Speedboat Online January 2016

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$4.99US/CAN ALSO:WICKED WINDSHIELDSAcrylic Magic From Lee Aerospace

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COLUMNS

8 CHRIS DAVIDSON10 RAY LEE12 ALEXI SAHAGIAN14 JIM WILKES

FEATURES18 FIVE THRILL RIDESAt the LOTO Shootout, we grabbed five of the hottest rides on the lake: Mystic, Cigarette, Statement, Sunsation and Outerlimits.

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

42 DCB REGATTADaves Custom Boats throws the ultimate party for its ownersand 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 LEGENDSIn the first of a new series, Speedboat pays tribute to the industrys elder statesmen, starting with Howard Arneson.

52 SPACE ODYSSEYJim Lee of Lee Aerospace brings a new dimension to high-performance windshields.

56 MONSTER BASHWelcome to the most ghoulish poker run in the countryas only Lake Havasu can do it.

Cover photo by Todd TaylorTable of Contents photo by Todd Taylor

speedboat.com 6 S P E E D B O A T | January 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTSJanuary 2016

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BRETTS COVE64 ONE HOT SUMMER WEEKENDSoCalJetBoats members trek to the famous Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV, to strut their stuff.

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

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

76 IN THE ZONEA 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 mailers 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.

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Published by DCO Enterprises, LLC

Publishers Ray Lee [email protected] Chris Davidson [email protected]

Editor Brett Bayne [email protected] Senior Tech Editors Jim Wilkes [email protected]

Alexi Sahagian [email protected] Tech Editors Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins

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speedboat.com S P E E D B O A T | January 2016 7

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MY VIEWCHRIS DAVIDSON

Add It to Your Bucket List

The Florida Powerboat Clubs 27th annual Key West Poker Run coincides each November with SBIs Key West World Championships, so its an exciting week for offshore boat enthusi-asts. For the past 25 years, I have closed out each years travels for the magazine with a trip to Key West to attend these two amazing events.

I prefer to fl y into Ft. Lauderdale and drive through the Florida Keys instead of fl ying 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

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 restau-rants, while Hawks Cay has a lagoon and dolphin station. We have hosted several boat tests out of both locations during the past 25 years.

Stu Jones from the FPC brings down his fi rst group of boats on Wednesday, while the fi rst offi cial day of racing kicks off few miles down the road at SBIs base at the Truman Waterfront.

Knowing Ray was a fi rst-timer to Key West, I wanted to show him the various locations that would soon be boom-ing with activity. We fi rst drove down Southard Street to get our race passes from SBIs headquarters. We then drove over to the FPC Poker Run Village, which wasnt 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 FPCs base at the Conch Republic Restaurant and watched as the twin- and triple-engine fi berglass monsters dominated the harbor. Boats thundered in like a giant posse in a wild western action fi lm.

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 fi refl ies around a campfi re. Hundreds stormed the docks to see all the boats and try to talk to the owners of the boats.

When I fi rst pulled up to our condo we rented for this trip, it reminded me of the Bates Motel from Psycho. The fi rst and second fl oors were very antiquat-ed, while the third story was just one large unitours. However, once inside, the accommodations were exceptional, except for each mornings wake up call from the set of four F29s that did fl ybys in pairs. But its Key West, so it was well worth it.

Some of the bling on displayat the Florida Powerboat ClubsKey West Poker Run.

[Continues on page 61]

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OBSERVERS SEATRAY LEE

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 refl ect on this past year. It was a year of fi rsts and familiars and what a year its 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 commu-nity 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 great-est 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 oppo-site 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,

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 fi nally 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 fi rst-hand. It did not dis-appoint. 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

2015: Year in ReviewBoat Center/Redhead Yacht Club, we took seven team members to Missouri to run a variety of vessels that we dont 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 orga-nized 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 frater-nity 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 fi rst 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 see-ing 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 rac-ing that happens right in front of the mass of spectators, Key West is an overall amazing experience.

There were other events that I attend-ed and enjoyed, but I simply didnt have the room to list them all. But that doesnt make them any less spectacular. I look forward to an even bigger and bolder 2016. I hope to again experience new fi rsts and re-visit old familiars.

I know that I am blessed to do what I loveAnd I absolutely love what I do!

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ON THE DYNOALEXI SAHAGIAN

Blower Belt BluesDear 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 week-ends. The problem is that I keep throw-ing 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 out-side right. It's a 14mm belt and expen-sive. My alignment is spot on. Help!Victor MendecitoFresno, CA

It sounds like a fun hotrod! Those little boats with big acceleration put a serious load on the front of the crank. Weve 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. Im not suggesting that one is better or worse; each has its place at times.

Anyway, heres where Im 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, its highly prone to blast a beltespecially

a high-dollar Kevlar belt. If your belts are in align-ment and transferring that heavy load under accel-eration 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.

Over BoostDear 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 gas-kets 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 experi-ence. Please help, as it is starting to cost me a lot of money!Jim BraymorAustin, TX

Based on the information you pro-vided, 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

exhaust puls-es 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

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.



V-DRIVE TECHJIM WILKES

Stress Crack RepairDear V-Drive Tech:I have an old Howard that unfortunately has some stress cracks around the shaft log. Theyre not in the matting; it looks like theyre just in the clear surface glass or gelcoat. Whats 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 WentzHouston, TX

The best way I know how to fix the stress cracks is to remove all the hard-ware 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 its 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

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 re-spray 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 props diameter, do you mea-sure 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

the point of one ear to the cen-ter 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 YoungDayton, OH

You are measuring both propellers correctly. Its the same way I would do it on the counter. You do need to measure all three blades from the center as some-times 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 PropsDear V-Drive Tech:How can you tell the difference between a flatbottom prop and a runner prop? Any insight you can provide would be appreci-ated. Thank you!Brad J. KingSacramento, 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 propel-lers in the 11 1/8 diameter or smaller with 15+" pitch, while runner bottom style boats run 12 to 12 diameter with 14" pitch. Hydrodynamic lift is much more important on runner bottom boats than flatbottom style boats. I hope this answers your question.


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MysticMysticC5000S

When the Speedboat crew traveled to the 2015 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, we had ulterior 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 high-light 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 Mystics C5000R race series made famous on the offshore course by such com-petitors as David Scotts piston-powered Budweiser Select/Bud Light, Miss Geico, JBS Racing and at least three champi-ons that have previously graced the cover of this publication: Aqua-Mania, The Spirit of Qatar and American Ethanol. The

50-footers proven race heritage has taken the hull pretty far, pretty damn fast.

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; its 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 didnt order a huge stereo, although the Mystic is equipped with a Bluetooth intercom.

(Text continues on Page 82)

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The pleasure version of Mystics 50-foot race

champion rivals the perfectperformance of its sister ship.

Mystic

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


For a big boat, its a lot of fun to drive. It still it accelerates really hardthe 1350s just have so much torque to them that itll really throw you back in the seat.John Cosker

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.


Mystic



Luxury and supersonic speeds cometogether in this extraordinary deep vee painted by Visual Imagination.

Cigarette42X

Cigarettes are famous for their reliability, stability and rough water handling. And when theyre coupled to staggered Mercury Racing QCV4 1100s, you can factor in an explo-sion of acceleration and a 120-mph top end to boot. So naturally, we were stoked to catch a ride in a 42X, cour-tesy of Cigarette dealer Brett Manire of Performance Boat Center. He refers to it the ultimate package, and its hard to disagree. The boats absolutely unrealit handles extremely well and its safe for everybody. You can totally enjoy yourself on the 42X, he says.

How hard does the boat accelerate? When our driver was behind the wheel cruising at 70 mph with a fellow team member standing behind his bolster, he punched the throttles, catapulting his coworkers backside into the rear bench almost instanteously. So the boat doesnt just have some pushit will literally knock you on the floor if youre not careful. And yet, the boats 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 42s nose does not rise like some

of the older models from Cigaretteits behavior is more comparable to the new batch of Outerlimits and MTIs. Our 42X came wrapped with a stun-ning paint job by Visual Imagination of Peculiar, MO, the company behind such dazzling works of art as DCBs 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.

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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

cigaretteracing.com


With the twin staggered Mercury Racing 1100 QC4v engines, the 42X doesnt merely have some pushit will literally knock you on the floor if youre not careful.

The interior sports plush Alcantara fabric and CNC machined billet bol-sters. 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.


Cigarette


speedboat.com

StatementStatement35 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, hard-ware, 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



A safe, reliable center console model thats more about fun

and comfort than breaking the sound barrier.

As he prepared to purchase his next boat, Mike Sonley of Indianapolis knew that a center-console boat would be ideal for his budgetmost likely a Statement or a Sunsation. It seems like theyve been the hot rage, he says. Sonley, who stands 6-foot-5, liked the way the 350 Statement SUV accommodated his large frame. The Statements helm has a two-seater, 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

Fever, Sonley also liked the ride of the Statement. It has a deeper vee hull because its designed for offshore use. I run it on lakes 90% of the time, but Im getting ready to take it down to Miami and Key West, and Im eager to see how it handles in deep water. Indeed, with its deep vee and twin-step 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 itll 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 out-boards, this 350 SUV is a more affordable

alternative for those who dont care about breaking the sound barrierits a slower, heavier boat thatll reach 60 mph in opti-mal 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 pas-sengers around the boat. It pretty much drives itself, Sonley laughs. Since youre not running in the 80s and 90s, its 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.


With its deep vee and twin-step design, the boat is a tad more trim tab sensi-tive than your average go-fast boat. Set the tabs to get the boat level, and itll run straight and solid.

Waves and Wheels provided a great stereo system, along with multicolor LED lighting throughout the boat. The 35 SUV features sea-deck floor-ing, Garmin plotter screen and a con-cealed compartment under the con-sole with 65 of headroom, marine head, sink and pull-out faucet.


Statement



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

Though Sunsation Powerboats of Algonac, MI, stepped up its production of go-fast center-con-sole models in a major way a few years ago, the company hasnt forsaken its line of traditional deep-vee muscleboats. One of the most popular in their sport performance line is the 36SSR, designed by Tres Martinthe 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, Dont bring me in on the back end of itbring me in up front and lets make the boat run properly the first time. So thats what we did, and he wound up teaching us a lot of things that we didnt 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 han-dle rough water exceptionally wellhandling, cornering, take-off, and planing are uniformly remarkable. According to Schaldenbrand, the great ride is due in part to the place-ment 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

without his professional expertise in hydrodynamics.Sunsation worked closely with Brett Manire of Performance

Boat Center in appointing the craft. He knew exactly which options should go in the boat, and we built it right to his specifications, Schaldenbrand says. No if, ands, or butshes 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 stur-dily builtyou can run with the cabin door open with no problem. Theres very little bowrise as you accelerate, thanks to the staggered configuration, and this boat is amazing on accelerationthe twin 565s are undoubtedly the ideal pack-age for this boat. Another great feature is the boats low cen-ter of gravity, and the drives being close together allows the driver to run through rougher water without any aeration.

The 36' features Mercurys full hydraulic ITS steering sys-tem, Mercury Vessel View, 5" Big Gun exhaust and an acrylic rear hatch. When you have motors like that and an amazing bilge like weve done, you might as well show it off when you back into the dock, Schaldenbrand says.



SunsationSunsation36 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


Sunsation Powerboats 9666 Kretz Drive Algonac, MI 4800810-794-4888

sunsationboats.com


The staggered engine configuration allows the boat to handle rough water exceptionally wellhandling, corner-ing, take-off, and planing are uniform-ly remarkable.

The 36' features Mercurys 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.


Sunsation



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

OuterlimitsOuterlimits46 LIMITED

I never keep things very long, chuckles Alex Fruth, who purchased his first boat in 2006 (a 30 Baja Outlaw) and has been trading up ever since. In addi-tion to Bajas, hes 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' Limiteda 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 (maxi-mum 6.400 rpm). Its the fastest, biggest boat Ive owned, he says proudly. And I feel it handles the best of any boat Ive ever owned. Indeed, the boat greedily eats up rough water and provides an excellent ride. Im in some really snotty water on a daily basis at the lake, Fruth laughs. With all that being said, its still an Outerlimitsits still a drivers

boat, and you have to know how to drive it.Fruths best top-end speed to date is 124 mph, but coax-

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-wiseand 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. Were 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, itll look brand new.



Outerlimits

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


Props: 35" Mercury five-blades

Lower unit gear ratio: 1.35

Outerlimits Powerboats3 Minturn Farm Rd. Bristol, RI 02809(401) 253-7300

outerlimitspowerboats.com


Its the fastest, biggest boat Ive owned. And I feel it handles the best of any boat Ive ever owned.

Alex Fruth

First launched in 2006, the 46' Limiteds 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.


Outerlimits


Story and photos by Story and photos by


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

Tom Orseno at Pro-Marine of Lake Havasu builds us a1,100-hp powerplant.

BUILDBUILDBADASS 548

Tom Orseno of Pro-Marine in his dyno shop.

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

When Speedboat edi-tor/publisher Ray Lee took delivery of his new, custom-built 2750 LaveyCraft NuEra in 2002, it was fast, it was sano, it was pure perfection. Fast-forward 13 years: though still looking great, the boat broke a rod and the engine was suddenly toast. Lee was in a quandarysomething needed to be done, pronto.

Fortunately, one of the perks of pub-lishing a high-performance boating magazine is that we know a lot of people who can help. Enter Tom Orseno of Pro-Marine in Lake Havasu City, AZ, who had rebuilt the Laveys engine about six

years ago. Following the mishap with the engine, Orseno dissembled it and found there was nothing usable left, so a 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 per-fect complement to our dream machine, which will run on 91 octane.

Some specs on the project: Compres-sion 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

the motor at his shop. Upon comple-tion, he will dyno it in his in-house shop; after testing and tuning, Absolute Speed & Marine (also in Havasu) will do the instal-lation and it will be ready to hit the water.

In part one of a projected multi-part series, this article will detail the raw mate-rials and parts, including the beginning of the assembly. In upcoming issues, well see it start to take shapemachine work, cleaning, assembly and dynoing. In addi-tion 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!

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

56481_SpeedboatJanuary_038-041.indd 3856481_SpeedboatJanuary_038-041.indd 38 12/7/15 10:26 AM12/7/15 10:26 AM


caption

Right: The crankshaft is installed in the block.

Our camshaft, courtesy of Comp Cams. The pistons assembled with the Eagle connecting rods.

Left and below left: Views of our Dart block. Deck height is 9.8, bore size 4.530. Its a 4-bolt main with splayed main caps.

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.

56481_SpeedboatJanuary_038-041.indd 3956481_SpeedboatJanuary_038-041.indd 39 12/7/15 10:26 AM12/7/15 10:26 AM

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


Badass 548 Build

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.

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 installs the cylinder head on top of the block.

Sources:

Pro-Marine2750 Sweetwater Ave Ste 8, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406(928) 505-3966

JE Pistons8 Mason, Irvine, CA 92618(714) 898-9763 jepistons.com

Dart Machinery353 Oliver St., Troy, MI 48084(248) 362-1188 dartheads.com

Eagle Specialty Products8530 Aaron Lane, Southaven, MS 38671(662) 796-7373 eaglerod.com

Comp Cams3406 Democrat Road, Memphis, TN 38118(800) 999-0853 compcams.com

Whipple Superchargers3292 N. Weber, Fresno, CA 93722(559) 442-1261 whipplesuperchargers.com


Photography by Todd Taylor


Daves Custom Boats throws the ultimate party for its ownersand the horsepower on display is truly breathtaking.

R E G A T T A

TH

A N N I V E R SA RY



Single-manufactur-er regattas arent as plentiful as they were a dozen years ago, but one that contin-ues to endure is the one organized by Daves 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 wont find. The DCB regatta is a great opportunity to see a cross-section of the best speedboats ever created in the same locationeverything from low-profile 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 builders 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 ONeill flew out Atlanta to purchase an outboard-powered M29. Meanwhile, the owner of the new-est boat was Craig Hargreaves, who attended with his M41.

Look for DCBs display at the Los Angeles Boat Show, Feb. 25-28.

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

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

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


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

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

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


25th Anniversary DCB Regatta

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

John ONeill of Atlantain his outboard-powered M29.

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

Craig Hargreaves M41 is poweredby twin Mercury 1350 engines.


Story and photos by Wes Nielsen


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

GOT POWER?GOT POWER?

Nordic Boats showcased its 28SS catamaran, powered by a single

Mercury 1350 engine.

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



What started in 1963 as a small show in Dodger Stadium is now one of the largest annual shows in Vegas, with more than a million square feet of parts and vehiclesmostly cars, but a few boats and plenty of marine per-formance products. Among the most notable: the EZ-EFI Self Tuning Engine Control System from FAST Technologies.

Other marine-minded exhibitors dis-playing 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 its great fun to see all the craziness surrounding SEMA. Year in and year out, the show continues to expand and yield first-rate ideas.

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

The all-new high-resolution fully configu-rable 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 Seriesfrom KAO Auto Stylingfeatures state-of-the-artVelocity Wheels.


Photos by Paul Kemiel


Look back on Howard Arnesons accomplishments, and its 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 off-shore 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 plea-sure-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, nonstopmuch 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.

With this issue, Speedboat launches a long-overdue tradition in honoring those individuals who have shaped our industry into its current state. With the com-mencement of our opening induction process, we welcome the first of our Speedboat Legendsindividuals 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 contribu-tions to powerboating. Youll 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.

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 aver-age, with Tony Garcia and Sammy James at the 1982 APBA Offshore World Championships in Key West.

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


Now 94, Howard Arneson refuses to slow downhe continues to get behind the wheel of fast boats, and hes currently developing a few items outside of the marine market that hes been wanting to do for some time. (Hes mum about the details, but hopefully well 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 applica-tions 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 Kitsalso known as our #7M Kitswe have been able to supply consumers with a solu-tion to their problems, and at the same time provide them with a product that actually increases their performance.

Howard Arnesons 46' Skater has been a test bed for his newest ideas, and contin-ues to do so to this day. The boat has over 750 hours of testing on it with various con-figurations of the Arneson Surface Drive as the experts continue to monitor how these changes affect the boats speeds and hand-ing.


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.



Speedboat Legends

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

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.

Arneson at the 1984 Key West Offshore worlds.

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

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.


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


Lee Aerospace supplies numerous Mystic hulls with

windshields, including Win Farnsworths 50-foot, turbine-

powered Low Altitude.

SPACE ODYSSEYSPACE ODYSSEYby Brett Bayne

Factory Tour



Acouple of decades ago, boat windshields were decidedly less than per-fect. Distortion and poor clarity were commonplaceeven 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 oper-ative, 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 mov-ing on to laminated stretched acrylic win-dows for Cessna, Lear, Beechcraft and oth-ers. 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. Hes also a fast-boat 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 himselfand 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-

An Outerlimits withLee Aerospaces windshield.

table that Lee should try to tackle the problem. He was uniquely qualified to develop windshields with the qual-ity optics and strength that raceboats require. And it didnt hurt his business plan to have friends like Mike Fiore (Outerlimits), Peter Hledin (Skater) and John Cosker (Mystic).

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

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.

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 prod-uct to Mike Fiore of Outerlimits, whose older windows didnt 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).



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 build-ing 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 birdnot 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 werent 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 indus-try, which was somewhat lacking in the optics and clarity area. It is my pleasure to share it with the boat industry.

SB: Other than building a durable and reliable product, to what do you attri-bute your companys success?JL: I have an amazing team. It always comes down to working with great peo-

Chris Mills of Boat Customs added a Lee Aerospace windshield to Lees per-sonal 28' Skater. This retrofit can be made to any boat without a windshield.

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

An employeelaminates a window

in a designated clean room.


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 bestIm real-ly 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 pro-vide outstanding customer service. Our clients, especially those in the aviation field, need service immediately. When they call, well 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 ship-ment is what they expect. If not, well 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. Thats pretty exciting!



Welcome to the most ghoulish poker run in the countryas only Lake Havasu can do it.

Photos by Todd Taylor

W l h h li h kkhh

MONSTERMONSTERBASH

AbChDa



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 char-acters from the Super Mario Bros. universe.

Thrills! Chills! Scares! Plenty of monstersas 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 Arizonas famous water playgroundand 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 lit-tle 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 digswe used the down-stairs 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 mon-sters. Two-time King of the Desert champion Don London dressed as a particularly gruesome zombie, while several male revelers transformed themselves into Hooters girls.

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

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).



George and Dawn Ogden in Oil Field

Trash, their 29' E-Ticket.

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

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

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.

John Caparell in his32' Doug WrightPoker RunEdition.

Monster Bash



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

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

caption

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.

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.



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

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

Trevor Rebolo in his 26' Scarab,Team Coyote.Cliff and Melissa Anderson of Hurst,

TX, in Paper Chaser, their 36' Eliminator Daytona, powered by twin

Ilmor 700s.

Monster Bash



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. Ricks com-pany 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 addi-tional 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 indus-try. Bob Teague, Dave Hemmingson,

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.

Its 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 gentle-man 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, dat-ing 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 indus-try 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 isnt anything else like it.

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

This 43' Sunsation F-4, part of FPCs poker run, features a paint job by Mitcher T, includ-ing a color-matched engine compartment.

56481_SpeedboatJanuary_008,061.indd 6156481_SpeedboatJanuary_008,061.indd 61 12/5/15 11:59 AM12/5/15 11:59 AM

Bretts

Mike Fry Race Thunder on the Snake Dragboat Worlds

ALSO:

ONE HOTSUMMERWEEKEND


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


Rooster 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 recre-ation. 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

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

This years 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 couldnt 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 Harrys. Others are content to hang out on the beach all day and enjoy the sun and water.

Among the attendees was a particu-larly 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 groups Facebook page.

HOTHOTSummer Weekend

ON

E


Photography by Kenny Dunlop


SoCalJetBoats members trek tothe famous Avi Resort in Laughlin, NV,

to strut their stuff.


Left and right: Mark Bueltemans 1977 Liberty.

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

Below: Joe Drungles Eliminator 19' Daytona.

Bottom: Jamie Wedmores Eliminator Liberty.


One HOT Summer Weekend


A Class FieldAbove: Tony Gonzalezs 1979 Nordic.Below left: Mike Townings 1974 18' Southwind. Below: Mike Poters 2009 Placecraft is powered by a PSI blown alcohol 555-c.i. Keith Black engine.


Jake Yeagers 1979 Southwind Tunnel Dragster



After a nasty wind-storm caused officials 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.

Joe and Thunder on the Snake races, Schlotthauer becomes the 2015 U.S. 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 ear-lier, sits in a wheelchair while on land, but his seat time in Preventing Insanity afforded him a far more thrilling ridewith an elapsed time of 1:44:09 during

the 39-mile race, he beat his closest com-petitor, 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, driv-ing #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.

High winds and visibility issues cant stop jetboat racers from tackling the Thunder on the Snake event in Lewiston, Idaho.

SchlottSchlottBIG


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.



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.

Ryan Rogers was third in Unlimited and overall in

#285 Pure Insanity.


Big Schlott Jetboat Race


Brothers Jeff and Jim Edwardsen of Lewiston, ID,

finished first in Unlimited Piston Class with a time of 1:49:33.

Dale Whiteside in #77 Influencedfinished third in CX Class

and sixth overall.

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



speedboat.com 72 S P E E D B O A T | Januray 2016

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.

Zach Rauscher took home the trophy in UFJ with his Saturday Night Special jet-boat. He was the #2 qualifier going into

eliminations on Sunday.

Unblown Fuel Jet

10-10.99 Bracket

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

MIKEMIKEIn Memory of

Photographer Mark McLaughlin assembled this photo collage of Mike Fry as a gift to his wife Denise. It was autographed by his fellowracers.


Photos by Mark McLaughlin


Tony Scarlata, in the 60/40 flat, could not set the boat all weekend till elimi-nations 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.

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.

l t i th / f

Quick Eliminator

Pro Gas Flat

MIKE

After longtime boat racer Mike Fry died in a crash in Marble Falls, TX, last August, his fellow competitors quickly orga-nized 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.

Very active in the publicity and orga-nization side of the event was Frys friend, Speedboat photographer Mark McLaughlin, who assembled a beautiful photo collage for Frys widow, Denise. McLaughlin sifted through years of pho-tos 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.

Among the highlights of the race was the participation of Sam Villavicencio, who emerged from his racing retirement 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 vouch-er, commemorative Mike Fry poster, a check and a weekends worth of photos on a CD. Now thats how you celebrate coming out of retirement!


Trophy queen Terian 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.

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

#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.


In Memory of Mike

Pro Eliminator

h i

Pro Gas Jet

9-9.99 Bracket


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, toss-ing 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.

Scary Ejection




The Lucas Oil Drag Boat World Finals in Chandler, AZ, was high-lighted by top dogand number-one for the second consecutive yearThe 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

1,000 foot course.Going into the final race of the year,

Pro Mod competitor Jimmy Booher, in 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. Andit 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. Its 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 sig-natures 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. Ill 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 tro-phyjust as he predicted.

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

ZONEZONEIN the


Photography by Mark McLaughlin

Pro OutlawTravis 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.

Pro ModJimmy Booher (near lane) in the

Tommy Thompson sponsored Fistful of Dollars, was behind in the points by

over three rounds. To win the cham-pionship in the class, the two lead-

ers 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.



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 EliminatorWith 14 boats in the class going into

eliminations on Sunday, #14 qualifier Joe McLemore had an easy time get-ting 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 semi-

finals 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.


In the Zone


caption

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.

Top Alcohol HydroBob 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 Frys Meanstreak II

there.

Top Alcohol FlatRandy 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.

Stock EliminatorJim 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.



Bouncy Boat Pro Eliminator driver Joe Alcorn struggled with his boat. He said the down pedal didnt 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.

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.

Top Fuel HydroScotty Lumbert shoed The Spirit

of Texas to not only the World Championship in the most prest

Documents

Speedboat Online January 2016