S PEEDBO AT M A G A ZINE
INSIDE: HAVASU & PALM BEACH BOAT SHOWS
THE C3800:
MYSTIC’S
MEGA-FUN MIRACLE
PROJECT 1080:
a CIGARETTE
speedboat.com
REBORN
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TABLE OF MAY 2019
COLUMNS
8 RAY LEE 10 BOB TEAGUE 12 INDUSTRY NEWS
38 KEEPIN’ HER GLEAMING
FEATURES
Florida Powerboat Club breaks out the cards for a fun weekend on the East Coast of the Sunshine State.
14 SPRING BOAT SHOW FEVER
From coast to coast, manufacturers are showing off their wares. Here’s the best from Lake Havasu, AZ, and Palm Beach, FL.
28 MYSTIC C3800
Our latest encounter with Mystic’s first twin-outboard catamaran proves that it just keeps getting better and better.
32 PRODUCT 1080HP
FPC President Stu Jones oversees the stunning overhaul of his new pace boat—a Cigarette 38’ Top Gun—to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary.
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Are you still waxing your ride? It’s time to join the 21st century, where ceramic is the smart way to protect your boat from the elements.
42 TAMPA BAY POKER RUN
48 OFFSHORE SEASON PREVIEW
The ever-shifting landscape of offshore racing continues into the 2019 season—and more big changes are on the way.
54 FORMULA 1 ROARS TO LIFE
The outboard race series kicks off a new year with competition in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania.
58 MTI FUN RUN
Company President Randy Scism leads his customers on his annual trek through the Florida Keys. speedboat.com
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Cover photo by Todd Taylor Table of Contents photo by Pete Boden
Speedboat.com Published by DCO Enterprises, LLC Publishers
Ray Lee
ray@speedboat.com
Chris Davidson
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Editor Senior Tech Editors
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Bob Teague
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Jim Wilkes
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Tech Editors
National Sales Director Art Director Helicopter Services
BRETT’S COVE 66 COLE CASH
Painted by Bill Potts, Cal Frost’s 1979 Cole TR-2 is a V-drive with a lot of great history, and it’s incredibly fun to drive.
68 SCSC SPRING CLASSIC
The Southern California Speedboat Club gathers in Parker, AZ, for one of the wildest meets of the group’s storied history.
76 NJBA SEASON OPENER
National Jet Boat Association competition gets under way for the 2019 season with a blowout bout at Lake Ming.
Photographers
Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins Ray Lee
ray@speedboat.com
Gail Hada-Insley Fred Young
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RAY LEE
It seems the snow has started to melt and the lakes have finally begun to thaw. Flowers are blooming and the birds are again singing the happy melodies of spring. This can only mean one thing—that boating season is here!
It has been a long, brutal winter for most, and one that has kept us from our boats and waterways for far too long. Even the usually mild climate here in California was transformed into a watery winter. Rain fell more in the past few months than in the past few years–but at least it has eased our drought conditions and filled up the lowering lake waters to adequate levels again. With the exception of Florida and a few other fortunate locales, we have missed our favorite pastime–but it’s finally back. I made my first pleasure trip of 2019 a couple weeks ago in my 2002 Lavey Craft 2750 NuEra with my fiancée Julie and our regular group of friends out to Lake Havasu, Arizona for some much-needed R&R. And it was glorious! We always try to make at least a couple trips out each year. This was at the same time as the
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What’s YOUR RITUAL? infamous Spring Break for the college crowd, so the lake was busy. Having some youngsters onboard led me to steer away from the boisterous frat-house shenanigans. The water was still too cold to jump into and the wind chill, while underway, still made us reach for our sweatshirts– but running the boat with the sun on our faces was near perfection. This was the very stretch of waterway that got me hooked on boating, nearly four decades ago. As I plan our busy Speedboat itinerary for the summer, it was nice to get out and experience the thing that brought me into this crazy, beautiful world (and profession) of high-performance boating. I am no less passionate about it now than I was the day I rode in my first powerboat, and I can’t wait to get back out there again. I suppose it’s the ritual of it all. Everyone has their own, and there are arguably no wrong ones. Everything from when and where you fuel up the boat to which store you will patronize for the day’s snacks and refreshments, is all a part of one’s unique ritual. Some have flexibility as to how to execute it and others are as strict as a drill instructor at boot camp. But whatever gets you and your crew onto the water is acceptable and encouraged. For me, it’s all about the pre-planning and efficiency in which my crew and I carry out that plan. Charging up the batteries overnight, topping off all my engine’s fluids, my mental checklist for the boat that I repeat a dozen times in my head and hitting Smith’s grocery
store for the ice, Gatorade, chips and fried chicken are all part of my regular routine. The “efficiency” part happens when the guys and I go handle this while the women and children get ready for a long day on the water. Then there’s the oddly Zen-type of feeling at the end of the day, when I’m wiping down the boat and putting her away shiny and clean for the next voyage. I especially enjoy sharing my passion with the younger generations. Not having any kids of my own, I love to include my nephew, Carter, my niece, Emily and my friends’ children on these experiences. Some were barely beyond the walking stage of life when they first hit the water and now they are able to drive my boat. When they could hardly open a can of Pringles by themselves before, these kids are now expertly tying off my Lavey as I come into a dock slip. Color me proud. I also enjoy being invited out onto someone else’s boat for the day. I like to take note of how they run their programs and how it differs from mine. Again, not “wrong” by any means–just different. Everything is a learning experience, and I’ve improved my own routine from these trips. I’m always open to learning more. I believe that it’s all about sharing your passions. I am passionate about this sport that we all have in common and I thank you for following our coverage of it. We couldn’t do it without your support. We have a sensational year of awesome events to bring to you, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Bring on the 2019 season! speedboat.com
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BOB TEAGUE 525 EFI Upgrade Options
Dear Bob: I’ve been looking to upgrade my stock Mercury 525EFI with possibly a Whipple kit or a ProCharger? It’s in a 28’ Nordic Heat. What are the differences between the two? Also, what are the differences between a supercharger and a turbo motor? Are there significant benefits to one or the other? Your input will definitely influence my next step. Thank you in advance. Derek Sanchez Houston, TX
The Mercury Racing 525EFI is a good platform for upgrades. Naturally aspirated, with cam, valvetrain and ECU upgrades, it is pretty easy to see gains of about 100 horsepower. Major gains in power are attainable with supercharging options. The ProCharger is a belt driven centrifugal charger with a separate intercooler that still utilizes the stock Mercury Racing plenum. Most commonly used is the Whipple 3.3 litre kit. The Whipple kit includes a new intake manifold with the integral intercooler. It is offered in two standard configurations. The primary difference is the intercooler. The stage II uses the larger intercooler known as a “MOAIC” (mother of all inter coolers). For most applications, the Stage I is the best way to go because it will result in significant power gains while maintaining simplicity in plumbing the intercooler. Recent improvements to rotor design by Whipple further enhanced the efficiency of their screw compressor offerings.
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Before we go into the details of installing a Whipple kit (or doing any power upgrades) on your 525EFI, it is important to make sure the motor is going to be a good candidate for the upgrade. There were two versions of the Mercury Racing 525EFI generally. The first generation has an external crank trigger that is visible on the damper just behind the crankshaft pulleys. This version also has a cam sensor located where a distributor would normally be. The later version has the crank trigger and the cam position sensor located inside the timing cover. These differences are the easiest way to identify which version you have. If your engine is the earlier design, some upgrades will be necessary to ensure maximum reliability. The head gaskets that were used on the earlier design are the graphite type. The later design uses a Cometic multi-layer gasket which is superior. Also, the earlier version of the 525EFI had a recall on the head bolts. Many of them did not get the work done which included changing the head bolts to an ARP bolt. So, if your engine is the earlier design, the head gaskets should be changed using the upgraded ARP bolts or ARP head studs. The condition of your CMI headers needs to be verified. The earlier version of the 525EFI had a bypass hose running from the header distribution tube to the underside of the tailpipe. A service bulletin was issued by Mercury Racing to remove that hose which resulted in more cooling water to be directed through the headers. Engines that somehow did not get this hose removed are more prone to having internal leaks in the collector area of the headers because of the lack of proper cooling water. The best way to check your headers is to remove them and pressure check them with water. This is simple to do by making an adapter hose that connects to your garden hose. Fill the header with water from the bottom and then cap off the outlet of the header at the outlet on the top by clamping on a piece of hose with a plug in it. After making sure all the air has been evacuated, pressurize the header with the garden hose water. If any water runs out the inside, find out where it is coming from. We are able to repair most
leaks in the collector area or leaks that are close to the header mounting flange. If a header is leaking in the middle of a primary tube, the headers will have to be replaced. The CMI GenX header is a direct replacement for the “Mercury Sweeper” header. If your 525EFI has a lot of hours on it, and you need to change the head gaskets to the Cometic multi-layer gaskets, it would be a good time to do a valve job on the heads and replace the valve springs. If you use the stock length valves, spring options are limited because of the shortinstalled height of 1.800 inches. With the stock length valves, we use a PAC spring with a specific Manley retainer and keeper set up. If higher valve spring tension is desired, .100” longer valves will have to be used which allows the use of valve springs that will better support higher RPM. Engines with a lot of hours should also have new rocker arms installed. It is important to re-use the existing poly-locks because they are a little shorter. Most aftermarket polylocks are a little longer and will likely hit the valve covers. If you have a later model 525EFI with relatively low hours, adding the kit is easier than with the early design engines. That being said, installing the WhippleCharger kit is fairly complex and sometimes best done by a professional that is very familiar with the process and necessary procedures. This would include making sure other systems of the boat such as the fuel system are adequate to support the additional demands required. Intercooler water supply is best accomplished by either adding a force fed pick-up to the boat with water being routed through a separate sea strainer, and then overboard through a dump. The absolute best way to provide intercooler plumbing water is by adding a two-stage raw water pump. We use a Latham pump designed for the Gen V and VI Mercury Racing engines. We also add a water pick-up to the boat to augment the water being supplied through [continues on page 53] speedboat.com
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INDUSTRY News
Harris Is New COO of Iconic; Drees Named Mercury President
J
eff Harris, an accomplished
40-year marine industry veteran and legendary Hall of Fame boat racer, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Washington, NC-based Iconic Marine Group, which includes Fountain, Baja, and Donzi. Best known for a storied racing career that includes seven World Speed Records, along with eight World and 12 National boat racing championships, Harris’s real strength is his hands-on experience in every aspect of boat manufacturing, sales and customer service. Among the first employees at Fountain Powerboats, Harris has done it all. Harris grew up and continues to lives near Iconic’s base of operations along the Pamlico River in Washington, NC. “Nobody respects Iconic’s heritage more than I do,” said Harris about his goals for IMG. “From day one we’ve enjoyed a competitive edge and I’m going to build on that. Whether it’s Fountain’s 43' NX flagship, the revolutionary Donzi 41 GT or the popular Baja 27' Outlaw, boaters expect a performance advantage from Iconic. My job is to add all I’ve learned in racing and manufacturing to an already winning formula.”
Meanwhile, Brunswick Corp. has promoted Christopher Drees, its President of Marine Parts and Accessories, to President of Mercury Marine. The move comes immediately after John Pfeifer left the position to pursue other opportunities outside the company. Mettawa, IL-based Brunswick’s brands include Mercury Marine, as well as numerous boat companies (Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, etc.) and marine parts retailers like Land ’n’ Sea. “Assuming the Mercury presidency is a natural progression for Chris,” Foulkes said. “He has spent more than 20 years with the company, distinguishing himself in a number of varied assignments and making a series of planned career moves to hone his skills and experience in preparation for this well-deserved role. Working alongside Mercury’s experienced and accomplished leadership team, Chris will continue building on the Company’s momentum of innovation, market-leading products and superior quality and customer service.”
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FPC’s Stu Jones Plans Alabama Run, Worldwide Franchises Stu Jones, president of the Florida Powerboat Club, is about to
launch a new five-day poker run event in Orange Beach, AL, and is planning to create a new club that will mirror the structure of his Florida group. The Alabama Powerboat Club, as it will be called, will kick off with back-to-back poker runs comprising May 29 to June 2, Jones told Speedboat. “The popularity of the Friday Fun Run has really grown,” Jones said, “and I thought we could take this to the next level and make it a poker run format.” Jones explained that Orange Beach, AL, offers so many waterways with waterfront locations that “to me it would be unfortunate not to give some of these places an opportunity to be involved in the event.” Jones said he envisioned a poker run that would kick off on Friday with a westbound “multiple checkpoint poker run,” followed by a similar run on Saturday headed east. “People will get an opportunity to do back-to-back poker runs,” he said, “and we’re managing the fuel mileage sensibly—each run would encompass about 90 miles. Most people can do it on the fuel they have, because each will be a zero fuel stop run. When they come back to the marina at night, they can top up.” If participants only wish to do one run, Jones said, that will be up to them. However, one fee will entitle them to do both events. Meanwhile, Jones is actively scouting for a person to fill the role of Alabama Powerboat Club President—a position that will mirror his duties in Florida. But Jones isn’t stopping with Alabama. It’s part of his long-range branding plan that will eventually lead to a global organization of powerboat clubs and events, that connects organizers and powerboaters on every continent. “It’s being branded as the World Powerboat Club, which will be the ‘mothership’ to these individual club operators—whether it’s US-based in Texas, New York, Maryland or Alabama…or virtually any nation that has a base of powerboat owners and events,” he said. “We already have an ambassadorlike program coming together in over two dozen countries worldwide.” speedboat.com
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story and photos by Todd
Taylor
SPRING Boat Show FEVER
From coast to coast, manufacturers are showing off their wares. Here’s the best from Lake Havasu, AZ, and Palm Beach, FL.
T
he 2019 edition of the Lake Havasu Boat Show was indisputably a step up from
some of the past versions we’ve seen of the exhibition. We at Speedboat were gratified to observe that the show was very well attended, with brisk foot traffic throughout (although predictably, the crowds were beginning to thin out on Sunday). Overall, though, we were impressed. Most encouragingly, the vendors and manufacturers seemed to be uniformly upbeat about the orders they were taking for their products. Even the builders who weren’t taking orders at least came away from the show with a positive leads for future sales. On the other side of the nation, exhibitors at the Palm Beach Boat Show seemed to agree that while the foot traffic was a fraction of what it is at both the Fort Lauderdale and Miami Shows, the attendees were generally more well-off. “Any of those guys could probably have pulled out a check and bought a boat on the spot,” observed Sunsation’s Joe Schaldenbrand. See Page 26 for more on that show.
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Nordic The local Havasu manufacturer turned heads with company owner Randy Davis’s bright orange 43 Enforcer on a tilt trailer (below right), as well as a 35 Cat (bottom)
and a 28SS powered by twin Mercury Racing 300R outboards (right).
Hallett As it does at the Los Angeles Boat Show, Nordicowned Hallett Boats shares space with its sister
company. The Halletts on display in Havasu included a mixture of current models (the 275 walk-through open bow, above) and retro rockets like the one at left.
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BOAT SHOW
Lake Havasu
DCB The team at DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, always represent themselves in phenomenal style at every show. Above left: a pair of
M31s and an M28R as seen from overhead. Top right: this M28R with tribal graphics is powered by twin Mercury Racing 400R outboards. Near right: Bob Teague’s M31 (dubbed “TCM31”) is equipped with TCM 1400 engines. Left: DCB co-owner Tony Chiaramonte with dealer Andy Holthe.
Shockwave
The Corona, CA-based builder of family-popular deep vees and catamarans took the opportunity to show
off its 22' Deckboat, which was introduced in 2008 and sports a recent redesign. At left, the 22' sits next to the company’s 25' Tremor, seen here in a walk-through open-bow configuration; it’s also available as a midcabin cuddy and in a traditional closed-bow version. Below: Shockwave’s beautiful 28' Deck is a great all-around combination of performance, comfort and price.
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Powerboat Nation is the world’s leading resource for Powerboating Videos, Photos, News and more!
There’s no better place on the web to live the powerboating life! 93990_SpeedboatSept18_03,09,12,21,27,45,47,57,83,84.indd 12
8/14/18 3:18 AM
BOAT SHOW
Eliminator Still celebrating its 50th year as a leader in the West Coast go-fast landscape, Eliminator proudly displayed its 50th Anniversary 27' Speedster, a red open-bow walkthrough model powered by twin Mercury Racing 300R engines, above. Far right: a 28' Fundeck with I/O power. Above right: Eliminator sells 50th Anniversary shirts and gear at its booth.
Adrenaline Lake Havasu, AZ-based Adrenaline Custom Boats brought two versions
its 26' Savage tunnel boat: a fully finished red-and-white model sporting twin Mercury Racing 300R outboard engines, and a green Savage that was still in the process of being rigged. Both boats are expected to be on display at Desert Storm.
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Barron Newly launched Barron Boats of Azusa, CA, put two of its first model, the 290S, on display (along with a blowup of the April Speedboat magazine, where it graced the cover. As with the recent Los Angeles Boat Show, company owner Jerry Barron had a red and a blue version of its “reimagined deck boat” in Havasu (left).
Caliber 1 Prospective new boat owners—and boaters looking for a good value— were wise to check out the Caliber 1 booth, where the Lake Havasu-
based builder showed off its 265 Silver Bullet Deck (below), a roomy and nicely crafted decker with beautiful and elegant lines and a super-cool rear-entry stairway (bottom of page).
Howard Howard Custom Boats brought three boats to Havasu (top), including its 255 VTX Sport Deck, a crossover hull designed to combine the attributes of a tunnel and a vee-bottom; it’s seen between two of Howard’s 28' tunnel boats—a 288 Sportdeck and a 28 SDS, both of which hit the water as soon as the show ended on Sunday. speedboat.com
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BOAT SHOW
Kicker Audio The Stillwater, OK-based manufacturer of audio systems for autos, boats, powersports, cycles and beyond, had its full line of speakers, amps, subwoofers on hand to lure boaters to their products. You could hear the Kicker booth long before you could see it! Kicker had a Nordic deckboat, a pontoon and a custom-rigged Jeep available to blast tunes for everybody at the show.
Eddie Marine Eddie Marine came to Havasu from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, to show some of the thousands of accessories and hardware parts in its massive catalog, including the exhaust systems, trim tabs and gauges shown here. Eddie is currently marketing its line of highquality marine hatch actuators and accessories.
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3/16/19 8:53 PM
BOAT SHOW
Place Diverter Place Diverter and Controls, the La Habra, CA-based firm famous for having developed the original up/down adjustable nozzle, had Tim Place’s famous 1974
Rogers Bonneville, Corporate Jet, on display; his extensive renovation of this classic hull was immortalized in the March 2011 edition of this magazine.
Mercury Racing Mercury Racing has had a pretty big year so far. It debuted its 300R outboard and its 1100hp Competition sterndrive, and continued to sell innumerable 400R outboards from coast to coast. (Mercury also got a new president, Christopher Drees, last month.) Above, the performance giant showed off a cross-section of that immensely popular 400R outboard.
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Aqua Lily Pad The Ohio-based manufacturer of durable and comfortable floating foam pads displayed its full
line of products, which tend to sell out by the conclusion of every show it attends. What other product lets you rest, kick-back, tan and enjoy the water like the Aqua Lily Pad? No engine is required! speedboat.com
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BOAT SHOW
Based in Lake Havasu, Ron’s In Your Ear Audio (above) is run by Ron and Nikki Burnett, formerly of Ron’s
Custom Detail. The couple specializes in gelcoating and fiberglass repair; they also carry an extensive variety of boat accessories, including a full range of Kicker, Alpine, JL and Sony marine audio equipment. The gang had a fun “wild card” promotion for visitors, with the winner grabbing an Alpine Ice Cooler entertainment system.
Top: Jimmy Nichols and Christina Crane of Storm Poker Runs promote the upcoming Desert Storm Poker Run with volunteer Ashley Rodriguez at right. Above: Outboard Mafia, an online retailer and lifestyle web presence, deals in all manner of outboard-related gear and accessories—including props and cowls—as well as a full line of promotional gear and clothing.
Above: the crew at Prop Pro offers propeller protection. Protect your family, friends, and anyone else near your nonspinning boat propeller. With the easy-on, easy-off retention plates, applying the PropPro to your propeller is a snap, in and out of the water. Right: Boat Bling brought their entire line of detailing products, including Hot Sauce, Vinyl Sauce, Condition Sauce and Quickie Sauce, which were demoed right at the booth.
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BOAT SHOW
Palm Beach
photos by Danielle
Brown
Sunsation As with the Fort Lauderdale show, mega-dealer
Performance Boat Center brought one of the new 40CCX center-console models—this one powered by four Mercury Racing 400R outboards. Company President Joe Schaldenbrand was there to take orders and discuss the model’s many amazing features.
Iconic Marine Group Hot off its incredible display at the Miami show, IMG had one of the coolest booths at Palm Beach, with numerous Donzi center consoles (top) and its new Donzi 44' Icon (above left), a super-wide full carbon composite boat co-designed by Wilson Composites. Also on hand: the Fountain 32' Thunder Cat, powered by twin Mercury Racing 400R outboards. 26
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Mystic Company President John Cosker displayed two of its most popular boats at the Palm Beach show: the M4200 center console (top), powered by quad Mercury Racing 350 outboards, and the C3800 catamaran (above), a different model of which is featured on the cover of this magazine (and tested on Page 28). At right: world champion Flyboarder Kristen Smoyer does a jetpack demonstration for the crowd.
Nor-Tech Another Florida-based builder that previously attended the Fort Lauderdale and Miami shows, Nor-Tech was well represented in the Palm Beach with a 390 Sport center console powered by triple Mercury Racing 400R outboards (right), as well as a 450 Sport.
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photos by
T
Todd Taylor
C3800 his summer, Mystic Powerboats of DeLand, FL, celebrates the one-year anniversary of the launch of its newest model, the C3800
twin-outboard catamaran. The first hull out of the mold—built for celebrated power aficionado Slug Hefner—debuted at last year’s Lake of the Ozarks Poker Run & Shootout, where it was delivered to their famous Poplar Bluff, MO-based customer. Hefner, owner of the 50' Mystic known as Dirty Duck, had approached Mystic about creating something more downsized. Company owner John Cosker
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responded by creating the C3800, the company’s very first outboard cat. Essentially, it was a derivation of the Mystic 44' stern-drive cat. Hefner’s 38, the first of its kind, sported graphics that made it look exactly like the “Mini-Me” of his Dirty Duck boat. Powered by twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboards capable of speeds around 110 mph, the C3800 received exceptionally good reception at the Shootout, Cosker says—so good, in fact, he took a deposit on another model and has sold several others on the strength of Hefner’s boat. That’s a remarkable achievement for a model
that was basically created as a one-off to test the waters. Mystic has been steadily producing more of these 38-foot cats as the model continues to make appearances at boat shows around the country, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami and most recently in Palm Beach (see Page 27). “We tried it to see if the market would like the boat, and it has really warmed up to it,” Cosker says. As this issue went to press, Mystic had completely finished four of its 38s; a fifth one was in the paint booth and the eighth was already in the mold. The boat on the cover of this issue, and in this speedboat.com
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Our latest encounter with Mystic’s first twinoutboard catamaran proves that it just keeps getting better and better.
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Among the many cool things about the C3800 is that Mystic offers a variety of ways to configure the cockpit seating. There’s an “open configuration” available, which is how hull #1 was designed. This third hull features the traditional “two plus four” seating configuration— two in the front, four across the back.
“With the third C3800 hull, you could just fold your arms and let it rip. It felt like a race boat.” —Bob Teague 30
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feature, is hull #3. The Speedboat crew (including driver Bob Teague) took this boat for a drive during the Miami International Boat Show in February in a kind of unofficial mini-test; more on that in a moment. This hull, dubbed C3803, represents the last in a series that Mystic was still in the process of tweaking before forging ahead in full production mode. “The changes that we made from #1 to #3 are pretty dramatic in terms of weight, setup, hull design and things like that,” Cosker says. “By hull #4, we’d kind of settled into what the boat was going to be our full production C3800.” As with all Mystics, the boat was painted at DHD (Doug Harrell Designs, Longwood, FL). “The nice thing about it is that’s it’s just an ultrareliable boat that you can run in rough water and it’s very comfortable,” Cosker adds. “The ride quality and handling is excellent. You know we test in real-world conditions, right in the Atlantic Ocean off of Daytona all the time. That’s kind of our sandbox, and the boat handles great in those conditions. You can spend long periods of time on it very comfortably. The seats are very comfortable. I’ve done a couple poker runs with them now, and they’re just great with that.” For his part, Bob Teague was nothing short of delighted by his ride in hull #3, and for good reason. “When we did the evaluation on Slug’s boat, we knew it was basically a prototype,” he says. “It needed a bit more dialing in, and might have been a bit too heavy. So I spoke to Ryan at Mystic about some of the things I thought they needed to address—how to improve the boat’s attitude, some things about the handling and the fit and finish. A lot of little nit-picky things. So when I got into the C3803, I was pleasantly surprised that every single thing that I had talked about had been addressed.” Indeed, the fit and finish had been upgraded, aspects of the dash had been enhanced, the boat was faster and handled better. “I think they actually made it a little lighter, which helped a lot,” Teague says. At the Miami show, Teague drove the boat from the Mystic dock all the way to Stiltsville (a group of wood stilt houses located on the edge of Biscayne Bay) on a day when the water was not particularly ideal. “In our test with hull #1, you really had to pay attention all the time when you were driving it, because it was a little ‘hunty,’” Teague says. “But with hull #3, you could just fold your arms and let it rip. It felt like a race boat.” Cosker told Speedboat that Mystic will be delivering a brand new 42' to a customer at the Tickfaw 200 Poker Run in May, after which the famous American Ethanol Mystic would be participating in the GLOC Shootout in July. speedboat.com
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by
Brett Bayne
FPC President Stu Jones oversees the stunning overhaul of his new pace boat—a Cigarette 38' Top Gun—to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary.
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Opposite bottom: The 2000 model 38' Top Gun prior to its ultimate restoration (left).
L
ast year, Florida Powerboat Club President Stu Jones celebrated his group’s 25th anniversary in a
unique way: he restored a Cigarette 38' Top Gun hull, transforming it into a state-of-the-art show piece known as the Project 1080HP. While Jones had owned a handful of performance boats over those years, he had never owned a Cigarette. Then an idea came to him after promoting FPC sponsor Mercury Racing’s stern-drive repower program. “I always enjoyed the traditional styling and rough-water ruggedness of the 38' Top Gun hull, but they hadn’t built any of the straight-bottom models for almost 18 years,” he says. “I found a 2000 model hull that seemed like the right fit, but I knew it would need fresh power boat be an FPC paceboat. That’s when I picked up on Mercury Racing’s ‘Race to Repower’ promotion, and approached the corporate team there.” The talks between Mercury Racing and the Florida Powerboat Club produced a partnership that resulted in acquisition of a complete set of Mercury Racing 540s with Bravo XR drives equipped with ITS—hence the name Project 1080HP. The concept, as Jones points out, was to create a “resto-mod” Cigarette that had all
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PROJECT
1080HP
of the traditional appeal of a ’90s genre Top Gun, with all-new engines, propulsion and electronics, making it fuel efficient and, above all, reliable for poker runs. The two parties did most of the negotiations in early 2018, and by late May, Jones had the complete set of engines at Performance Marine Trading in Fort Lauderdale for rigging. In addition to rigging the new engines, Jones realized there would be a host of other projects to tackle—among them a new cockpit and cabin interior, paint and graphics, along with acquiring new instruments and electronics for the helm. Addressing the magnitude of the refit program, Jones admits there were many challenges. “It was a little overwhelming at first when we started to tear the boat apart,” S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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PROJECT
The concept, as Stu Jones explains, was to create a “resto-mod” Cigarette, that had the traditional appeal of a ’90s genre Top Gun, with all-new engines, propulsion and electronics—making it fuel efficient and above all, reliable for poker runs. In these images, the project begins, as every part of the Cigarette begins its updating process.
Above: Tony Sanmarco of Dark Force Marine in Pompano Beach agreed to tackle the paint and graphics. Right: Talks between Mercury Racing and the Florida Powerboat Club produced a partnership that resulted in acquisition of a complete set of Mercury Racing 540s with Bravo XR drives equipped with ITS—hence, the name “Project 1080.”
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PROJECT
Above: The Cigarette’s completed paint and graphics look stunning, both on the trailer and in the water (opposite page). Below: New instruments and electronics were acquired for the helm, including twin Garmin 7612s, Mercury Racing VesselView 703 and Livorsi digital gauges and instruments. Fineline Interiors rebuilt the entire cockpit including the bolster seats, rear bench and engine hatch cushions and Alcantara fabric.
Left: Custom Pipe Design of Hallandale, FL, completed fabrication of an all-new aluminum swim platform.
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In its first sea trial, Jones took the Project 1080 to Pompano Beach and put it through the paces offshore in early January. he says. “The deeper we got into the project, the more we realized that all of the old parts had to go. Pretty soon, the boat was stripped completely down to bare fiberglass. I sometimes stepped back and thought, ‘What the hell did I get myself into?’” But Jones relied on his extensive list of marine contacts and service providers and began to break down the project, step by step. Tony Sanmarco of Dark Force Marine (Pompano Beach, FL) agreed to tackle the paint and graphics, including a full reconstruction of the helm on both sides, in order to accommodate a cluster of flat-panel electronics, including twin Garmin 7612s and a Mercury Racing Vesselview 703. Livorsi Marine jumped in to the program with an extensive list of digital “race look” digital gauges and instruments, and a custom steering
[continues on page 64]
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KEEPIN’ HER
E
photos photo os byy K Kenny enn ny
Dunlo Dunlop and Tom Leigh
very boat owner wants his ride to achieve optimal performance, and usually that’s the #1 topic of Speedboat.
But boat owners also strive to keep their boats looking in tip-top condition as well. That’s where Joel Accuardi
comes in. For the past several years, Accuardi has been helping speedboaters transition away from wax/polymer-based products for boat protection to a longer-lasting, 21st century technique that’s redefining high-gloss polishing. Accuardi is the owner of The Ceramic Company, a Dallas-based firm that is totally revolutionizing the very concept of keeping boats in pristine condition. The company has been applying its protective coating to boats across the country through its dealer network, and word-of-mouth has been insurmountable. In addition to lasting much longer than a typical waxing, the process protects against UV damage, oxidation, corrosion, staining, seawater, scum, chemicals, fuel and practically anything else that Mother Nature—including birds—can throw at your boat. Accuardi, who has been detailing boats since he was 18 years old, made it his goal early on to shake things up in his field. “I’ve always been looking for a technology that would better serve the marine industry and provide something a little longer-lasting than just a buff and wax,” he says. That dream was realized with the creation of a product that protects all surfaces of a boat with a ceramic that results in a beautiful, long-lasting shine. After mastering the technique while working
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Are you still waxing your ride? It’s time to join the 21st century, where ceramics is the smart way to protect your boat from the elements.
for others, Accuardi and his partner, Ross Gold, launched their own firm, The Ceramic Company several months ago, and began assembling a dealer network. “The best way to describe the product is like wax on steroids, except that it can be applied to any surface of your boat, above and below the waterline, the engines, your decks, vinyls, plastics, everywhere,” he says. “And the longevity far exceeds any wax system, which usually gives you 60 to 90 days of shine. With The Ceramic Company’s Marine Coating, it’s more like 18 to 24 months.” In addition to the long-term benefits, Accuardi points out that in the short term, The Ceramic Company’s Marine Coating greatly eases the chore of cleaning. “Even sitting in a marina not being used, a boat can really accumulate all sorts of filth,” he says. “This application makes cleaning and reviving the shine so much easier.”
Above and right: Joel Accuardi and his crew apply the ceramic coating to Speedboat co-publisher Ray Lee’s 2002 2750 Lavey Craft NuEra. (This process works best with newer customer-owned boats, or boats straight from the manufacturer.) speedboat.com
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Just ask Accuardi’s customer Tyson Garvin, whose 50' Skater has had full ceramic coverage. He recalls taking the boat to Skaterfest last August, where the boat had to sit in a slip for several days, owning to a mechanical issue. “With all the oil that was in Lake St. Clair, it had developed quite a scum line,” Garvin says. “This was in the middle of summer. I didn’t wash it. I then hauled it over to the Skater factory, which is on the other side of the state. It sat there for about three months as the stuff dried on the side of the boat. If you don’t wash it as soon as it comes out of the water, you’re screwed. Finally, when I picked up the boat to start working on it again, I walked over to the very visible scum line and made one pass over the side with a dry rag. And all of the buildup vanished.” The basic cost of coating your boat with the ceramic is around $65 a foot; the price may vary depending on the size, complexity and condition of your craft. The Ceramic Company has been successfully conscripting professional installation centers and detailing shops across the country to work with the product. Then, over the next few months, the next goal will be to set up a consumer-grade house line. “We’ll be able to do people’s fridges, countertops, barbecues, etc.,” Accuardi says. “At some point we will introduce a consumer line for the marine industry, but for the time being, it’s strictly professional only.” For more information, please point your browser to theceramiccompany.com.
The longevity far exceeds any wax system, which usually gives you 60 to 90 days of shine. With The Ceramic Company’s Marine Coating, it’s more like 18 to 24 months.
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Jerry Wyszatycki Courtesty Florida Powerboat Club Photography by
TAMPA BAY
Above right: Don Doty of Michigan in 1Yr Skater, his 426 Skater.
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Left: Tom Evans and Bob Saccenti, back at the helm of the restored classic #69 Team Apache on Biscayne Bay.
T
Stu Jones and his Florida Powerboat Club break out the cards for a fun weekend on the East Coast of the Sunshine State.
he 9th Annual Tampa Bay Poker Run returned to its downtown Tampa headquarters for a second year in a row, as Florida Powerboat Club was able to secure adequate dockage at the Tampa Convention Center and upscale lodging at two major downtown Tampa hotels for the 40-boat fleet. “We didn’t dislike the Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, which was home to this poker run for the first seven years,” explained FPC president Stu Jones. “We just continued to face a diminishing inventory of transient docking for our event and it got the point where we could barely squeeze two dozen boats in at the Vinoy Marina. It was time to find a new home and we are quite happy to be back in Downtown Tampa for our second year.” The late March event was the third of FPC’s 2019 poker run calendar of events, and pulled a sizable roster of powerboats from over 20 states, with major marine sponsors on boards including Blackwater, Deep Impact, Midnight Express and NorTech Hi-Performance Boats. A truck sponsor T.D. Wall which speedboat.com
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sells Sportchassis haulers also came back for its second year in Tampa, after selling a brand new Freightliner Sportchassis truck to a Florida Powerboat Club member just a year earlier. Poker run teams arrived as early as Thursday, taking advantage of a newly designated boat ramp facility on the Davis Islands, less than ten minutes from the Downtown Tampa poker run headquarters. With about fifty percent of the teams taking advantage of the early arrival program, it wasn’t long before a small core of weekend warriors were on hand at the landmark American Social, a waterfront hotspot that hosted the Saturday night dinner party just a year earlier. The friendly vibe made for a great kick-start to a fun-filled weekend, which would see three continuous days of fabulous spring weather. The poker run boating activities started on Friday with a fun run for lunch to the popular Getaway hangout in North St. Petersburg...but not before an incident on the water that involved a fire in the engine room of Chris Cox’s twin-turbine powered cat. Just minutes after the start, a power steering line ruptured, S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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Left: Jason and Christy Stross of Florida in Black Boats Matter, a 38' Statement center console. Center left: H. Neil and Cindy Campbell of Florida in Bodacious, Too, their Mystic M4200 center console.
Above: Ron and Dana McLean in their 36' Deep Impact. Left and Below: Boats assemble their poker hands at the floating card stop in Tampa Bay, including Greg Tolson in his 32' Sunsation CCX, Addictive Behavior (bottom left).
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[Continued from page 43] John Chrysler and crew in his 47' Fountain, Dixie Normous.
that mission will go back on the wish list for the Tampa Bay 2020 event! The poker run continued with poker card pickups at Egmont Key, The new Getaway at IGY Maximo Marina, Vinoy Basin, and from the docks at Hula Bay Restaurant at the north end of the poker run course. By late afternoon, all of the boats have returned to the Marriott and Convention Center docks, and by early evening the group assembled at Jacksons Bistro for the poker run festivities. The open-air venue proved
pouring hydraulic fluid onto the scorching hot turbine exhaust, causing an instant fire that billowed plumes of smoke from the engine room and had four crew members scrambling to extinguish the flames. With the fire soon out, Mystic owner John Cosker agreed to limp the boat back to the boat ramp, while Chris Cox and a crew member boarded the FPC Project 1080 Cigarette, to enjoy the day. Most participants agreed that The Getaway was a great lunch-run choice, and with the overcrowded docks and eight-deep rafting, it was clear that FPC made good use of the limited docking. By Friday evening, the teams were checking in for their poker run goody bags, and attending the captains meeting that outlined safety procedures and course-map guidelines to all the participants. Later, about half the group assembled at the all-new Harpoon Harry’s Restaurant in Downtown Tampa, just a block away from the Downtown Marriott, where the majority of guests stayed for the weekend. Saturday morning came with yet another beautiful spring day, as warm temperatures and light winds were sure to provide the ideal boating conditions for the 85 mile run. At 10:30 a.m. as planned, the boats began gathering up their first poker card from the docks at American Social Restaurant, then proceeded from Downtown Tampa to the Tampa Bay waters. Part of the Stu Jones in his renovated morning mission was to re-attempt the popular “ money shot” as the fleet Cigarette (see Page 32 for more passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, although poor positioning by the on this Project 1080 boat). helicopter pilot did not yield the results that the organizer sought. Looks like to be the ideal setting for the awards ceremony, where Stu Jones presented sponsor appreciation plaques to all of Klaus & Martha Takkula the loyal event sponsors, followed by a drive their 44' Predator 447. series of highly prestigious President’s Choice Awards, which honor owners in top categories including Best Vee Bottom, Best Catamaran and Sexiest Crew award, to name a few. When the final poker cards were played out, the best poker hand and Grand Prize was awarded to George Takkula and crew on the Predator 447, a team that had shipped their boat and traveled across the Atlantic from Finland to attend the Tampa Bay Poker Run for their very first time. It was a fun-filled weekend for 40 poker run teams that included over 160 attendees, and Florida Powerboat Club thanks all those decided to join in on the fun!
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Offshore Season Preview by
Brett Bayne •
photos by
Paul Kemiel
Left: Gary Stray, Steve Curtis and James Sheppard of the SBI and OPA World Championship Miss Geico team. Above: the 44' Victory Miss Geico is powered by twin 1650 engines for a total of 3,300 hp.
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The ever-shifting landscape of offshore racing continues into the 2019 season— and more big changes are on the way.
T
he U.S. offshore racing landscape is a constantly shifting paradigm, often in subtle but distinct ways. Super Boat International (SBI) and
the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) are the sanctioning bodies that have dominated the offshore racing scene in recent years, while others (Offshore Super Series) have come and gone and new organizations (Race World Offshore) always materializing. OPA and SBI— each of which have their own National and World Finals— attract many of the same competitors, with a few overlapping classes. But SBI’s season-ending World Championships blitz in Key West has indisputably been the highest-profile offshore racing event of the year. The Key West race will celebrate its 39th year this November, and SBI has been running it for much of that time. For 2019, one of the most exciting developments is that OPA has joined forces with Powerboat P1 to create the APBA/UIM Offshore World Championship Race Series. A key aim of the partnership is to strengthen the future of offshore racing in the United States by providing an expanded, cohesive world class race series consisting of six race sites with three venues in the Northern USA, and three venues in the Southern states. Boat racer Ed “Smitty” Smith has been operating OPA since 2003 and has run over 120 offshore events. Meanwhile, Powerboat P1 has been involved in offshore racing since 2003 and staged race events in 18 countries. speedboat.com
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Partnerships are at the heart of their business; their aim has always been to create events that excite and entertain, ensuring enjoyment for spectators and TV audiences together with sponsor value and real economic impact for the host venues. But as OPA’s and P1’s stars continue to shine brighter, SBI’s has been gradually dimming in recent years. As SBI’s contract with the city recently came to an end, the Key West event has come up for grabs this year. SBI, OPA and Race World Offshore (RWO) have all submitted bids to run the event. We won’t know which will be officially granted the five-year contract until the city council votes in a few weeks, but RWO has reportedly passed an advisory committee’s questionnaire and received a preliminary recommendation. Meanwhile, SBI confidently continues to promote and claim the season-ending spectacle on its own website. What will happen next is anyone’s guess. But if SBI loses Key West, it will be the latest blow to the organization, which was founded in 1989 and run by former racer John Carbonell. Since the late 1990s, SBI has had between six and 10 races on its schedule; as recently as 2014, the group held eight national races, with a final ninth meet-up in Key West. By 2015, eight national races had dwindled to five. Last year, the Mentor race was excised, leaving only three races plus Key West. Finally, earlier this year, SBI announced three races for 2019 (Kenner, LA—a new site—plus Clearwater and S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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OFFSHORE Key West). But the overseer of the Clearwater date continues to remain a mystery even well into the spring, along with Key West. The OPA season begins officially May 17-19 with Thunder on Cocoa Beach, followed by May 30 to June 1 (Lake Race, Lake Ozark, MO); June 14-16, Point Pleasant Beach (NJ) Grand Prix; July 5-7, Sarasota (FL) Powerboat Grand Prix; July 26-28, St. Clair (MI) River Classic; Aug. 2-4, Great Lakes Grand Prix (Michigan City, IN); and Sept. 6-8, Lake Hopatcong (NJ) Grand Prix. OPA is keeping the Sept. 27-29 dates open, presumably for Clearwater; afterwards, the National Championships are Oct. 10-12 in Ft. Myers, FL, followed by the OPA World Championships in Englewood, FL. Meanwhile, Powerboat P1’s 2019 Superstock series will team up with OPA’s dates in Cocoa Beach, Lake Ozark, Sarasota, St. Clair and Michigan City. Powerboat P1 is also reviving a historic ocean event, The Gateway Marathon, that will see boats make a two-way crossing of the Straits of Florida
Top: Eliot Gray and Terry Forsythe in Bat Boat were the the 2018 OPA National Champions in Class 2. Above left: Ammo Cammo captured the checkered flag at the 2018 OPA race in St. Clair, MI. Left: Specialized Racing was the 2018 champion in OPA’s Class 5. Below: The winning Class 6 team of Pete Smith and Rich Smith in Smith Brothers CRC.
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Above: The AMH Motorsports crew (with driver Aaron Hope and throttleman Anthony Smith, right), nabbed the OPA National and World Championships in 2018.
Right: WHM Motorsports owner/ driver Billy Mauff had a perfect SBI season in 2018 with throttleman Jay Muller, taking the World Championship in Superboat Class. His 40' Skater is powered by twin 750-hp Sterling engines.
Left: OPA Super Vee Extreme World Champions Steve and Stephen Kildahl of Boatfloater.com.
Super Stock: Gary Ballough of FJ Propeller (left) inspects his new 32' Victory raceboat, which he will campaign in 2019 racing. Above: Nick Scafidi drives Shadow Pirate, which outmuscled the competition last year in OPA, where it grabbed the high points. speedboat.com
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OFFSHORE from West Palm Beach to Freeport in the Bahamas. Sanctioned by the APBA and scheduled for early June, the total time for the 200-mile round trip will determine the fastest speed to re-establish the record. “This record attempt will be a continuation of the Ocean Cup events staged in 2013, 2017 and 2018, and resurrects the Gateway Marathon races held between 1964 and 1969,” P1 chief executive Azam Rangoonwala explained. “It will be a veehull invitational event with boats and crews required to meet rigorous endurance regulations. We already have our first entry that sees veteran throttleman Nigel Hook partnering with experienced British driver Michael Silfverberg in the 48' Lucas Oil vee hull.” The 2019 race teams are busy getting their boats ready, and in some cases, they’re brand-new hulls. As our May issue went to press, Gary Ballough had recently taken delivery of his new 32' Victory raceboat—which, like his previous hull, a 32' Doug Wright, will be campaigned as FJ Propeller. Ballough had begun ini-
tial testing of the all-carbon-fiber boat, which was rigged at TNT Custom Marine of North Miami, FL, with twin Mercury Racing 300XS Optimax outboards, the required powerplant for his offshore class, Super Stock. Another highly anticipated event in 2019 offshore racing was the announcement that X Games/Nitro Circus star Travis Pastrana—one of the world’s most influential extreme sports athletes—is planning to drive a revamped version of the 2001 canopied Fountain 40' race boat formerly campaigned as Cintron and Firewater at OPA’s season-kickoff race in Cocoa Beach, FL. The boat’s owners, Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith, are the multi National and World Champions of the 30' Extreme LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness, as well as of the 30' Phantom Tug It. Lilly’s longtime friend Pastrana is a motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and gold medals in a variety of fields, including supercross, motocross and rally racing. Lilly’s father, the legendary offshore boat racer Art Lilly, had once rigged and painted the boat
X Games/Nitro Circus star Travis Pastrana. for Wes Wyatt at the shop they still own and operate in Arnold, MD. “I’m going to let my good buddy Travis take my driver’s seat for Cocoa Beach,” Lilly told Speedboat. So, just for the one race? “Yes—unless he buys the race team afterwards,” Lilly laughs.
Right: OPA Super Vee Lite winners Mike Mironyk and Steve Papp in Done Deal, a 30' Phantom. Below: P1 Superstock driver Brian Maine and navigator Tony Knight in Geico Racing.
Above: P1’s brand-new Panther raceboats feature a full canopy; they’ll make their debut on the course this year.
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TEAGUE TECH [continued from page 10] the drive (Bravo style applications). The two sources both feed a single sea strainer. If you are using a single hull mounted (bottom, transom, or adjustable) pick-up and your boat is equipped with a Bravo type drive that normally picks up water, it is important to not block off the water flowing through the drive because it is partially how the drive is cooled. We offer a side shower for the XR drives that can be installed by drilling and tapping the side of the case on the left side. You can also remove the molded supply hose from the bell housing to the transom plate and use a block off on the inside. To my knowledge, there are no validated turbocharger kits available for the 525EFI in regular use. One of things you should consider is the impact of what you do to your boat on its resale value. Professionally installed Whipple kits are an enhancement to the value of your boat while lessor known upgrades may be a concern for a potential buyer.
Bravo 1 Sticks in Forward
Dear Bob: Can you think of any reason my drive would stick in forward? I can sometimes get it out using some force on the shifter, but sometimes I have had to shut down the engine, and then it shifts back to neutral. It seems to shift to reverse and back to neutral without any problems. And it appears to work fine once it’s in drive. But it won’t come out of gear. This has become a real issue, and docking the boat is difficult. The boat is a twin-engine setup with Big Block Chevys, B&M blowers, Bravo 1 drives with hydraulic steering and drive showers. Among the potential causes people have suggested are that the shift interrupter switch may not be functioning, the shifter cable may be in need of replacement, or the cone clutch could be the culprit. Do you have any other suggestions? Gary Russo Temecula, CA The Bravo style drive is shifted by engaging a cone clutch into one of two gears. The right-hand rotation and lefthand rotation drives are the same. In speedboat.com
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simple terms, one of the drives (lefthand) is running in reverse. These gears are located in the drive upper. The lower gear is engaged for right-rotation and the upper gear is engaged for left-hand rotation. There is a shifting fork that fits into a slot in the cone clutch. The cone clutch rotates on the upper spiral shaft which is connected to the vertical shaft in the drive lower. There are brass rings on the forward and reverse gears that actually wobble to help the shifting fork to engage and disengage the cone clutch. The intermediate shift cable is probably not the problem in this case because usually if it is out of adjustment or worn, it would not shift the drive into forward or reverse properly. If the shift is delayed, this could be a sign of a worn cable or needed adjustment. The helm shifter cable is connected to the shift bracket assembly that is either mounted on the engine or remotely in the bilge. The helm cable moves the lever on the shift bracket assembly that the intermediate cable is connected to. This shift bracket assembly is where the adjustments are performed for proper shifting of the drive. Many times shifting problems can be corrected by simply raising the intermediate cable a little in the slot in the lever. This is done by using a 7/16" wrench. The shift bracket assembly is also where a shift interrupt switch would be located on an Alpha drive. Bravo drives do not normally use a shift interrupt switch and I highly doubt that you have them on your engines. I believe that your problem is related to the cone clutch or shifting mechanism in the drive. If the cone clutch is actually sticking in the gear, it is probably time to rebuild the upper and replace the gears, clutch, and shifting fork assembly. It is possible that a thrust bearing has failed and the debris from that is causing the problem. If that is the case, it is likely that you would observe metal debris on the drain plug magnets. Finally, after you get the drive repaired, I would also recommend changing the intermediate cable because it is likely stretched as a result of your forcing the drive out of gear.
350 Mag MPI Overheating
Dear Bob: I am the owner of a 2006 Crownline 225 LPX with a 350 Mag. The boat is equipped with Captain’s Call and a Bravo I drive. The 2-point quick drain is overheating at idle. I have replaced the thermostat, impeller, engine water pump and finally the whole raw water pump. After the boat starts up, the temperature rises to 180 and all seems fine. After a minute or two, the temp starts to creep up. If I rev it up, the temp comes down to around 150. I have hooked a hose directly to the raw water pump inlet with the same results, so I don’t believe the issue is with the outdrive. It has the power steering cooler, which is clear and there’s no engine oil cooler, so I don’t believe there is blockage. It has been suggested that not enough water is going to the engine, and that some 350 Mags need a restrictor installed to force more water through the block. What do you think about that, and do you have any alternate ideas? Thank you very much. Reid Halvorsen Phoenix, AZ There are a few versions of your engine package. It does sound like the cooling water is not being routed through the engine block properly by the recirculation pump. The raw water pump supplies water to the thermostat housing assembly. When the engine is cold, most of that water is directed straight to the exhaust manifolds and risers. Some assemblies have restrictor balls on a spring-loaded shaft to limit the amount of water going directly to the exhaust at idle. If these balls are worn or the springs are collapsed, less water will be directed to cooling the engine. If the thermostat has been changed, it must be the proper type and in the proper position. It is possible to put it in wrong. Recently, I had a situation similar to yours and discovered that the shaft in the recirculation pump was broken and the impeller was not turning even though the pump looked and felt fine from the exterior. I would inspect the recirculation pump just to be sure.
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Valerie Collins photos by Kevin Pyles / MOTO-MG by
F1Roars to Life Top left: It’s a drag race as Rusty Wyatt #94, Dustin Terry #03 and Spencer Love #24 head for the first turn. Top right: The 2018 NGK F1 series champion, Ashton Rinker #20, took his first win of the season at Pittsburgh. Left: The F1 fleet lines up for a qualifying heat along the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh.
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The outboard race series kicks off a new year with competition in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania.
T
he NGK Spark Plugs F1 Powerboat Championship racing series, showcasing the stars of the powerboat
racing world, primes for its third consecutive year of world class boat racing in 2019. This outboard series features the always-magnificent Formula 1 class, along with the speedy F-Light tunnels, thunderous Tri-Hulls and the younger pilots of J-Hydro. NGK F1 PC will bring its action-packed program to seven events in five different states, including four sites that are new to the series. The action started with a preliminary event at a brand-new location in Baytown, TX, on April 7; Toledo, OH, Bay City, MI and Windsor, CO are the other new sites added for 2019. In late June, F1 boat racing will return to the Toledo, OH, riverfront after a hiatus of over 30 years. Perennial favorite, Bay City, MI, which has been a hotbed of powerboat racing for decades, returns in 2019 with F1, F-Light, Tri-Hull and J-Hydro as the newly dubbed Rockin’ the River. Windsor, CO, another site from boat racing history, has been resurrected by NGK F1 for 2019 as well, and will also feature the four NGK F1 classes. Adding to the prestige of the NGK F1 Powerboat Championship Series is the announcement that the American Powerboat Association (APBA) has awarded the 2019 APBA
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National Championships to NGK F1 for the classes F1, SST-45 (F-Lights), and Tri-Hull. The National Championships will be held at the Windsor, Colorado NGK F1 event on Aug 31-Sep 1, as well as Major Series Status for the SST45/F-Lights class in 2019. Recognition such as this will give participants an added opportunity to earn precious points toward the esteemed APBA Hall of Champions. Last season saw some of the most intense racing competition in the sport’s history, producing five different F1 winners in six events. This phenomenal show of racing action helped spark a wave of new driver enthusiasm, encouraging nine new F1 pilots to join NGK F1 in 2019 who form a mix of new boat racers and established boat racers stepping up from supporting classes. Some of these new drivers coming up from F-Light class are names that have been on the podium in the past, including 2018 F-Light champion, #8 Jeremiah Mayo, who earned a spot on the NGK podium in four out of six F-Light races last season and stood on the podium twice in Tri-Hull. In addition to those drivers coming up from the F-Lights class, we will see multi-APBA National Champion, #93 RJ West of Chuck Skelton Racing from California, competing in a [Continues on page 82] S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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Right: Texan Tracy Hawkins, #2, breathes down the transom of #20, Ashton Rinker. Below: Hawkins, winner of the first race of the season in Port Neches, TX, was not able to beat Rinker in the year-long points chase, and came in second place in the 2018 NGK F1 Series Championship. Bottom: #57, David McMurray of Nashville, and #94, Rusty Wyatt of Toronto, Canada, roar past a shoreline packed with exuberant Pittsburgh fans. The 2018 NGK F1 season saw the largest F1 boat counts in decades. For 2019, nine more rookies have made plans to join the series.
Below: Like father, like son. Ashton Rinker, #20, son of 2017 NGK F1 Champion Terry Rinker, earned his own NGK F1 Championship title in 2018.
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4/21/19 1:25 AM
Photography by
Pete Boden
Left: Bill and Alex Sestak in their 42' Cat, Cattagious.
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4/21/19 12:31 AM
Company President Randy Scism leads his customers on his annual trek through the Florida Keys.
M
arine Technology Inc. welcomed 50 boats and 300 people for
this year’s MTI Owners Fun Run, which took the fleet from North Miami Beach through the Florida Keys for a three-day jaunt from Thursday to Saturday. The journey encompassed 650 miles, with company President Randy Scism leading the group in the 48' pace boat. “We had a great run,” says MTI sales and marketing chief Tim Gallagher. “All of us made it back [to Haulover Marine Center] except for David Spear. On our way back up, we stopped at Playa Largo for lunch. He started walking around the place and said, ‘You know what? This place is nice! I’m going to stay for a couple more days.’ So that’s just what he did.” On the way down to Marathon Key, the group stopped for a buffet lunch at Gilbert’s Resort in Key Largo. “That’s
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MTIFun Run pretty much the only place e you can tie 50 boats up on your way down to Faro Blanco [Resort & Yacht Club] on Marathon Key,” Gallagher says. This was the fourth time that Faro Blanco has hosted MTI during their Fun Run. “We had a luggage truck carrier bring everybody’s luggage down, so that worked out very well for everyone,” he adds. Gallagher drove the silver 340X powered by twin Mercury Racing 400R outboards displayed at the Miami show. “I had some new clients with me who were getting their order finalized, so they got their seat time in the boat for the weekend, which was great.” During the event, the MTIs made a couple of runs to Key West, staged a raft-up and visited the Bass Pro Shops at Islamorada. “With 50 boats, you have to spread them out a little bit—you can’t go everywhere together,” Gallagher explains. “There are too many boats. So
Randy took some in one direction, and I took some of the others. But everybody had a great time. We had a nice finale party on Saturday at Faro Blanco with a buffet dinner and had our tech crew put up a video presentation featuring some of our antics from the weekend.” Participants traveled from as far away as the West Coast and the Northeast. “One of our customers came from Maine, which was really cool,” said MTI’s Taylor Scism. “People came in from all over—it was our biggest showing ever, which is awesome. It was my first time attending and being involved in the planning of the Fun Run. Tim did an excellent job planning it, and I helped with some details getting everything together.” The next MTI Fun Run takes place in Chicago on June 27-29, a collaboration between MTI and Westrec Marinas. It’s MTI’s first such event in the Chicago area. S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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Right: David Spear in his 40' Cat. Below: Bob Christie in his 340X Cat.
Above: Brett Baur pilots his 48' Cat, infamously known as Panty Dropper.
Right: Jim Laurita’s 42V center console.
Below: Jacques Villars drives his 43’ Cat.
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Top left: Mike Stordahl and friends in his 340X Cat. Top right: PG Georgiou and his crew on his 42V. Above: Brad and Brett Barney on their 44' Cat.
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Left: Abe Abrahamsen drives his 52' Cat. Below: John Caldwell and friends in his 43' Cat
Below: Mark Schouten’s 43’ Cat, El Gato Patron, powered by twin Mercury Racing 1350/1100 dual-calibration engines.
Above: This year marked the fourth time that Faro Blanco has hosted MTI during their Fun Run. Left: Roger Ors’ 42V center console.
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PROJECT
[continued from page 35]
wheel that gave the helm the look of a brand new Cigarette Top Gun. Meanwhile, Fineline Interiors rebuilt the entire cockpit including the bolster seats, rear bench, and engine hatch cushions, all vinyl and Alcantara fabrics that color-coordinated with the exterior paint scheme, while Bulletproof Custom Decking applied diamond pattern MarineMat throughout the boat,
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including the forward deck. This modification later proved to be one of the Project 1080’s most notable upgrades, as hundreds of FPC members and boating enthusiasts took notice and shared their approval. About four months into the project, the Project 1080’s outward appearance showed a nearly completed boat, although the Mercury Racing 540s had
not yet been installed. It was then that Jones realized the boat could certainly make its big debut at the FPC Emerald Coast Powerboat Poker Run in Destin, and decided to tow the boat 650 miles to the event, where it took center stage in the Trucks N Boats Parade at Emerald Grand’s Harborwalk Village. After returning to Fort Lauderdale, the next few months allowed Performance Marine Trading and an A-list of service providers to help bring Project 1080 to its completion. Custom Pipe Design in Hallandale completed fabrication of an all-new aluminum swim platform, and Tecnografic of Fort Lauderdale completed the carbon-fiber panels that would accommodate the Livorsi instruments and Garmin chartplotters provided by sponsor Superior Communications. Then came a set of four Bluefin underwater lights and an array of LED cockpit and engine room lighting from APEX Lighting in Pompano Beach, followed by a JL Audio system. At last, the Project 1080 was ready for her first sea trial. The boat performed flawlessly as Stu Jones and rigger Pat Sullivan took Project 1080 to Pompano Beach and put it through the paces offshore in early January. Soon the boat would be hosting charity guests, FPC members and, of course, the Jones family on four consecutive FPC poker runs to kick off the 2019 season. After its formal launch in January at the Winter Poker Run to the Keys, Project 1080 ran the Miami Boat Show Poker Run to Key Largo, followed by the Tampa Bay Poker Run in March, and Fort Myers Poker Run in April. But this was merely the beginning. “What we intend to do is go on a poker run road trip with Project 1080 this summer, starting with our Orange Beach Powerboat Week, and continuing to the Performance Boat Center Cigarette Rendezvous in Lake of the Ozarks,” he says. “We’ll hit at least a half dozen poker runs after that in Erie, Ontario, Michigan and Tennessee, before returning to Florida for the Emerald Coast event.” speedboat.com
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Brett’s
COLE CASH
1979 TR-2
Featuring
SCSC Spring Classic
NJBA Season Opener speedboat.com
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COLE Cash
photography by
Ray Lee and Brett Bayne
The TR-2 features a 505 big-block Chevy with 13.5 to 1 compression, Dart Pro-1 Heads, two 1050 Dominator carbs and Casale V-drive.
Painted by Bill Potts, Cal Frost’s 1979 Cole TR-2 is a V-drive with a lot of great history, and it’s incredibly fun to drive.
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S
ince his dad was an avid speedboat fanatic, Cal Frost grew up around plenty of go-fast rockets,
including pop’s 1974 Hondo flatbottom. So it’s hardly surprising that when Frost turned 24, he bought his own Hondo flattie—a tasty 1969 model that became a father/son project. It was powered by a fairly stock big-block Chevy that provided an exhilarating
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85-mph thrill ride. Frost didn’t purchase another boat until his current ride: a 1979 18'6" Cole TR-2, photographed at Speedboat’s most recent swimsuit shoot on Lake Elsinore, CA. Frost bought the boat in 2017 and hasn’t looked back. Painted by Bill Potts, Cole Cash is powered by a 505 bigblock Chevy with 13.5 to 1 compression (800 estimated horsepower); it’s got Dart Pro-1 Heads, two 1050 Dominator carbs
and Casale V-drive with 18s in the box. “I like the history that’s in this boat. It’s easy and fun to drive,” Frost says. “Ever since I saw the boat for the first time, I’ve loved the look of it.” He mostly uses the boat on the Colorado River, but has taken it down the track at Lake Ming few times for the occasional NJBA bout. Campaigning the boat in River Racer class, his best time was 9:30.
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SCSC Spring Classic photography by
Mark McLaughlin
The Southern California Speedboat Club gathers in Parker, AZ, for one of the wildest meets of the group’s storied history.
S
pectacular weather, with highs in the 70s and low 80s, graced the Bluewater Resort in Parker, AZ, as SCSC racers gathered for
the Spring Classic. Wind was not a factor at the event, which drew around 83 boats for some outrageous action. Cracker Boxes were a tremendous hit, with 11 boats showing up for the double heat races. In the end, it was the combination of owner Ray Hoot, Steve Hoot and rider Samantha McDonald who would take the overall
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win for the weekend. Meanwhile, Mr. Magoo (shoed by Glenn Madden with Craig Murphy riding) bowed out with mechanical problems before the final on Sunday. Meanwhile, the GPS 100 category had some heavy hitters entering in the class. Veteran owner/driver Tim Hoffman piloted his #717 black boat to the overall win in the class. (His competitor Casey Hoffman was either testing along with Tim or they were having a grudge match.) The 477C entry ran in three dif-
ferent classes all weekend, with Wesley Gildart taking the victory in Sportsman C Runabout, Sportsman A Hydro and Outlaw Hydro. You could say, that Gildart did the triple lindy! He would end up in the river after getting his trophies, as tradition calls for first-time winners to go swimming. Also getting wet over the weekend was first-timer Kassidy Jones, debuting in the 22 J Hydro. After winning the overall in the class, she got thrown in the river for her rookie winner initiation. speedboat.com
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SPORTSMAN EXTREME The class had enough boats to run two heats at each time up on the water. Coming around turn one leading the way is Jamie Tavares in the #01 boat, followed by Casey Hoffman (the #717 red machine) and Jeff Wooten alongside Hoffman. Behind the pair is Jasper McDonald in the #155 flatty, and bringing up the rear in his brand-new boat is Michael Purczynski in the #151 competitor. Michael would end up at the top of the leaderboard by Sunday afternoon, collecting his first win in the new boat.
Below: Meet the 2018 Overall Champions in each class. Saturday night was the presentation of the champions from last year. The winners in each class received a trophy and the champion jacket.
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SPRING CLASSIC
ClASSIC ENDURANCE Tyler Louis (left) would take the honors by Sunday night with an impressive showing in the #19 boat. Above: Louis with his first-place trophy.
KRR PRO Three K Boats showed up to the race. The K 500 put on a great show, with Charlie Hamill shoeing the beast on Saturday, and Jason Purcell driving it Sunday.
SPORTSMAN HYDRO PRO Casey Wright drove the Sportsman 20 Hydro #137 C to the overall win in the class.
Wesley Gildart (below and right) took the victory in Sportsman C Runabout, Sportsman A Hydro and Outlaw Hydro. For his wins, he got a dunk in the river.
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UNBLOWN FLATS were led by none other than Jeff Wooten (left), who seemed to come out of retirement and take the win in the class over Joe Dilworth and Casey Hoffman. Jamie Tavares is shown above leading the way before Wooten would pass for the lead and never look back. S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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CRACKERBOX PRO Cracker Boxes were a huge hit: 11 boats showed up for the double heat races. In the end, it was the combination of owner Ray Hoot, Steve Hoot and rider Samantha McDonald taking the overall for the weekend. Mr. Magoo, shoed by Glenn Madden with Craig Murphy riding, bowed out with mechanical problems before the final on Sunday. Right: Samantha, Ray, and Steve grab their trophy at the end of the weekend.
FORMULA LIGHT Kevin Curtis won the overall for the Formula Lights in his #41 competitor (right). Curtis could do no wrong all weekend, taking most of the heats until he spun out. He would end up at the top of the podium, even with that mishap.
SPORTSMAN EXTREME Mike Purczynski, showing off his brand new boat (left) with the same number as his prior boat—with the #151 numbers showing proudly on the side of the Sportsman Extreme machine.
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SPRING CLASSIC J HYDRO Debuting in the 22J Hydro, first-timer Kassidy Jones not only won the overall in the class, she got thrown in the river for her first time winner initiation as required (right).
FORMULA 1 Two F1s showed up, with Mike Quindazzi in the #77 boat (right) up against John Soares. Mike would take the overall, as John was still having trim issues and getting airborne most of the weekend. GPS 100 Some heavy hitters entered in this class. Veteran owner/driver Tim Hoffman piloted his #717 boat (right) to the overall win in the class. In the other lane here is Casey Hoffman, who was either testing along with Hoffman, or they were having a grudge match.
Left: For the overall winners, Mike Purczynski built this gorgeous trophy. Tim Hoffman was the first reciepient of the new perpetual Paul Grichar Memorial Sportsman Extreme High Points trophy.
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Accidents
Left: Ryan Heiser, piloting his own Flat Flyin K Boat, around turn #1 of heat one. He chined and got tossed over the passenger side of the boat. He escaped with minimal damage; the boat needs some repairs.
Above: Andy Jones caught a roller and never recovered from it. The boat just kept climbing and finally tossed him out. Both driver and boat survived the crash, and the boat came back to race later that day.
Above: Casey Wright got pitched out on turn one here in his #137 boat. He waved that he was OK, then seemed to start feeling some numbness as rescue brought him to shore. For precautionary measures, he was taken to Phoenix, where he was released later on after the swelling went down. Both boat and driver are now fine. speedboat.com
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story and photography by
Mark McLaughlin
STOCK ELIMINATOR The final round of the class had Charles Calva’s Cost Effective up against Tara Scribner’s Wicked Pickle (above, near lane). Tara, the #1 qualifier, ran a little too quick in the final and broke out, giving Calva the win. Calva is pictured at left with trophy gal Brooke Baker and crew member Mike O’Neal.
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National Jet Boat Association competition gets under way for the 2019 season with a blowout bout at Lake Ming.
A
Season Opener total of 75 registered boats in 12 classes came to kick off the NJBA season at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA. The weather was abso-
lutely perfect—high 60s to low 70s all weekend long. You can’t ask for more than that from Mother Nature! After the passing of longtime NJBA member and supporter Don Hammer, the Season Opener was appropriately named The Don Hammer Memorial. CDI Exhibits, one of the season’s lane sponsors, put Hammer in the driver’s seat of the Big Red 1 machine on a banner that was given to his son, Ron, and it hung speedboat.com
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proudly all ll weekend. k d The Th h crew off the h fallen team owner also planted a permanent street sign in Don’s name right in the pit where they pit every race. One of the weekend’s true stars was Top Eliminator and Super Eliminator Double Down Winner Ben Wurster. He had the luck of the draw in TE as he ended up on the short side of the ladder. The bye run in the semis allowed him do a little fine-tuning on his Pennywise machine as he crossed the finish line first in the finals against Mike Ryckebosch. But in SE, it was a different story: Wurster would have to start eliminations Saturday afternoon, as the class
had h the largest number of boats. Three more rounds on Sunday gave him the win, with not only the trophy, but the prize money as well. One of the newest classes brought back to life was the Pro Comp Hydro category. Matt Hudson, driving the Notorious One, was inserted into the number-one qualifying position after Kevin Cornelius declared broke on eliminations day. Hudson took the win over Blake Thurlow’s Deadman’s Hand hydro, which not only red lit to start off the race, but also broke out. NJBA racing continues at Lake Ming on May 18-19. S P E E D B O A T | May 2019
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SEASON OPENER
PRO COMP HYDRO After the passing of longtime NJBA member Don Hammer, the event was dubbed The Don Hammer Memorial. Sponsor CDI Exhibits put Don in the driver’s seat of the Big Red 1 machine on a banner, which was given to Hammer’s son, Ron, and hung proudly all weekend. The crew of the fallen team owner also planted a permanent street sign in Don’s name right in the pits (left).
BLOWN GAS FLAT class had a stout field of eight racers on qualifying day, but lost two by elimination day with engine failures. #2 qualifier Sean Giroux in the Flat Cook-N machine had a leg on the speed record and proceeded to set the record at over 143 mph in eliminations on his way to the title Sunday. Left: Giroux and crew get the firstplace trophy, along with the certificate for setting the BGF speed record.
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PRO COMP FLAT For the Don Hammer Memorial, Team Hammer brought out the Big Red 1 to race in PCF class. Pilot Mike Torgerson went four tough rounds to take the victory in the class and dedicate the win in Don’s honor as the team pointed to him and gave him the first-place sign.
PRO COMP HYDRO One of the newest classes brought back to life was the PCH category. Above: Matt Hudson drives Notorious One, which grabbed the #1 qualifying position after Kevin Cornelius declared broke on eliminations day. Hudson took the win over Blake Thurlow’s Deadman’s Hand hydro, which not only red lit to start off the race, but also broke out. Right: Hudson and his family/crew take their first-place trophy. speedboat.com
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SEASON OPENER
QUICK ELIMINATOR Joe LaKamp, the #5 qualifier, was on the stacked side of the ladder in QE, making it a four-round effort for the Bobsnipper jet machine to oust #1 qualifier Dan Jensen in the finals. Jensen, being on the short side of the ladder, had a legal single and a bye run as he entered the finals against LaKamp. Right: Joe and son Grady receive the first-place trophy from trophy queen Brooke.
TOP ELIMINATOR & SUPER ELIMINATOR Ben Wurster had the luck of the draw in the first class as he ended up on the short side of the ladder as well. The bye run in the semis let him do a little fine tuning on the Pennywise machine as he crossed the finish line first in the finals against Mike Ryckebosch. In SE, it was a different story. Wurster would have to start eliminations Saturday afternoon as the class had the largest number of boats. Three more rounds on Sunday gave him the trophy and the prize money as well. Left: The welldressed crew enjoys the Double Down perfect weekend.
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PRO GAS HYDRO The Black Boat (appropriately named by team owner Danny Day) takes the win uncontested as Josh Hayden pilots the capsuled rocket over 160+ mph to the victory.
PRO ELIMINATOR Two hydros and two jet boats entered PE on Sunday. Hydro finalist Bryan Gilday went up against Bob Prigmore in his jet. Gilday (left), driving for Dave Lipinski in Hot Shot, took the #1 qualifying position and made it stand.
UNBLOWN FUEL JET Steve Penberthy, coming all the way from the snowy Reno area, worried about whether his team would even make it to the race. Just days before the race, the Just Another Toy crew came to play, and play they did. With consistant 5.40s in his elapsed times all weekend, the team enjoyed the time out of the snow and into the trophy presentation for their first-place win. speedboat.com
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SEASON OPENER PRO OUTLAW had two boats in the class. Newcomer Tim Campbell, in his Hells Bells II, broke before Sunday eliminations. Thus, Tim (Harley) Ritson, in his Mayhem capsuled machine, ran down to the 1,000-foot finish line by himself for the win at over 166 mph.
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Jeremiah Mayo, #8, who competed full-time in 2018 in both F-Lights (2018 Champion) and Tri-Hull, has moved up to the F1 class full-time for 2019. brand-new Composite Craft F1 hull that he designed and built himself. Texan, Austin Cheatham #40, the 2017 F-Light Rookie of the Year, has graduated out of his F-Light ride and will be running an F1 Grand Prix hull in 2019. Former Tri-Hull racer, #52 Chris Rinker, who won two events last season, will be joining the F1 ranks in 2019, where he will team up with his cousin, 2018 F1 Series Champion, Florida’s #20 Ashton Rinker and Crew Chief, James Chambers. Other drivers who are slated to be joining the 2019 series are Tennesseans #17 Dylan Anderson, son of returning F1 racer #94 Ray Anderson—both to be powered by Yamaha outboard engines—as well as drivers Jeff Ettinger, Eric Talochino, Mike Quindazzi and Jude Gaspard, a longtime crew member for the F1 2018 runner-up, #2 Tracy Hawkins. Watch for Hawkins to be red hot in 2019, as he will be debuting the boat he’s been working on all winter, in a hunt for a championship that narrowly slipped by him in 2018. As the F1 Powerboat Championship prepares for its third season of highly competitive powerboat racing, the drivers and teams are busy at their race shops, eager to return to the water to entertain the fans. Several teams have been adding new boats to their stables. California’s #24 Spencer Love is expected to debut the latest carbon fiber design from Hoffman Composite Race Boats—a boat builder who is back after being out of the sport for over a decade. #57 David McMurray of TN will be revealing his brand-new racecraft; a sleek, patriotic-themed carbon fiber Seebold hull.
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Series Manager Tim Seebold is looking forward to another great season in 2019. “The series is very excited to put on a show at four brand new venues, as well as our three very popular existing sites, where we will deliver our heartpounding program to the fans who enjoy the adrenaline-charged action that NGK F1 racing brings,” he said. Greenlight TV will film the NGK Spark Plugs F1 Powerboat Championship racing action all season long, producing a 30-minute show of each event to air on CBS Sports Network. You can also watch the shows on Motor Trend On Demand for a minimal fee. In 2018, CBS Sports Network television coverage reached
2.7 billion households with 45 airings of the six episodes. Live-streamed racing action will be again produced by Greenlight TV to air on the NGK Series and NGK’s Facebook pages.
The remaining season schedule: May 3-5: Port Neches, TX (F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro) June 28-29: Toledo, OH (F1) July 12-14: Bay City, MI (F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro) Aug. 2-4: Pittsburgh, PA (F1, F-Light) Aug. 9-11: Springfield, OH (F1, F-Light, J-Hydro) Aug. 31 to Sept 1: Windsor, CO (F1, F-Light, Tri Hull, J-Hydro)
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