.

T

he National Jet Boat Association took boats red-lit, but it was Ralls in his Quick Eliminator 6-second Bakersfield’s Lake Ming by storm for the boat, Capital Gains, that took the win with a better red-light

annual Spring Fling at Ming, which saw exciting action in a variety of classes—including Top Eliminator, with first-time winner Scot Tillinghast.

Tillinghast had his work cut out for him, as he was only the #10 qualifier. His Aggravated Assault flatbottom went through the field of 9.00-second boats en route to his firstever victory with a double-red light against Ben Wurster. In accordance with tradition, Tillinghast was heaved into the water after accepting his first-win trophy.

In Quick Eliminator action, #5 qualifier Andy Ralls of Santee, CA, was up against #2 qualifier Kjell Adams. Both

than Adams. (The margin of victory was less than 8 inches at the stripe.)

Zach Rauscher got a speeding ticket on Saturday qualifying. He qualified on a pass with a speed of over 150 mph.

(The speed limit is 145 for the open boat class.) So the Rauscher family went to work to slow the boat down. The Saturday Night Special Unblown Fuel Jet boat finally got the speed down and qualified #1 anyway. In the finals, he went up against #2 qualifier Jerry Hicks and took the win with a better reaction time by almost a half second. Congratulations to the Rauschers for the record-setting Saturday Night Special.

Pro Gas Hydro Josh Hayden, driving Chump Change, was the number-one qualifier and took the win for owner Mark Peters. speedboat.com

72-75_MING_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 73

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 73

6/4/15 5:53 PM

Spring Fling at Ming

Pro Unlimited Flat Mike Torgerson, driving the Big Red One flatty for Don Hamer, nabbed the numberone qualifying position and took home the trophy.

Pro Eliminator Photographer Mark McLaughlin was standing in the shut-down area when Josh Patridge drove by and gave him the thumbs-up after his qualifying pass. In the faceshield of his helmet is the shoreline where Mark is standing and the deck of Josh’s boat. The Lights Out machine went to the finals and won in the Pro Eliminator class. Left: Josh and his family (including wife Ashleigh and sons Ryder and Jaxson) celebrate his win at trophy presentation.

74

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

72-75_MING_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 74

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:54 PM

Quick Eliminator #5 qualifier Andy Ralls was up against #2 qualifier Kjell Adams; both boats red-lit, but it was Ralls in Capital Gains who took the win with a better red-light than Adams.

Top Eliminator Scot Tillinghast (above) enjoys a first-ever win in his Aggravated Assault flatbottom— leading to the traditional toss into the water (above left).

Unblown Fuel Jet Zach Rauscher qualified #1 in Saturday Night Special and took the win against #2 qualifier Jerry Hicks.

speedboat.com

72-75_MING_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 75

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

75

6/4/15 5:54 PM

By the time they got to Lucas Oil brings the big thrills to Arizona.

PHOENIX

Story and photos by Mark

76

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

76-80_PHOENIX_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 76

McLaughlin

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:54 PM

Pro Modified winner and runner-up in final round action: Marty Logan (near lane) takes the victory over Randy Benson (far lane). In a field of 10 boats, Logan’s Livin’ the Dream was the #4 qualifier going into the finals against Benson’s H2O Texas Bounty Hunter, which qualified #9.

T

he Lucas Oil dragboat racing season Blatteler’s first win in the Top Alcohol Hydro class.

Habit Forming II, owned and driven by Don Bausher, not shifted into high gear with a truly breathtak-

ing competition in Phoenix.

A total of 10 competitors vied for the win in Pro Modified class, among them Marty Logan, Ryan Baxter, Randy Benson, Shawn Reed and Tyler Speer.

Logan, the #4 qualifier, took Livin’ the Dream to the top spot in the finals against Baxter in Bottom Up and Benson in Texas Bounty Hunter H20.

Scott Lumbert, driving for David Kirkland in the Spirit of Texas machine, repeated his top-dog performance in Parker by taking home the Top Fuel Hydro trophy over competitors Bryan Sanders in Nitrochondriac and Todd Plate in Problem Child. It was the TFH debut of the Liquid Voodoo owned by NHRA owner/ driver Scott Palmer and driven by Tommy Rice. Rice was getting his driver’s license this weekend in the TFH class.

Joe Blattler, shoeing for Glen Sweesy in Pure Nasty Too, took top honors in Top Alcohol Hydro over Mike Fry in Mean Streak II (who red lit), Denny Hepp in Black Rhino, Rick Allen in Total Kaos and Andy Reynolds in Running With Scissors. This was speedboat.com

76-80_PHOENIX_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 77

only qualified #1, but went on to win his second consecutive race in the Top Alcohol Flat class. Also for the second consecutive race, Mike Munoz took the win in Modified Eliminator class. He is the current points leader by a wide margin after two races in the books.

In Top Fuel Hydro debut of the Liquid Voodoo owned

by NHRA owner/driver Scott Palmer and driven by Tommy Rice. Tommy was getting his drivers license this weekend in the TFH class.

On both Saturday and Sunday, spectators were treated to a special race between Bentertaining for the crowd,” Duggan said. “I’ve about that.”

On both Saturday and Sunday, spectators were treated to a special race between Bentertaining for the crowd,” Duggan said. “I’ve about that.”

On both Saturday and Sunday, spectators were treated to a special race between Bentertaining for the crowd,” Duggan said. “I’ve about that.”

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015 77

6/4/15 5:54 PM

By the time they got to Phoenix Bryan Sanders ran Nitrochondriac (far lane) to a runner-up finish in the Top Fuel Hydro finals, taking on Jarret Silvey in Lou Osman’s Speed Sport Special (near lane) in Round One on Sunday morning.

Wade Stanley takes the win in Stock Eliminator class. A turnout of five boats gave Wade a bye run in the first round en route to the victory.

Left: Tim Millen in his Pro Eliminator hydro was the #4 qualifier and took the trophy.

Right: The Top Fuel Hydro debut of the Liquid Voodoo owned by NHRA owner/driver Scott Palmer and driven by Tommy Rice. Rice was getting his driver’s license this weekend in the TFH class.

78

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

76-80_PHOENIX_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 78

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:54 PM

Mike Munoz (near lane), for the second consecutive race, takes the win in the Modified Eliminator class over Armand Labarr.

Owner-driver Don Bausher takes the win in Top Alcohol Flat class in Habit Forming II.

Jeff Vail (near lane) takes the win over Garrett Breistig in Top Eliminator class.

Kaylyn Funk (far lane) made the finals for her first-ever win over Kevin Hotchkiss in the River Racer class.

Joe Blattler, driving for Glen Sweesey, takes his first win in Top Alcohol Hydro class.

Quick Eliminator winner Joe McIntyre (far lane) and runner-up competitor Rick Barretta (near lane).

speedboat.com

76-80_PHOENIX_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 79

SPEEDBOAT |

July 2015

79

6/4/15 5:54 PM

By the time they got to Phoenix

The Last Ride

Top Alcohol Flat The Sons of Speed, owned and driven by Chuck Hartsfield, had a bit of a hull problem Saturday morning in qualifying. After a hard hit to the right, the boat started coming apart, sending pieces and then large sections and foam flying everywhere. Before coming to a rest around half track, Hartsfield figured he would just get towed back, unaware that his boat was in pieces and sinking.

He was OK—just a bit wet.

The boat will be retired after that last ride.

80

S P E E D B O A T | July 2015

76-80_PHOENIX_0715_r1-RL 1.indd 80

speedboat.com

6/4/15 5:54 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,81,84_newADS.indd 81

6/4/15 7:02 PM

Tickfaw [Cont. from page 18] feel like family. There’s a high degree of camaraderie—people go out of their way to ensure everyone has great time. One caveat to prospective boaters: The Tickfaw 200 is an adult venue, and not suitable for minors; everyone must be 21 or older to enter the Fun House, as well as most onwater venues, such as the Prop Stop, Hook Up and Blind River Bar Sun Buns.

The Southerns Louisiana culture is a key component of this poker run.

The food, hospitality and natural scenic beauty of the area are among the best reasons to attend, and important in distinguishing it from other runs. The seafood alone is a huge draw: stops along the run include the opportunity to sample many of the signature savories, including crawfish boils, catfish, gumbo, redfish, grilled oysters, po’ boys and other foods exclusive to the region.

The Louisiana locals are unpretentious and straightforward, and their sense of humor is robust and unforgettable. This is a key factor of why this event has grown from 25 boats to over 350, with 380 poker run hands sold in one day. Ask anyone attending this event if hospitality is a reason why they attend this event; most will rate it the #1 factor for repeat attendance.

Worried about the size of your boat?

Relax—this poker run features all types of boats participating, from pontoons to million-dollar catamarans and beyond.

Unlike some other runs, the Tickfaw event has a theme of inclusion hospitality; snobbery, arrogance and exclusion are all verboten.

18-20,22-24,82_Tickfaw_0715_r1-RL_r1.indd 82

6/4/15 6:59 PM

07,09,17,27,35,39,45,47,83_0113newADS.indd 83

2/2/13 8:35 PM

9,11,15,21,25,35,43,84_newADS.indd 84

6/4/15 4:40 PM