Speedboat Online January 2016

SPEEDBOAT MAGAZINE

‘SPIRIT OF TEXAS’ TRIUMPHS!

PRIMO

POWER

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Our 1,100-hp Engine Build

THRILL

RIDES FRISKY FIREBRANDS from the OZARKS SEE PAGE 18

JANUARY 2016

J ANUARY 2016 $4.99US/CAN

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ALSO: WICKED WINDSHIELDS Acrylic Magic From Lee Aerospace

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TABLE OF CONTENTS January 2016

COLUMNS 8 CHRIS DAVIDSON 10 RAY LEE 12 ALEXI SAHAGIAN 14 JIM WILKES

FEATURES 18 FIVE THRILL RIDES At the LOTO Shootout, we grabbed five of the hottest rides on the lake: Mystic, Cigarette, Statement, Sunsation and Outerlimits.

38 BADASS 548 BUILD Tom Orseno at Pro-Marine of Lake Havasu builds us a 1,100-hp powerplant.

42 DCB REGATTA Dave’s Custom Boats throws the ultimate party for its owners—and the horsepower on display is breathtaking.

46 GOT POWER? Speedboat heads to Vegas, where high-performance products reign supreme at the annual SEMA Show.

48 SPEEDBOAT LEGENDS In the first of a new series, Speedboat pays tribute to the industry’s elder statesmen, starting with Howard Arneson.

52 SPACE ODYSSEY Jim Lee of Lee Aerospace brings a new dimension to highperformance windshields.

56 MONSTER BASH Welcome to the most ghoulish poker run in the country—as only Lake Havasu can do it.

Cover photo by Todd Taylor Table of Contents photo by Todd Taylor 6

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speedboat.com

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Speedboat.com To find your nearest location to purchase a copy of Speedboat Magazine go to: www.WheresMyMagazine.com

Published by DCO Enterprises, LLC Publishers Ray Lee ray@speedboat.com

Chris Davidson chris@speedboat.com

Editor Brett Bayne brett@speedboat.com

Senior Tech Editors Jim Wilkes jim@speedboat.com

Alexi Sahagian alexi@speedboat.com

Tech Editors Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins National Sales Ray Lee Director ray@speedboat.com Art Director Gail Hada-Insley

BRETT’S COVE 64 ONE HOT SUMMER WEEKEND SoCalJetBoats members trek to the famous Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV, to strut their stuff.

68 BIG SCHLOTT Greg Denton transforms a former Super Stock raceboat into a world-class pleasure performer.

Helicopter Services Fred Young fyoung@live.com

Photographers Todd Taylor, Pete Boden, Randy Nuzzo, Kenny Dunlop, Paul Kemiel, Jeff Girardi, Mark McLaughlin Operations Manager Michele Plummer michele@speedboat.com

Subscriptions Valerie Snedeker valerie@speedboat.com

Webmaster Craig Lathrop

72 IN MEMORY OF MIKE Racers pay their respects to their late brother, Mike Fry, at a special memorial race.

76 IN THE ZONE

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

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

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

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SPEEDBOAT MAGAZINE (ISSN#1941-9473) is published 9 times a year by DCO Enterprises LLC. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Domestic $34.00 for 9 issues, Canada $56.00 for 9 issues, International $60.00 for 9 issues. All prices are for one year and in US funds. For subscription info: call (888) 577-2628.

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

S P E E D B O A T | January 2016

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MY VIEW CHRIS DAVIDSON

Add It to Your Bucket List

Some of the bling on display at the Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run.

The Florida Powerboat Club’s 27th annual Key West Poker Run coincides each November with SBI’s Key West World Championships, so it’s an exciting week for offshore boat enthusiasts. For the past 25 years, I have closed out each year’s travels for the magazine with a trip to Key West to attend these two amazing events.

I prefer to fly into Ft. Lauderdale and drive through the Florida Keys instead of flying directly to Key West. I enjoy driving the two-lane highway, as it stirs up countless memories dating back to my days at Hot Boat. Jim Wilkes, Todd Taylor and some of the prettiest models ever to grace the pages of the magazine have joined me on this scenic three-hour drive.

This year, I drove by myself, owing to a travel mix-up with my colleague Ray Lee. Navigating the tiny strip of land that separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean is always exhilarating. The 8

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scenery is beautiful, and I often think of Henry Flagler, who built the original overseas railroad back in the early 1900s that took travelers from Homestead all the way down to Key West.

Key Largo and the Hawks Cay Resort (just north of Marathon) are two of my favorite places to visit while driving south. Key Largo has many great restaurants, while Hawks Cay has a lagoon and dolphin station. We have hosted several boat tests out of both locations during the past 25 years.

When I first pulled up to our condo we rented for this trip, it reminded me of the Bates Motel from Psycho. The first and second floors were very antiquated, while the third story was just one large unit—ours. However, once inside, the accommodations were exceptional, except for each morning’s wake up call from the set of four F29s that did flybys in pairs. But it’s Key West, so it was well worth it.

Stu Jones from the FPC brings down his first group of boats on Wednesday, while the first official day of racing kicks off few miles down the road at SBI’s base at the Truman Waterfront.

Knowing Ray was a first-timer to Key West, I wanted to show him the various locations that would soon be booming with activity. We first drove down Southard Street to get our race passes from SBI’s headquarters. We then drove over to the FPC Poker Run Village, which wasn’t set up yet. While we were there, though, we ran into some of the Gone Again Skater crew. Jason Koehn joined Ray and I to get supplies and other things for the upcoming week.

After a couple of hours, we went back to FPC’s base at the Conch Republic Restaurant and watched as the twinand triple-engine fiberglass monsters dominated the harbor. Boats thundered in like a giant posse in a wild western action film.

Sunsation owners Joe Schaldenbrand and Jared Morris were aboard their new 34' CCX, powered by triple 400 Mercury Racing outboards and sporting a sleek black-on-black scheme. Ray and I helped them unload all their gear.

Meanwhile, the 52' Mystic Black Diamond, with twin 1350 Merc-powered engines, rumbled to the FPC docks with everyone scrambling around to assist the crew while avoiding the scalding-hot black paint. Steve Gordon showed up in his Skater, as well as Mark Fisher in his 52' Nor-Tech. People not there for either boating event were drawn to the boats like fireflies around a campfire.

Hundreds stormed the docks to see all the boats and try to talk to the owners of the boats.

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OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE

2015: Year in Review

As I sit on this airplane, returning home from the Super Boat International Offshore World Championships in Key West, FL, I have plenty of time to reflect on this past year. It was a year of “firsts” and “familiars” and what a year it’s been!

2015 was a busy one for Speedboat Magazine, and I have enjoyed all of the different venues it has taken us to.

Meeting up with old friends and new, in locales both familiar and foreign to me, the high-performance boating community never fails to impress. I have loved every minute of it.

Our year of events started at the Miami Boat Show in February, where team members Brett Bayne, Jay Forbes and I were treated to the latest and greatest eye candy that 2015 promised to bring. The hottest speedboats, the ever evolving center console market and the coolest gadgets foreshadowed the year that was to come. The much smaller (yet improving) L.A. Boat Show immediately followed and did the same on the opposite end of the country. The Mercury 400R outboard engine was debuted in Miami and I have seen them everywhere since then. Nice job, Mercury!

The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series, 10

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the Lake Havasu Boat Show and Desert Storm Poker Run / Shootout followed in April and these are all events that I am very familiar with. The drag boat races are always an incredible demonstration of brute power and blistering speed and are simply awesome.

I have attended every Desert Storm since its inception and even prior, when it was known as the Spring Heatwave. I am always impressed by how this event continues to grow and evolve and I anticipate an even stronger showing in 2016. Go get ’em, Jim and Jim! June took Todd Taylor, Fred Young and me to Texas where I finally got to experience the Texas Outlaw Challenge, in person. We have covered this event within our pages in years past and knew it was one of the Poker Runs that I had to experience first-hand. It did not disappoint. The people and the hospitality were top-notch and it will be one that I will attend again in 2016.

August always means LOTO and this year we did it bigger and better than years before. To take advantage of all of the beautiful new muscle boats, and with the gracious assistance of Brett Manire and Mark Waddington of the Performance

Boat Center/ Redhead Yacht Club, we took seven team members to Missouri to run a variety of vessels that we don’t normally get to run on the West Coast (several of which appear in this issue). Also, the Shootout seemed to be bigger this year and supremely well organized and executed. This was my favorite event of the year.

In October, we scheduled our West Coast Manufacturers’ Performance Evaluations in Lake Havasu City, AZ, which went off successfully, to my great relief. There are many moving parts to organize an event like this, but our Speedboat Magazine team is the best around. I am proud of the fraternity of professionals that we have and they are the reason that we are able to produce such a quality publication, issue after issue.

Finally, Key West. This was my first time to Key West, FL, and experiencing the SBI Offshore World Championships.

Of course, we cover the event every year in the magazine, but actually seeing all of the activity and hardware for “race week” overwhelmed me. Also, the Florida Powerboat Club piggybacks their poker run at the same time, which brings the maximum total of horsepower and beautiful boats into the stratosphere.

From the shenanigans on Duval Street to the ultra-competitive, hull-to-hull racing that happens right in front of the mass of spectators, Key West is an overall amazing experience.

There were other events that I attended and enjoyed, but I simply didn’t have the room to list them all. But that doesn’t make them any less spectacular. I look forward to an even bigger and bolder 2016. I hope to again experience new “firsts” and re-visit old “familiars.”

I know that I am blessed to do what I love…And I absolutely love what I do! speedboat.com

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ON THE DYNO ALEXI SAHAGIAN

Blower Belt Blues Dear Alexi: I read your posts and columns and enjoy them. I have a small race boat with a PSI blower and alchohol flatbottom setup.

I built it myself and it runs well for the playing around that I do on the weekends. The problem is that I keep throwing blower belts every time I leg it for a distance at high rpm. I have one idler on the inside left side and one on the outside right. It's a 14mm belt and expensive. My alignment is spot on. Help!

Victor Mendecito Fresno, CA It sounds like a fun hotrod! Those little boats with big acceleration put a serious load on the front of the crank.

We’ve done tests to measure how much they will deflect, and the results are revealing. The interesting part is that a billet crank deflects less, but is a bit more prone to actually crack at times then a 4340 non-twist forged steel crank.

I’m not suggesting that one is better or worse; each has its place at times.

Anyway, here’s where I’m going with this: You mentioned that you have a idler pulley on the inside left, which is normal. However, you have one in the outside right as well. It seems that about 90% of the time an idler is on the outside of any blower belt on the right side, it’s highly prone to blast a belt—especially 12

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a high-dollar Kevlar belt.

If your belts are in alignment and transferring that heavy load under acceleration with a little snout deflection, it will pitch or shred the belt. They are designed to carry loads on the inside. Try removing the outside idler off the right side. I imagine you added it because it was tough to find a blower belt size you need for the psi.

We use mechanical drive services, and they make some of our low-volume belts at a fair price. Try this and you will be back to reliably zooming around the lake.

exhaust pulses away from the turbo to reduce turbo speed and hence reduce boost.

At times folks would drill larger holes in them to bypass more boost to reduce the pressure in the engine which is what I recommend as 15 psi is way high for pump gas sustained on a boat with your compression etc. If not, you can build a spacer and purchase a

Over Boost Dear Alexi: I have a turbocharged big block V8 engine in my old daycruiser. It has an intercooler and is set up for pump gas.

Unfortunately, I keep blowing head gaskets and breaking pistons. My builder tells me I am too hard on it. It is an old Race Aero twin turbo system. My max boost is 15 pounds and my compression is 9-1. It is dual carbureted, and I run 34 degrees of timing. I am new to boats, but this seems OK from my race car experience. Please help, as it is starting to cost me a lot of money!

Jim Braymor Austin, TX Based on the information you provided, I would say it is not a pump gas engine with that aggressive of a setup.

Usually on those older systems they were 7.5-8-1 static compression with 6-10 psi of boost and a total ignition timing of 30 degrees. The Race Aero systems used an E10 series Rajay Turbo and some use an E12 or something of that nature based on the airflow required by the builder.

They did not have waste gates therefore they relied on a bypass hole built into the turbine housing that would bypass

Turbonetics delta gate waste gate and bleed off some pressure however that gets more involved in cost.

I recommend 8-1 compression, 30 degrees of total advance and no more than 10 psi with the proper spark plugs and you should be good to go. Also note that at times your setup may sneak by on pump gas in one boat and not in another based on load, gear ratio etc.

The more you load a turbo motor, the more they feed or attempt to, therefore the boost pressures will creep up.

Think of it like a diesel, you put big tires or big loads on it, and the engine keeps boosting to satisfy the job at hand!

I hope that helps, feel free to check in if you need further assistance. speedboat.com

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V-DRIVE TECH JIM WILKES

the point of one ear to the center of the hub and multiplying by two. Is that correct? I was curious because there seemed to be some question about the actual prop size being different than the number stamped on the prop. Much obliged!

Sam Young Dayton, OH

Stress Crack Repair Dear V-Drive Tech: I have an old Howard that unfortunately has some stress cracks around the shaft log. They’re not in the matting; it looks like they’re just in the clear surface glass or gelcoat. What’s the best way to fix this problem? I also need to fill some old screw and bolt holes. The rest of the boat, including the bottom and inside, looks great. Thank you!

Chris Wentz Houston, TX The best way I know how to fix the stress cracks is to remove all the hardware that surrounds the areas needing repair. Propshaft, shaft log and fins, if needed. The next step is to get a small hand-held rotary grinder. Use a small rotary tip for the grinder. I like to tape alongside the stress cracks and use the tape as a guide. You might want to practice on some wood to help get the feel of the rotary tool. After some practice, carefully grind the cracks in the floor, trying not to go too deep as to grind into the fiberglass unless it’s necessary. After this step is completed, remove the tape and clean the areas need with acetone.

Now for the fun part. Chris, you can buy West Systems Epoxy resin kit and use this to fill the cracks in the floor or, if you have a surfboard shop nearby, go 14

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and get some surfboard clear resin.

(This is also known as epoxy clear resin.) Use a flexible putty knife to fill the cracks. This will also let you remove any excess resin not needed.

You can use acetone to clean any excess resin from the floor.

Now for the bad part. Your repaired cracks will have a different shine than the old original resin. The only way I know how to make it match is to respray the complete bottom. You can use the same product to repair your screw holes in your stringers, but you will need to add a high density filler to the resin. West Systems has this product. For the bolt holes buy some hardwood dowel the size you need. Cut the dowel a little longer than needed. Coat them well with the resin and install them. Push the dowel into the hole until one side is flush with the stringer. Once dry grind or sand the other side of the dowel until flush. Make sure you buy some rubber gloves and a gallon of acetone.

Good luck with your project!

Prop Size Dear V-Drive Tech: To measure a prop’s diameter, do you measure from point to point across? How is it done on a three-blade prop with no ear directly across? My understanding is that you can determine it by measuring from

You are measuring both propellers correctly. It’s the same way I would do it on the counter. You do need to measure all three blades from the center as sometimes one blade may be smaller than the rest. I have a shaft that fits the propeller with a very small center indentation so I can measure the blades from the center hub to the tip with a pair of calipers.

Runner Props Dear V-Drive Tech: How can you tell the difference between a flatbottom prop and a runner prop? Any insight you can provide would be appreciated. Thank you!

Brad J. King Sacramento, CA I will tell you what I have found over the years on these style of boats.

Flatbottom boats like to have the rear of the boat stable without a tremendous amount of transom lift, while runner bottom style boats like more transom lift to help get the air to channel under the boat. Most flatbottom boats use propellers in the 11 1/8 diameter or smaller with 15+" pitch, while runner bottom style boats run 12 to 12½ diameter with 14" pitch. Hydrodynamic lift is much more important on runner bottom boats than flatbottom style boats. I hope this answers your question. speedboat.com

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12/4/15 9:50 PM

Mystic C5000S

When the Speedboat crew traveled to the 2015 50-footer’s proven race heritage has taken the hull pretty far, Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, we had ulterior pretty damn fast. motives: Why not take the opportunity to get some seat time in a dozen or so of the most powerful thoroughbred offshore demons that came to flex their muscle? In this issue, we highlight five of the very best machines that LOTO had to offer, starting with the 50' Mystic built by John Cosker for Mark Wetterau of Irvine, CA-based Golden State Foods.

The C5000S is the pleasure version of Mystic’s C5000R race series made famous on the offshore course by such competitors as David Scott’s piston-powered Budweiser Select/ Bud Light, Miss Geico, JBS Racing and at least three champions that have previously graced the cover of this publication: Aqua-Mania, The Spirit of Qatar and American Ethanol. The 18

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Powered by Mercury 1350 engines coupled to surface drives with a rudder setup, the C5000S was delivered to Wetterau just before the start of LOTO; at press time, he was planning to take it to the Sunshine State to run with the Florida Powerboat Club.

He wanted the boat loaded up with electronics: in addition to the 15" Garmin GPS that comes standard, he added an 8" Garmin GPS over each helm for easy viewing by all passengers; it’s also got a 7" Vessel View on the center console. In addition, the Mystic features electric hatches that are opened by a flick of the switch on the cockpit control panel. Not being much of an audiophile, Wetterau didn’t order a huge stereo, although the Mystic is equipped with a Bluetooth intercom.

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The pleasure version of Mystic’s 50-foot race champion rivals the perfect performance of its sister ship.

Mystic C5000S Length: 50'4" Beam: 12' Engines on test boat: twin Mercury Racing 1350s Drive on test boat: BPMs (552 c.i.)

Base price: $1.5M Price as tested: $1.8M Maximum RPM: 6,500 Props: 16.74x39" Mercury five-blades (standard) Top speed: 160 mph Gel-coat upgrade: $75,000 Mystic Powerboats 1848 Patterson Ave. DeLand, FL 32724 (386) 736-2247 mysticpowerboats.com speedboat.com

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Mystic

In addition to the 15" Garmin GPS that comes standard, the owner ordered an 8" Garmin GPS over each helm for easy viewing by all passengers. The Mystic features electric hatches that are opened by a flick of the switch on the cockpit control panel.

“For a big boat, it’s a lot of fun to drive.

It still it accelerates really hard—the 1350s just have so much torque to them that it’ll really throw you back in the seat.”—John Cosker 20

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Cigarette 42X Luxury and supersonic speeds come together in this extraordinary deep vee painted by Visual Imagination.

How hard does the boat accelerate? of the older models from Cigarette—its Cigarettes are famous for their reliability, stability and rough When our driver was behind the wheel behavior is more comparable to the water handling. And when they’re cruising at 70 mph with a fellow team new batch of Outerlimits and MTIs. coupled to staggered Mercury Racing QCV4 1100s, you can factor in an explosion of acceleration and a 120-mph top end to boot. So naturally, we were stoked to catch a ride in a 42X, courtesy of Cigarette dealer Brett Manire of Performance Boat Center. He refers to it “the ultimate package,” and it’s hard to disagree. “The boat’s absolutely unreal—it handles extremely well and it’s safe for everybody. You can totally enjoy yourself on the 42X,” he says.

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member standing behind his bolster, he punched the throttles, catapulting his coworker’s backside into the rear bench almost instanteously. So the boat doesn’t just have some push—it will literally knock you on the floor if you’re not careful. And yet, the boat’s ride is a surprisingly flat one: once you trim the drives to about 3 or 4, keeping the tabs level, the boat stays flat, with terrific visibility and a great attitude.

The 42’s nose does not rise like some

Our 42X came wrapped with a stunning paint job by Visual Imagination of Peculiar, MO, the company behind such dazzling works of art as DCB’s M35 Lickity Split (featured in our August 2015 issue), the 32' Doug Wright cat (on Page 58 of this issue) and the famous MTIs Hammertime (a 44'), Lamborghini (48') and Black Diamond (52'). The interior sports plush Alcantara fabric, JL Audio stereo and Garmin 7612 GPSMap on the dash. speedboat.com

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Cigarette 42X Length: 41'7" Beam: 8' Engines on test boat: twin Mercury Racing 1100s Drives on test boat: #6 Price as tested: $799,950 Standard equipment: Garmin 8212, billet bolsters, JL Audio system, carbon fiber dash panels, Latham Marine throttles and shifters, etc.

Top speed: 120 mph @ 6,400 rpm Cigarette Racing 4355 NW 128th St. Opa-Locka, FL 33054 (305) 931-4564 speedboat.com

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cigaretteracing.com

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Cigarette

The interior sports plush Alcantara fabric and CNC machined billet bolsters. The helm features Latham Marine throttles and shifters, JL Audio stereo and Garmin 7612 GPSMap. The twin 1100-hp engines are in a staggered configuration.

With the twin staggered Mercury Racing 1100 QC4v engines, the 42X doesn’t merely have some push—it will literally knock you on the floor if you’re not careful.

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speedboat.com

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Statement 35 SUV

Statement 35 SUV Length: 34'5" Beam: 10' Engine on test boat: twin 300 Mercury outboards Base price: $269,000 Price as tested: $269,000 Standard features: heavy-duty aluminum hard top, anchor locker, concealed head compartment with head, fresh-water sink and faucet, stainless, hardware, dive ladder, nonskid decks.

Total passengers on boat: 15 Props: 26"-pitch Mercury four-blades Top speed: 60 mph Statement Marine 6101 45th Street North, Unit 4 St. Petersburg, FL 33714 (954) 614-2591 statementmarine.com

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speedboat.com

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A safe, reliable center console model that’s more about fun and comfort than breaking the sound barrier.

A

s he prepared to purchase his next boat, Mike Sonley of Indianapolis knew

that a center-console boat would be ideal for his budget—most likely a Statement or a Sunsation. “It seems like they’ve been the hot rage,” he says. Sonley, who stands 6-foot-5, liked the way the 350 Statement SUV accommodated his large frame. “The Statement’s helm has a twoseater, which gave me a little more room to walk around on both sides,” he says. “I liked that aspect of it.”

Previously the owner of a 38 Fountain speedboat.com

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Fever, Sonley also liked the ride of the Statement. “It has a deeper vee hull because it’s designed for offshore use. I run it on lakes 90% of the time, but I’m getting ready to take it down to Miami and Key West, and I’m eager to see how it handles in deep water.” Indeed, with its deep vee and twinstep design, the boat is a tad more trim tab sensitive than your average go-fast boat.

Trim the engines to about 4 to get the boat level, and it’ll run straight and solid. (Just avoid putting one too many passengers on one side, or it can run a little cock-eyed.)

Powered by a pair of Mercury 300 outboards, this 350 SUV is a more affordable

alternative for those who don’t care about breaking the sound barrier—it’s a slower, heavier boat that’ll reach 60 mph in optimal conditions. But it turns exceptionally well and provides a perfectly fine ride for those who like the having a little shade over the center console and spreading passengers around the boat. “It pretty much drives itself,” Sonley laughs. “Since you’re not running in the 80s and 90s, it’s hard to get it out of shape. The boat is so heavy that it sits down in the water and just goes.”

Waves and Wheels installed a dynamite stereo system, along with multicolor LED lighting throughout the boat.

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Statement

Waves and Wheels provided a great stereo system, along with multicolor LED lighting throughout the boat.

The 35 SUV features sea-deck flooring, Garmin plotter screen and a concealed compartment under the console with 6’5” of headroom, marine head, sink and pull-out faucet.

With its deep vee and twin-step design, the boat is a tad more trim tab sensitive than your average go-fast boat.

Set the tabs to get the boat level, and it’ll run straight and solid.

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The Midwest builder teams with Tres Martin to create an exceptional step-vee hull with all the good stuff.

Though Sunsation Powerboats of Algonac, MI, without his professional expertise in hydrodynamics.”

Sunsation worked closely with Brett Manire of Performance stepped up its production of go-fast center-console models in a major way a few years ago, the company Boat Center in appointing the craft. “He knew exactly which hasn’t forsaken its line of traditional deep-vee muscleboats.

One of the most popular in their “sport performance” line is the 36SSR, designed by Tres Martin—the go-to guy when a builder wants to improve the ride of a particular craft.

“After 30 years of developing and designing boats, we brought Tres in,” says company President Joe Schaldenbrand.

“He said, ‘Don’t bring me in on the back end of it—bring me in up front and let’s make the boat run properly the first time.’ So that’s what we did, and he wound up teaching us a lot of things that we didn’t know.”

Commissioned by Sunsation dealer Performance Boat Center, the 36SSR is equipped with twin 565 engines coupled to XR drives in a staggered setup that allows the boat to handle rough water exceptionally well—handling, cornering, take-off, and planing are uniformly remarkable. According to Schaldenbrand, the great ride is due in part to the placement and angle of the steps. “Tres Martin provided the specific measurement for center of gravity, such as the size, width and downturn of chines,” he says. “He shed a whole new light on everything. We would have never gotten that far 30

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options should go in the boat, and we built it right to his specifications,” Schaldenbrand says. “No if, ands, or buts— he’s very professional when it comes to selling boats, and he knew exactly what it should have.” Mitcher T. Custom Painting & Design of Middleville, MI (269-795-2228) was responsible for all the paint and graphics that adorn the 36SSR. “We told him to make it look phenomenal.”

Our crew found the 36' to be quite user-friendly and sturdily built—you can run with the cabin door open with no problem. There’s very little bowrise as you accelerate, thanks to the staggered configuration, and this boat is amazing on acceleration—the twin 565s are undoubtedly the ideal package for this boat. Another great feature is the boat’s low center of gravity, and the drives being close together allows the driver to run through rougher water without any aeration.

The 36' features Mercury’s full hydraulic ITS steering system, Mercury Vessel View, 5" Big Gun exhaust and an acrylic rear hatch. “When you have motors like that and an amazing bilge like we’ve done, you might as well show it off when you back into the dock,” Schaldenbrand says. speedboat.com

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Sunsation 36 SSR

Sunsation 36 SSR Overall length: 36' Beam: 97" Deadrise: 24 degrees Engines on test boat: twin Mercury HP565s Drive on test boat: XR/ITS Standard features: Hydraulic steering, electric sinks, standup bolsters, Livorsi Monster gauges, Kenwood stereo, stainless rubrail, color-matched steering wheel, 502 Mag engine package.

Price as tested: $435,000 Top speed: 96 mph @ 5,300 rpm Sunsation Powerboats 9666 Kretz Drive Algonac, MI 4800 810-794-4888 speedboat.com

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sunsationboats.com

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Sunsation

The 36' features Mercury’s full hydraulic ITS steering system, Mercury Vessel View, Livorsi gauges and shifters, standup bolster seats, 5" Big Gun exhaust and an acrylic rear hatch. Mitcher-T gave the boat a premium paint job.

The staggered engine configuration allows the boat to handle rough water exceptionally well—handling, cornering, take-off, and planing are uniformly remarkable.

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Outerlimits 46 LIMITED General contractor Alex Fruth tames a retired but still impressive vee hull model.

“I never keep things very long,” chuckles Alex boat, and you have to know how to drive it.”

Fruth’s best top-end speed to date is 124 mph, but coaxFruth, who purchased his first boat in 2006 (a 30’ Baja Outlaw) and has been trading up ever since. In addition to Bajas, he’s owned a Formula, Statement and various Cigarette and Outerlimits models. Fruth acquired his first Outerlimits (a 42 Legacy) from Mike Fiore several years ago; he later swapped it for a 38' center-console Statement from Brett Manire at Performance Boat Center. Then, in early 2015, Manire sold him the Outerlimits 46' Limited—a vee hull that is no longer in production.

Fruth, a general contractor who builds in his hometown area of Southern Illinois as well as in the Lake of the Ozarks, equipped the 46' with a pair of 1075s and #6 drives (maximum 6.400 rpm). “It’s the fastest, biggest boat I’ve owned,” he says proudly. “And I feel it handles the best of any boat I’ve ever owned.” Indeed, the boat greedily eats up rough water and provides an excellent ride. “I’m in some really snotty water on a daily basis at the lake,” Fruth laughs. “With all that being said, it’s still an Outerlimits—it’s still a driver’s 34

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ing the last 10 mph took some time. “It took me a good part of the summer to get to know where the boat likes to be, setup-wise—and to work up the confidence to push it to the limit,” he says. “I had it up to 115 on the test drive, and it was a very comfortable 115 right off the bat. You can run this boat at 115 like you can run the 42' at 100 with the same comfort level.”

Changes are in store for the boat: At press time, Fruth was planning to make several major modifications, including stereo and electronics upgrades and an interior overhaul that will feature the popular Alcantara fabric and all-new carpeting. “We’re going to update the Mercury Vessel View, put a new Garmin on the dash and upgrade the electric rocker switches to push-button, just to give it an updated look.” Fruth says. “The paint job on the boat still looks fresh and new, but the interior clearly has some wear on it. So by the time spring rolls around, it’ll look brand new.” speedboat.com

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s

Outerlimits 46 Limited Centerline length: 46' Beam: 9'3" Engines on test boat: twin Mercury HP1075SCis Drives on test boat: No. 6 Purchase price: $350,000 Top speed: 124 mph @ 5,800 rpm Props: 35" Mercury five-blades Lower unit gear ratio: 1.35 Outerlimits Powerboats 3 Minturn Farm Rd. Bristol, RI 02809 (401) 253-7300 outerlimitspowerboats.com speedboat.com

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Outerlimits

First launched in 2006, the 46' Limited’s helm features Monster gauges from Livorsi Marine, Garmin GPS map and Mercury SmartCraft.

Fruth plans to update the look of the dash and redo the entire interior in time for spring 2016.

“It’s the fastest, biggest boat I’ve owned. And I feel it handles the best of any boat I’ve ever owned.”

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BADASS 548

BUILD Tom Orseno at Pro-Marine of Lake Havasu builds us a 1,100-hp powerplant.

The center on the Eagle connecting rods is 6.385. That makes the rod 1/250,000” longer than stock.

W

Tom Orseno of Pro-Marine in his dyno shop.

JE Pistons with accompanying pins and retaining rings. Bore size of the pistons is 4530.

Our crankshaft is a 4 1/4-stroke from Eagle Specialty Products.

hen Speedboat edi- years ago. Following the mishap with the motor at his shop. Upon completor/publisher Ray the engine, Orseno dissembled it and tion, he will dyno it in his in-house shop; Lee took delivery found there was nothing usable left, so a after testing and tuning, Absolute Speed &

of his new, custom-built 2750 LaveyCraft NuEra in 2002, it was fast, it was sano, it was pure perfection. Fast-forward 13 years: thoughand stillphotos looking by great, the boat broke Story a rod and the engine was suddenly toast.

Lee was in a quandary—something needed to be done, pronto.

Fortunately, one of the perks of publishing a high-performance boating magazine is that we know a lot of people who can help. Enter Tom Orseno of ProMarine in Lake Havasu City, AZ, who had rebuilt the Lavey’s engine about six 38

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decision was made to start from scratch.

The goal: a new 548-c.i. engine using components from JE (pistons), Dart (block, heads), Eagle (rods, crankshaft) and Comp Cams (camshaft, valvetrain, belt drive). We decided that a Whipple 4.5 liter supercharger would be the perfect complement to our dream machine, which will run on 91 octane.

Some specs on the project: Compression will be 8:1 with 7 pounds of boost; we expect to see between 1,050 and 1,100 horsepower when it all comes together.

At press time, Orseno was assembling

Marine (also in Havasu) will do the installation and it will be ready to hit the water.

In part one of a projected multi-part series, this article will detail the raw materials and parts, including the beginning of the assembly. In upcoming issues, we’ll see it start to take shape—machine work, cleaning, assembly and dynoing. In addition to the supercharger, Whipple will also supply an intercooler and manifold, while fuel injection will be handled by an EFI system from FAST Technologies. And finally, we will see the Lavey hit the water with its new drivetrain! speedboat.com

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Left and below left: Views of our Dart block. Deck height is 9.8, bore size 4.530.

It’s a 4-bolt main with splayed main caps.

caption

Right: The crankshaft is installed in the block.

Left: Our 345 Dart cylinder heads (2.300 intake valve, 1.88 exhaust valve) with valves and springs.

The heads feature hard anodizing for marine use.

Our camshaft, courtesy of Comp Cams. speedboat.com

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The pistons assembled with the Eagle connecting rods.

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Badass 548 Build

Orseno hangs the pistons on the rods and puts the retaining clips in.

A Comp Cams belt drive (P/N 6200) was used instead of a timing chain; this way, the cam timing may be adjusted without transferring any of the harmonics through the valvetrain.

Orseno uses a valve-spring compressor to assemble the cylinder heads.

Orseno installs the pistons and rods into the block, tapping them in with a rubber hammer to avoid damaging them.

While the motor sits on a stand, Orseno torques the main cap bolts down to safely secure the crankshaft in the block.

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Sources: Pro-Marine 2750 Sweetwater Ave Ste 8, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406 (928) 505-3966 JE Pistons 8 Mason, Irvine, CA 92618 (714) 898-9763 • jepistons.com Dart Machinery 353 Oliver St., Troy, MI 48084 (248) 362-1188 • dartheads.com Eagle Specialty Products 8530 Aaron Lane, Southaven, MS 38671 (662) 796-7373 • eaglerod.com Comp Cams 3406 Democrat Road, Memphis, TN 38118 (800) 999-0853 • compcams.com

Orseno installs the cylinder head on top of the block.

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Whipple Superchargers 3292 N. Weber, Fresno, CA 93722 (559) 442-1261 • whipplesuperchargers.com

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Photography by Todd Taylor

TH Dave’s Custom Boats throws the ultimate party for its owners—and the horsepower on display is truly A N N I V E R SA RY breathtaking.

R E G A T T A

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Dave and Buffie Magoo in their M35 with twin 1350s.

S

i n g l e - m a n u fa c tu r er regattas aren’t as plentiful as they were a dozen years

Brett and Sharon Spraggins’ F32, powered by twin 700s.

Brandon and Candice Allen in their F34, Lime Time II.

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ago, but one that continues to endure is the one organized

by Dave’s Custom Boats of El Cajon, CA. Year after year, the crew at DCB throw a grand party for their owners, and a more brand-loyal bunch you won’t find. The DCB regatta is a great opportunity to see a cross-section of the best speedboats ever created in the same location—everything from lowprofile 22' and 26' Mach and Extreme models to the big-muscle M35 and M41 cats. The results, as the photos in this layout prove, are nothing short of breathtaking. It is a panorama of exquisiteness, and company honchos like Dave Hemmingson, Rob Blair, Jeff Johnston and Tony Chiaramonte bend over backwards to give their customers a weekend to remember forever.

The 2015 DCB regatta featured 60 boats and around 300 attendees for the builder’s 25th anniversary. “It was just a really good, fun event,” says Johnston.

“We did a fun run on Friday down to Havasu Springs, and on Saturday we did a parade through the channel at noon, followed by a poker run and our banquet that evening.”

To illustrate what a faithful crowd this is, the farthest traveled to Havasu was Chris Smith, who trailered his DCB F32 from Saskatchewan, Canada.

(Smith also attended last year with a friend, but came this year with his own boat.) John O’Neill flew out Atlanta to purchase an outboard-powered M29.

Meanwhile, the owner of the newest boat was Craig Hargreaves, who attended with his M41.

Look for DCB’s display at the Los Angeles Boat Show, Feb. 25-28.

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25th Anniversary DCB Regatta

John and Yoon Chilton of Goodyear, AZ, in their M35, powered by twin Mercury 1350s.

Scott Corrales of Redlands, CA, in his M31, powered by twin 700s.

Bottom left: DCB President Dave Hemmingson pays tribute to his loyal staff and sponsors at the event banquet.

John O’Neill of Atlanta in his outboard-powered M29.

Craig Hargreaves’ M41 is powered by twin Mercury 1350 engines.

Bottom center right: The 25th anniversary cake was, naturally, a custom design—just like their boats.

Bottom below right: Cherilyn, Josh and Crew Noack of Teague Custom Marine celebrate at the banquet.

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Story and photos by Wes

Nielsen Nordic Boats showcased its 28SS catamaran, powered by a single Mercury 1350 engine.

GOT POWER? Speedboat heads to Vegas, where high-performance products reign supreme at the annual SEMA Show.

Eddie Marine’s automotive counterpart, Eddie Motorsports, displayed its serpentine and V-belt kits, as well as numerous billet automotive parts.

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The all-new high-resolution fully configurable dash display from AEM is capable of working with several EFI systems via CAN connectivity. Below: FAST Technologies’ EZ-EFI engine control system.

Performer RPM Vortec Manifold from Edelbrock.

This 2016 BMW 3 Series from KAO Auto Styling features state-of-the-art Velocity Wheels.

W

hat started in 1963 as a small show in Dodger Stadium is

Above: Lucas Oil displays its new line of racing lubricants. Below: Performance Distributors shows off its high-performance ignition systems.

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now one of the largest annual shows in Vegas, with more than a million square feet of parts and vehicles—mostly cars, but a few boats and plenty of marine performance products. Among the most notable: the EZ-EFI Self Tuning Engine Control System from FAST Technologies.

Other marine-minded exhibitors displaying their wares included Edelbrock, Eddie Motorsports, AEM Technologies and Lucas Oil. Among the boats being showcased was a 28SS catamaran from Nordic Boats of Lake Havasu, powered by a single Mercury 1350 engine.

Walking even part of this huge show is exhausting, but it’s great fun to see all the craziness surrounding SEMA. Year in and year out, the show continues to expand and yield first-rate ideas.

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Photos by Paul

Kemiel

With this issue, Speedboat launches a long-overdue tradition in honoring those individuals who have shaped our industry into its current state. With the commencement of our opening induction process, we welcome the first of our Speedboat Legends—individuals who through their accomplishments and vision have earned places as cornerstones in our realm.

Our plan is to focus solely on those responsible for highly significant contributions to powerboating. You’ll see names and faces you recognize, as well as some lesser-known but equally influential voices. To measure the achievements of those we honor in these pages, one need only imagine what the industry would be like without their contributions. Along with vision, determination and innovation, that sense of significance is shared by each of our honorees.

L

ook back on Howard Arneson’s accomplishments, and it’s almost

impossible to believe that one man has lived so large. Recipient of more than 45 patents (his best-known is the Pool Sweep), Arneson revolutionized offshore muscleboating with the development of the Arneson Surface Drive in the 1980s, which has been produced under several licenses. His own boats have won two Open Offshore World championships, and on one fateful day in 1983, Arneson drives powered the World Champions in Open, Sport and Modified classes.

Arneson, who started out racing 225 Hydras, owned a series of high-powered offshore sport boats before single-handedly exploiting the potential of turbine power in the pleasure-boat arena. He has become the undisputed “King of the Turbine,” having built plenty of them over the years.

At age 68, Arneson climbed into the open cockpit of his 32-foot Skater, powered by a T-58 gas turbine, and shattered the elapsed time record between New Orleans and St. Louis by an incredible 7.5 hours. In 1990, Arneson drove the thousand miles in 12 hours, 40 minutes by himself, nonstop—much of it in darkness-and became the 16th new record-holder in more than 1,100 attempts. The feat only reinforced his contention that the turbine is the ultimate power for a boat, and his installations became progressively wilder. He has built at least six of them for himself, including a spectacular 46-foot Skater powered by a 4,500-hp Lycoming turbine. It carries enough fuel (1,000 gallons) to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and cruises comfortably and reliably at between 120 and 140 miles an hour.

Howard Arneson in 1984 at Key West APBA Offshore World Championships.

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Michelob Light, a 38' Cougar cat powered by a pair of 700-hp KS&W engines with Arneson surface drives. The boat won in the Open class with a 90.43-mph average, with Tony Garcia and Sammy James at the 1982 APBA Offshore World Championships in Key West. speedboat.com

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Now 94, Howard Arneson refuses to slow down—he continues to get behind the wheel of fast boats, and he’s currently developing a few items outside of the marine market that he’s been wanting to do for some time. (He’s mum about the details, but hopefully we’ll be able to report on the details soon.)

Meanwhile, Arneson Industries, which is based in San Rafael, CA, has developed the Bravo Conversion Kit, designed for applications of up to 850 hp. The kit covers most vee-bottom boats up to 42 feet. These have proved extremely popular over the years for boat owners who want an upgrade for their existing Bravo drives. “These owners have come to the realization that something has to be better,” says Arneson Industries owner Rik Wimp. “With our Bravo Conversion Kits—also known as our #7M Kits—we have been able to supply consumers with a solution to their problems, and at the same time provide them with a product that actually increases their performance.”

Howard Arneson’s 46' Skater has been a test bed for his newest ideas, and continues to do so to this day. The boat has over 750 hours of testing on it with various configurations of the Arneson Surface Drive as the experts continue to monitor how these changes affect the boats speeds and handing.

Sammy James, Howard Arneson and Tony Garcia celebrate after their win at the 1982 Coral Gables Challenge Cup at the APBA Offshore race in Saugatuck, MI.

Sheraton Key Largo, a 48' Cougar cat with Howard Arneson at the 1984 Key West Michelob Light Offshore World Championships.

An Arneson Surface Drive on Michelob Light at 1983 race in Detroit, MI.

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Speedboat Legends

Arneson Special, a 37' Cougar cat with Tony Garcia driving and Keith Hazell throttling claimed the UIM Open class world championship at the 1983 APBA/UIM Offshore Worlds in Key West.

Howard Arneson surrounded by beauty queens at the 1983 APBA/UIM Offshore World Championships in Key West.

Arneson at the 1984 Key West Offshore worlds.

Left: Arneson and one of the four 700-hp KS&W inboard engines aboard the Sheraton Key Largo at the 1984 Offshore World Championships in Key West.

Right: Arneson with his family celebrate his 94th birthday in 2015.

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Factory Tour

SPACE ODYSSEY

by Brett

Bayne

Jim Lee of Lee Aerospace brings a new dimension to high-performance windshields.

Lee Aerospace supplies numerous Mystic hulls with windshields, including Win Farnsworth’s 50-foot, turbinepowered Low Altitude.

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ments, with good structural integrity and superior optics.”

Now specializing in the production of polycarbonate and acrylic windows, Lee Aerospace boasts 270 employees, building windshields and windows for aircraft and boat manufacturers alike.

Speedboat sat down with Lee to learn more about the company, his products and services, and how he services the performance boating industry.

An Outerlimits with Lee Aerospace’s windshield.

A

couple of decades ago, boat windshields were decidedly less than perfect. Distortion and poor

clarity were commonplace— even the canopies on the fanciest race boats left a lot to be desired. But times have changed, along with technology, and we have people like Jim Lee of the Wichita, KS-based Lee Aerospace to thank for that.

Lee is a third-generation aviation operative, his grandfather and both parents having flourished in the field. He launched his firm in 1988, making cabin windows for Boeing 737 and 757 planes before moving on to laminated stretched acrylic windows for Cessna, Lear, Beechcraft and others. Later he would expand into cockpit side windows and laminated compound curved forward windows for jet airplanes and beyond.

But Jim Lee is more than merely an expert on aviation products. He’s also a fastboat fanatic with some serious race-course cred. In 1992, he attended the Key West World Championships with his friend, the late, celebrated racer Bob Morgan. “I saw these little Skaters running around with outboards and thought, ‘What the heck are those?’ I found out they were 28 Skaters, and the next year I bought one.” By 1993 and 1994, he was racing offshore himself— and winning. They raced together through the 1990s, after which Lee became active on the poker-run circuit. His Freedom US1 is one of several offshore raceboats he owns, along with various Skaters and Cigarettes.

Observing the imperfections in the windows on speedboats, it was inevi-

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table that Lee should try to tackle the problem. He was uniquely qualified to develop windshields with the quality optics and strength that raceboats require. And it didn’t hurt his business plan to have friends like Mike Fiore (Outerlimits), Peter Hledin (Skater) and John Cosker (Mystic).

“I’ve worked with those folks,” Lee says. “I understand their needs and can build a window per their require-

SPEEDBOAT: What were your first marine windshields?

JIM LEE: Some of my first were a laminated polycarbonate windshield for Skater and a laminated stretched acrylic for Mystic and Doug Wright.

From there, I started supplying product to Mike Fiore of Outerlimits, whose older windows didn’t have the greatest optics. I continue to build windows for these companies, and I look forward to expanding my business to whichever boat companies would like them.

Jim Lee uses a special grid board to grade the optics of windows. Here he tests the quality of a race canopy window (left) and an aircraft window (below).

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Factory Tour SB: How have boat windshields evolved since you got into racing?

JL: Originally there were no windshields at all, and people were getting killed or injured quite a bit stuffing boats.

So they switched to the F-16 canopies, but people still got hurt because while they were OK protecting from a frontal impact, the same was not true for a side impact. Then people started building structural cabs. Initially, they used older aviation military polycarbonate windshields, which were around half an inch thick. They were basically made to defeat a four-pound bird—not the pressure of the water. They were flexible and soft, with very small retainers, and they would just cave in. Older canopies were very difficult to repair and polish, and they had a lot of distortion. They just weren’t any good. In my opinion, the windows needed to be much stiffer, so I basically just expanded the quality of aircraft windows to the boat industry, which was somewhat lacking in the optics and clarity area. It is my pleasure to share it with the boat industry.

Chris Mills of Boat Customs added a Lee Aerospace windshield to Lee’s personal 28' Skater. This retrofit can be made to any boat without a windshield.

An employee laminates a window in a designated “clean room.”

SB: Other than building a durable and reliable product, to what do you attribute your company’s success?

JL: I have an amazing team. It always comes down to working with great peo-

Above: Windows are formed in an acrylic forming oven. Left: Jim Lee (second from left) discusses new designs during a staff meeting.

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Lyle Piland, one of several mobile repair and installation crews, has a case filled with the necessary tools to install or repair a windshield on a boat or an aircraft. ple. Our employees are the best—I’m really proud of everybody. One of them is Joel Weber, who happens to be a multi world champion drag boat racer. He has been able to bring us new safety-related ideas by talking to people like Gary Stray of Team Geico and others who demand the safest race canopies in the world.

Another important reason is that we provide outstanding customer service. Our clients, especially those in the aviation field, need service immediately. When they call, we’ll respond so they can get their aircraft in the air as soon as possible.

And we enjoy working with our marine customers to develop custom windows and meet delivery timelines and ensure that the quality of the product after shipment is what they expect. If not, we’ll work with them to get any issues resolved to keep the customer happy.

SB: Have you picked up any important marine clients lately?

JL: Actually, Peter Hledin just gave me a purchase order to supply some of his Skaters. That’s pretty exciting!

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MONSTER BASH

W l Welcome to the h most ghoulish h li h poker k run in the country—as only Lake Havasu can do it.

Ab Ch Da

Photos by Todd Taylor

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T Above: Sean and Maggie Moore of Phoenix in the 46' Skater Lick This. Below: Sponsor Chris Hamlin of Prestige Marine LHC in his Wellcraft Scarab (far lane) runs alongside Darren Housel of Washington Terrace, UT, in his 42 Fountain Lightning (near lane).

Creatures of all kinds help make the costume party a success. Among the attendees: Amanda Knox, Kelli Krause, Ricky Hidalgo and A.J. Barrett of Barrett Custom Marine (far left) as characters from the Super Mario Bros. universe.

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hrills! Chills! Scares!

Plenty of monsters—as well as monster engines— were on hand for the sixth annual Monster Bash poker run, the mini-Desert Storm from the same producers of the Lake Havasu event and sponsored by Teague Custom Marine of Valencia, CA (661-295-7000). Boaters got a late-season opportunity to have some fast fun on Arizona’s famous water playground—and dress up in scary costumes during the big party.

According to producer Jim Nichols, the 2015 event was larger than ever, thanks in part to the addition of 20+ Eliminators that came out for their annual regatta and got in on the Monster action as well.

About 100 registered for the bash this year to enjoy a fun run on Friday and the main event and costume party on Saturday. Rain moved Friday's pizza party party inside to the Turtle Grill, and got boaters a little wet as well. “We did get drenched, but at least the rain was warm,” Nichols laughs. Another slight hitch was a transfer of headquarters from the upstairs conference room, which was being rebuilt. “We were not in our normal digs—we used the downstairs lounge and it worked out,” Nichols says.

Chad Warne of Aurora, CO, was the first-place poker winner with a flush, while Sean Kelley of Castaic, CA took second place with a straight.

Rounding out third place was Michael Hall of Albuquerque, NM. And then there were the monsters. Two-time King of the Desert champion Don London dressed as a particularly gruesome zombie, while several male revelers transformed themselves into Hooter’s girls.

The Bash will return to Lake Havasu Oct. 14-15, 2016.

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Monster Bash John Caparell in his 32' Doug Wright Poker Run Edition.

Sponsor Charlie Brown of Phoenix in his 36' Eliminator.

Event organizers Jim and Claudia Nichols in their 32' Warlock, powered by twin Merc 500 HP engines.

George and Dawn Ogden in Oil Field Trash, their 29' E-Ticket.

Gregg Pursley of Parker, AZ, drives his 34' Advantage Party Cat.

Sam Morgan and Susan Williams of Gilbert, AZ, in the 25' Eliminator Daytona Captain Morgan.

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Left: Tim and Miranda Jones of Fresno, CA, in Tempus Fugit, a 40' Skater. Above: Larry Guillen of Huntington Beach, CA, in his 38' Skater.

caption

Tom Briles of Long Beach, CA, in his 40' Skater, powered by twin 1,100-hp Mercury Racing engines. Below: Buck Stracener and Xu Yang of Moreno Valley, CA, in their 28' Nordic.

Brett and Sheila Baur of Ogden, UT, in their 44' MTI, Panty Dropper.

Chad and Misty Marshall, of Glendale AZ, in their 28' Eliminator Daytona.

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Monster Bash

Cliff and Melissa Anderson of Hurst, TX, in Paper Chaser, their 36' Eliminator Daytona, powered by twin Ilmor 700s.

Trevor Rebolo in his 26' Scarab, Team Coyote.

Don and Connie London in their 38' Skater King of the Desert, powered by twin Carson Brummett 1825 engines.

George & Dawn Ogden of Lake Havasu City in their 29' E-Ticket.

Oilfield Trash.

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Chris Davidson

[Cont. from page 8]

Wednesday night, we ate at Benihana and met Rick Williams, who is the Sunoco Race Fuels Distributor for all of Florida and South America. Rick’s company provides all of the race fuel for the SBI race teams.

On Thursday, Stu Jones brings down the next wave of poker runners from North Miami Beach near Haulover Inlet, which is 180 miles by boat to Key West.

The run has gotten so large that an additional departure has been added from Coconut Grove.

Friday night brought the 35th annual SBI Duval Street parade, which always brings out the biggest names in our industry. Bob Teague, Dave Hemmingson, This 43' Sunsation F-4, part of FPC’s poker run, features a paint job by Mitcher T, including a color-matched engine compartment.

Brett Manire of Performance Boats Center and even Jimmy John, founder of the Jimmy John Sandwich Company, mingled on Duval Street and talked about boats, horsepower and a few other interesting subjects.

It’s an interesting mix of personalities, all interacting during the street parade, which showcases the SBI race boats with their teams in full gear meeting and speaking to the fans who came to watch the races.

During the party, I noticed a gentleman wearing one of our new Speedboat Magazine T-shirts. I stopped him and introduced myself. His name is George Laverne Jr. of Beaumont, TX. He is a longtime reader of the magazine, dating back to Hot Boat in the late ’80s. He speaks to my girlfriend, Valerie, often, ordering shirts and other Speedboat gear.

I thanked him there on the spot and told him I would send him something cool for his loyal patronage to the boating industry and our magazine.

Key West is the best. For those of you who have never made it, I implore you to add it to your “bucket list.” There just isn’t anything else like it.

Happy holidays to all, and to you in particular, George. You made my day! speedboat.com

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Brett’s ONE HOT SUMMER WEEKEND

ALSO: • Mike Fry Race • Thunder on the Snake • Dragboat Worlds 56481_SpeedboatJanuary_063.indd 63

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ONE

HOT

Summer Weekend Below: Joe Drungle’s Eliminator 19’ Daytona. Opposite: Attendees pose for a group shot on the beach in front of the beautiful Avi Resort in Laughlin.

R

ooster tails were flying high when the Southern California-based online jetboating community

known as SoCalJetBoats reunited at the Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV, for a weekend of rooster-tail recreation. In previous years, the event took place at Big River, CA (south of Parker, AZ) and was known as the “Gord Trip” because a group member named Gord would come down from Alberta, Canada, to hang out with other fellow members of the website. When the event continued

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to grow, it was moved to the Avi Resort and given the name One Hot Summer Weekend—and Gord continues to make the trek from Canada.

This year’s bash attracted about 250 people and 120 boats, and group leader Brad Martin (who mounts half a dozen of these events a year) said the weather couldn’t have been better for attendees.

“There is no itinerary,” he explains. “The only plan is to show up and have fun.”

That being said, some smaller groups take off to go for cruises up and down the river, while others head to a bar up river

called Lazy Harry’s. Others are content to hang out on the beach all day and enjoy the sun and water.

Among the attendees was a particularly cool “barn find” Liberty circle boat in attendance, as well as a bevy of new faces along with the regular crowd, which includes members of the online Jet Boat Freaks Facebook group.

Despite their name, SoCalJetBoats invites boats of all states (and propulsion systems) to participate in the fun. For upcoming events, check out the group’s Facebook page. speedboat.com

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Photography by Kenny

Dunlop

SoCalJetBoats members trek to the famous Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV, to strut their stuff.

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One HOT Summer Weekend

Left and right: Mark Buelteman’s 1977 Liberty.

Below left: Mike Towning (near lane) takes off in his 1974 18' Southwind.

Below: Joe Drungle’s Eliminator 19' Daytona.

Bottom: Jamie Wedmore’s Eliminator Liberty.

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Jake Yeager’s 1979 Southwind Tunnel Dragster

Above: Tony Gonzalez’s 1979 Nordic.

A Class Field Below left: Mike Towning’s 1974 18' Southwind.

Below: Mike Poter’s 2009 Placecraft is powered by a PSI blown alcohol 555-c.i. Keith Black engine.

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BIG

Schlott

High winds and visibility issues can’t stop jetboat racers from tackling the Thunder on the Snake event in Lewiston, Idaho.

A

fter a nasty wind- Joe and Thunder on the Snake races, storm caused officials Schlotthauer becomes the 2015 U.S.

to postpone the Thunder on the Snake jetboat race in Lewiston, ID, the event resumed the next day on the Snake River.

Local hero Ross Schlotthauer, driving with navigator Chad Yackel, followed through on their early lead with a time of 1:10:21 that got them the overall win and first place in Unlimited Class. Spencer King, an eight-time world champion from Canada, was second overall in Unlimited Class with navigator Michael King.

Having won the Salmon River, St.

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Jetboat Overall Champion.

In addition to high winds, racers also faced smoke from area forest fires, which dramatically impeded visability for all competitors. Making headlines for his impressive win in FX class was Leighton Lillie of Lewiston (driving with navigator Riley Brooks). Lillie, a paraplegic who won the race in FX class two years earlier, sits in a wheelchair while on land, but his seat time in Preventing Insanity afforded him a far more thrilling ride— with an elapsed time of 1:44:09 during

the 39-mile race, he beat his closest competitor, Shay White, by nine minutes.

Meanwhile, brothers Jeff and Jim Edwardsen of Lewiston finished first in Unlimited Piston Class with a time of 1:49:33. CX Class was won by Barry Fenton and Dennis Bell of Canada, driving #121 Backdraft. They finished in fourth place overall.

The action continues in 2016 with the 32nd Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race, set for April 15-17 in Riggins, ID, followed by the 2016 USA World Championship Marathon Jet Boat Race in St. Maries and Lewiston, ID, May 20-28. speedboat.com

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Photography by Frank

and Marlene Mignerey

Left: Unlimited Class and overall winner Ross Schlotthauer (total time: 1:10:21).

Below: Spencer King was second in Unlimited Class and the second-place finisher overall with a time of 1:11:57.

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Big Schlott Jetboat Race

Ryan Rogers was third in Unlimited and overall in #285 Pure Insanity.

Barry Fenton, driving #121 Backdraft, was first in CX Class and finished fourth overall.

Jeremy Hand in #277 Easily Influenced finished second in CX Class and finished fifth overall.

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Dale Whiteside in #77 Influenced finished third in CX Class and sixth overall.

Brothers Jeff and Jim Edwardsen of Lewiston, ID, finished first in Unlimited Piston Class with a time of 1:49:33.

Idaho natives Leighton Lillie (far lane) and Shay White (near lane) finished first and second place in FX Class, respectively.

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10-10.99 Bracket After a brief retirement from boat racing, Sam Villavicencio brought out his Fire Me Up 10-second bracket flatty. The #3 qualifier went on to take the first-place trophy and a bevy of prizes.

In Memory of

MIKE Racers pay their respect to their late brother, Mike Fry, at a special memorial race.

Photographer Mark McLaughlin assembled this photo collage of Mike Fry as a gift to his wife Denise.

It was autographed by his fellow racers.

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Unblown Fuel Jet Zach Rauscher took home the trophy in UFJ with his Saturday Night Special jetboat. He was the #2 qualifier going into eliminations on Sunday.

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Quick Eliminator Tony Scarlata, l t iin th the 60/40 / fflat, could not set the boat all weekend till eliminations day. With a 13 boat field in the Quick Eliminator class, though, he had figured out the problem and took wins in every round all the way to Victory Circle.

Pro Gas Flat The first round of Pro Gas Flat on Sunday morning pitted Kelly Rhead (near lane) against Randall Docken (far lane). Rhead, the #1 qualifier, not only took the round win, but also won the category with a decisive win in the finals over Roger Roadstrom.

Photos by Mark

A

McLaughlin

fter longtime boat Very active in the publicity and orgaAmong the highlights of the race was racer Mike Fry died in nization side of the event was Fry’s the participation of Sam Villavicencio, a crash in Marble Falls, friend, Speedboat photographer Mark who emerged from his racing retirement

TX, last August, his fellow competitors quickly organized a special race to commemorate their fallen brother. Fry, who was frequently seen on the circuit campaigning his Mean Streak machine, was honored by the NJBA with the Mike Fry Memorial Race, held in October at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA.

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McLaughlin, who assembled a beautiful photo collage for Fry’s widow, Denise.

McLaughlin sifted through years of photos for this beautiful keepsake, then had the entire NJBA staff and racers sign it in memory of their fallen brother. It was presented to Denise at the Saturday afternoon drivers’ meeting.

to campaign his Fire Me Up 10-second bracket flatty. The #3 qualifier took his machine all the way to the top, winning the first-place trophy, CP/Carrillo voucher, commemorative Mike Fry poster, a check and a weekend’s worth of photos on a CD. Now that’s how you celebrate coming out of retirement!

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In Memory of Mike

Pro Eliminator #1 qualifier Tim Goodwin (near lane), runs Pro Eliminator class against Adam Simmons, who also ran in the 9.00-second bracket as well as the Super Eliminator classes. Goodwin took home multiple gifts in his class; Terian Childers had to help him hold everything.

Pro Gas Jet Trophy h queen Terian i Childers and Pro Gas Jet winner Kjell Adams (left) show off his winning trophy and prizes. Right: Adams takes down Adam Simmons in the final.

9-9.99 Bracket With one of the largest fields of boats for the weekend, the 9.00-second class had 15 entries, including #8 qualifier Cory Hallberg (near lane) and #9 qualifier Ray Dalke (far lane). Hallberg’s Sweet Pickle machine went the distance en route to the winners’ circle.

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Scary Ejection Qualifying on Saturday, Jerry Hicks had a scary moment when his Hot Tub Quick Eliminator made a funny move around half track, backfired, hopped, then made an immediate right turn, tossing him over the side of the boat. Hicks checked out OK and the boat went back to the pits in one piece, but it was the end of his weekend as he tried to figure out what when wrong.

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IN the

ZONE

A tense battle of wits highlights the Lucas Oil Drag Boat World Finals in Chandler, Arizona

T

he Lucas Oil Drag 1,000 foot course.

Going into the final race of the year, Boat World Finals in Chandler, AZ, was high- Pro Mod competitor Jimmy Booher, in

lighted by top dog—and number-one for the second consecutive year—The Spirit Of Texas.

Owners Dave and Dewanna Kirkland, along with driver Scotty Lumbert, hit the lottery again with their Top Fuel Hydro.

Lumbert qualified #1 again, shoeing the monster machine not only to the World Championship in the most prestigious class of drag boat racing, he also set the new world record at over 265 mph in the 76

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the Tommy Thompson-sponsored Fistful of Dollars, was behind in the points by over three rounds. The only way for him to win the championship in the class was for the two leaders to go out early in the rounds on Sunday. And…it happened.

Not only did the leaders go out, Booher went all the way to win the race to put an exclamation point on the championship for Pro Mod. It’s his first number-one place in the class.

Travis Tuttle had a pink Pro Outlaw boat all season to promote sponsor Breast Cancer Awareness. And with all the signatures on the deck of his boat during the season, he was determined to give the deck of his boat away at the Racers Emergency Support Program year-end auction. “I’ll need this to win the Pro Outlaw class tomorrow, so the winner will get the deck on Sunday night after I win,” he said as the deck was being auctioned off. Tuttle, the #2 qualifier in the class, bested the field of 13 boats to win the trophy—just as he predicted. speedboat.com

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Photography by Mark

McLaughlin

Pro Mod Jimmy Booher (near lane) in the Tommy Thompson sponsored Fistful of Dollars, was behind in the points by over three rounds. To win the championship in the class, the two leaders had to go out early in the rounds on Sunday. Not only did they go out, Booher went all the way to win the race to put an exclamation point on the Championship for Pro Mod. Ryan Baxter (far lane), owner and driver of the Bottoms Up machine, went out early in the rounds on Sunday.

Pro Outlaw Travis Tuttle, the #2 qualifier in the class with Breast Cancer Awareness, drove around the field of 13 boats to win the Pro Outlaw Trophy, just like he predicted.

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In the Zone

Quick Eliminator #4 qualifier Todd Ebert had to run some pretty impressive times to get through this tough field of 19 boats. He left Kjell Adams sitting on the holding rope to win the final round in the class.

Modified Eliminator With 14 boats in the class going into eliminations on Sunday, #14 qualifier Joe McLemore had an easy time getting to the finals with a no-show from the first-round opponent, and a bye into the semis against the #31 boat of Chris Hedland. Winning the semifinals over Hedland put McLemore up against Rich Saindon (far lane).

McLemore took the win.

Pro Eliminator #5 qualifier Tom Roberts had to defeat the #1 qualifier to get to the finals, and with some nifty driving, he pulled off a holeshot win to the finals, where he eventually won. #3 qualifier Shelby Ebert (far lane) only made it through one round of eliminations.

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Stock Eliminator Jim Bernard had to lay down some killer reaction times to get to the finals in the Stock Eliminator class. Going into the finals, the #1 qualifier, Paul Hodges probably knew that, and red lit, giving the win to Bernard.

Top Alcohol Flat

Top Alcohol Hydro

Randy Ball had an easy road to the finals after taking out Bill Diez in the first round. The Oklahoman eventually won the event trophy and the overall top spot in the class for the year.

Bob Pizza won the event trophy for the Top Alcohol Hydro class. With a boat count of nine, it was still hard to not see Mike Fry’s Meanstreak II there.

Boat Bath

River Racer Michael Beie had a tough weekend in his newly acquired boat. Not only did he sink once, he sank the next day. At least the second time he drove the boat to the shoreline before the boat went under.

caption

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In the Zone

Top Fuel Hydro

Scotty Lumbert shoed The Spirit of Texas to not only the World Championship in the most prestigious class of drag boat racing, he also set the new World Record at over 265 mph in the 1,000-foot course.

Top Eliminator

#2 qualifier Garrett Breistig in Trophy Wife really had to be on his game this weekend with a field of 22 boats. He had to go through five rounds to take the the win.

Bouncy Boat Pro Eliminator driver Joe Alcorn struggled with his boat. He said the down pedal didn’t

have enough in it to keep the boat from launching to the moon. After qualifying #8, he just went for a wild ride all weekend, and ended up bruised and totally worn out.

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Mystic C5000S [Continued from page 21] Wetterau, who is friends with Dave Scott (of Budweiser Select fame), got to spend some time in Scott’s Mystic and grew to appreciate how it handled with the rudder versus stern drives.

When it came time to build his own, Cosker says, Wetterau was very handson and detail-oriented when it came to the cockpit design, colors, paint and beyond. The boat sports all manner of carbon detailing, including the storage hatches, side panel and center console, which are finished with clear carbon (most likely inspired by the high-end cars owned by Wetterau).

Virtually everything on the Mystic was assembled in-house, except for the Izit leather interior; Mystic contracts Premier Performance Interiors of Sarasota, FL, to create all of its interiors.

“They just got a brand-new machine that does what I call cable stitching, which employs a much heavier gauge stitch,” Cosker says. “Mark actually requested it, and coincidentally PPI had purchased the machine to be able to do that just this year, so it all came together really well. It gives it a little bit more of that super-car Bugatti look with the heavy-duty stitching in it.”

As expected, performance of the C5000S is nothing short of astonishing. Achieving 160 mph was achievable right out of the box, but Cosker is planning to help Wetterau squeeze another 5 mph by tinkering with the trim and other setup details. Handling-wise, the boat drives just like one of the 50’ race versions—an observation echoed by David Scott, who got to drive it at LOTO as well. The boat has zero porpoise and, given that the C5000S is a full carbonfiber boat, it’s a relatively light hull, and quite nimble for its size. “Not quite as nimble as our 44 because that’s a lot smaller,” Cosker smiles. “But for a big boat, it’s a lot of fun to drive. It still it accelerates really hard—the 1350s just have so much torque to them that it’ll really throw you back in the seat. It accelerates just like a race boat.”

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