S PEEDBO AT M A G A ZINE
INSIDE: DCB’S WALK-THROUGH WONDER!
OPA
5
World Championships INTERVIEW:
STUNNING ‘21 MACHINES Join Us On Our LOTO Powerfest
The Ladies
NO V E MB E R / DEC EM B E R 2 020
of
MTI
TRAVIS PASTRANA OF MISS GEICO
See Page 34
NOV/ DEC 2020
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
COLUMNS
8 RAY LEE 10 BOB TEAGUE 12 INDUSTRY NEWS
FEATURES 14 FIVE EASY PIECES
At LOTO, our team drove five boats that were easy to fall in love with by Mystic, Statement, Fountain, Outerlimits and Cigarette.
34 MTI LADIES' RUN
MTI’s Taylor Scism gathers some of speedboating’s most passionate ladies for an all-female photo shoot at the Lake of the Ozarks.
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S P E E D B O A T | November/December 2020
38 OFFSHORE AT THE OZARKS & OPA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
After a contentious cat contest in Missouri, OPA action heads back to North Carolina for the final race of the year.
50 TAMPA BAY POKER RUN
The Florida Powerboat Club celebrates the 10th anniversary of the event with a record turnout.
54 WALK-THROUGH WONDER
DCB delivers the first walk-through version of its M33R cat, powered by twin Mercury Racing 450Rs.
58 FOR THE WIN
Speedboat salutes Win Farnsworth, one of the world’s most passionate and philanthropic men in our sport.
speedboat.com
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
BRETT’S COVE 65 GRIGGS' RIG
Longtime jetboat fanatic John Griggs’ latest California Performance hull is an absolute stunner.
70 SCSC NATIONALS
Iced out of Long Beach Marine Stadium, competitors head to Lake Ming for an exciting bout—with numerous restrictions.
76 NJBA COVID-19 SHOWDOWN
NJBA racers stare down Covid-19 restrictions at a rollicking season opener at Bakersfield’s Lake Ming.
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S P E E D B O A T | November/December 2020
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OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE With this being our final issue of what can arguably be one of the worst years in recent memory, it’s comforting to think that we’re all still here together celebrating life and the remarkable world of high-performance boating. With the global pandemic Covid-19 decimating most of the boating events scheduled for 2020, I applaud the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri for remaining its normalcy and allowing those who chose to do so, go boating freely on wide open waterways with limited restrictions or boundaries.
Offshore Racing Gets Its Groove On
Because of this, we have traveled to “LOTO” four times in four months to cover events that happened there. Normally, we only visit during the epic “Shootout Week” that occurs each August. But with no other events happening elsewhere, we’ve been able to enjoy the lake when it is not nearly as busy, which was a treat—especially for us and our hectic schedule during the Shootout trip. Most recently, Speedboat photographer Todd Taylor and I traveled to central Missouri to cover the inaugural, and possibly only, Offshore at the Ozarks—presented by Performance Boat Center and based out of the grandiose resort of Camden on the Lake in Lake Ozark. PBC owners Mark Waddington and Brett Manire grew weary of watching all of the year’s races cancelled and having their 32' Wright Performance Super Stock competitor, Performance Boat Center S-1 sit collecting dust, so they got proactive and decided to host their own race—“Cats Only” Edition. Modeled after LOTO’s other “offshore” race in May, the Lake Race, the team at PBC organized the event and the racers came. With teams Dependable, Gone Again, M CON and SV Racing representing the Supercat class and teams PBC, CR Racing, FJ Propeller, Jackhammer, LPC, Allen Lawn Care & Landscaping, Shaun Torrente Racing,
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S P E E D B O A T | November/December 2020
Top: Race boats docked at the Camden on the Lake resort in Lake Ozark, MO. Left: Performance Boat Center’s Mark Waddington and daughter Jamie Lusero with OPA President Ed “Smitty” Smith.
TNT Caddyshack, and Phase 5 in the Super Stock classes, a total of three heats were scheduled during the two day event—two for each class on Friday’s Day 1 and the double-points final heat on Saturday’s Day 2. Even ClassONE competitor and crowd favorite Miss GEICO made the trek to LOTO to stretch the reptilian legs of the chartreuse lady gecko and run as an exhibition for the crowd’s enjoyment. The race pits were set up about a mile up from the hotel on Bittersweet Road, where the teams stationed their home bases for the week, perhaps a bit slower than usual due to “race rust.” But it was wonderful to see and walk the grounds, eavesdropping on the crew’s different strategies on set up and how
they anticipated the water conditions to be. The proper, or improper set up of a race boat can make or break the team’s outcome for the battle. The racers were all anxious to get out onto the liquid track and run WOT (wide open throttle) and navigate the turn buoys, truly for the love of the sport. The wide, spacious docks at the Camden on the Lake Resort also made for a nice showcase area for the fans to come see the race rods on-water and meet the throttlemen and driver duos that operate these vaunting vessels. And with the amount of people that milled around the area, it was apparent that Offshore at the Ozarks was a very welcomed spectacle. Including for yours truly. Then it was time for the green flags to drop. First up were the Supercats. Teams SV Racing and Dependable failed to make the start of the first race due to mechanical issues, leaving only teams Gone Again and M CON to battle it out. Ultimately, Billy
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TEAGUE ON TECH BOB TEAGUE
GM/Mercury big-block Chevy oil pan. Aftermarket pick-up with brace.
GM/Mercury Oil Pump Pick-up.
Oil Pump Pick-Up Dear Bob: I am building a pair of 555 cubic inch naturally aspirated engines, using the Melling 10778C oil pump and an 8.5” deep pan that was on the engines (Originally Mercury Racing 600 SC). What pick-up do you recommend? Marshall Fall Smyrna, TN The pick-up needed for the Mercury pan is the one that is designed for that pan which comes welded to the oil pump on a variety of marine engines. In order
to properly install the pick-up, you should mount the pump on the rear main cap with the pick-up tube pressed into the pump. Next, with a straight edge and a ruler or measuring tape, move the pick-up so that the screen cone is parallel to the engine block’s pan rails. Then, carefully remove the pump without disturbing the pick-up position and braze the pick-up to the cast iron pump housing. Alternative pick-ups are available that are also supported by a bracket that is bolted to two of the pump cover bolts. You may have trouble finding one that is the correct length for your stock pan. The oil pump pick-up screen should be about 1/2" from the bottom of the pan. If it is too close, oil starvation could occur resulting in engine damage. Your Melling 10778C pump cover is held in place by five 6x1.0 metric bolts. If you use a pick-up with a support bracket, you will also have to provide bolts that are longer to compensate for the thickness of the bracket. As a side note, Melling makes a version of the pump you have that does not have the “anti-cavitation” feature. The part number is the same, but without the “C.” We have found that the idle oil pressure is generally lower with the 10778C, and sometimes takes the pump a little longer to prime.
Oil pump installed with aftermarket pick-up.
Replacement Fuel Tank Pick-ups Dear Bob: I’m working on a 37’ Talon offshore cat and I want to replace the pickup lines in the fuel tanks. They are a stiff plastic type that is 3/4” inside diameter. I just don’t know what the composition is for the material. This tubing measures .750" ID, and the wall thickness is approximately .065” and each one is 24” in length. Can you help me with this? Barry Annis Newcastle, CA
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Most aluminum fuel tanks have 1/2” NPT bungs in the top where the fuel pick-up tube and fitting screws into. Over time, the plastic tubes start getting brittle and results in an air leak at the connection point. This can cause aerated fuel or in severe cases not being able to pick up fuel from the tank. The best solution is to change the fittings and tubing using a brass adapter that is 1/2" NPT (assuming that the tank bung is 1/2" NPT) to -10AN (or whatever the size of the fuel hoses are). The tubing we use is 1/2" type L copper which measures .625" OD. The length is determined including the fitting. It is best to have the bottom of the tube about 1/2" off the bottom of the tank when installed. Also, cut a 45 degree angle on the bottom of the pick up tube. Put the adapter fitting in the lathe and bore the hole at the pipe thread end with a 5/8" drill. It is only necessary to drill into the fitting about 3/4". Clean the top end of the tube with Scotch-Brite or something similar. Put soldering flux on the tube and fitting bore and push the tube into the bore in the fitting. Using a propane torch, “sweat” the fitting and the tube together the same way you would with a copper water pipe. The same procedure can be used for fuel cells with precautions. Most fuel cells have a plate in the top with pipe threads that can be used the same as a bung. You can make the pick-up tube in the same manner, but extra caution is necessary to protect the cell. If the plate is removable, you can screw the pick-up tube assembly into it. In this case, you can make the tube a little shorter and clamp a piece of vapor barrier fuel hose on the end to protect the cell.
S P E E D B O A T | November/December 2020
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Fort Lauderdale Show Exhibitors Upbeat
H
igh-performance boat exhibitors little timid so close to the election. We have at late October’s Fort Lauderdale sea trials setup this week and expect the
Boat Show endured reduced attendence due to restricted ticket sales, but exhibitors said that those who did come to the show were serious buyers.
MTI’s 390X catamaran. Jeremy Anderson, general manager of mega-dealer Big Thunder Marine, displayed four Fountain center consoles, including a 43NX, 34SC, 38LS and 38TE. “For the first time as the local dealer in Ft. Lauderdale, we are very pleased with how the show turned out,” Anderson told Speedboat. “We sold the best Fountain 43NX yet on the very first day! The boat was loaded with 450Rs and Seakeeper, and had an amazing paint job.” He said traffic seemed lighter, “but there were definitely buyers,” he said. “They seemed a
follow up from the show to produce great results.” Taylor Scism of MTI said the builder showed off a 42V center console and a 390X catamaran at the show, and also provided water demos at Haulover Marine in North Miami. “Exhibitor attendance was definitely down compared to past years,” she said. “The crowds were lower than they have been, but it seemed like the people who did come were serious. We had a good turnout and we always sell off the show for the upcoming months.” Mystic Powerboats owner John Cosker, who displayed M4200 and M3800 center consoles, said, “I had set my expectations pretty low for the Ft. Lauderdale show and was very pleasantly surprised. While foot traffic was lower than in the past, the people who did attend the show seemed to be seriously shopping for boats, so we had a great show. We are working through a lot of leads, putting final quotes together on boats and arranging factory visits and sea trials. With the Miami show being canceled last week, we are now setting our sites on the Palm Beach show in March and are hoping for the same results there.”
Miami International Boat Show Canceled The first Covid-19 casualties of 2021 have arrived: Organizers of the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show have pulled the plug on the event, which was scheduled for Feb. 11-15, along with nine other NMMA shows. Owned by the National Marine Manufacturers Association and held on Virginia Key, the show is traditionally held during Presidents Day weekend in midFebruary, and was poised to celebrate its 80th annual edition. But in a press release issued by the NMMA, health concerns led to its cancellation, along with nine others. “These decisions are in the best interest of our consumers, staff, members, and industry and are the result of months-long conversations with exhibitors, health officials, venue operators, and other stake-
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holders on producing safe, successful, and high-quality consumer experiences,” the statement reads. “We understand the vital role boat shows play in showcasing new products and generating sales for our industry, and at this time, NMMA expects to resume its full show schedule starting in September 2021.” In a separate statement, prospective exhibitors were told that “the health and safety of everyone involved in producing, exhibiting and attending our show is of the utmost importance Following a thorough market-by-market analysis regarding the feasibility of producing safe, successful and high-quality consumer experiences at NMMA winter boat and sports shows in 2021, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the show.”
Lavey Craft Closing Storefront and Restructuring: Chris Camire, presi-
dent of Lavey Craft Motorsports, tells Speedboat that he plans to close his factory in Corona, CA—at least for the time being—while riding out the global pandemic that has eviscerated so many other businesses. “The pandemic simply halted a major amount of planned service, restoration, and new boat sales,” he said. “At the end of the day, when you look at the facility costs, this property doesn’t make sense at this time.” Having made it through the 2008 economic crisis, Camire said he was scaling back now in order to find a more suitable home for the business. So he’ll be putting his numerous molds into storage and will seek a smaller location so he can continue to service his existing customer base. “I plan on being in this industry for years to come,” he said. “This is more of a hibernation, or a hiatus.”
Super Boat International Founder John Carbonell Dead at 83: Carbonell, who
founded the organization in 1989, has died of natural causes at the age of 83 after battling with health issues for several years. A native of Key West, FL, Carbonell began racing powerboats in 1976 and tried to engage the APBA in his idea for the Offshore Professional Tour (OPT) in 1985. After turning him down several times, he launched the OPT in 1989. Its inaugural season was a smashing success, with plenty of magazine and TV exposure. Its inaugural season included the Bud Dry Marathon Offshore Challenge in Marathon, FL, with each of the races televised on the ESPN network. He attracted celebrity racers like Don Johnson and Chuck Norris to help promote and participate in the races early on, with others (Kurt Russell, Bruce Jenner and Jason Priestley) to follow. By 1992, Carbonell had become the head of Super Boat Racing, effectively merging with OPT. Carbonell will be remembered as a giant in offshore racing. He was a force hitherto unseen in the sport, and one that is unlikely to be matched in the future. speedboat.com
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38SC
FOUNTAIN
S
ince the purchase of Fountain Powerboats by the Iconic Marine Group (IMG) in 2016, managing director Fred Ross and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harris have been busy beefing up the brand’s high-performance offerings. The goal has been to re-establish the company as a major force in the high-performance market, and among their triumphs has been the introduction of the new 47' Lightning, as well as the 34' Thunder Cat—the first for the storied brand. A huge share of the Fountain line continues to be made up of center consoles for anglers. But about a year ago, the Washington, NC-based company modified its popular 34CC fish boat to appeal to the sport-boat segment; hence, the 34SC (Sport Console) was born. That model featured striking upholstery and a newly envisioned graphics package targeted for the poker run crowd. Now, following close on the heels of the 34’s
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release comes its sister ship: the 38SC, aimed even more squarely at the performance market. It’s bigger and roomier, featuring marine mat on the floor, gunwales, cockpit sole and hard top. And while the 34SC was typically powered by a pair of Mercury Marine Verado 400 outboards (top speed in the low 60s), the first 38SC has been equipped with quad Mercury Racing 400Rs, allowing the boat to approach triple-digit speeds. Speedboat got an opportunity to drive the first 38SC at the recent Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. There’s a reason, after all these years and all the waves of technology, that Fountain remains on the cutting edge in the performance market. Plenty of hardcore drivers still swear by the builder’s craftsmanship and go-fast know how. “Fountain started the high-performance center console fishing boat market more than 30 years ago,” says COO Jeff Harris. “It’s only natural that once again we’re out front in
developing a new segment of go-fast boats with head-turning graphics, top-rated sound systems, innovative styling and block party seating capacity.” Our 38SC came with the upgrade of two rows of bolsters—an extra row located directly behind the two for the pilot and co-pilot. A rear bench with seating for three is located directly behind the bolsters. Meanwhile, the bow of the 38SC features a chaise lounge directly in front of the console, with wraparound U-shaped bow seating for additional passengers. On the side of a console is a door leading to a head; it’s not the roomiest we’ve ever seen, but it’s perfectly functional. It’s an immaculate craft, and the four 400Rs provide a truly outstanding ride that’s fun and fast. (Of course, these can be swapped out for 450Rs for a definitive 100+ mph top speed.) The center console is protected by a powder coated T-top with an integrated sun shade.
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Fountain delivers the second boat in its Sport Console line, and it’s a stunner!
FOUNTAIN 38SC Length: 38'4" Beam: 10'6"
Engines on test boat: 4 Mercury Racing 400R outboards
Standard equipment: Cored fiberglass inner liner, rubrail, 3 bilge pumps, Mercury DTS engine controls, Mercury stainless steel propellers, electric/hydraulic Mercury steering, Livorsi 1150 trim tabs, Shadow-Caster lighting control system, aft facing seat, bow seating with integrated back rest, chaise lounge console seat, head with ceramic toilet, pressurized transom shower, freshwater sink, Garmin electronics package, JL Audio sound system, etc. Manufacturer’s estimated top speed: 95+ mph FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS 1653 Whichards Beach Road Washington, NC 27889 (252) 975-2000 fountainpowerboats.com
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FOUNTAIN 38SC
The center console is protected by an aluminum powder-coated T-top with a cored fiberglass lid and integrated electric sunshade. The console provides ample protection from wind and sun. Behind the bolsters is a second row of seating; behind them, a rear bench for a total of three rows of seating.
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NIGHTHAWK
CIGARETTE
C
igarette Racing of Opa-Locka, FL—one of the world’s most famous boatbuilders—currently offers four traditional deep-vee sterndriven speedboats between 38 and 51 feet, as well as four outboard-powered center-console hulls between 39 and 59 feet. Cigarettes are famous for their reliability, stability and rough water handling, so our team was stoked to catch a ride on the builder’s 41' Nighthawk, powered by quad Mercury Racing 450Rs. The boat debuted at the Miami International Boat Show back in February, and was sold to Performance Boat Center at the Lake of the Ozarks as a demo boat. Although the Nighthawk is a new model for Cigarette, it’s got “the same guts and glory” as the company’s tried-and-true 41' GTR, according to Brett Manire of PBC. “They didn’t change the bottom steps—it’s essentially the same hull design of the GTR
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but with a fresh new book, modern styling, a new dash, a new interior fabrics, amenities, etc., but with the same awesome ride that the GTR always featured.” Prior to the LOTO Shootout, we sent our inspector-in-chief and test driver, Bob Teague, to sum up the boat. Teague was mightily enthusiastic about the boat’s looks. The fit and finish on everything, from stem to stern, is top-tier. Teague took note of virtually all of the boat’s amenities: anchor locker up front, large and comfortable lounge in the bow section, wraparound L-shaped rear bench, simple but classy paint job, impressive upholstery and seat construction were some of the components he gave top marks to. There’s a nice-sized cabin below with storage cabinets with latches to keep them closed, a flushing head, large sleeping berth, control center, etc. And one of the most impressive features of the Nighthawk
is its T-top. Coming down from the front portion is a double-curvature, frameless clear-laminated safety glass windscreen that protects passengers from any wind. Then, telescoping out from the back of this top is an optional, electrically actuated sun shade that’s both functional and incredibly cool. The Nighthawk will be configured with quad outboards, so it’s up to you to choose between Mercury 350s, 400s or 450s. Powered by the quad 450Rs, the boat comes up on plane effortlessly. Cruising in the 50-mph range is a great fun—but then, when you stab the throttle, it pushes you back in the seat and you’re gone. Even with a full load of people, this boat is fast and nimble. We got it up to 87 mph, and we suspect there’s some extra mph to be found. The Nighthawk would be perfect for a
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photography by
A new incarnation of the 41 GTR features new styling and awesome speed.
Todd Taylor
CIGARETTE NIGHTHAWK Length: 41' Beam: 11'
Engines on test boat: 4 Mercury Racing 450R outboards
Optional equipment on test boat: Quick Release fender holders, Nighthawk Sport Paint package, “cool� fabric upgrade, soft deck flooring, sport teak flooring, electric telescoping forward table, dual row seating, bow thruster, windlass system, telescoping aft sunshade, A/C & diesel generator, upgraded audio system, Garmin GMR 24 HD system, Garmin Autopilot, theft deterrent system, front and rear-facing cameras, underwater camera, Garmin convenience package upgrade. Top speed: 87 mph
CIGARETTE RACING 4355 NW 128th St. Opa-Locka, FL 33054 (305) 931-4564 cigaretteracing.com speedboat.com
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CIGARETTE NIGHTHAWK
The fit and finish on the Nighthawk is top-tier. It features an anchor locker up front, large and comfortable lounge in the bow section, wraparound L-shaped rear bench, simple but classy paint job and impressive upholstery and seat construction.
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photography by
Tom Leigh and Clint Schaffnit
360
STATEMENT
F
lorida-based Statement Marine is one of the nation’s respected “tri-
ple threats”—it builds center consoles, traditional vee hulls and go-fast catamarans, all between 35 and 50 feet. Its newest offering for 2021 is a sexy outboard cat whose molds were actually acquired from Jay Pilini after Statement acquired the assets of Pilini Marine earlier in the year. This new model, the 360, joins Statement’s larger offshore catamaran, the 50' Passion, which hit the water a decade ago. Statement has made several modifications to the original Pilini design. The boat now features a dual-helm setup, allowing the user to remove the steering wheel one side and attach it to the other. Statement’s team also resized the windshield (courtesy of Lee Aerospace), changed the side boxes that house the LED lights and other components and redesigned the interior seating configuration. In addition, they’ve
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added a small swim platform to the transform that incorporates a ladder (which sales and marketing chief Craig Barrie equates to a kind of tunnel tension). Finally, Statement has refined the deck styling to make it integrate more naturally with the windshield. “There are a lot of little tweaks here and there to make it more of a Statement,” Barrie says. Statement has built several 360s so far, including one for customer Brian Hoar of Vermont (See Page 52); our tester is being sold by Big Thunder Marine at the Lake of the Ozarks. It sports a dark gray paint job and features a 22" Garmin display and 703 VesselView, seating for six (two at the controls and four in the rear bench), upgraded Alcantara interior and a pair of Mercury Racing 450R outboards. The boat has a huge amount of storage in the rear for lines, fenders, luggage, etc. Ergonomically, the 360 has been laid out
exceptionally well. The 360 is also a proven performer when it’s moving. It rolls onto plane effortlessly, at about 11 mph, and does not porpoise or hop at speed. Turning the boat, even at speeds of 80-90 mph, is a breeze, and the 360 leans in on the turns. It handles very well in rough water, and this was fairly easy to corroborate out on the superbusy Lake of the Ozarks. With the 450Rs, its ability to track is just phenomenal. You can throttle to a speed between 100 and 110, and just hang there; it feels smooth and comfortable—you won’t feel the need to back off. It holds the water extremely well. While our team did not attempt a top speed, Barrie says the Statement achieved 129 mph “on a perfect day with cool air and plenty of room on the lake.” Statement customer Brian Hoar, who picked up his own 360 over the summer,
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The Florida builder adds a second amazing catamaran to its lineup.
STATEMENT 360 Length: 36'
Engines on test boat: 2 Mercury Racing 450R outboards
Standard equipment: Cockpit LEDs, dash panels with push-button switches, batteries, battery charger, jackplates, bilge pumps and drain plugs, JL Audio System with four 7" speakers and two 10" subwoofers, Marine Mat flooring, Garmin display and 703 VesselView, aluminum rubrail, single rear hatch, single color custom paint, Mercury props, Chris Mills paint, revised and enhanced dash layout featuring flat-panel Simrad displays, Lee Aerospace wraparound windshield, etc. Estimated top speed in optimum conditions: 129 mph STATEMENT MARINE 6101 45th Street North, Unit 4 St. Petersburg, FL 33714 (954) 614-2591 statementmarine.com speedboat.com
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STATEMENT 360
Our Statement 360 featured a luxurious interior with extremely comfortable seats made with Alcantara fabric. There’s a super JL Audio system, large Garmin screen, logo in the carpet and plenty of drink holders. The boat features a cool reconfigured wraparound windshield by Lee Aerospace. There’s plenty of storage in the back for virtually anything you need to bring aboard. Our tester did not come with the dual-helm system, but later versions do.
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Todd Taylor
MYSTIC
A
lan Hagie isn’t just a first-time customer of Mystic Powerboats. His recent purchase of an M4200
center console is actually his first purchase of a true high-performance boat. Previously the owner of a 30-foot Cobalt production boat, Iowa-based Hagie and his wife Lisa had been accustomed to tooling around in some of the state’s smaller lakes. But after building a home at the Lake of the Ozarks, they were suddenly surrounded by all manner of performance craft. The time had come to make an upgrade. “After doing a ton of research, I came to the conclusion that it was down to the Mystic and one other brand,” he says. “I really liked the Mystic, so I decided to call the plant in DeLand, FL, to ask some questions about the boat. I got to chatting with the guy who answered the phone, and he really knew his stuff. We had a great conversation. When I’d gotten all my answers, he told me to call
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back if he needed anything else. ‘Just ask for John,’ he said. I said, ‘Are you John Cosker?’ I’d been talking to the company owner all this time! What a down-to-Earth guy.” As Hagie would discover in his research, Mystic got its start in the late ’90s building both monohulls and offshore catamarans, and continues to offer boats in both configurations. In addition to offering the C4000 catamaran, their two vee bottoms are both center-consoles: the M3800 and the M4200. (The builder’s most famous boat continues to be American Ethanol, the 2013 51' Mystic capsulized carbon fiber boat that has won the LOTO Shootout’s Top Gun honors for the last six consecutive years.) Climb aboard any Mystic, and it’s clear that it comes from a factory obsessed with high-performance and speed. “My first observation is that it’s straightforward and simple, but also has a lot of complexity to it,” Speedboat test driver Bob Teague says of the
M4200
M4200. “It’s obviously built by a company that also builds race boats, because it has that kind of rigging flair.” Introduced in 2015, the M4200 has become the flagship of Mystic’s center console lineup: It’s big, it’s wide, and it’s deep. There’s a great deal of room on the boat, so its owners are used to having a lot of passengers. You don’t generally see a boat like the M4200 with only a couple of people on board—more typically, there are six to 10. And Mystic has crafted this hull with all of the right characteristics and amenities to make them as comfortable as possible, from high windscreens and doors on the side of the console to a reverse chine on the hull, lots of storage, a great stereo system, comfortable seats, cool lighting—all of the creature comforts that boaters appreciate in a comfortable day boat. Everything Hagie normally drives—his
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Mystic’s flagship center console delivers extreme comfort, plenty of room, and performance galore.
MYSTIC M4200 Length: 42’10” Beam: 10’11”
Engines on test boat: three Mercury Racing 450R outboards
Standard equipment: Mercury Vessel View, LED lighting, stainless cleats, dive door, transom door, shower, queen size bed, seating for 15, fully infused epoxy hull and deck, three-person helm seat, 38” of freeboard. Manufacturer’s estimated top speed in optimum conditions: 80 mph
MYSTIC POWERBOATS 1848 Patterson Ave. DeLand, FL 32724 (386) 736-2247 mysticpowerboats.com speedboat.com
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MYSTIC M4200
The full, deep cabin below the helm of the M4200 features a dinette that converts to a queen size sleeper. The cabin boasts a full 7 feet of head room, a head, wet bar, microwave, entertainment system, ample storage, refrigerator, etc.
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117887_SpeedboatJuly20_003,011,015,033,047,061,083,084.indd 15
7/16/20 7:01 PM
photography by
Todd Taylor
SC-46
OUTERLIMITS HURRY UP
T
he May 2017 issue of Speedboat featured a massive deep-vee Outerlimits SV-50 called Hurry Up, owned by Jason and Laurie Moe of Washington State. At the time, the Moes were already established Outerlimits customers, having previously tamed a 46' vee from the factory. In the time that has passed from those models, they have doubled-down on their loyalty by purchasing yet another Outerlimits: this time, it’s an SC-46 catamaran powered by a set of Mercury Racing dual-calibration 1550/1350 engines. The first thing you’ll notice about the boat is its amazing Stephen Miles Design paint job—an stunning work of craftsmanship that incorporates track-pad graphics that pay tribute to Moe’s excavation company. The elaborate blue, silver and gray, industrialthemed paint scheme is perfectly executed, and reportedly took a combined 2,000 hours to complete.
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“We went through maybe a hundred different renderings, between Stephen, my wife and myself,” Jason recalls. “Before they actually started painting, we weren’t sure if we were really going to like it. But we wanted to do something different, and the idea of this theme boat was to acknowledge what we do for a living, which is the excavation company. We just want to do something different— something that you don’t see every day.” In addition to the eye-catching graphics, the Outerlimits also features underwater lighting, LED lighting inside the canopy that change colors, and finally tunnel lights. “Those are kind of neat,” Jason says. “I haven’t seen too many of those out there. It makes it so cool to see the boat lit up at night when it’s at the dock.” Indeed—the vibrant blue LED-illuminated cockpit resembles something straight out of Star Wars, with all of the cool control buttons, carbon fiber dash with large Garmin touch screens and
the ultramodern, logo imprinted upholstery. The interior of the SC-46 is nothing short of phenomenal, according to the owner. “Outerlimits totally knocked this one out of the park.” Other amenities include storage in the sponsons for bumpers and lines, as well as additional storage between the two engine compartments. Jason told Speedboat that in planning the build, one of the most important components would be to keep the weight down and the speed possibilities robust. “Every time I talked to Dan Kleitz or Jason Amaral at Outerlimits, I stressed that my boat would have to be among the lighter and faster ones,” he says. “So anytime we could add carbon, we did. There’s carbon fiber throughout the boat, inside and out.” The boat included one extraordinarily unique and invaluable upgrade that isn’t available with other boats on the mar-
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Jason Moe’s Outerlimits is called ‘Hurry Up’ for 190 great reasons.
OUTERLIMITS SC46 Length: 45'9" Beam: 11'11"
Engines on test boat: Twin Mercury Racing dualcalibration 1550/1350 engines. Options on test boat: Alcantara fabric, carbon fiber layup, color-changing LED interior lighting, tunnel lights, special graphics package, etc. Top speed: 190+ mph
OUTERLIMITS POWERBOATS 3 Minturn Farm Rd. Bristol, Ri 02809 (401) 253-7300 outerlimitspowerboats.info
Left (left to right): Outerlimits repeat customer Jason Moe, Miss GEICO throttleman Sir Steve Curtis and Speedboat Magazine co-publisher Ray Lee check out the SC-46 Hurry Up at its display at the 2020 Miami International Boat Show. speedboat.com
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OUTERLIMITS SC46
The fully canopied interior of Jason Moe’s Outerlimits is truly state of the art. It features color-changing LED lighting, Alcantara fabric and plenty of storage space. The boat’s dualcalibration Mercury Racing 1550/1350 engines push this machine past the 190 mph mark.
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speedboat.com
photography by
Todd Taylor and Tom Leigh
MTI Y
vonne Aleman of Fort Lauderdale, FL—owner of an
MTI 340X—remembers how the event began. Aleman had been talking on the phone earlier this year to MTI’s Taylor Scism about how female speedboaters don’t get the recognition they deserve. Aleman is one of the sport’s heavy-hitters, a former Skater owner who has participated in shootouts (she ran the 2016 LOTO edition with Tristan Collins Garvin) and drives her MTI Mad Props with her partner/boyfriend, Greg Harris, on the sticks. “There are really very few women operators in the sport, and as one of them, I think it sucks that we don’t get recognized. Most of the recognition goes to the hottest girl in a bikini.” Once behind the wheel, Aleman says she doesn’t get out even to pick up a poker card. The conversation struck a nerve with Scism, who contacted Aleman shortly afterwards to pitch an idea for a special photo shoot prior to the 2020 edition of LOTO that would pay tribute to the go-fast
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’ women in speedboating. “I said great, but if this is a bikini shoot, I’m not interested. I’ll run my boat—that’s what I’ll do.” Scism assured Aleman it would be a “very classy, very elegant” shoot to heighten awareness of women who drive their own boats. “I’m in,” Aleman said. And so, immediately prior to the big events surrounding the 2020 Shootout, Taylor invited some other female MTI owners and drivers to gather for the collaborative Speedboat Magazine photo shoot. “I started calling around, and got really great feedback—everyone was super excited,” Scism says. “We were able to do it early in the week, before things got too busy.” Joining Scism and Aleman were Cherell Scism (wife of MTI President Randy Scism and Taylor’s mother), Debbie Bull, Sieglinde Moe and Jen Davis. “It was a really fun event,” says Scism. “Everyone was very excited to do it. We started by actually spending an hour or two on the docks, just getting everything ready
and grabbing some breakfast. Then we got going later in the morning and had a great time. Each of us ran individually down the lake being chased by the helicopter. Then we all formed a V-shape and ran down the lake together and got some group photos.” Aleman was delighted with the results of the shoot. “Everybody did a phenomenal job,” she says, “and it was very interesting to get the feedback afterwards. We got an abundance of support, including from our own friends—people were saying, ‘My wife wants to do this’ and ‘My girlfriend wants to do this.’ This is precisely the response I was counting on. There is no bigger bonding experience than running a boat; the level of trust that goes into it is like nothing else.” Top: Jen Davis in a 390X powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. Right (left to right): Jen Davis, Debbie Bull, Sieglinde Moe, Taylor Scism, Cherell Scism and Yvonne Aleman. speedboat.com
MTI’s Taylor Scism gathers some of speedboating’s most passionate ladies for an all-female photo shoot at the Lake of the Ozarks.
speedboat.com
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MTI LADIES’ RUN
After the helicopter shot each individual boat, they joined in formation for a group photo. Only the lead boat—Debbie Bull’s 52' MTI—features Mercury Racing 1350 engines; the rest are equipped with Mercury Racing 450Rs outboards.
Yvonne Aleman drives the MTI 340X Mad Props.
Debbie Bull (wife of offshore racing legend and shootout king Bob Bull) with Cherell Scism in the Bulls’ 52 cat.
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Yvonne Aleman drives her MTI 340X catamaran, Mad Props.
speedboat.com
Top right: Jen Davis on her 390X. Top left and center: Taylor Scism of MTI in a 390X. Left: Sieglinde Moe drives her 390X. Profiled in the September issue of Speedboat, the Moes opted for the new eight-seat configuration of the 390X, which features the standard driver and passenger seats, two additional “jump seats,� and the four individually molded seats in the rear. speedboat.com
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photoography by
Todd Taylor, Erick Bryner and Clint Garant
OPA
World Championships
After a contentious cat contest in Missouri, OPA action heads back to North Carolina for the final race of the year.
T
he two final events of OPA’s abbreviated offshore race season came together—as often the best things do—in rapid-fire fashion. Owing to the pandemic, most of the original schedule (including the spring Lake Race, held at the Lake of the Ozarks) was canceled. The solitary race to be pulled off successfully had been the Crystal Coast Grand Prix (Sept. 11-13) in Morehead City, NC. But with spring gone and summer rapidly slipping away, organizers were encouraged by a spike in activity at the lake, so a renewed effort was made to put together a belated version of Lake Race. Performance Boat Center came to the rescue, hastily working out a permit that would allow two classes—Super Cat and Super Stock—to participate in a special “Offshore at the Ozarks—Cat Edition,” held Oct. 1-3. Then another colossal monkey wrench was thrown at OPA: its traditional season-ending World Championships event in Englewood, FL, was abruptly canceled. No world finals? Inconceivable! Back to the old drawing board. Since the Morehead City event went off without a hitch and with few political or legal road bumps, the effort began to mount an encore performance in North Carolina—for the World Championships. Not only did was the transfer successful, but OPA enjoyed a robust turnout of 62 boats in 10 different classes! Turn the page for a breakdown of how the short but bustling season unfolded.
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Top: Super Cat competitors face off at the Lake of the Ozarks. Above: OPA President Ed “Smitty” Smith. Right: M CON and its winning team members, throttleman Tyler Miller and driver Myrick Coil. speedboat.com
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OPA CAT EDITION Sponsored by Performance Boat Center, the Offshore at the Ozarks—Cat Edition event featured two classes racing in two races each on Friday and Saturday. The Super Cats kicked things off in Race 1, with four boats originally on the roster: M CON, Gone Again, SV Offshore and Dependable. When the latter two failed to make the lineup, Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil in the 438 Skater M CON took a major early lead over Billy Moore and Christian McCauley in Gone Again. However, mechanical issues forced M CON off the track, leaving Gone Again to claim the first checkered flag of the day. In the second Super Cat heat, Gone Again grabbed the lead over M CON and SV Offshore, both of which were able to rejoin the competition. However, after a couple of laps, Moore and McCauley in Kenny Mungle’s Gone Again were again the “sole survivors” in the class, as both of its competitors dropped out. ClassONE’s Miss GEICO ran a couple of laps unopposed during the second SuperCat race before pulling off the track with a mechanical issue. But Steve Curtis and Brit Lilly got some practice laps in the 47-foot Victory. Nine boats were set to compete in Super Stock class. In the first heat, Shaun Torrente and Eric Belisle took the early lead in STR, with Team Allen Lawn Care in second place and Phase 5 in third. They were followed by LPC, Performance Boat Center, Jackhammer, FJ Propeller and TNT Caddyshack. CR Racing started taking on water early on, and dropped out. Meanwhile, LPC hit a buoy (see photo, this page) and faced the possibility of being docked. History repeated itself again in the second Super Stock heat, as Torrente and Belisle took the win in STR; Jackhammer was the second-place winner and LPC finished third. They were followed by Phase 5, Team Allen Lawn Care, FJ Propeller and Performance Boat Center. On Saturday, driver Myrick Coil and throttleman Rusty Williams in Performance Boat Center were the winners in Super Stock class, punishing the competition after failing to score a podium finish in Friday’s racing. However, second-place finisher STR took the overall win for the class, having won both heats on Friday and ultimately amassing the all-important high-points needed for the championship.
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Billy Moore and Christian McCauley took the win in Gone Again on the first day of racing, but mechanical problems forced them out of competition on day two.
LPC ran into some bad luck during its Lake of the Ozarks Super Stock class, running over a buoy. Only weeks later, the boat would flip in Morehead City. speedboat.com
Above: Performance Boat Center driver Myrick Coil, throttleman Rusty Williams, Jamie Lusero and rigger/technician Andy Sanders accept their second-place trophy in Super Stock class at the Lake of the Ozarks. Left: The 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran Performance Boat Center finished in first place during the Saturday heat in Super Stock.
The STR team, led by its pilots, owner/throttleman Shaun Torrente and driver Eric Belisle, accepts its first-place Super Stock trophy. STR is a 32' catamaran built by Doug Wright Designs.
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OPA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS All four Super Cat boats started in Saturday’s 15-lap bout—but only one would finish. SV Offshore and Dependable had dropped out of Friday’s race early on, but much like Performance Boat Center’s come-from-behind magic, Dependable was the front-runner on this second day of Super Cat racing. Three boats—Dependable, SV Racing and M CON— traded off the lead in an exciting and tight race in the first half. Ironically, Gone Again—which had won both Super Cat heats on Friday—was not running on all its cylinders on Saturday; the boat dropped out of the race after only a few laps. As on Friday, SV Racing also eventually dropped out of the race. That left Dependable with a sizable lead over M CON, with driver Myrick Coil and throttleman Tyler Miller in the cockpit of the 438 Skater. But with eight laps down, M CON stole the lead from Dependable, which inexplicably came off the course a couple of times before dropping out altogether. The race down to just one boat, competition ended early, according to rule. Coil had won both of the day’s classes, taking the lion’s share of the overall points in Super Cat. STR took the points in Super Stock, with Coil in second place. With only three weeks to regroup, OPA was back in Morehead City for the Crystal Coast World Championships. Boats in ten different classes competed for the glory and the gold. On Friday, Miss GEICO (featuring Steve Curtis and Brit Lilly) and Talisman were the only entries in ClassONE, which Miss GEICO won handily. On Sunday, Nitro Circus superstar Travis Pastrana made his official first run in Miss GEICO with Curtis, although they ran unopposed. (For more on Pastrana and Miss GEICO, see Pages 46-49.) Knucklehead Racing ran unopposed in Vee Extreme Class on both days. Seven boats competed for top honors in Super Stock class: Wicked, FJ Propeller,
LPC Racing, Phase 5, Jackhammer, STR and Floyds1921.com. STR took an early lead—hardly a surprise after the triumphant showing by Torrente and Belisle earlier in the month. However, mechanical gremlins forced the boat off the course, allowing for Reese Langheim and Ricky Maldonado in Jackhammer to take the lead, which they managed to retain. Phase 5 finished in second place, followed by LPC Racing and Wicked. On Sunday, the Super Stock boats were back, but the competition was marred twice by “red flag” situations that stopped the competition because of separate boat flips. STR was in the lead during the nine-lap race when competitor LPC flipped and landed upside down. Driver Loren Peters and throttleman Mike Wright emerged unscathed, but all activity came to a standstill for nearly an hour while the boat was towed off the course. Shortly after the race restarted, it was Phase 5’s turn to flip upside down. Pilots Al Penta and Jay Muller were uninjured, but the accident called a halt to the race and the event. In the end, Jackhammer—which had finished first on Friday—had racked up
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Above right: In Class 4, it was Old School, with driver Matt Soper and navigator Mark Slater, at the top of the podium. Right: Tunnel Vision was victorious in Class 5. The boat is driven by Ken Bird and throttled by Mike McColgan.
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Above: In Class 3, Team Woody (far lane) goes up against Team Reindl. Woody (with driver Billy Shipley and throttleman Chad Woody, right) took the win in the class.
Left: #601 Rum Runners led the field of 11 Class 6 competitors. Below: Class 7’s #766 Chug It, a 22' Velocity piloted by brothers Chase and Jax Muller, beat out its eight competitors, including Evil Ways, Team Progression and Jackhammer.
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Knucklehead Racing (far lane) ran unopposed in Vee Extreme class; Talisman, formerly Scuderia Cazzani (near lane) was second in ClassONE.
#51 Sun Print, with driver Steven Freeman and throttleman Steve Miklos, were victorious in Modified Vee Class. Right: The team poses with the trophy and checkered flag.
LPC’s bad luck—which began at last year’s RWO World Championships in Key West when it flipped over simultaneously with Team Allen Lawn Care—continued at this year’s OPA battle royale, flipping and landing upside down during the final heat with its Super Stock competitiors.
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sufficient points (190) to take the World Championship in the class. Nine competitors competed for the Pro Stock Vee title. On Friday, #77 Done Deal/Choppers Propellers—a 30' Phantom piloted by owner/throttleman Steve Papp and driver Mike Mironyk—were the guys to beat, having taken a strong early lead and holding on to it for the duration. #66 LSB Racing, with Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith, moved their way from fourth to third, and finally finished with an secondplace finish. They were followed by North Myrtle Beach, Typhoon, Speed Marine/ Woah Mama and Fastboys. On Sunday, Done Deal managed to
repeat its first-place win on Friday, taking the world championship. LSB Racing and N. Myrtle Beach finished second and third, respectively. In Modified Vee class, Sun Print took the win in Friday’s heat. On Sunday, Marker 7 Marine—which had spun out on Friday— started Sunday’s 10-lap race very strongly, leading for most of the race before abruptly dropping out about three-quarters of the way through. That left Sun Print to take the lead, followed by 151 Express (which itself spun out on Sunday, but quickly got back on plane). Defiance also came off plane, and was seen under tow. Sun Print took the World Championship in Modified Vee.
Here’s a complete list of World Champions in each class: ClassONE: #13 Miss GEICO
Vee Extreme: #20 Knucklehead Racing Super Stock: S-42 Jackhammer Modified Vee: #51 Sun Print
Pro Stock Vee: #77 Done Deal Class 3: #327 Team Woody Class 4: #421 Old School
Class 5: #507 Tunnel Vision
Class 6: #601 Rum Runners Class 7: #766 Chug It
Left: Jackhammer (with driver Reese Langheim and throttleman Ricky Maldonado) took the boat to the top of the Super Stocks. Below: The team celebrates its win at the awards ceremony, showing off its trophy and checkered flag.
Above left: #97 Fastboys—the winner of the Stock Vee battle at September’s Morehead City race—had to settle for sixth place in October; LSB Racing (far lane) was second. Above right: First place went to Done Deal/Choppers Propellers. speedboat.com
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One of the biggest surprises of the 2019 season was the announcement that Nitro Circus star Travis Pastrana—one of the world’s most influential extreme sports athletes—would be throwing his hat into the world of offshore competition. A longtime friend of World Champion racer Brit Lilly (son of the legendary racer Art Lilly), Pastrana is a motorsports competitor, stunt performer and one of the most decorated freestyle athletes in X Games history. He’s won championships and gold medals in a variety of fields, including supercross, motocross and rally racing, and has broken records by completing several of Evel Knievel’s most dangerous feats. His first official offshore race was at the 2019 Cocoa Beach event, taking the wheel of Lilly’s 32' Phantom JRA Boat Sales/Hurricane of Awesomeness in Super Vee Extreme class. Early 2020 brought another exciting announcement: Pastrana and Lilly had both been invited to join the world-famous Miss GEICO team, driving for legendary racer Steve Curtis, the throttleman of the 47' Victory competitor in OPA’s ClassONE. Then, of course, the pandemic struck, leaving racers all over the world with no competition at all. But toward the end of the summer, racing was abruptly resurrected, with bouts scheduled for Morehead Beach, NC, in September; Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks in early October, and a World Championships back in Morehead for late October. Most of the ClassONE boats, such as the Victory team, are international, leaving Miss GEICO largely
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unopposed on the course. On the bright side, Lilly got some seat time with Curtis at the first two races, and both got behind the wheel at the Worlds—Lilly on Friday, followed by Pastrana on Sunday. Speedboat spoke to Travis Pastrana about his new partnership with the Miss GEICO team. Speedboat: How did you get started with all of the craziness that you do? Travis Pastrana: I guess that starts with family. My grandfather was a Golden Glove boxer. His oldest son, my uncle Alan Pastrana, was the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. I had one uncle who was a national champion at archery and another who was a bodybuilder. I was the runt of the family. I got beat up all the time. All my cousins were better than I was at everything. I couldn’t throw, catch or punch. I got knocked out a lot as a kid. But I realized that I was actually really durable. My body didn’t seem to break, and I was willing to do flips off of stuff that no one else would do. Enter motorcycles. I figured I didn’t have to be stronger than anyone to be faster. I just had to throttle more, and combine that with my durability skills and genetics. Voila! The X Games came around, and the rest is history. SB: Does that come with an innate lack of fear? TP: No, I think everyone has fear. It has more to do with confidence—or maybe overconfidence in your abilities, to be per-
fectly honest. I just always knew it was gonna work out. And if you don’t think it’s gonna work out, most of the time, it actually does! Of course, my overconfidence in my own abilities led to my being injured a lot at motocross. Now, my uncle, who loved drag racing, would race around our shop in his Mustang. He used to teach me how to do donuts when I was around 4 years old. I crashed my mom’s car when I was 8. That didn’t go over very well. But I was always doing these redneck shenanigans, and that led to driving cars professionally, and driving everything else. SB: Including a family boat. TP: Actually, Brit Lilly’s dad, Art, was good friends with my dad, and we were on the water every weekend until the motorcycles ended up costing too much money. Eventually, my dad sold our boat and our Harley so I could keep racing motorcycles, and Art and Brit continued racing on the water. But I think the craziest two people ever to get together would probably be my dad and Brit’s dad. Art knew what he was doing in a boat, and my dad knew what he was doing in a car. SB: Your first official offshore race was last year, in Cocoa Beach. What events led to that milestone? TP: Every year that my season ended, the Key West World Championship race was going on. And every year, Brit would speedboat.com
say, “Dude, you have to come down and see this. It’s an amazing spectacle. The racing is great on every level. You’ll have a great time. It’s family. It’s fun. It’s a party.” Two years ago, I said, “Bro, if I go down there, I just won’t have a lot of time. So if I go down, I’m racing.” He said, “Well, it just so happens that I have a brand-new boat, and haven’t even raced in its class before. You can drive it first.” And I thought, “Uhoh. Be careful what you ask for...you might just get it!” Of course, that boat blew up a lot, and I didn’t really get a chance to drive it. But someone else lent me a boat to race. We found a throttleman, and went down to Cocoa Beach and drove it over 100 mph. That was really my first time ever racing a boat, and it was the greatest experience of my life. It was freaking awesome!
one who tells you what you can and can’t do, because you know better than anyone on the face of the Earth what’s possible for you. But boats concern me. Brit knows how to drive and spin around, and I know you grew up on the water, but driving a Checkmate at 50 mph and driving Miss GEICO aren’t exactly the same!” (Laughter) So I think the greatest thing coming into this year was that she knew that I had a good friend in Brit, and that
he has a lot more common sense and selfpreservation. She said, “I believe that the guys in Miss GEICO are part of the most professional team, with the highest safety that you could possibly have, to do it the best that you possibly can. You’ve always surrounded yourself with people who can help you get to the level that you’ve been. I trust the team and I trust the people around it. I’m excited to see what this new venture holds.”
SB: How did your wife, professional skateboarder Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, feel about you getting into the cockpit? TP: I had promised her that I wasn’t going to do anything too stupid anymore. A lot of our friends have died doing that stuff. Then I signed to do the Evel Knievel jump. She said, “I’m not going to be the
Above: Sir Steve Curtis with Travis Pastrana at the OPA World Championships.
Top left: Miss GEICO runs unopposed during Sunday’s final heat. Above: Throttleman Steve Curtis (center) is flanked by drivers Brit Lilly and Travis Pastrana. speedboat.com
SB: What’s your chemistry with Steve Curtis like? TP: They don’t run a loose program. They’re the hardest-working guys out there. When you’re in the water, you’re wearing a full fireproof suit. They do things to the maximum safety and professionalism. At Nitro Circus, we train hard and work hard, but along with our professionalism, there’s still a little bit of a “loose cannon” in there. So I had to learn a lot. I said, “You guys basically have to teach me everything, but just know that I will do everything that I can to be the best at this. But at the same time, we’ve got to have fun while we’re doing it—there’s nothing in the world worth doing and risking your life for if it’s not a good time. So they realized how hard I was willing to work, and I realized how much they just love the sport. S P E E D B O A T | November/December 2020
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Of course, even though there was no real competition, I was yelling at Steve all the time: “I got this! Go! Come on!” He’s like, “Look, let’s not sink this brand-new boat jumping eight-foot swells.” But I’m like, “Yeah! Let’s give it a run!” Afterwards, even my 7-year-old daughter was asking, “Why were you going so slow?” (Laughter) SB: Was it weird relying on somebody else so heavily? TP: In the boat, I’m relying a lot on Steve. He’s doing almost everything—I just have to not flip us. For the most part, my life has been not only making the best of the worst situations, but it’s figuring out how to survive, if you will. And that’s really what my job is. Steve is going to put us in as fast as he needs to in order for us to succeed. And I need to figure out what the limits of the boat are. And we have to do that in a very quick manner. Going into the world championships for first race in the
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boat was pretty awesome, but terrifying at the same time. SB: What are your feelings, now that it’s all over? TP: It was pretty much a dream come true. Definitely a trial by fire. I felt bad when we almost ran the Knucklehead boat in Turn #1; I thought I was going to the right side of the boat when I had to go to the left. That was bad, but after that everything was good. SB: There were a couple of red flag situations during your race when a couple of the Super Stock boats flipped. Did those disrupt things for you guys? TP: No, actually, that was very helpful for us. I was just glad everyone was OK. But that gave us a chance to kind of reset. I was able to talk things through and kind of break it down a little bit with Steve, and let him know that I was comfortable. I believe
we were seven seconds off from what Brit was turning in the boat after the end of the first couple of laps, and we had a different gearing on the boat as well. So when we went into the next one, I said, “OK, let’s turn it up and let’s see how close we can get to Brit’s time.” So I was hammering Steve: “I’m good! I’m good! I’m good!” And he was yelling back, “I’m not flipping the boat to beat his stupid time!” (Laughter) But we ended up three seconds off of Brit, which I was extremely happy with, considering how much time he’s had in boats in general. I do believe that as soon as Steve gets a little more confident with me, hopefully we’ll be able to pick that time up. Hopefully we can represent Miss GEICO in the way that it should be represented, and hopefully that’s at the top of the podium next season. Speedboat also spoke to Steve Curtis after the World Championships. Here’s what he had to say: speedboat.com
“Everyone really got on with Travis. He’s a quick learner, and fit it in really well. I admire him for what he’s done and what he’s doing.” —Steve Curtis on Travis Pastrana
Speedboat: Brit was your driver on Friday; Travis was your driver on Sunday. What was the dynamic with these two new drivers? Steve Curtis: Well, Brit’s obviously driven a lot of boats before, both monohulls and catamarans. He’s got a huge amount of experience and he’s a natural driver. He’s super smooth and he understands boats more than Travis, to
speedboat.com
be honest. So Brit’s got the leg up on Travis. But Travis is a quick learner and he understands machinery. Both have different driving styles. Travis told me, “Look, I’m used to pushing things so hard that I can drive out of them. That’s where my strengths come in. I can rescue a situation when everyone thinks it’s gone too far.” I said, “Well, obviously the problem is that in a boat, you can’t do that, because there’s a lot of momentum there—particularly in the ClassONE boat. They’re tough to pull back under control. But he got it. He understands it. He’s very, very competitive. He kept
saying, “We gotta beat Brit’s time!” At the same time, I’ve got Gary Stray on the radio saying, “Hey, we just need to go around, so get comfy!” So I was sort of the mediator in there. But it was fun. The whole team jelled, everyone really got on with Travis. We’d already been racing with Brit. Travis fit it in really well. I admire him for what he’s done and what he’s doing. So he came in, we had a great time and a great afterparty. After the race, we went out to dinner together and really got on well with everyone. I couldn’t wish for two better guys to be racing with next season.
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story by
Stu Jones •
photography by
Pete Boden
The Florida Powerboat Club celebrates the 10th anniversary of the event with a record turnout.
TAMPA BAY POKER RUN
A
fter getting the Florida Powerboat Club back into momentum with the Emerald
Coast Powerboat Week a month earlier, a record-setting 46 poker run teams were locked and loaded for the late-September running of the 10th Annual Tampa Bay Poker Run. But it was not without a measurable level of frustration for FPC organizers and participants, as the event was poised to hit the throttles five months earlier in April, until Covid-19 government intervention closed hotels and restaurants statewide.
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With new September dates on the calendar, there was one consolation that would have to be addressed, as FPC was forced to work out a special agreement with the organizers of the annual International Boat Builders Exhibition & Conference (IBEX) to share the use of the Tampa Convention Center docks. With a 30-boat poker run roster, that seemed manageable—until the numbers started climbing much higher, and FPC needed to explore all options. But almost the same moment that the docking dilemma seemed imminent, IBEX officials decided to “pull the proverbial drain plug”
on the physical trade show and opt for a Virtual Trade Show format, giving FPC access to the entire inventory of transient dockage at the Tampa Convention Center. To that end, we say, “Thank you, IBEX.” For FPC, the show must go on, and indeed it did. As early as Wednesday, a handful of teams were already at the Davis Island boat ramp, launching their boats and getting an early start to three days ahead, in a boating playground that is abundant with cruising options and lunch destinations on almost every direction. And when the [continue on page82] speedboat.com
Left: The High Performance class passes under the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway on Saturday morning. Below left: Luis Sotero’s 38' Donzi To Do Nada is powered by Mercury Racing 1075 engines. Below right: New Florida Powerboat Club model Chloe.
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TAMPA BAYPOKER BAY POKER RUN Left: Rufus and Leslie Scott of Georgia in their 47' Fountain Lightning, Obsession, pick up a poker card. Below: Weston Harlow drives his DCB M35, In 2 Deep. Inset: Jason & Christy Stross in their 38' Statement, Black Boats Matter. Bottom: Brian Hoar of Vermont in his 36' Statement, X-Racer 2.0.
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speedboat.com
Top left: Beau and Tiffiney Renfroe of Florida in their 368 Skater, Dirty Money. Top left: FPC girl Joslyn relaxes aboard a Mystic C4000 catamaran. Above: Ryan Zivitski pilots his Mystic Powerboats M3800, powered by quad Mercury 300XL Verado outboards. Left: Deris Ceresa of Florida drives his 38' Donzi ZRC. speedboat.com
photography by
Todd Taylor and Kenny Dunlop
Walk-Through
WONDER DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, recently
delivered hull #8 of its M33R catamaran—the first to feature a walk-through open-bow configuration. The boat was built for Tony Monroe of Pomona, CA, a longtime performance boater, although this is his first DCB. “I like building new projects every couple of years,” Monroe tells Speedboat. “We went to the Los Angeles Boat Show looking at a different manufacturer in mind. I wasn’t necessarily in a buying mood, but when I walked over to the DCB display and started looking at their boats, their attention to detail really impressed me. The quality of their products was on an entirely different level, and it kept me hanging around their booth. Then I started talking to their crew, and that made me want to stay there even more. I guess it was just kind of meant to be.” That proved to be a harbinger of the
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great friendship that developed between the Monroes and the crew at DCB, who were exceedingly friendly, helpful and eager to please. “I can’t say one negative thing about those guys,” Monroe says. “Working with Jeff Johnston was great. Every step of the way, they were super accommodating. It would be very hard for me to ever buy a boat from anywhere else after the experience I had with DCB.” The Monroes took delivery on a recent Friday morning at the Nautical Resort in Lake Havasu. “Tony Chiaramonte was there waiting for us,” Monroe says. “He was awesome. He said, ‘I’m here for you guys, whatever you need.’ He taught me how to operate the boat and spent the whole day with us.” That first time on Havasu was choppier than usual, but that didn’t present much of a problem for the DCB. “It was windy,
and the water was rough,” Monroe says. “I couldn’t believe how well it ran over it. It went nice and smooth over the big water we were running into. The way the boat handles is just unbelievable. But the way the boat turns is what blows me away the most. It just sticks to the water.” In addition to the M33R’s design and performance characteristics, Monroe was also profoundly impressed by the boat’s drivetrain. The M33R is the Monroes’ first outboard-powered boat, and they’ve started that journey with the top of the line—a pair of Mercury Racing 450Rs. “I had gotten really tired of hearing the I/ Os in my previous boat,” he says. “But even though the 450Rs are packing a lot of power, they were super quiet, and that’s what I was into.” Monroe, a structural steel contractor, uses the boat with his wife, Annike, and their five children. speedboat.com
2020 DCB M33R WIDEBODY SPECS Beam: 9’7”
Engines: Twin Mercury Racing 450Rs
• Billet foot shower at front, along with Fusion hard wired remote flushed into the inside front sponson. • Flip-up lumbar seats in open bow for ease of storage and access at the helm area. • Two 85-gallon fuel tanks.
• Shaun Torrente Racing X-Act engine brackets.
• 50% Alcantara interior package, with 50% CHILL Cool Tech Marine Vinyl. • Custom 3-color SeaDek kit
DCB delivers first walk-through version of its M33R cat.
• Custom Isotta Carlotta steering wheel (black with Red stitching to match interior). • Phase III gelcoat scheme
• Full 100% cap (no rubrail) upgrade.
• Vacuum-Infused Resin (VIR) process, foamcored, with partial carbon-fiber layup.
• Two NSS12 Evo3 12” SIMRAD touch screen monitors.
• Interior Rigid LED lighting package (mood lighting, courtesy lighting, LED cupholders).
• 10” Shadow Caster underwater LED light, with Rigid tunnel lighting.
• Stage IV stereo – Fusion head unit; three hardwired remotes, four JL Audio amplifiers, twelve JL Audio M6 midrange speakers with LED and four 12” JL Audio M7 free air subwoofers. • Mercury DTS controls. • Bimini top.
• Oversized 40” billet swim step with SeaDek lining and telescoping retractable ladder for easy boarding.
• Extreme Custom Trailer, tandem-axle with twotone chrome & black 18” FUEL rims, SS fenders and triangular drive guard, front courtesy ladder, under carriage LED mood lighting, etc. • MFR estimated top speed in optimum conditions: 115+ mph. • Price: $469K
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WALK-THROUGH WONDER
The immaculate interior of Tony Monroe’s DCB M33R features flip-up lumbar seats in the open bow, a 50% Alcantara package (with 50% CHILL Cool Tech marine vinyl), custom Isotta Carlotta steering wheel and a custom stereo system. This boat is fully capped and sports DCB’s Phase III gelcoat scheme.
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photography by
Todd Taylor and Kenny Dunlop
WIN
FOR THE We salute one of the world’s most passionate and philanthropic men in our sport.
T
he world of living superstars in the world of speedboating isn’t a particularly short list, but it is difficult to
think of many more enthusiastic and generous than Win Farnsworth. The 46-year-old president of Venture Technologies, a custom software and technical consulting company, Farnsworth has owned numerous go-fast boats—among them models by Mystic, DCB, Wright Performance, Magic and Statement. Arguably his most famous was Low Altitude, the 200+ mph twin turbine-powered 50' Mystic that won him the coveted Top Gun prize at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in its class between 2014 and 2016, as well as back-to-back victories at the Desert Storm Shootout in 2015 and 2016, and the Texas Outlaw Challenge in 2016.
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Growing up three miles away from a lake in Western Wyoming set the stage for Farnsworth’s insatiable passion for speed. “My dad picked me up and took me to the lake nearly every day after school and took me fishing for a couple of hours to wrap up the day,” he told Speedboat. “I spent the first 15 years of my life on the water, going fishing and skiing on 19' to 21' runabouts.” During the last decade or so, Farnsworth has owned an admirable variety of powerboats. His first was a 28' Magic deckboat powered by a 700-hp engine, which he says was the catalyst for everything to follow. Those include some high-profile DCBs, including an F32 and the very first M41, Silver Lining (opposite page), a 25' Eliminator, the 46' Skater US-1 Freedom, Wright Performance 420, Mystic
M4200 center console, 35 Statement center console—and, of course, the Low Altitude Mystic. Currently, he owns a 340 RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) Airship. “They were all like my children,” he says. “Each had its own flair to them. The F32 DCB rode fantastic and was a very clean boat, while the M41 DCB was awesome for the pure exhilaration of the 1350 engines, running in the 180s. And the 50' Mystic was a complete showstopper, and probably my favorite boat that I ever had. It was just so different.” Farnsworth is renowned for his charitable contributions at every boating event he attends, and his donations have steadily increased at every one. “Philanthropy is important,” he says. “We need to make sure we’re all giving back.” speedboat.com
Left: The 50' Mystic Low Altitude won multiple King of the Desert and Top Gun awards at the Desert Storm and LOTO shootouts. It was powered by twin 1,800-hp Lycoming T-53 turbines with BPM drives. Right: Farnsworth’s Silver Lining was DCB’s first-ever M41.
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FOR THE WIN
Above left: Farnsworth’s M4200 Mystic center console. Above: Powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboard engines, this Wright Performance 420 was among Farnsworth’s more recent rides.
Left: Here’s Win’s Statement 35' center console, powered by Mercury Racing 400R outboards. Below: Farnsworth bought his first DCB, an F32 powered by twin 700s, in 2009. Here it appears at the Desert Storm Street Party in Lake Havasu City, AZ.
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speedboat.com
Above: Win Farnsworth with his longtime girlfriend, Sara Christine.
Above: Posing on the hull of Low Altitude are Farnsworth (far left) and his crew. This incredible Mystic appeared on the cover of Speedboat’s June 2015 issue (inset). Left: One of Farnsworth’s current rides is this astounding Sunseeker 80' Sport Yacht.
Above: In 2017, Farnsworth acquired the world-famous 46’ Skater US-1 Freedom in a unique trade with the boat’s previous owner, Tom Borisch. Left: Here’s the muscleboat Win says launched his addiction: a 28' Magic deckboat powered by a 700-hp engine. speedboat.com
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CIGARETTE
[cont. from page 18]
seasoned boater who’s looking for a bit more reliability, as well as a bit more comfort and shade, but who still puts a premium on a quality build and the speed. “This is going to appeal to an avid powerboater who’s getting out of his loud, go-fast V8-powered boat into an 87-mph family sport cruiser,” Manire says.
FOUNTAIN
[cont. from page 14]
The console provides ample protection from wind and sun. Behind the forward bolsters is a second row of seating; behind them, a rear bench for a total of three rows of seating. Special mention must be made that Fountain’s 38SC is on the short list of Boating Magazine’s nominees for 2020 Boat of the Year. We agree—it’s a stunner.
MYSTIC
[cont. from page 26]
pickup truck, his wife’s car and all of the vehicles he uses as part of his job—is white. “So you’d think I would end up with a white boat, right?” he chuckles. “We ended up with charcoal gray, Mazda red, and black diamond. They’re probably my favorite colors. I love that the deep kind of deep red, which looks awesome in the sun.” It’s similar to a boat Mystic had built previously— different colors, but a familiar design. “We tweaked it a little bit and then incorporated these colors.” Cosker says that the M4200’s triple Mercury Racing 450R package turned out to be ideal for Hagie. “It’s got the new technology and the torque—and it’s an true 80-mph boat,” he says. “It’s got great performance without being really over the top.” In fact, Hagie was considering the quadengine configuration, but learned that he would have to sacrifice the joystick piloting functionality he loved, as it is not available on packages that go beyond 80 mph. “After all the prior experience I had with my other boats in Iowa, there was one thing I didn’t want to give up, and that was the joystick,” Hagie laughs.
STATEMENT [cont. from page 22] describes “just an awesome all-around boat—it’s super easy in terms of maintenance, a real pleasure.” He and his wife, who live on Vermont’s Lake Champlain, enjoyed a very short Northern Vermont summer, then took the boat to the Lake of the Ozarks and then down to Florida. “I think we put about 53 hours on it in only about 10 weeks,” he says. “We had a great time using it. It handles really well, accelerates well—it just does everything very well.” Hoar enjoys using the Statement with wife and two daughters, 18 and 20. “They both love this boat,” he says. “They like it more than my last boat, which had really loud I/Os. Plus, this boat has much better wind protection. It’s easy to run around at 70 mph, and it’s equally easy to run around at 110 mph.”
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speedboat.com
OUTERLIMITS
[cont. from page 30]
ket. Jason’s purchase included handson, personal training from multi-time World Champion offshore racer Sir Steve Curtis, who has been setting up all of the Outerlimits cats, making alterations on the bottom design according to what each customer wants to do in terms of speed and handling. “It’s not super lightweight,” Curtis says of Hurry Up. “It’s set up to be fast, capable of speeds in excess of 190 in 1550 mode, and I think 175 mph is the best we did in 1350 mode. The performance is outstanding, and it’s a beast of a boat—it’s like the Bugatti Veyron of the boat world at the moment.” Indeed, the growling QVC4 inboards makes an incredible package for the Outerlimits. It’s a reliable drivetrain that goes in and out of gear very nicely. “You couldn’t want anything more on a pleasure boat,” says Curtis. “That equipment is fantastic.”
OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE [Continued from page 8] Moore (t.) and Christian McCauley (d.) of Gone Again outlasted M CON’s Tyler Miller (t.) and Myrick Coil (d.) to take the first two wins of the day. However, it was Team M CON that took the overall win with the total combined points that catapulted the team to first place, as Gone
Again was unable to finish the race on Day 2. The racing in the Super Stock class was certainly more competitive, seeing nine teams out on the course, competing for that coveted checkered flag. Day 1 saw Team Shaun Torrente Racing dominating
Jackhammer owner/driver Reese Langheim with his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Callie. the fleet, far out in front and could not be caught for either races. Day 2 brought a bit more thrill to the outcome with Rusty Williams (t.) and Myrick Coil (d.) of Team Performance Boat Center finishing first. But the overall win went to Shaun Torrente Racing, as the team finished in second place—good enough to earn high points leader for the event. After the boat wake on the lake had settled and the sun had begun to set, some carnage was revealed. Broken engine parts, damaged fiberglass and sore bones remained but no one was injured, which is always the best outcome of any event. Therefore, the awards ceremony that evening had a very festive vibe and smiles were on everyone’s faces. “Offshore” racing had been competed and completed and now it was time to party! Most memorably, Reese Langheim of Team Jackhammer got his groove on, displaying dance moves only few knew he had. With a cover version of Lady Gaga’s hit song “Poker Face” fueling his feet, he wasn’t “cutting a rug” with his lovely wife, Sara, but rather, with his race partner Ricky Maldonado—ultimately ending their impromptu routine with Reese lifting Ricky over his head in a Dirty Dancingesque move. Clearly, “nobody puts Ricky in a corner.”
Brett’s
COVE
GRIGGS’ RIG 2000 18' CALIFORNIA PERFORMANCE
Featuring SCSC Nationals
NJBA Covid-19 Showdown speedboat.com
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photography by
Ray Lee
Griggs’Rig
Longtime jetboat fanatic John Griggs’ latest California Performance hull is an absolute stunner.
C
oming from a speed-loving family—including parents, aunts, uncles and other relatives—John Griggs has been jetboating since he was practically a baby. “We pretty much grew up at the river,” he says. “So
I’ve always had a boat.” Over the last 10 years, Griggs has became a genuine aficionado of the California Performance hull. He’s owned three of them so far. “It’s just a really good, awesome all-around boat that’s fast and fun,” he says. “It’s the ideal family river craft.” Griggs ditched his raceboat, an old Earl Smith gullwing, and
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was planning to invest in a brand-new build when he came across an attractive deal on Second Chance, a 2000-model 18' California Performance gullwing hull owned by one of his racing buddies, Jim Penner. So he put the money he got from the raceboat toward Penner’s rig. “I tried to turn it into more of a family-friendly hotrod,” he says. He achieved this by changing some of the wiring and adding a back seat to the boat. At the time of Speedboat’s photo shoot, it was powered by a nitrousinfused 555 big-block Chevy with 13-to-1 compression, along with a Berkeley pump with stainless impeller and inducer. Total horsepower speedboat.com
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GRIGGS’ RIG
was right around 1,200, delivering a top-speed at 120 mph. The boat has since suffered a broken oil pump, so Griggs is in the process of rebuilding “a bigger, badder nitrous motor, something around 1,400 hp,” he says. Assisting in the rebuild is Bostick Racing Engines of Yuma, AZ. Back when he owned the Earl Smith rig, Griggs developed a slogan and designed a logo for his race team: NPB (No Punk Bitch) Racing, which has endured till today. He made about 10 shirts and hats displaying the new logo, but was stunned when friends and fans kept asking him to purchase the merch, long after it was gone. To meet demand, Griggs eventually had to make more, and has sold hundreds of NPB items since its original creation. When boating for pleasure, the Griggs family prefers the upper river area north of Blythe, particularly Twin Palms and Aha Quin resorts on the California side of the water. Griggs, who is turning 51, is an auto mechanic who runs a shop in Riverside, CA, for a buddy of his. “I’ve always been mechanically inclined, with a little bit of experience in everything,” he says. “I used to own my own dump truck business, and I’ve been a tow truck driver for a long time—that’s where I got my nickname, ‘Tow Truck Johnny,’ which has stuck for the last 20 years.”
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Iced out of Long Beach Marine Stadium, Southern California Speedboat Club competitors head to Lake Ming for an exciting bout—with numerous restrictions.
SCSC Nationals story and photography by
T
Mark McLaughlin
he Southern California Speedboat Club annual Nationals—
traditionally held at Long Beach Marine Stadium every year—determines all of the national winners, along with the event’s winners, according to points accumulated for the combined races in the year. Unfortunately, virtually every race on the schedule was canceled in 2020. However, SCSC managed to obtain a permit to stage a restricted race at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA, for the weekend of Oct. 3-4. Race director Ross Wallach put this event together with the intention of dub-
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bing it the Nationals, since there were no other races this year. The county delivered a three-page letter clearly listing the restrictions due to the pandemic: No spectators, masks, temperatures—all of the typical guidelines, which were dutifully enforced, and a terrific race was on the books for 2020! Among the highlights: teams traveling from Washington to compete in the 1 litre, 2.5 litre, and 5 litre hydroplane classes. They put on a splendid show. Competitors from the 1-Litre class came with the smaller versions of the H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes. J. Michael Kelly
and Jeff Bernard battled it out all weekend, with Kelly taking the overall win and the championship in the 1-Litre class. At times, it looked like they were connected at the sponsons going into the turns. It was a delight to witness. Three Formula Lights made the trip to the Nationals, with R.J. West driving his brother’s boat. Warren let R.J. drive the #25 boat, and he did not let brother down. West took the Formula Light number #25 to the event win, while Jason Williams following closely behind finished the weekend as the National Champion with points accumulated. speedboat.com
Left: Four 5-litre hydroplane teams made the trip, with Donny Allen coming out on top. He drove the #14 boat for Richard Hearn. Allen is seen here turning corner in turn 1.
Above: Dale Baker, driving in Unblown Flat and GPS 100 classes for Dustin Millard, took home first place in both classes. He also took home the championship in GPS 100. Right: In the Sportsman Extreme class, Gary Koeller’s SE 151 machine, shoed by the infamous Mike Purczynski, took the title for the weekend and the championship. speedboat.com
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SCSC NATIONALS MAN OVERBOARD: Sportsman Limited C Runabout boats were fun to watch. They really put on a show, with their wild freestyle driving skills. Nick Hoot in the #111 boat took the first-place position for the weekend, while Dean R. Wilson went for a wild ride. He got tossed on turn #2 Sunday, but was checked out OK.
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speedboat.com
Since the October race in Bakersfield was so close to the Parker Enduro that was coming up at the end of the month, the Grand National boats decided to not hurt their motors and go for Parker. In the meantime, Chris Kohles in his own GN 50 made the trip and entered into the Classic Endurance category. With a five-boat field in this class, Chris had to work for this win.
The class of the weekend was the Cracker Boxes. Ten boats made the trip to Bakersfield, with the class broken into two heats all weekend until the finals. Scott Elders, driving the P-30 with Dino Iacovino riding, took home the win over Scott and Blake Stump in the P-88. The Black Ice won over the Orangutang.
Two boats showed up for the K Racing Runabouts, with Ty Newton taking the win over Jay Hart. Newton drove for Mike Stock in the El Cid K boat, seen here flying by the rescue boat.
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SCSC NATIONALS From Washington, the teams from the 1-Litre class also showed up with their smaller versions of the H1 Unlimited Hydroplanes. J. Michael Kelly and Jeff Bernard battled it out all weekend, with Kelly taking the overall win and the championship in the 1-Litre class. At times, it looked like they were connected at the sponsons going into the turns. It was a delight to witness.
Right: Jeff Link (far lane) drove in multiple classes. In the Sportsman Limited 20 Hydroplane class, he finished third; in the Sportsman Limited 300, he finished fourth overall. National Championship placed him second and third, respectively. In the near lane is Ismael Nunez in the #711 boat. He would finish fourth in the Sportsman 20 class, third in the Sportsman Limited 300 and first in the Sportsman Limited C Hydroplane class for the weekend. Nunez finished in the National Championship race first, fourth and third, respectively.
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Left: Taking the win again after a dominating showing in Burley, ID, Carson Kelly took home the event win and the championship in the Junior Hydroplane category. Battling with eight competitors, he made it easy in each of his heats. J. Michael Kelly is teaching this one to be a true champion like dad. Watch out—when he’s a little bit taller and older, he’ll be behind an H1 Unlimited Hydroplane. Bet the farm in Vegas on this kid!
speedboat.com
Tim Collins’ #41 competitor in the 1-Litre Hydroplane class is lowered into the lake, where driver J. Michael Kelly would take the win.
Three Formula Lights made the trip to the Nationals, with R.J. West driving his brother’s boat. Warren let R.J. drive the #25 boat, and he did not let his brother down. West took the Formula Light #25 to the event win, while Jason Williams, following closely behind, finished the weekend as the National Champion with points accumulated.
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story and photography by
Mark McLaughlin
NJBA NJBA racers stare down Covid-19 restrictions at a rollicking Season Opener at Bakersfield’s Lake Ming.
A
fter more than six months of wondering if the NJBA would
ever race in 2020, they finally got the call and the permit to have a race at Lake Ming. Boaters were keen to compete after being locked up since March. The September race was officially called the Season Opener. With a registered boat count of 80+ entries, it was going to be tough to follow all the guidelines that were put forward. With the excessive heat, many racers could not handle wearing the masks
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MODIFIED ELIMINATOR: Local favorite Ricky Sneed shoes his Sunday Shooter to the win in the class. The two-boat field of 10-second competitors included Vince Curtis, who ended in the runner-up position.
all day, so for the most part, the club did not fare well by the end of the weekend. This was the race of the year for the Blown Gas Flats. Back in March, a purse was started (and collected by me). By the end of the tally, I had $1,700 collected for the winner and runner up. Problem was, I had to sit on that purse until the first race of the year—which was this race. After the 70/30 split between the winner and runner-up, I handed the first-place winnings to Shane Westerfield and his Blown Smoke flatty.
The seven Pro Outlaw contenders included Kevin Cornelius in the #2 spot. He would take on #7 qualifier Danny Stone, and take home the trophy for first place. His three passes were almost identical elapsed times and speeds: 5.34, 5.35 and 5.36, at 151 mph. Pretty darn consistant! All in all, it was a good turnout, and the winners and runner-ups stood at the end of the show with their trophies with no spectators or other racers to witness the efforts for their prizes. speedboat.com
QUICK ELIMINATOR With a 12-boat field in the QE class, #4 qualifier Jayne Bradley (far lane) went up against #3 qualifier Matt Hudson. Hudson took the win over Bradley as he rolled on through the field and took home the first-place trophy.
PRO GAS HYDRO: Winner and lone racer Josh Hayden drives for owner Danny Day. Hayden laid down a very quick and fast 6.76 elapsed time at over 170 mph for the win.
UNBLOWN FUEL JET: A five-boat field featured #1 qualifier Steve Penberthy, who took the win. His elapsed times through three rounds of racing were consistant: 5.41, 5.43, and a 5.40 in the final, saving the best for last. Right: Penberthy and crew chief Dave Long accept their trophy.
PRO COMP HYDRO: Dead Man’s Hand, with Blake Thurlow, was out to destroy the field of eight boats. And destroy he did. In the three rounds of competition, he motored his hydro to consistant elapsed times of 5.31, 5.37 and 5.44 for the #1 qualifying spot and the win. Congratulations to the entire team for their efforts.
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BLOWN GAS FLAT: Shane Westerfield (above) in his Blown Smoke flatty takes the first-round win over Josh Mockridge, and then smiling with his winnings and trophy (right). Total Blown Gas flat turnout was 11, and Westerfield went to the top from his #2 qualifying position.
PRO OUTLAW: Contenders totaled 7, with Kevin Cornelius in the #2 spot. He would take on #7 qualifier Danny Stone (far lane). Cornelius went two more rounds, including a bye run as he took home the trophy for first place (inset). His three passes were almost identical elapsed times and speeds: 5.34, 5.35 and 5.36 at 151 mph. Pretty darn consistant!
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PRO COMP FLAT: Michael Torgerson (near lane) in his Breaking Bad goes up against Mike Ryckebosch in his Wake Up Call flat. Torgerson took the win, but let Ryckebosch stand next to him for the trophy presentation (right).
PRO ELIMINATOR: Abracadabra, owned and driven by Bob Prigmore, was the #1 qualifier in a six-boat field of jets and hydros. Prigmore went three rounds, including a bye round into the finals to win the class for his win. Left: Prigmore with trophy queen Selina.
STOCK ELIMINATOR: First time at the Lake Ming course, Tim Lewis took advantage of the conditions and the new environment and went to the #1 qualifying spot in the class. He immediately had a bye run on his first pass on Sunday and went to the finals with a well-deserved win over Jake Walz. For his first win, we gave him a hall pass—and didn’t have to jump in the water, considering the conditions put on the race. speedboat.com
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NJBA COVID-19 SHOWDOWN TOP ELIMINATOR: The class had a new/old driver taking over the helm on the Gotta Produce More machine. Scott Dolezal jumped into the Greg Johnson hydro and proceeded to continue what he did in his old machine. He immediately went to the #2 qualifying spot in the field of seven and took out everyone for the win. Congratulations to the newly crowned champ in the Top Eliminator group.
TAMPA BAYPOKER BAY POKER RUN boat is docked for the night, being headquartered from landmark hotels including the Tampa Downtown Marriott on Water St., and the Westin Waterside Resort, participants have an endless number of evening entertainment options in this bustling, vibrant Florida city. By Friday morning, most of out-oftown visitors had arrived and were soon launched and ready for the scheduled fun run, which would head across Tampa Bay to a popular waterfront eatery called Tiki Docks, located at the IGY Maximo Marina. But with at least half of the event roster not present as the boats milled round near the Tampa Convention Center docks, it soon became apparent that a large percentage of registered local teams, were planning on making today’s run a rendezvous location, so away we went. Arriving at IGY Maximo proved beyond any doubt that this event was well-supported by the local powerboaters. With the expected lunch rendezvous attendance of about 25 powerboat teams, it was amazing to see close to 40 teams present, but even more astonishing to see the Maximo Marina staff fully engaged in welcoming and directing traffic. By Friday evening, all of the boats were docked and teams settled in for the night. Saturday morning, the fun was about to shift gears, and after a dockside breakfast at Tampa Convention Center, forty-five teams began to rumble in the harbor and one-by-one, plucking their poker card from the lovely FPC girls Chloe and Joslyn. The 10:30 a.m. start ensured that teams would have time to stage the “money shot experience” with the chopper at Tampa Bay’s Sunset Skyway bridge, then pickup another poker card at Egmont Key, then arrive at one of three designated lunch stops on the Manatee River well before noon. Aside from a few hiccups and a poker run party crasher that caused a disturbance during one of the staged photo sessions, the morning logistics went to plan. The practice is using multiple lunch stops by Florida Powerboat Club on the larger event, is about to take on a new level of significance, as event formats are forced to adapt to Covid guidelines. Large group seatings are no longer appealing to many restaurant managers, who are
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forced to stay within strict seating and capacity guidelines. In keeping with these parameters, FPC was forced to limit each lunch group to about 75 guests, and with a 220-person event roster, this required three lunch stops for the Tampa Bay Poker Run. Nonetheless, two of the three restaurants performed flawlessly, and we want to thank those management teams for being prepared and welcoming FPC. A third establishment did not fare so well, but we will give them another chance sometime in the future. Saturday evening, the group congregated at Jackson’s Bistro in Downtown Tampa, where a wonderful dinner was served, and poker hands played out in a very pleasant setting. As an added attraction, the local NHL home team, Tampa Bay Lightning, played out a nail-biting game six, ultimate-
ly winning the Stanley Cup as we shared the venue with hundreds of Bolts fans. Well, the Bolts did not win on that evening, but three of our lucky poker run captains shared a $5,000 purse for pulling the top poker hands. Special thanks to FPC member Wes Harlow, who after winning first place, then donated $ 1,000 of his prize money back to fellow FPC members! The Pensacola native who ran his DCB M35 in the run, had expressed concern that he would like to see a successful Key West Poker Run for the club, and offered a $ 200 signing bonus to any member who would register for FPC’s Key West Poker Run that evening. Thanks, Wes. It worked. We gained five more entries, and you had enough cash left over to pay for your fuel and hotel! Like you, we all had fond memories of this 10th Anniversary Tampa Bay Poker Run.
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