S PEEDBO AT M A G A ZINE
INSIDE: OFFSHORE RACING ROARS BACK TO LIFE!
It’s BACK!
DESERT STORM
2021 SIZZLES
THE
MYSTIC Factory Tour
See Where The Magic Happens!
JU LY 2 021 J U LY 2 021
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A CENTER CONSOLE BOAT WORTH OWNING
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High Speed Adventure
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TABLE OF CONTENTS JULY
COLUMNS
8 RAY LEE 10 BOB TEAGUE 12 INDUSTRY NEWS
FEATURES 14 DESERT STORM 2021
After taking 2020 off, the West Coast’s biggest and baddest muscleboat event returns with a vengeance in 2021.
36 BATTLE IN COCOA BEACH
The OPA/P1 offshore racing season kicks off with a bang as competitors face off on the east coast of Florida.
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44 SPRING FUN RUN
The crew at Performance Boat Center helps boaters at Lake of the Ozarks get their fun on.
48 MYSTIC FACTORY TOUR
Speedboat takes you on a tour of the legendary Mystic Powerboats factory in central Florida.
54 MIDSECTION MIRACLE
Mercury Racing’s latest innovation: offering the popular 300R outboard with its Advanced MidSection technology.
56 THE RETURN OF TOMMY BAHAMA
The record-setting offshore competitor—one of MTI’s very first—gets a loving makeover by its newest owner, Tom Mischke.
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Cover Photo by Todd Taylor Table of Contents photo by Todd Taylor
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
66 SLAMMIN' ON THE SALMON
Todd Taylor, Kenny Dunlop, Mark McLaughlin, Paul Kemiel, Jeff Gerardi, Daren Van Ryte
Operations Manager Michele Plummer and Subscriptions michele@speedboat.com
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The most fearless competitors on Earth set course to Riggins, ID, for the 37th Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race.
70 NJBA SPRING FLING
Web Design Blair Davidson Market It Mobile, Las Vegas, NV
The National Jet Boat Association continues its dramatic 2021 season with an exciting fling at Lake Ming.
76 LAKE MING REGATTA
California Speedboat Club competitors gather at Lake Ming for the second bout of the season.
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 | July 2021
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OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE It’s on. It’s off. It’s on. It’s off. It’s ON! That was the emotional roller coaster ride for the last year that the organizers of the West Coast’s premier poker run and shootout, Desert Storm have been on regarding the status of their event. Because of the disastrous Covid-19 pandemic, most events in 2020 were obliterated and Jimmy and Christina Nichols, the husband-andwife owners and lead organizers, were unable to avoid its destruction.
The Crowds—and the Excitement—Are Back! Held every year in late-April in Lake Havasu City, AZ, the 2020 dates were quickly cancelled due to the uncertainty of the then-new virus and its effects. So, the event was moved to mid-October when the Nichols’ sister event, Monster Storm is usually held. Those dates fell victim, as well. Who knew that the grip of the coronavirus would last as long as it has? Certainly not me, and not Jimmy or Christina either. 2021 rolls around and the plan for Desert Storm was to shoot for late-April again. Green light—but with exceptions. Social distancing, mandatory masks, and the rest NFL superstar tight end Delanie Walker with Speedboat publisher Ray Lee. Walker made the journey from Nashville, TN.
of the various, ever-changing restrictions that we have come to know and despise. Also, the popular Street Party traditionally held on McCulloch Blvd. in downtown Lake Havasu was to be relocated to the far less desirable location of Sara Park, a sports complex and dirt raceway miles south of the heart of the city. However, abiding by these restrictions was a far better option than enduring yet another cancellation. As the weeks and days marched toward April 21, the first scheduled day of Desert Storm, things across the nation slowly started to open up and the restrictions began to
lift. Most significantly and more rapidly in Arizona. With mere weeks prior to the event, city officials also announced that the Street Party was clear to return to its home location on McCulloch Blvd. Welcomed news indeed, to both the Storm Poker Runs team and participants and spectators alike. As the 21st arrived and the 2021 Desert Storm event commenced, it was immediately apparent that this was going to be BIG. A staggering 236 teams had registered for the poker run and there were 162 charity rides given at the Krusin’ for a Kause Day, where generous speedboaters donate their time, boats and fuel to special needs kids and adults, giving them a ride to remember. The event also secured nearly 60 sponsors all proud to be a part of it, Speedboat magazine included. But the truly amazing part of the 2021 edition was the epic Street Party on McCulloch. This Street Party has grown to be the crown jewel of the event and it has always been well attended. This year, however, had to have been the busiest I’ve seen in the 20+ years I’ve personally attended. A reported 50,000 people walked the downtown boulevard from 1:00 p.m. when it started to 9:00 p.m. when it concluded. Perhaps it was the milder-than-normal weather that day, or it could have been the draw from the week’s prior event Super Cat Fest West? But most
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TEAGUE ON TECH BOB TEAGUE
Power Steering Remote Reservoir Dear Bob: I am installing a full hydraulic steering system on a Formula 312 FasTech with twin 502 cubic inch carbureted motors. I currently do not have a secondary reservoir for the hydraulic fluid. I was wondering if the Teague Custom Marine power steering extension tank (#TCM BIL210-EXT) could replace the secondary reservoir? If so, can it be installed on the stock MerCruiser power steering pump? Danny Laviolette Alberta, Canada If you are running a single power steering pump, the original Saginaw-style pump with the tin integral reservoir tank may have enough capacity. The TCM BIL210EXT is only designed to add capacity to the TCM BIL210 billet power steering reservoir that can be installed on the Saginawstyle pump. If you are installing a full hydraulic steering system with two power steering pumps (which I recommend), you will be required to install a remote reservoir tank that connects the two pump reservoirs together. It is also a good idea to have a remote reservoir on the single pump installation. The remote reservoir needs to be installed higher than the top of the pump(s). If you have the tin style reservoir tanks, they can be removed, and a circular plate welded on the top that has female pipe thread in order to install fittings for hoses that are routed to the remote reservoir. Alternatively, you can install the TCM BIL210 billet tank that has a fitting adapter. IMCO Nevada makes an adapter that goes on to the tin reservoir and seals with an O-ring. In order for the IMCO
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Above: Dual power steering pump reservoirs plumbed to a common remote tank. Below: Mercury power steering pump modified with fitting disc welded to tank.
Above left: Stock MerCruiser power steering pump. Above right: IMCO fitting adapter for stock Mercury power steering tank.
Right: TCM power steering extension tank installed on required billet reservoir.
adapter to seal, there can be no distortions or dents in the reservoir top tube below where the stock cap goes. For applications that use pumps with plastic reservoirs (mostly later models), a remote tank is necessary to tie the two pumps together. With this application, the two return lines are routed through the power steering oil coolers and then to a remote reservoir. The two pumps then draw fluid from the remote reservoir. speedboat.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
Cigarette Racing Team Under New Ownership by
Eric Colby
C
igarette Racing Team, the legendary manufacturer of offshore powerboats, has
been sold. Lionheart Capital founder and CEO Ophir Sternberg has partnered with billionaire entrepreneur John H. Ruiz to purchase the iconic brand from Skip Braver, who had owned the company for 20 years. “I invest in different opportunities and I was speaking to Ophir,” recalled Ruiz. “He said, ‘I’m looking at putting together a deal to buy Cigarette.’ I said, I’m interested.” That should come as no surprise since Ruiz has owned more Cigarettes than most people have had cars. Now 54, he started out in performance boats at the age of 15 with a 28' Pantera powered by a pair of Evinrude outboards. “I’ve had a lot of boats from Intrepids to Contenders to SeaVees to Hustlers, Wellcraft, but ever since I started with Cigarette, I stuck with that brand because it was head and shoulders above every other boat,” said Ruiz. His current Cigarette fleet includes 41' and 42' center-consoles, plus a 50’ Marauder and a 59' Tirranna. He had a Top Gun powered by twin Mercury Racing HP575 SCis for 11 years because it rode so well. Ruiz explained that most of his boating is done in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Bahamas. In a statement, Sternberg said, “I am thrilled about our acquisition of Cigarette Racing and believe that Cigarette Racing’s brand is daring, defiant and pushes barriers. With that, my partner John H. Ruiz and I look forward to taking the company into its next chapter where we build upon
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the legacy of the brand and create significant value in the future through powerful partnerships and unique collaborations, production amplifications and increased distribution channels.” Added Braver, “After 20 years of building the Cigarette product line and brand, I look forward to seeing Ophir and John’s vision for the company to become a reality. Lionheart Capital and John H. Ruiz share my commitment to quality and performance as well as my passion for Cigarette’s brand, and I’m confident in their ability to take the company to even greater heights based on their successful ventures, resources and business knowledge.” A hands-on investor, Ruiz will act as a temporary CEO to ensure a smooth transition. He spoke highly of current company president Erik Christiansen. Braver will stay on as a consultant and his son Eric Braver will be retained. “I’ll be involved day in and day out until things stabilize,” said Ruiz. “I want to make sure the quality of the product stays as it should and we’re excited about adding safety features and technological improvements.” Much like another famous performance-boat manufacturer, Ruiz has a law
degree, but he’s made his fortune in the tech world. “I create sophisticated data platforms, including technological advances for Medicare and Medicaid that let the government recover millions of dollars,” said Ruiz. Additionally, he developed LuminSea illuminated channel markers and has a patent on anti-collision technology built into them. “I’m looking to bring anti-collision technology to the boats as well as other advances,” he said. Ruiz also wants to restore the aura of Cigarette as a builder of high-performance offshore boats. “Lifestyle is great, but the most important thing to me in boating is when you cross the Gulfstream and the wind starts blowing you need to have a good performing boat so you feel safe,” he said. “I’ve always felt super safe in my Cigarette.” He said a factory-backed offshore racing team is in the works and Ruiz wants to build 10 limited edition 28' Cigarettes that harken back to Don Aronow’s original raceboat. “I want to bring back the history,” Ruiz said. “Skip has maintained the quality and the name of the brand. That’s why I’m so excited about making this deal work.” speedboat.com
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photography by
Todd Taylor, Kenny Dunlop, Daren Van Ryte and Tom Leigh
Return of the
STORM After taking 2020 off, the West Coast’s biggest and baddest muscleboat event returns with a vengeance in 2021.
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T
hree years ago, Desert Storm’s producers marked the 20th anniversary edition of the famous Lake Havasu event, as longtime organizer Jim Nichols handed
over the reins to his son, Jimmy Nichols, and his fiancé (now wife) Christina Nichols. The show has continued to expand and improve—until last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut the 2020 event down completely. Reverberations of the cancellation were felt across the country. So it was with considerable concern that fans wondered: Would the show suffer a repeat of that decision in 2021? After all, the Miami International Boat Show and the Tickfaw 200 both opted to go dark this year. Fortunately, Desert Storm returned, bigger and better than ever, with a sold-out exhibitors’ display at the Street Party and enough fun for ten Storms. “I’ve been around 15 years now, and I’ve never seen the amount of happiness from people just to be out and about and be doing activities,” Christina told Speedboat. “So many people told me that Desert Storm was like the glue for our boating family, and whether we’re the first or the last event of the season, the important thing is [Text continues on page 20]
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DESERT STORM 2021 Right and below right: Boats docked at the London Bridge Resort, the event’s main headquarters. Below: It’s a Nichols family affair! From left: current co-producer Jimmy Nichols, Cliff Crane (father of event co-producer Christina Nichols), Jim Nichols (Jimmy’s dad), Lisa Sherwood (Jimmy’s sister) and Jim Nichols (Jimmy’s grandfather).
Above: The Matt Ferris band performs underneath the London Bridge during the welcome party. Right: An aerial view of The Eye of the Storm section of the Street Party.
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speedboat.com
DESERT STORM 2021 STREET PARTY
Yvonne Aleman drives the MTI 340X Mad Props. Top and left: Two views of the Speedboat booth. Above: Bob Teague’s famous Team AMSOIL 368 Skater offshore competitor. Below: Kenny Gonzales displays his MTI 43’ Pleasure Cat Red Rum.
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Below left: The fleet’s LEDs light up the night while docked at Gilbert’s.
This customized Trifecta pontoon boat has been outfitted with top-of-the-line Kicker Marine Audio gear and an 11" Tower System. It is owned and equipped by Dan Murphy of MurfCo. Inc.
Above: Hallett’s 40' pioneered this unique portside “beach door.” Just use a folding ladder for easy access to the sand when the boat is beached. Left: Gary Smith’s 388 Skater, Predator III, powered by Carson Brummett engines.
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DESERT STORM 2021 STREET PARTY Left: Mike Smith’s Nordic 43’ SS Enforcer is powered by a pair of turbocharged Mercury Racing 1350 engines.
Center and below: Here’s the all-new Eliminator 31XO Speedster, built with an extrawide beam; it’s powered by twin Mercury Racing 450Rs.
[Text continued from page 15] that it brings all of us boaters together in a positive way. They were all so appreciative that we were back to something approaching normality.” The 2021 edition of Desert Storm featured: • 56 sponsors. • 236 poker run participants. • 108 volunteers. • 15 shootout participants. • 42 total passes. • 162 charity rides given to special-needs children and adults. • $16,900 in cash prizes for winners. • $31,500 donated to Faith and Grace, the event beneficiary. The winner of the poker run, who chose to be anonymous, won with a royal flush, and donated his $9,000 winnings back to charity. The shootout saw Cory Schmitz of South Dakota capture a top speed of 174.6 mph in his 33' Eliminator Daytona catamaran, powered by twin TPS Motorsports 1,650-hp engines, earning him King of the Desert honors. Meanwhile, California native
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Miranda Jones was clocked at 174.5 mph in her Skater 388, Dial 911, to earn her another Queen of the Desert title, repeating her 2019 win. The Skater is powered by twin turbocharged 2,000+ hp engines built by Brummett Marine. The shootout was not without some controversy, centering on some surprisingly high speed results later deemed to be inaccurate due to the way the radar guns had been calibrated, Thus, the shootout staff felt it necessary to adjust some of the early speeds. “There were some hurt feelings, but at the end of the day, we made a decision
based on factual numbers that we saw. We understand that some people didn’t agree, but I think it’s important for people to know that it wasn’t done randomly—there was a specific reason why we chose to deduct certain numbers across the board.” Despite this road bump, the event went very smoothly and overall, reviews from attendees were extremely enthusiastic. “We can always nitpick little things, and there’s always going to be stuff we can improve upon,” Christina said. “But we came back with a vengeance. There were participants and spectators galore. It was huge.” speedboat.com
Top: Brad Macaulay’s DCB M37R, powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. Below: A 40' Elminator Speedster owned by Michael Jordan.
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DESERT STORM 2021 STREET PARTY
Top: Profiled in the January 2019 issue of Speedboat, this 30' Skater was the recipient of a full I/O-to-outboard conversion project by Dale Rayzor. Above: Craig Hargreaves displays two of his famous machines: Spooled Up’s Toon, a Playcraft pontoon, and the DCB M44 Spooled Up. Both boats were painted by Visual Imagination. Right: Quintuple Mercury Racing 450R outboards power an MTI 42V center console.
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Right: Tubby McDonald took delivery of his Wright Performance 360 at the event; it’s powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. A major boating aficionado, McDonald hails from Oklahoma and was also the owner of several Eliminator Speedster models.
Left: Due to concerns about Covid-19, the phenomenally popular Desert Storm Street Party very nearly had to move to another location. It was only days before the event that promoters got the green light from local authorities to hold it on the city’s iconic McCulloch Boulevard, its home for many years. Perhaps because Desert Storm took 2020 off, attendance this year was truly outstanding.
Above and right: Mayhem, a magnificent 48' MTI, was owned by the late George Argyros and powered by twin Mercury Racing 1350s.
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DESERT STORM 2021 STREET PARTY
Above: Shawn Moe’s MTI 390X catamaran, powered by twin Mercury Racing 450Rs.
Below: Mike Ciasulli’s 438 Skater.
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DESERT STORM 2021 POKER RUN Top: Roland Munoz of Riverside, CA, drives his 2019 Mystic M4200 center console Center Stage, powered by quad Mercury Racing 400Rs outboards.
Right: Rick Bowling in his 37' Talon, Gone Again. Below: Cody and Sonya Rose of Vancouver, WA, enjoy their 2016 DCB M35 Game Changer, powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines.
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Craig Hargreaves in Spooled Up (far lane) runs alongside Dave Megugorac in Bananas XL, both DCB M44s.
Left: Gary Colledge in his Colledgewood Skater. Below: A pair of Doug Wright 360s: Jeff and April Lamb of Phoenix, AZ (far lane) and the crew from LOTO’s Performance Boat Center (near lane).
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DESERT STORM 2021 POKER RUN Justin Digiovanni pilots Ginger, his 2009 E Ticket 29’ cat, powered by Mercury 300XS Optimax outboards.
Above: Steve Haverland pilots Why Not, his 2017 368 Skater, powered by twin Mercury Racing 400Rs. Left: Tony Toven catching air in his DCB M35. Below: Desert Storm founder Jim Nichols Sr. runs his 32' Warlock.
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Above: Ken and Michelle Swan of Albuquerque NM, in their 1999 28' Eliminator Daytona, Triple Digits, powered by a blown 572-c.i. engine. Right: Eliminator’s 33X Speedster, owned by Lance Merchain.
Left: John Pugh drives his Victory Powerboats VTX 34. Below: Vince and Tara Gagliardi of Peoria, AZ, drive Family Circuit, their 2021 MTI 390X powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards.
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DESERT STORM 2021 POKER RUN Clayton Meyers of Idaho Falls, ID, in his 1990 29’ Fountain Fever, powered by twin Mercury Racing 454s.
Above center: NFL tight end Delanie Walker in his Outerlimits SL50. He has played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans. Below center: Nick Child drives his DCB M37, powered by twin Mercury Racing M450R outboards.
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Bob and Holly Nixon in their Outerlimits SV43, Long Gone. It’s powspeedboat.com ered by Teague 1200 engines.
Left: Kenny Gonzales drives his his MTI 43’ Pleasure Cat, Red Rum. Below: Gary Smith in his Skater 388SS, Predator III, powered by twin Carson Brummett engines.
Left: Andy Morris of Rogers, AR, drives his 2015 37’ Cigarette Top Gun, Liquid Assets. Below: Adam Behnke of Henderson NV, drives The Little One, his 1995 35’ Fountain Lighting, powered by twin Mercury Racing 500EFI engines.
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DESERT STORM 2021 SHOOTOUT Gordon Dawson in his DCB M44.
Trey Ordonez pilots the Nordic 28' Heat, Big Blue.
John Capparall drives his 24' C-3 Simmons cat. clocked at 105.7 mph.
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Matty Martin drives his Outerlimits SV29, Dark Matter, powered by a Mercury Racing 600 SCi, to a speed of 103 mph.
Steven Sundling drives his DCB M31 catamaran, Captain Hook.
Gary Smith and Vern Gilbert run the 40' Skater Predator to 170.8.
Tommy Rizzo of Lake Havasu in the 2020 28' Wraith, called Game Changer.
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DESERT STORM 2021 SHOOTOUT
Left to right: Queen of the Desert Miranda Jones, Angie Vivianco, Jeff Hicks, Scott Keele, Matt Martin, Jeff Clark, Taylor Scism, John Caparell, King of the Desert Corey Schmitz, Ryan McConnell, Steve Sundling. Center: Gary Smith and his grandson, Anderson.
Taylor Scism of MTI in an MTI 390X, powered by twin 450R outboards.
Ryan McConnell in his 24' HTM, White Lightning.
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Corey Schmitz, driving his 33' Eliminator Daytona, won the King of the Desert award with his top speed of 174.6 mph.
Miranda Jones, driving her 388 Skater Dial 911, won the Queen of the Desert award with her top speed of 174.5 mph. The boat is powered by 2,000+ hp Carson Brummett engines. speedboat.com
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Brett Bayne photography by Todd Taylor and Ray Lee story by
Battle in
COCOA
BEACH
OPA/P1 and APBA kick off the 2021 offshore racing season with a bang.
Above: The Super Stocks represented the best-attended field of all the classes at Cocoa Beach, with ten teams registered to compete. As the heat started, Jackhammer, LPC, FJ Propeller, Performance Boat Center, Your Storage Units and CMR can be seen leading the pack. Right: An aerial view of the pits.
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F
ollowing an anemic, Covidcrippled 2020 season with scant races, OPA/Powerboat P1 and APBA are plot-
ting a very full schedule this year, and if the first race of the season is any indication, it’s going to be a thrilling one. A total of 57 teams in 13 classes registered to participate in the Thunder on Cocoa Beach event in late May; some did not start, and some did not finish. But what a ride it was! “Washing machine” conditions caused racing to get off to a late start on Sunday, which featured five separate heats. The action kicked off with three bracket classes: Class 5, Class 6 and Class 7. With seven entries, Class 5 featured Team Woody (with driver J.J. Turk and speedboat.com
throttleman Mike Stancombe) trading the lead several times with Shoreline Plumbing (with driver Brent Appiarius and throttleman Nick Imprescia). In the last quarter of the race, Shoreline snatched the lead away from Woody and held onto it all the way to the end. Meanwhile, Rum Runners was the victor in Class 6, and Chug It took Class 7. However, neither the results of classes 6 and 7 were immediately clear, reportedly because officials were trialing a new scoring system. Next up was Mod-Vee. World Champion racers Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith (of LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness fame) transitioning from Stock to Mod-V class in Tug It. They led the competition for most of the race, until throttleman Smith suddenly had
no throttle, stopping the boat dead in the water. That allowed the father/son team of Stephen and Steve Kildahl in Boatfloater. com to take the lead and #727 Visit St. Pete to grab second place. However, Lilly and Smith quickly opened the engine hatch of Tug It, eradicated their mechanical gremlin and managed to finish the race in second place. “What happened was that the stud broke out of the carburetor linkage,” Lilly told Speedboat. “Luckily, we had a nylon nut on the outside, and a regular threaded nut on the inside, so I backed the regular threaded nut off and threaded it into a different part of the carburetor. After bolting it back on there, it allowed us to have three-quarter throttle. After I told Kevin that I fixed it, I asked him, [Text continues on page 42] S P E E D B O A T | July 2021
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BATTLE IN COCOA BEACH
SUPER CAT: Canada Homes (top left), the former Performance Boat Center 388 Skater, took the win in Super Cat class. Above: driver Lorne Leibel and throttleman John Tomlinson. WHM Motorsports (center left), with driver Jay Muller and throttleman Billy Mauff, finished third in Super Cat, while M-CON (below left), with driver Myrick Coil and throttleman Tyler Miller, finished in second place. Coil performed double-duty, also driving Performance Boat Center in Super Stock class. SUPER STOCK: Team Allen Lawn Care, featuring Bill Allen (throttles) and Cody McDowell (driver) at right, won the class. Below: the boat battles against Your Storage Units, with driver Nick Scafidi and throttleman Brad Wade.
Also participating in Super Stock class were Tanner Lewis and Brett Caswell in Paint Factory (left) and Rob Unnerstall and Casey Boaz in CR Racing (below). They finished in fourth and sixth places, respectively.
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MOD VEE: Stephen and Steve Kildahl took first place in Boatfloater.com (top). Right: Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith in Tug It (near lane) ride alongside Mark Neimann and Shameel Mohammed in Sheriff Lobo.
STOCK VEE: Throttleman Kevin Smith and driver Brit Lilly (shown at right with Lilly’s wife, Amanda, and baby daughter Stella Rogue) were victorious in their brand-new Rev-X Oil/LSB competitor (above).
VEE EXTREME: As they did last season, driver Ed Smith and throttleman Anthony Smith (inset) ran unopposed in their Knucklehead Racing Fountain vee hull. speedboat.com
S P E E D B O A T | July 2021
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BATTLE IN COCOA BEACH
CLASS ONE: The Miss GEICO Victory hull (above) took first place with driver Travis Pastrana and throttleman Sir Steve Curtis (above left).
200 CLASS: World Champion driver Billy Shipley (right) and throttleman Chad Woody took the checkered flag in Team Woody—one of three participating Woody hulls.
300 CLASS: Team Woody/Golf ‘n’ Gator were first in this bracket class. Left: driver Jeff Muehlhausen and throttleman Brad Wade. 400 CLASS: Navigator Wayne Courson, driver Dean Stahlman and throttleman Nate Hunt (right) took Predator to first place.
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450R CLASS: Throttleman Shaun Torrente and driver Taylor Scism (left) ran unopposed in the brand-new 450R class piloting this new MTI 390X.
500 CLASS: Driver Brent Appiarius and throttleman Nick Imprescia (above) were winners in Shoreline Plumbing (above left). Also participating in the class were Mark Didario and Greg Belutter in PapaMigos (left).
600 CLASS: Driver Michael McCoglan and throttleman Francis Vellutato, Jr. (above) put on a great show with class winner Rum Runners/NuWave Marine (above right).
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700 CLASS: Driver Jax Muller and throttleman Chase Muller took first place in Chug It.
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BATTLE IN COCOA BEACH
[Continued from page 37]
ClassONE racing came to a halt when driver Gary Swanson and throttleman Vinnie Diorio did a double barrel-roll in their Sweetwater/SV Offshore competitor. Both men emerged unscathed, and the boat quickly washed up onto the beach.
‘Can we get back to at least second place?’ He said, ‘No doubt!’ and we proceeded to make our way back to second place.” Sunday’s third race featured 10 Super Stock competitors running seven laps. (One of them was Nick Scafidi, who had called it quits in offshore racing in 2019, but was back in Your Storage Units, the 32' Doug Wright previously known as Shadow Pirate.) The front-runner changed numerous times, with LPC Racing, Your Storage Units and Team Allen Lawn Care each muscling their way to the first-place position. By lap 3, owner/throttleman Bill Allen and driver Cody McDowell in Team Allen Lawn Care had built up a very comfortable lead, which they managed to maintain. In the race’s final lap, Scafidi and Brad Wade barrel rolled in Your Storage Units, ending the race as the red flag came down. Both racers were extracted from the boat, which had landed upside down, but both were OK. Several boats in the class, including Jackhammer, CMR Roofing and Reliable Services, suffered mechanical issues. For Bill Allen, the win was a particularly
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sweet surprise, since this was McDowell’s first race. “He’d never been in a race boat before, let alone in that kind of water,” Allen told Speedboat. “We didn’t get in a lot of testing, either. Cody owned a 36' Doug Wright, but this was all new to him, and it’s a lot of stuff to take in. So we had a really good day.” The big boats came out for the fourth race. In ClassONE, Nitro Circus action sports star Travis Pastrana joined legendary throttleman Sir Steve Curtis in the Miss GEICO entry, which had some competition from Jay Johnson and Nigel Hook in Lucas Oil SilverHook, as well as Vinnie Diorio with Gary Swanson in Sweetwater/SV Offshore. Also on the course for this heat were three Super Cat competitors (Canada Homes, M-CON and WHM Motorsports), one Vee Extreme class boat running unopposed (Knucklehead Racing) and Taylor Scism and Shaun Torrente, also running unopposed in the new 450R “probationary” class. (Scism’s teammate, John Tomlinson, needed to run with driver Lorne Leibel in Super Cat’s Canada Homes.)
GEICO took an early lead in ClassONE, with Sweetwater/SV Offshore and Lucas Oil following. GEICO gradually built up a considerable lead, but when Sweetwater did a double barrel-roll, a red flag ended the race. Lucas Oil was the second-place finisher. Meanwhile, Canada Homes took the lead in Supercat, with M-CON right on her tail. (More boats in the new 450R class are expected to join the series eventually.) In the day’s final tussle, Bracket 4 and Stock Vee classes took center stage. Despite spinning out early in the race after what appeared to be a collision with competitor Fast Boys Racing/Tiki Lee’s, Rev-X Oil/ LSB—a brand-new hull campaigned by owner-driver-builder Brit Lilly and throttleman Kevin Smith—finished first in Stock Vee. They were followed by Fast Boys Racing/ Tiki Lee’s, NMB RV Resort, and R&S Racing. Predator/Stahlman Motorsports, with driver Dean Stahlman and throttleman Nate Hunt and navigator Wayne Courson, was the victor in the Bracket 4 class, followed by Old School. Control Freak and GNS Motorsports did not finish. speedboat.com
Photography courtesy
Rob Rich/Performance Boat Center
Above: Luke Dewitt takes the wheel of his father Mike Dewitt’s Wright Performance 360 catamaran, powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. Right: The facility formerly known as Beavers at the Dam was purchased by renowned restaurateur George Tucker. After an eye-catching facelift, it has been rechristened Neon Taco. Participants enjoyed food and beverages at this newly reopened restaurant.
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speedboat.com
The crew at Performance Boat Center helps boaters at Lake
PBC D
espite a grim forecast of 70 percent chance of showers, the day of the Performance Boat Center Spring Fun Run proved to be an absolutely
beautiful day. “If the boat business doesn’t work out, I’m going to become a weatherman,” joked PBC co-owner Brett Manire. “We didn’t get any rain at all.” The mega-dealership and service center launched its biannual Fun Run from its Osage Beach, MO, shop on Saturday, May 8. Nearly 60 boats participated—everything from single-engine Bajas to a 50-foot MTI powered by quintuple Mercury Racing 450R outboards. speedboat.com
of the Ozarks get their fun on.
Spring
FUN RUN
“These fun runs have become such a good deal, because I get to meet a lot of new customers,” Manire said. “People are feeling comfortable—they want to come out, show off their boat and have a good time.” About half of the participants have homes at the lake, while half trailered in for the oneday event, which kicked off with a 10:30 a.m. driver’s meeting at PBC’s famous Redhead Yacht Club. As usual, helicopter pilot Tom Cline landed his chopper in the parking lot— always a cool sight for the crowd. Aerial photos and video were taken during the run, which took the fleet to Backwater Jack’s for some poolside entertainment, and to the eatery formerly known as Beavers at the Dam.
Purchased by renowned restaurateur George Tucker, the building has received an eyecatching facelift and has been rechristened Neon Taco. Participants enjoyed food and beverages at the newly reopened restaurant. Attendees included MTI owner Randy Scism, Larry Pinegar in his 42' Cigarette, Matt Garland in his 40' Skater, and a few offshore racers. “It’s so cool to see the people from the magazine just hanging out and going for a boat ride,” Manire said. “We went all the way up to the dam and then worked our way back to have a big party at the Redhead Yacht Club afterwards, and the place was packed. Every weekend is like a holiday weekend here.” S P E E D B O A T | July 2021
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PBC SPRING FUN RUN
Above: Michael Clemons in his MTI SV-42, powered by quad Mercury Racing 400Rs. Left: This Skater 318 catamaran was rigged at Performance Boat Center. Below: Matt Garland’s 40’ Skater catamaran was featured on the cover of Speedboat’s September 2016 issue. Bottom: Allen Shepherd drives his Cigarette 39 Top Gun.
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speedboat.com
Top left: Bugsy and Heather Martin with Connie Siddens (far left) in their Sunsation 34CCX. Above right: Larry Pinegar drives his 42’ Cigarette Tiger. Above left: Jason Curry pilots his MTI 390X, powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards.
Above: Andrew McCarney in his Fountain, called Light ‘Em Up. Right: Mike Stordahl in his MTI 340X, powered by twin Mercury Racing 400R outboards. speedboat.com
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P O W E R B O A T S FACTORY TOUR
T
story by Eric
Colby •
photos by Eric
wenty-eight-year-old John Cosker was sitting in an office at Twin Disc Industries in Racine, WI, realizing that
he was in quite possibly the shortest job interview he had ever been a part of. “Minutes into the interview, I could see that I’m not a corporate guy,” he said. “It’s a great company, but I could just see with my personality that I wasn’t going to fit.” He took the nice new car that Twin Disc had rented for him and returned it to the airport. “I got a little piece of junk rental car that I could afford and I drove to Skater in (Douglas) Michigan and Pete (Hledin, president of Douglas Marine) gave me a tour of the factory,” said Cosker. “Then I visited Awesome Boats and Ocean Express
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Colby and Todd Taylor
and looked at all these cat companies.” When he returned home to Port Orange, Fla., Cosker decided to start Mystic Powerboats. “I owned a 26' American Offshore and I loved catamarans and came home and started Mystic weeks later,” he said during a conversation in April when Speedboat visited the Mystic headquarters in Deland, Fla. After growing up in Meriden, Conn., and boating on Long Island Sound, the Connecticut River and Cape Cod in Glastron and Renken runabouts, he named his company after the town in the Nutmeg State that is home to the Mystic Seaport Museum and aquarium. Today, Cosker is 53 and business at Mystic is booming. “I’ve been in this business 30 years and I’ve never seen it like
Left: John Cosker and his daughter Rachel have learned the value of promoting Mystic as a family business. Top: Speedboat covers featuring Mystics adorn the wall of the factory’s lobby. S P E E D B O A T | July 2021
speedboat.com
Above le Above ri
Above: Center consoles now make up the majority of Mystic’s business and the company is sold out of most models until 2023. Left: With the bottom laminate complete, the hull is prepared to accept the stringers and bulkheads.
Above left: The black material in the mold is carbon-fiber added to critical areas for reinforcement. Above right: With all the laminates in place, a hardtop is bagged and ready for infusion. speedboat.com
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MYSTIC FACTORY TOUR
Above left: All those tubes feed resin to the laminate, ensuring even and thorough saturation. Above right: Given the supply challenges that manufacturers are facing, this barrel of resin is a hot commodity.
Hardtops are manufactured in two pieces to achieve that smooth finished look on the underside. this,” he said from his offices at the Mystic headquarters. The company recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and the completion of its one hundredth outboard-powered boat. Cosker had planned to attend the Florida Powerboat Club’s Tampa Poker Run the weekend before our visit, but Mystic sold all of its demo boats, so he didn’t have one to take. It’s an evolution that came about by design, literally. Cosker left Connecticut in 1986 to study naval architecture at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. “I looked at University of Rhode Island, University of Michigan and other naval architecture programs, but only Florida Tech had a discipline in high-speed small craft,” he explained. “Our first field trip was a tour of Cigarette Boats by (performance-boating legend) Allan Brown so that was the first time I met Brownie,” said Cosker. Brown was the general manager and righthand man for Cigarette Racing
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Team founder Don Aronow. While completing his studies, Cosker was an intern for Rolla Propellers and he went to work for the Switzerland-based company at its United States headquarters in Melbourne upon graduation. “It was a great first job because I dealt with Cigarette, Magnum and Hatteras and Delta yachts up in Seattle and everything in between,” said Cosker. While at Rolla, Cosker called on John Conner at Conner Marine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was developing a surface-effect ship for the late Tom Gentry who wanted to take back the transatlantic record. The vessel was 135’ long powered by four 8,000-hp turbine engines plus two 3,500-hp diesels that powered lift fans for the surface effect. “One day, John said, ‘I need some help with this project and I want to hire an engineer,’” said Cosker. “So I moved to Fort Lauderdale and worked for Tom until
his accident in 1994.” Gentry and throttleman Richie Powers were leading the overall race and in the world championships in Key West, Fla., when they entered the Key West Harbor turn and came upon a slower boat. Gentry made an evasive maneuver and the boat flipped. After spending a long time underwater in the upside down boat, Gentry was pulled from the scene, but was in a coma in the hospital that he never came out of. “I was months from moving to New Orleans because we were going to build the boat at Trinity Yachts,” said Cosker. Being a laid-back type, Cosker found after a couple of years in South Florida that it just wasn’t a good fit for him. He moved back to Melbourne and did some freelance design work before landing the interview in 1996 at Twin Disc. He met Dave Callan in 1998 through Dave’s brother Chris who had been a crewmember on the Gentry Eagle. Dave Callan commissioned a turbine-powered 55’ monohull that Cosker designed. Jack Clark built the hull and deck at his Jaguar Powerboats facility in Fort Lauderdale before it was shipped to Port Orange, where John Pompi at Marine Performance was based. He rigged the boat with twin Lycoming T55 L7C turbines and Arneson surface drives. In the early 2000s, Cosker and Callan also started campaigning a 50' Tencara catamaran powered by twin Lycoming T55 L7C turbines. Where Cosker has an advantage over speedboat.com
Left: This the sixth Mystic powerboat to go to the Onken family in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Below: A Mystic center-console just back from the paint shop and ready for rigging.
Mystic’s beautiful M4200 center console. other noteworthy designers and throttlemen/crew chiefs is that he is one of a select few that actually has a naval architecture degree. He did numerous studies on the Tencara’s aero and hydrodynamics, making numerous changes. The Mystic C5000s that would go on to be campaigned by Bill Tomlinson of My Way fame, Dave Scott speedboat.com
and Canada’s Aquamania teams may have the look of a Tencara, but Cosker improved the design immensely. “The Tencara at 203 mph would lift off the water. I’ve run American Ethanol at 220 and My Way 223 and the Sheik and Steve saw 250 in the that boat coming out of the chute,” said Cosker.
All those speeds have been recorded at the same place, the Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., at the famous Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Callan and Cosker started at the event in 2002, where they were defeated by Dave Villwock in the Miss Budweiser Unlimited hydroplane. The following year, the team figured out how to get the engines synchronized in the boat and made Cosker’s first 200mph pass during the world’s largest sanctioned powerboating event. Since then, it can be argued that Mystic 50’ and 51’ catamarans have won more Top Gun trophies than any other boat. “A lot of it is setup and balance. American Ethanol is really adjustable and it’s a matter of getting the power down,” said Cosker. He says that the shootout was an important part of Mystic’s ascension S P E E D B O A T | July 2021
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MYSTIC FACTORY TOUR
Above: Mystic Powerboats are in such demand that the company is taking in used boats on trade and turning them around quickly. Right: The only 51’ Mystic catamaran in existence, American Ethanol is the boat to beat at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Here John Cosker confers with Don Onken, the team’s owner.
Above: American Ethanol as it appeared on the September/ October issue of Speedboat Magazine. Bottom left: Low Altitude is one of a handful of 50’ Mystic catamarans with turbine power. It has been among the most popular boats on the pokerrun circuit and at the LOTO Shootout.
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speedboat.com
Mystic’s M3800 catamaran at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show.
in performance boating, but that it has evolved from a sales opportunity for 200mph cats to one for outboard-powered center consoles and catamarans. “We have people who know us from the racing days and those who know us as a center console builder,” he said. “I do find that a lot of our center console customers like to point at American Ethanol and say the people who built my center console built that. It’s the Porsche owner pointing to the GT3 at the racetrack. They like that feeling.” In the early days of Mystic, much of the business was one-off projects like the work for Callan and a diesel-powered performance yacht for supermarket mogul Stew Leonard. It was a 70’ yacht with a 16’ beam powered by twin 1,800-hp Caterpillar C32 Acerts and it ran 81 mph. After tiring of driving between his home in Port Orange and his shop in Melbourne, Cosker moved Mystic to Port Orange in 1999. In 2004, the company outgrew its facility and Cosker bought his first property in DeLand in 2005. In October 2019, he bought the property next door. “We went from The Bud Light 50’ Mystic, powered by two 1550-hp supercharged Sterling engines.
15,000 to 30,000 to 58,000 square feet,” he said. About 30 days after our visit, he had plans to close on an additional 25,000 square feet for a total of 83,000. A 12,000-square-foot paint booth is part of the expansion as is a service center that will be staffed by a Mercurycertified technician. Many Mystic customers split the year between northern climates and Florida and have been asking to have work done at Mystic before their boats head north or south. Mystic has 59 employees and Cosker said the plan was to increase to 70 when the company is at full strength. He knows the name of every employee. Two of those employees are his daughter Rachel, 22, who graduated from college and was working in finance and his daughter Kendall, 19, who is a college student and works part time at Mystic helping with social media. Rachel is heading to Stetson Law School in the fall, so she’s
taking a hiatus from Mystic at that time. Cosker’s wife Robin helped with bookkeeping during the economic downturn and he still consults with her on design. While Cosker does the primary designs for hulls and decks, he’s become so busy with running the business that he did hire an engineer who was starting in May. He says that when the company introduced its M4200 center console in 2015, it was a milestone for Mystic. “We became more of a company with a product than a custom boatbuilder,” said Cosker. Today, Mystic also builds the M3800 center console and the C4000 cat and he tries to keep a demo of each model in stock. The catamaran almost went away earlier this year. “We weren’t getting the speed out of it that we needed for the market, but then we built a carbon fiber one that lit up and the boat runs really well and people like the different layout,” he said. With twin Mercury Racing 450Rs, the C4000 runs 120 mph and Cosker says it’s sold out until 2023. In fact, all Mystic models are sold out well into next year and they’re all powered by 450Rs. There is a new boat expected to make its debut soon, but we couldn’t get any details about it. “The outboards make life easy,” said Cosker. “They bolt on. They work and our relationship with Mercury is wonderful.” [Text continues on page 65]
Slug Hefner’s Dirty Duck was one of the first Mystic C4000s to get Mercury Racing’s 450R outboards.
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photography by
Ray Lee
MIDSECTION
MIRACLE Mercury Racing’s latest innovation: offering the popular 300R outboard with its Advanced MidSection technology.
M
ercury Racing’s popular V8 4.6L 300R outboard is now available with the Mercury Racing Advanced MidSection
(Racing AMS)—a third midsection option that improves handling, simplifies rigging and adds additional setback to this potent, high-performance outboard. The company made the unveiling at a special event on Captiva Island in Southwest Florida, where journalists were offered rides on a variety of high-performance center consoles and catamarans
powered by the naturally aspirated 300R. The fleet included the 2015 Skater 308 cat owned by Devin Wozencraft of Wozencraft Insurance, who upgraded the boat’s twin Mercury Racing 300XS two-stroke outboards for the new 300Rs. Also on hand was a Mystic M3800 center console with quad 300Rs owned by Tom and Tracey Dekrone of Naples, FL, a Nor-Tech 390 Sport Console with quads, and a Fountain 34 Thunder Cat with twins. The 300R with the AMS midsection is available with a 5.44-inch HD or Sport
[Text continued on page 63]
Right: The new Mercury Racing 300R with Advanced MidSection.
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speedboat.com
Below: Devin Wozencraft of Wozencraft Insurance in his 2015 Skater 308 cat. Right: A Mystic M3800 center console is powered by quad 300Rs.
Below: Quad 300Rs power a Nor-Tech 390 Sport Console, and twin 300Rs power a Fountain 34 Thunder Cat.
Left: Another Nor-Tech center console is powered by triple 300Rs with the new Advanced MidSections. Bottom left: Here’s the Fountain 34 Thunder Cat with the twin 300R setup. Fountain reports that twin 300Rs can take this model to 115 mph; upgrading to the Mercury Racing 450Rs can push the boat to 130+ mph.
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story by
Brett Bayne •
photography by
Todd Taylor
TOMMY BAHAMA The record-setting offshore competitor—one of MTI’s very first—gets a loving makeover by its newest owner, Tom Mischke. 56
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Below: The restored Tommy Bahama at the 2021 Desert Storm poker run. Bottom: Tom Mischke shares a smooch with his wife, Julie.
T
here is no real person named Tommy Bahama who inhabits the legend behind the famous line of apparel. But the lifestyle that brand represents no doubt
resonates with many boaters. Founded in 1993, Tommy Bahama has become synonymous with a life spent on the beach, the “island state of mind.” Tommy Bahama symbolizes that which is casual, fun, upscale and above all, infused with quality. Twenty years ago, a raceboat came to represent the brand, much in the way iconic companies like Hooters, Bacardi, GEICO, Benihana and Budweiser have associated themselves with the offshore race course. speedboat.com
Tommy Bahama was a 40' MTI designed and built by the up-and-coming Randy Scism; it was, in fact, the fourth boat he’d popped out of his original race mold. Powered by twin 750-hp engines with Trimax surface drives, the offshore competitor was commandeered by the Wisconsin-based team of father Mark Nemschoff (throttleman) and son Paul (driver), who ran the boat in APBA’s Super Cat class. Mark was a powerboating pioneer who had managed to secure the sponsorship of Seattle-based Tommy Bahama at a time where he’d already racked up an impressive number of championships and awards. After campaigning the boat successfully for a few years and setting an APBA Supercat
speed record of 137.01 mph in 2003, Mark (then 58) walked away from the racing side of the sport and decided to focus on setting distance endurance records with Tommy Bahama (i.e., from Chicago to Detroit and back). Its enduring legacy is such that the boat is one of the most recognizable of its kind in history. Some years after the boat retired from racing, around 2011, Mark Nemschoff met musclecar restoration guru Tom Mischke at an automobile auction. The two men strongly admired each other’s work and quickly became friends after Mark purchased a 1964 Corvette that Mischke had built. “I visited his shop one day and was immeS P E E D B O A T | July 2021
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THE RETURN OF TOMMY BAHAMA
Above: The Tommy Bahama MTI competes at a 2001 APBA offshore race. Note the enclosed canopy and the scoop on the top. Left and bottom: Here’s how the MTI looked when the Mischkes flew out to Virginia Beach to see the boat three years ago. The enclosed canopy had been removed at the MTI factory several years earlier. diately drawn to all his trophies and the pictures of boats,” Mischke recalls. “He shared with me his racing past, and every time I saw him, I always pressed him on when we were going to dig Tommy Bahama out of mothballs and put her back on the water.” After years of cajoling, Mischke finally got the call from Nemschoff asking if he’d like to see the boat in Virginia Beach. He and his wife, Julie, flew out in December 2018, and during the course of that trip, Mischke became the new owner of the former Supercat competitor. Mischke is owner-operator of Gilbert, AZ-based Classic Performance Restorations, which does transformations on very highend and vintage Ferraris, Aston Martins and Jaguars. “Musclecars are where we got our start,” he says. “We’re kind of a concierge shop where we cater to a few very high-end clients and we maintain their collections, build their cars and take them to shows for them. We’re not a large-volume shop.” Naturally, Mischke performed a full restoration on Tommy Bahama, and is a reservoir of information about the boat’s history and accomplishments. [Text continues on page 64]
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THE RETURN OF TOMMY BAHAMA
Above left: Mark Nemschoff labels some gauges that were slated to be revised for the restoration. Above right: Julie tries out the driver’s seat. Left: Douglas Hahn, the raceboat’s original crew chief, installed the boat’s new Sterling engines at his shop in Virginia Beach.
Above: The crew at Tom Mischke’s Classic Performance Restorations shop in Gilbert, AZ, apply new graphics to Tommy Bahama. The original computer graphic designs were generously provided to Mischke by Ryan Beckley of Kinetic Animation. “He was super helpful,” Mischke says. Above right: Here’s the boat’s original high-quality wiring by MTI’s Randy Scism. Right: The yellow fabric on the bolster seats was swapped out for a tan color that matched the carpet on the boat.
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speedboat.com
THE RETURN OF TOMMY BAHAMA Left: Mischke’s crew continue to apply new graphics to the hull of Tommy Bahama. Below left: Ric Haupt, who worked for MTI when the original canopy was removed, had saved the boat’s scoop, and contacted Mischke after he purchased the boat. “I have something that belongs to you!” he said.
Above: Tommy Bahama on display at the 2021 Desert Storm Street Party. Left: Along with the boat, Mischke also purchased the trailer and the 1999 F550 tow vehicle to pull them.
Mischke gets the 2021 Desert Storm Shootout started with a display of the American flag. He’s accompanied by wife Julie and some close friends.
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MIDSECTION MIRACLE
[Text continued from page 54]
Master gearcase, in Phantom Black or Cold Fusion White colors. All models with the Racing AMS feature standard Mercury Digital Throttle and Shift (DTS) control and standard Mercury electro-hydraulic power steering. “With the addition of Racing AMS, more powerboat enthusiasts can experience maximum performance in the 300-hp outboard class that is only available from the Mercury Racing 300R,” said Stuart Halley, Mercury Racing general manager. “This package should be especially appealing for use on high-performance, steppedbottom center console boats, many of which have transoms already optimized for the for the added setback of the AMS as offered on other Mercury Marine/Mercury Racing outboard products. It’s a better fit on many of these transoms and permits more tilt range within narrow motorwells. With the new 300R Racing AMS models, more performance enthusiasts may now experience the punch of a Mercury Racing V8 outboard.”
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THE RETURN OF TOMMY BAHAMA [Text continued from page 58] “Mark owned a furniture company, and recognized very early on the need for a major sponsor,” Mischke explains. “So he went to Tommy Bahama, which was a privately owned company at the time and teamed up with the owner—realizing, of course, that most of the offshore racing is done in tropical areas, which the Tommy Bahama clothing brand celebrates. It’s tied to the islands and the Key West lifestyle. The alliance just
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made perfect sense. Because the boat was so successful racing, it was always in the magazines. That’s what I remember from 20 years ago—every time you’d pick up Powerboat Magazine, you’d see Mark Nemschoff and the Tommy Bahama boat.” In the early days of the boat’s racing career, Mark Nemschoff built his own engines. Although the boat was extremely fast—in no small part thanks to its Fabio
Buzzi-designed Trimax surface drives—several early races led to “DNFs.” “The boat was so fast—he was unbeatable,” Mischke says. “I have all the old videos from every race that it participated in, and they always were out front...right until the motor broke.” Eventually, a decision was made to hand over the powering duties to the legendary Mike D’Anniballe at Michigan-based Sterling Performance, which led to even greater success. Today, Tommy Bahama continues to be powered by Sterling engines and the Trimax drives. “It’s got about 758 hp, but they’re much bigger engines—650 c.i., as compared to the 570 c.i. motors when they were racing,” Mischke says. “So they’ve got a lot more torque, and we run it on 91 pump gas.” That makes the boat extremely reliable, and easy to fill up at the gas station. The boat also no longer has an enclosed canopy and features a 500-gallon fuel capacity, just in case somebody decides to try setting more distance records. “I don’t know if that will ever materialize,” Mischke chuckles, “but the fuel capacity is in there, because you never know when someone might decide to get back out there. The sky’s the limit.” Mischke had Tommy Bahama on display at this year’s Desert Storm Street Party, and was asked to open the Shootout by carrying the American flag down the course. Exhibiting at the event, Mischke says he was blown away by the sheer number of people who took the time to share their memories and love for the beloved offshore competitor. “I can’t tell you how many people came up to me to tell stories about the boat,” Mischke says. “They remembered watching a race in Sarasota back in 2002, or they saw it race in Key West.” Although Tommy Bahama did not compete in the Shootout, it did participate in the poker run. “We were still dialing in a few things,” he says. “We haven’t really set it up to be extremely fast at the top end. Right now, it’s probably a 130-mph boat. We did participate in the poker run, as well as a special run to Pirate’s Cove with the MTI folks. Randy Scism seemed extremely happy to see it back on the water. We got to share some time with Randy, and it was very nice.” “I thought it looked awesome!” Scism told Speedboat. “He did a nice job. It looked brand new. They’ve done some really nice stuff with that boat, and it looks great.” speedboat.com
To streamline production, all the hulls and decks and large parts like hardtops and consoles are all built with infused epoxy resins as well as foam core and carbon fiber. “We probably infuse more big epoxy parts in the state of Florida than anybody else,” said Cosker. He’s developed ways to streamline the production of small parts including using air bags from a truck suspension system to press the laminates together and then reverse it to pull the vacuum from the bag. After seeing the concept at a shop in Lake of the Ozarks, Cosker had docks built in the rigging area at the Mystic facility. It puts the riggers on the same level with the boat so there’s less climbing around and it lets the customers come in and see different aspects of a boat in person and real-time. Because Mystic is a custom builder, each client is fully involved with everything from the thread colors to the speakers to the components on the boat. In addition to the dock system, there’s also a conference room where the customer and Mystic personnel can collaborate on dual computer monitors to basically complete the list of accessories and colors in one visit. This cuts down on back-and-forth emails and phone calls, improving the efficiency of the build on each boat. As Mystic moves away from the 200mph clients to those who want a luxurious center-console, Cosker notices that he boats differently now as well. “I enjoy exploring a lot more. We’ve covered every inch of the Intercoastal from Jacksonville to south Florida,” he said. In 2021, he’s going to the Boyne Thunder Poker Run on Lake Michigan and was planning to attend the 1000 Islands Charity Run in Clayton, NY, but it got canceled. He and his family are planning a trip to New England with their 42 in August to go explore Long Island Sound and Cape Cod Bay, Cosker’s old stomping grounds. Also, last year, Mystic hosted its first owner’s run, taking a dozen customers and vendors to the company on a weekend getaway in Cape Coral, FL. When the boats were tied up on the docks, one of the guests at the hotel came down speedboat.com
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MYSTIC FACTORY TOUR
and started checking them out. He was from Canada and he called a friend asking what he knew about these Mystic boats. The friend asked where he was and he said, “I’m at the Westin.” So was the guy on the other end of the phone about 100’ down the docks. The hotel guest went for a ride and bought a boat the next day. “We sold boats out of that,” laughed
Cosker. He’s grateful for the customers he has and the relationships he’s built. He works the boat shows now with his family more than he used to and has found that the one-on-one interaction builds a loyal clientele. “A lot of our customers grew their own businesses and like that we’re a family run business,” said Cosker. “We have great owners.” Now if he could just keep a demo boat in stock.
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story by
Marlene Mignerey • photography by Jeannette Mignerey-Klobetanz
ON THE
R
The most fearless competitors on Earth set course to Riggins, ID, for the 37th Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race.
ecord crowds flocked to Riggins, ID, in April for the Salmon River Jet Boat Race—billed as the 37th annual, even though the 36th annual event was canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19.
The famous Salmon, known as the “River of No Return,” gives whitewater jetboaters an opportunity to shred Idaho’s waters and generally show off to the delight of spectators. The race is considered the toughest course for jetboat river racers in the United States and Canada. Competitors came to Riggins to compete in two different classes: A and FX. (Unfortunately, at the time of the event, Covid-19 was still hindering international competitors from traveling to the U.S.; four race teams from Canada were turned back at the U.S./Canadian border due to quarantine rules.) Still, racers and fans enjoyed good weather the entire race weekend. Veteran racers Tim Harding and Ryan Ringer both participat-
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Cerakote, driven by Tim Harding and navigated by Banco Scott, finished first overall and was first in A Class.
ed in A Class racing. Harding, who drove with navigator Banco Scott, took first place in the class, as well as first place overall, with a time of 0:59:40 for the two-day event. Harding has been racing and organizing jetboat river racing for 30 years in Oregon and California; he told Speedboat that the Salmon River was very rough, breaking three of his boat wings on Saturday. However, he thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of the whitewater river. Meanwhile, Ringer’s boat ran aground in the rocks at “Tight Squeeze Rapid” on Saturday. Second place in A Class was captured by driver Jeff Edwardson and navigator Josh Cox, both of Lewiston, ID, with a time of 1:07:40. Victory in FX Class was taken by driver Chuck Thompson and navigator Shelby Crea, both of Lewiston, ID, with a time of 1:00:38. All the racers in this event had racing experience of more than 25 years each. speedboat.com
Driver Jeff Edwardsen and navigator Josh Cox in the #313 boat finished second in A Class with a time of 1:07:40.
Driven by Chuck Thompson and navigated by Shelby Crea, Rump Shaker took first place in FX Class with a time of 1:00:38.
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SLAMMIN’ ON THE SALMON
Fatal Attraction, driven by Chris Barger and navigated by Chandler Lytle (both of Orofino, ID) finished second place in FX Class.
Third place in FX Class went to White Boyz Racing, with driver Shay White and navigator Grady White, brothers from Boise, ID.
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story and photography by
Mark McLaughlin
NJBA Spring Fling The National Jet Boat Association continues its dramatic 2021 season with an exciting fling at Lake Ming.
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W
ith the threat of Covid-19 still looming in April, the city of Bakersfield, CA, and Kern County were officially still in the “orange” (moder-
ate) tier. Thus, the NJBA was still under lock and key as far as spectators, vendors and food, while each race team was still operating with skeleton crews. Even so, the group managed to pull it off again, with only a few glitches, including some wind and a few technical difficulties with the timing system. Top Alcohol Flat winner Brian Nelson also entered the Top Alcohol Flat class competition, and was the #1 qualifier and the odds-on favorite to win it all. There was a cash purse payout of over $3,000 for the five boats that made eliminations on Sunday. On top of the purse payout, Dave Bolton planned to make a model of the winner’s boat in the class. Nelson finished up in the runner-up spot, but still got a nice payout for second place. Meanwhile, Matt Hudson and Joe Masek fought it out in the Quick Eliminator class, which saw Hudson come out on top. He would also run in Pro Comp Hydro and take the win there as well. Masek would have to settle for runner up again in the Pro Comp Flat class. So we wound up here with a double-down winner, and a double-down bridesmaid.
BLOWN GAS FLAT: In a seven-boat field, Tony Scarlata—driving Matt Brown’s Last Call—held down the #2 qualifying position, while Wyatt Mcallister (far lane) ended up in the #6 position going into Sunday’s eliminations. Scarlata’s efforts gave him the win in the class for the second race in a row.
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NJBA SPRING FLING
BLOWN FUEL JET: Brian Nelson was the lone boat in the class as he took home the win. He also entered into the Top Alcohol Flat class and was the #1 qualifier, but finished up in the runner-up spot.
PRO GAS HYDRO: The #1 qualifier and winner in the class was Josh Hayden, driving Danny Day’s The Black Boat. There are not many Pro Gas Hydros in the country, so they usually go uncontested each race.
TOP ALCOHOL FLAT: Tony Pulido’s Cole Fusion flatty came out for this race to join the rest of the 7 entries for a big cash payout. The #5 qualifier needed every bit of the first-place money also, as his boat caught fire in the final round pass. Team Rescue got the fire out fairly quickly, so not much damage done.
TOP ALCOHOL HYDRO: Tim Campbell in Hells Bells 2 paired up against Kent Price. Campbell was on a record-setting weekend until the final round, when some underwater hardware apparently failed, sending the machine end-over-end past the finish line. He walked away from the wreckage, but took home the win. (See Page 73 for the crash sequence.)
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PRO COMP FLAT: Driver Justin Perkins (near lane) took home the win in the class after qualifying only #10 out of 11 boats. Craig Lucas (far lane), can be seen driving in the Blown Gas Flat class. Lucas would qualify #4 and ended up in the runnerup spot.
PRO GAS JET: Class winner and #1 qualifier Josh Patridge in his Lights Out jetboat.
TOP ALCOHOL FLAT: Tony Scarlata (near lane) and Jeff Steward (far lane). In first round action, Scarlata took the win—until he met up with the jetboat in the semifinals, which saw the win go to Brian Nelson. Scarlata also ran this boat unopposed in the Pro Gas Flat class, and took home the win.
A DREADFUL HOP: Tim Campbell took exactly that after something
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failed underneath the boat, sending the machine end-over-end, with parts flying for hundreds of feet. After two and a half hours of searching, the motor was finally retrieved Sunday night.
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NJBA SPRING FLING
Here are a couple of multiple class racers going at it. Sammy Villavicencio (near lane) entered the Top Eliminator class and the Super Eliminator class. He was the #6 qualifier in TE and the #1 qualifier in Super Eliminator. Meanwhile, Lance Gilbert (far lane) was the #1 qualifier in Modified Eliminator. He won the class, and took the checkered flag in Super Eliminator class as well. A great “double down” for the team! Another pair of double class entries! Joe Masek (near lane) runs in Pro Comp Flat alongside Alan Asbe (far lane) also running PCF. Masek would oust Asbe in the first round and finish in the runner-up spot. Asbe also ran in the Pro Elilminator class and finished on top, with only two boats running. Masek ran Quick Eliminator and finished as runner-up to go along with his runner up trophy in PCF.
PRO OUTLAW: This class had a pair of boats competing, with Tim “Harley” Ritson (far lane) going up against Kevin Cornelius (near lane). Harley took the win.
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QUICK ELIMINATOR: Matt Hudson and Joe Masek fought it out until the end, with Hudson coming out on top. Masek would runner up.
TOP ELIMINATOR: 10 boats registered in the class—one of the largest for the weekend. Ben Wurster (far lane) qualified #2, while Tyler Souza qualified #4. In the finals, Wurster took down Tyler in a very close race.
Blown Gas Flat record holder Jim Shelton took a wild ride during qualifying on Saturday, ending up on the other side of the machine while still trying to steer the boat out of the way of the sensors and bouys. Shelton was sore but checked out OK.
UNBLOWN FUEL JET: The #1 qualifier was Steve Penberthy. Out of the four boats that entered, he would take all of them down and stood on the top spot with the trophy by Sunday’s end.
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story and photography by
Mark McLaughlin
SCSC
California Speedboat Club competitors gather at Lake Ming for the second bout of the season.
LAKE MING REGATTA
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S
outhern California Speedboat Club members headed to Bakersfield for their second bout of the season. The Absolute Speed & Marine Lake Ming Regatta Presented by Nick Rose Insurance saw excellent weather and a decent boat turnout,
although there were a few no-shows due to incidents at the season-kickoff date in Parker, AZ. Most recently, the Sportsman Extreme class of flatbottoms, with their 85-mph speed limit, has been the most popular and largest class. After the Parker race, a few of the machines broke and were on the mend. Casey Hoffman, driving his own #719 competitor, dominated the class. In Grand National class, Pat Hoban’s GN30 took home the honors, with Cole Noble at the wheel, while Kenny Spring (driving his own GN 33) finished off the weekend in second place. K Boats put on a decentshow, with the #16, #777 and #999 entries doing well. Jay Hart, driving for John Guthrie Jr. in the open K16, took home the first-place honors. Steve Sequeira in the #999 machine, and Duff Daily in #777 (which had flipped at the Parker race) finished second and third place, respectively. speedboat.com
Casey Hoffman, driving his own #719 machine, dominated the class in the regatta. Joe Catanzarite, driving Dave Tilley’s #155 competitor in the far lane, finished third overall for the weekend.
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SCSC LAKE MING REGATTA
GN: Pat Hoban’s GN30 took home the honors in the class, with Cole Noble at the wheel. Meanwhile, Kenny Spring driving his own GN33 finished off the weekend in second place.
GPS 100: Owner Ray Pauli brought his flatty down from Utah, with Jeff McLachlan shoeing the #501 machine to first place. McLachlan, also from Utah, had a doubledown weekend, also winning in Unblown Flat class. Jasper Macdonald, in the #155 boat, finished third overall behind McLachlan and Don Dunster.
CLASSIC ENDURANCE: Longtime racer Skip Ewing, driving the #141 boat for James Best, went all the way to the top of the class. By Sunday afternoon, he was the champ. Congrats to the entire Best/Ewing race teams for finishing first and second.
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KRR: K boats put on a pretty good show. Jay Hart, driving for John Guthrie Jr. in the open K16, took home the first-place honors.
JUNIOR HYDROPLANE: Luke Hooker (right, far lane) and Kayla Hunter (near lane) finished first and second, in that order. SPORTSMAN LIMITED “20” HYDRO: Kevin Curtis and Marina Bartels (below) fight it out for the lead, with Kevin taking the win. His #7-0 machine and Bartels’ #711 competitor finished first and second by the end of racing on Sunday.
SPORTSMAN LIMITED “A” HYDRO: This class had the largest field of boats in the Limited series. By end of racing, the winner was Brittany Maurer in #126, followed by Casey Jones in his #72 hydro.
SPORTSMAN LIMITED “300” HYDROPLANE: Joe Johnson (above left) and five other racers in this hydro class raced for the number-one position, with Johnson taking the win. speedboat.com
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SCSC LAKE MING REGATTA CRACKERBOX PRO: These boats were sure fun to watch. Starting with 10 on Saturday morning and ending with a small handful of boats remaining, driver Tony Lombardo and rider Mike Wright took home the overall win. The field of boats for the weekend had everything from seasoned veterans to new drivers with new equipment. Overall, it was a great show, with the P5 on top of the field.
OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE
[Continued from page 8]
In loving memory of Margaret “Cookie” Smith March 8, 1952 – April 10, 2021
Gary Smith and Cookie, his high-school sweetheart and beloved wife of 50 years.
likely it was simply the fact that people were thirsting to return to normalcy and enjoy life again…and enjoy, they did. The next day brought Poker Run Day. This is the performance boaters’ exclusive stage to showcase the brute power and dazzling beauty of their respective boats, while giving each team, despite their size or speed, an equal chance of winning top honors and taking home the prize money. 236 boats all shot for that goal. While it’s never considered to be a race, the mix of adrenaline, testosterone and horsepower always brings friendly competition. Saturday’s Shootout, on the other hand, is a race and sometimes the competition loses its “friendly” factor. Competitors prepare their boats for months to run a solo pass down a designated ¾-mile course, with a starting on-plane speed of no greater than 40 mph, to achieve their fastest top speed by the end of the track. The goal is to earn the coveted title of “King/Queen of the Desert,” respectively. This competition turned bitter when the first few passes were recorded incorrectly with a higher-than-accurate top speed for the first few racers before having the official radar guns recalibrated for accuracy. South Dakota’s Cory Schmitz in his Eliminator 33’ Daytona Fatal Attraction powered by twin 1650+hp engines from Todd’s Performance Engines was one of the first that day and was awarded a 199.6 mph pass—a number that would be later recalled and would not
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stand. Schmitz never ran a second pass due to a broken trim tab. Past “King of the Desert” recipients Gary Smith of Tucson, AZ and close friend Vern Gilbert of Lake Havasu’s West Coast Drives ran the iconic white, purple, and yellow 40’ Skater Predator with twin 2,000+ hp Carson Brummett engines to a top speed of 170.8 mph with the recalibrated radar guns, which was the top speed accurately recorded for the men’s class that day. Miranda Jones recorded a blistering and undisputed 175.5 mph in her 388 Skater Dial 911, also with twin 2,000+ hp Carson Brummett engines, securing her second consecutive “Queen of the Desert” title. Her first was earned running the family’s 40' Skater in 2019. It was later determined by Storm Poker
Runs officials that a unilateral penalty of 25 mph would be deducted to each of the boats’ speeds that ran prior to the radar guns being recalibrated––a number that was determined based on an average mile per hour discrepancy reported by the early racers and a number that was hotly contested online and beyond. Ultimately, Schmitz and his 33' Eliminator was awarded the “King of the Desert” honors. Despite this unfortunate, unpleasant incident, the 2021 Desert Storm event proved to be an overwhelming success. Highperformance boating was back. High speeds were back. Large crowds enjoying a large event was back. And masked faces were gone. At least for that weekend, they were. Let’s hope that this trend continues throughout the rest of 2021 and beyond. We all need it and we definitely deserve it.
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