Speedboat July 2019

S PEEDBO AT M A G A ZINE

INSIDE: BLASTOFF TO THE BAHAMAS

speedboat.com

OFFSHORE RACING

TECH:

LIVORSI Gauge Install

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TABLE OF JULY 2019

COLUMNS 8 RAY LEE 10 BOB TEAGUE

FEATURES 14 HIGH FIVE

Once again, we prepare our mix of gorgeous girls and beautiful boats at Southern California’s Lake Elsinore.

30 DONZI 41GT

New for 2019 is this luxurious vee bottom with two large steps that’s quite different from any other boat on the market.

34 JAX ATTACKS

Greg Harris and Yvonne Alemán double last year’s boat count for their 2019 Florida poker run.

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40 OFFSHORE BATTLES

The first two bouts in OPA/P1’s series take competitors to Cocoa Beach and the Lake of the Ozarks.

48 LIVORSIFIED LAVEY

Speedboat’s own Ray Lee taps Livorsi Marine and Absolute Speed & Marine to give his Lavey Craft a much-needed dash facelift.

52 BLAST TO THE BAHAMAS

Stu Jones gets his Caribbean groove on as his Florida Powerboat Club heads to the famous tropical paradise.

56 ELIMINATOR PIRATE PARTY

The iconic Southern California builder celebrates 50 years with their customers.

60 NEW ZEALAND RULES

A look at how offshore boats compete “down under,” using Wayne Valder of Pro Floors Racing as the ultimate case study. speedboat.com

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Cover Photo by Pete Boden Table of Contents photo by Todd Taylor

Speedboat.com Published by DCO Enterprises, LLC Publishers

Ray Lee

ray@speedboat.com

Chris Davidson

chris@speedboat.com

Editor Senior Tech Editors

Brett Bayne

brett@speedboat.com

Bob Teague

bobteague@teaguecustommarine.com

Jim Wilkes

jim@speedboat.com

Tech Editors

National Sales Director

68 HEAVYWEIGHT ’78

This father-and-son project got a boost from Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine. The result: A complete and spectacular overhaul.

72 PERFECTLY FRANK

Ten years after a catastrophic crash that left his body and boat demolished, Frank Nagore looks back with a spirit that is truly inspirational.

ray@speedboat.com

Gail Hada-Insley

Copy Editor

Emma Newman

Photographers

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76 METHOD TO THEIR MADNESS

Bad weather shortens the National Jet Boat Association’s May Madness competition at California’s Lake Ming.

Ray Lee

Art Director

Helicopter Services

BRETT’S COVE

Greg Shoemaker Jim Wilkes Valerie Collins

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RAY LEE The place was Nashville, TN. The reason was an eagerly anticipated product launch.

The company was Mercury Racing. The outcome was awesome.

A day after Father’s Day, the performance engine giant invited us out to Music City for the mother of all product debuts. The overwhelming popularity of the supercharged 2.6L, inline six-cylin-

With Mercury Racing’s Rick Mackie, Stuart Halley and Kevin Skiba.

This Month’s Magic Number: 450

der Verado 400R outboard engines that have been repeatedly mounted onto the transoms of thousands of boats in varying quantities since its release in 2015, was inevitably bound to be outdone.

The next generation power plant is so desirable, in fact, that many have tried to predict the power, the platform and when it might be announced. The common misconception was that it would be launched earlier this year at the Miami International Boat Show. It wasn’t.

Mercury Racing’s Senior Marketing, PR and Communications Manager Rick Mackie called me a couple months ago to inform me about this momentous event and to insure that Speedboat Magazine would be there, without fail. He was intentionally vague regarding the purpose of the trip, yet he certainly got the point across with his enthusiasm.

“This is going to be the most EPIC event of the year and – in my career thus far at Racing,” said Mackie.

With a statement like that, there was no way that we would miss it. Mackie has been with the company for three decades and a part of every new product release, so I knew this was BIG! And big, it was. We arrived to the scheduled Nashville-style cocktail party/ dinner on Monday evening. Meaning we were escorted down onto the bustling boulevard of Broadway at the Ole Red Tavern, with a talented country music duo crooning away while there were sev-

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eral large objects, draped with long, black covers. Speculations flew as feverishly as did the complimentary beverages, even though most of the attendees were fairly confident as to what was underneath.

After an informative introduction from Mercury Marine President Chris Drees and Mercury Racing General Manager Stuart Halley, the wait was over. The black drapes were all simultaneously removed to reveal the all-new supercharged 4.6L, V8 450R outboard engines with a 1.60:1 gear ratio, in all of its glory. The next generation had arrived. Halley systematically explained all of the new features of the new 450R and they were truly impressive.

The following day, we were treated to an exclusive and enviable opportunity to ride in ten different speedboats that had been fitted with the new hardware on the nearby Old Hickory Lake on the Cumberland River. These were the Wright Performance 420 (2), the Mystic C3800 (2), MTI’s 340X Cat (2) and V-42 Center Console (4), NorTech 450SS (4), Cigarette 59’ Tirranna (6), Formula 430 SSC (4), Yellowfin 36 Offshore (3), Midnight Express 43 (5), and the Sea Ray SLX-R 350 (2).

Some of the most impressive features of the new 450R: • The 4.6L, V8 FourStroke powerhead, boosted by an exclusive Mercury Racing supercharger, produces 450 peak propshaft horsepower and 439 foot-pounds of torque–which is 40% higher than the 400R while being 300 pounds lighter

than the nearest competitor. While the top speed gains were respectable, the powerful force of the torque was most impressive. Especially when the power was tripled, quadrupled, quintupled and sextupled.

• It only requires 89-octane/E10 pump fuel for a wider range of on-water fuel access. This is essential, as higher octane fuels are not always readily available.

• It comes with a three-year factory warranty with up to five additional years of Mercury Product Protection available. This means that the company has ultimate confidence in their product and stands behind it.

• “Advance Sound Control” is a dual muffler, selectable exhaust system for your choice of the throatier rumble of the V8 (sport mode) or the “ultraquiet mode.” I personally loved the louder sound of the new 450Rs but this option is available for those that prefer a more silent experience.

This 450R is a game-changer for those who desire the optimum performance out of their boats and it is certain to be as popular as its predecessor, the 400R, if not more so. The strategic planning of everything from the size, the price point, the release and its future had been thoroughly considered prior to its release to the public.

Congratulations to the entire team at Mercury Racing/Mercury Marine on changing the face of high-performance boating… again. Also, a big “thank you” for allowing us to be a part of such a significant event in the industry.

The future is “wide open.” speedboat.com

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BOB TEAGUE Aftermarket Fuel Injection

Dear Bob: I’m looking for some ideas on fuel injection. There seem to be a ton of products out there. What are the best high-performance products that are the easiest to install and most reasonably priced?

Which ones will present the least amount of programming problems? Anything you could recommend for the below 500-hp build would be much appreciated. The engine is a 351 Windsor that is stroked to 408 cubic inches with 11:1 compression and full hydraulic roller. The original motor was a carbureted 302.

Gavin Hartford Hesperia, CA First of all, your compression ratio is a little on the high side for a motor if you plan to run 91 octane pump gas. With smaller cubic inch motors, you can get away with a little higher compression ratio, but 11:1 might be a little excessive in a boat under constant load. If your boat is light and you intend to run higher octane fuel, you might be OK. There are quite a few options for injection systems out there. I think one of the best options for you if your experience is limited is one of the throttle body offerings from Holley. Their systems come with full instructions and has a self-learning feature that is easy to understand. One thing that is usually required for the self-learning feature is that you are able to install an O2 sensor in the exhaust system. This cannot be done in most cases unless you are running some type of dry tailpipes or water jacketed headers.

Choose a system that is designed for your desired horsepower and cubic inches. Many people tend to go with a higher CFM set up than they need.

Crossover Restrictor Plates

Dear Bob: I have a 1988 MerCruiser 454 engine with

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the stock intake manifold and a Quadrajet carburetor. I was wondering if I should install the exhaust gas restrictor plates in one or both sides of the intake manifold gaskets. The MerCruiser manual I have doesn’t say anything more than it must use an intake gasket with an opening if it does have an automatic choke. (I boat in Arizona, so we don’t have much cold weather, but we are sure to have plenty of 100+ degree days of boating.) The old rebuilt block did not have them installed, but they also put a Gen 5 head on a Mark IV block, so I don’t trust much of what they did.

Thank you for your input!

Gary Mould Phoenix, AZ First of all, I am concerned about installing Generation 5 heads on a Mark IV engine block. The Mark IV GM big blocks do not have enough deck sealing surface on the lifter valley side to ensure that you will not have a water leak past the head gaskets. Most aftermarket cylinder heads are designed so they can be installed on both the Mark IV and Generation 5 or 6 blocks. But if you attempt to install GM Generation 5 heads on a Mark IV block, you are likely to end up with water in your oil that is seeping past the head gaskets.

There are two basic automatic chokes used on the stock MerCruiser engines.

If your engine is equipped with an electric choke that you can identify by wires connected to the side of the carburetor (usually one is purple and the other one is black), I would block off the heat riser ports because it is not desirable to have excessive heat under the carburetor. In some cases, the excessive heat can cause a vapor lock condition.

Some Quadrajet carburetors utilize a “heat stove” that consists of a bi-metal spring mounted in a metal housing that is screwed down to the intake manifold. This style of choke mechanism requires heat from the exhaust crossover to operate correctly. In most circumstances, manifolds with the heat stove type of choke actuator require that the passages are left open.

In your warmer environment, the choke is not as necessary as it is in colder environments. The only time it helps is

with the first time you start the boat on a cold morning. Usually, during the day after that, there is enough heat in the motor to allow starting by just turning the ignition key.

Strange Noise

Dear Bob: I recently purchased a used boat that’s been making a very unusual sound in the engine compartment. The sound is an occasional thud; it’s random, and not tied to engine rotation. It’s deep and can be a single thud or two thuds in a row. I haven’t been experiencing any of the typical internal engine issues. It sounds like it originates back by the bell housing. I have pulled the drive and started it, and the issue is still present. I’m just looking for some pointers because ultimately, I may have to pull the engine to dig deeper.

Thank you!

Hector Gonzales Bell, CA These strange noises are sometimes hard to find. The first thing I would check is if you have exhaust tips with the metal flappers in them. They are usually noisy and sometimes sound like a gimbal bearing is going out. If, for some reason, your engine has a misfire because of a bad spark plug wire or a crossfire occurring in your distributor cap, it could make that thumping sound because spark is occurring at the incorrect time. I know this is a little basic, but make sure the spark plug wires are on correctly.

By removing the drive and running the engine and still having the sound, you have eliminated the possibility of it being related to the drive or gimbal bearing. I have seen cases where the drive coupler attached to the flywheel has cracked and even a bolt has come loose that attaches the coupler to the flywheel. This might be your problem, but it will require removing the engine to perform the inspection.

If it is related to a single cylinder in the engine, you can perform a simple test by running the engine at an [Continues on page 82] speedboat.com

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Left: Our 2019 model lineup: Ashley, Nicole, Jessica, Mikayla and Anjelika.

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S

HIGH five photography by

Ray Lee

Once again, we prepare our mix of gorgeous girls and beautiful boats at Southern California’s Lake Elsinore. speedboat.com

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ure, the lakes may have changed over the years, and the models’ faces have changed as well.

(Actually, some of these

ladies weren’t even born when some of our staff members were conducting swimsuit shoots for Hot Boat Magazine, our spiritual ancestor.) But the tradition remains more or less the same. Speedboats just look better when bikini-clad girls pose on them, so we’re reluctant to make changes to the perfect blueprint.

Taking center stage this month is the Eliminator 260 Eagle XP midcabin cuddy model seen on this spread. It’s owned by Mark Johnson. (He’s the father of Brandon Johnson, whose Hallett is featured on Page 16.) Back in the day, Johnson owned and operated an old Witchcraft Bubbledeck; wanting something more family-oriented, he purchased the Eliminator two years ago. It started with a 454 engine, and is now pushed by a 540 big-block Chevy (estimated horsepower is 740). Like his son Brandon, Mark brings his boat to Greg Shoemaker of GS Marine (Norco, CA) for rigging and freshening up.

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HIGH

This 1974 Hallett is owned by Brandon Johnson, whose dad Mark was driving down the street when he saw this boat with a $700 price tag. It was full of garbage (not to mention some dead rats and birds). Greg Shoemaker of GS Marine did a complete restoration, including the fiberglass, engine/drive, gelcoat, interior, etc.

It sits on the original 1974 trailer!

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HIGH Dragboat racing legend Eddie Knox, famous for his World Championship winning Problem Child, recently acquired Bob Teague’s first raceboat, a 1977 Spectra raced at Long Beach Marine Stadium.

“We own a nostalgia funny car and wanted a nostalgia-type boat,” Knox says. “We didn’t know it was Teague’s boat until after we bought it.” Knox says it’s just a fun V-drive for his son, Ed, to cruise around in. “He’ll bracket race it when we get the opportunity between car races.”

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HIGH Rick Wall is the owner of a rather rare bird: this 1991 Brummett was one of only 20 or so laid up by legendary power guru Carson Brummett. He built the original engine, an all-aluminum 572 c.i. motor with Brodix aluminum heads. The boat can be seen at Lake Mead, Lake Havasu and the Parker Strip. “I love the way the cam and the big block hits,” Wall says. “It’s like you can hear every cylinder firing. And I love the way Carson rigged the boat. It’s beautiful.”

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HIGH Strictly speaking, Jeff Worthen didn’t need this 1980 Hondo. His collection includes a pair of crackerbox race boats, a Glen-L kit boat, a classic Biesemeyer and an Eliminator daycruiser V-drive. So what’s one more fast ride? He bought the Hondo from a friend about a year ago; the 500-c.i. engine is coupled to a Casale V-drive and features a pair of 1050 Dominators.

Horsepower is estimated to be around 1,000. The cool scoop was painted

by Jeff Squigley.

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HIGH Scott Broviac races his 1984 Cole TR-2 in NJBA’s Blown Gas Flat class. The rig is powered by a 540-c.i. big-block Chevy with 1471 blower, AFR heads, Casale V-drive and Lenco clutch. “It took a long time to get done,” he says. “It took real patience, and I’m grateful to all my friends who helped me along the way.”

The boat was painted

by Mark Tramontano of Aqua Dynamics.

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HIGH

Fatal Attraction is Bob and Steven Newcomer’s 1957 Chris-Craft Continental. Repowered by the previous owner, it features a PCM Ford engine. It’s mainly displayed at in-water boat shows like the ones at California’s Lake Arrowhead, Bass Lake and Big Bear Lake. Bob, who lives in Santa Ana, CA, has owned the boat for 10 years. He’s previously the owner of a 1961 Chris-Craft Capri.

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HIGH Richard Kane has owned this rare 1969 D&H all-wood V-drive for over 20 years. It was originally owned by the late Ted Philips (who also owned a record-setting D&H that he ran in Blown Gas Hydro class). Kane has completely restored the boat, and has taken it to some local boat shows, including one at Pirate’s Den in Parker, AZ, and Flat Bottom Boogie in Kingsburg, CA. But Kane doesn’t just display this boat—he also runs it, and says he’s had it up to 90+ mph.

Kane gives thanks to Jim Wilkes and everybody at Wilkes Marine, including Bounce and Brian, as well as Kane’s uncle, Irv Heller, who helped with the wood work and the finishing.

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photography by

Todd Taylor

New for 2019 is this luxurious vee bottom with two large steps that’s quite different from any other boat on the market.

A

mong the many truly breathtaking models unveiled at this year’s Miami Boat Show were a pair of boats

from Iconic Marine Group’s Donzi Marine. The new 44' Icon is a superwide full carbon composite creation codesigned by Wilson Composites, while the 41 GT (“Grand Touring”) is described as a new genre of upscale boats—the first in a brand of new-generation Donzis intended to “bring a new level of versatility and redefine the big water sport boat,” according to the company. Space, ergonomics, comfort and performance come together in the GT

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to achieve a new level of style that is distinctly Donzi.

Speedboat’s GT tester, like the model on display in Miami, is powered by triple Mercury Racing 400R outboards, which makes a superb powertrain for a boat whose design is absolutely unlike any other model on the powerboating landscape.

This 41' has an elegantly appointed cabin (see photos, Page 32) with head with holding tank, shower, sink and wraparound seating. The boat’s cockpit is simple but luxurious, with twin forward-facing lounge seats behind the driver and passenger bolsters, and comfortable stern-facing twin

41GT chaise seats in the back. So there’s plenty of room for passengers (“This boat is all about having a lot of friends,” deadpans our test driver, Bob Teague). There’s a fridge and additional “drawer chiller” for easy access to refreshments, washdown facilities, sink, storage and other amenities. The floor of the boat looks like elegant teak, but is actually a more user-friendly and comfortable “PlasTeak” surface option. The cockpit is protected by a very large and stable wraparound very large, a wraparound windshield supported by stainless steel braces.

Our test took place in Lake Havasu, on [Continues on page 59] speedboat.com

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DONZI 41GT Length: 40'6" Beam: 9'8" Engines on test boat: (3) Mercury Racing 400Rs Fuel Capacity: 300 gallons Top speed: 80.6 mph @ 6,900 rpm Speed at 3,000 rpm: 28 mph Speed at 4,000 rpm: 45 mph Speed at 5,000 rpm: 59 mph Speed at 6,000 rpm: 72 mph Top speed: 80.6 mph @ 6,900 rpm DONZI MARINE 1653 Whichards Beach Road Washington, NC 27889 (252) 975-2000 donzimarine.com speedboat.com

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The boat’s cabin is luxuriously appointed, with a head (with holding tank), shower, sink and wraparound seating. The floor appears to be teak, but is actually a very comfortable “Plasteak” surface similar to SeaDek. The boat also features a refrigerator and air conditioning. Hydraulic steering is standard.

“When you’re going straight, you can take your hands completely off the wheel.

It tracks well all the time.”

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7/1/19 11:03 AM

JAX Attacks

Todd Taylor and Pete Boden

photos by

by

T

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he Jacksonville River Rally was first organized in the early 2000s by Bill Pyburn Sr. to benefit the Children’s

Burn Camp of North Florida Inc. Pyburn operated the event for many years before handing over the reins to the Florida Powerboat Club; the event is now being run by speedboat enthusiasts Greg Harris and Yvonne A. Alemán, who revised the format to a “fun fun” while continuing to raise money for the charity. But for the last couple of years, they’ve been attempt-

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ing to restore the once-large rally to its former glory. So last year, it was back to being a full-blown poker run, raising nearly $13,000 for charity.

This year, the pair managed to boost the boat count, and raised nearly more than $18,000 for Camp Amigo. “We’re gaining some traction,” Harris says.

“We’re getting a lot of interest—people were calling us from all around the country. So it’s starting to grow again.”

Harris, whose father is a retired fire chief, has been a participant in the event since it was founded. “Many of

the members of my family have been part of the fire and rescue service, so the burn camp is something that’s close to my heart,” he says.

“In the past, we had the run in June,” Alemán explains. “Moving it back to May allowed us to generate more participation. We also made Friday a lunch run and Saturday a poker run.”

Stops along the St. Johns River included Whitey’s Fish Camp, which has been a stop ever since the event was organized, as well as Crystal Cove Resort and Marina.

(Continued on Page 38) speedboat.com

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Greg Harris and Yvonne Alemรกn boost the boat count at their 2019 Florida poker run.

Above: Mad Props is the name of the one-off 3212 Skater owned by event organizers Greg Harris and Yvonne Alemรกn.

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JAX Left: Mike Ricker drives his 32' Nor-Tech Super Cat, Wife’s Money.

Below: Keith and Allison Barco in their 23' Arco cat, Boater Chicks.

Above: John Hice’s turbine-powered 25' Warlock SCT cat puts out an eye-catching flame. The boat is called Turbine Warlock.

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Left: John O’Neill and friends in his brand-new MTI 340X cat, powered by twin Mercury Racing 400R Verado outboards.

This was the boat’s maiden voyage, and the boat is being driven by MTI sales and marketing manager Tim Gallagher.

Right: This 45' Speede Carbon Series model from Adrenaline Powerboats is driven by company owners Michael and Robin Layton. It’s powered by quad Mercury Racing 400R outboards.

Left: Bill Munyan is the owner of this 36' Skater, known as Aftermath.

Right: Presenting sponsor Iconic Marine Group was represented by this all carbon-fiber 44' Donzi Icon, powered by quad Mercury Racing 400R Verado outboards.

Left: Beautiful Fallon Thibodeaux handed out cards at the poker run’s first card stop, and also handled dock lines. speedboat.com

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JAX The poker run was won by William Sestak, owner of the 42’ MTI Cat-Tagious. Sestak, whose winning hand consisted of three kings, donated his winnings back to the charity.

Harris and Alemán say they’re comfortable actually participating in the run as well as organizing it: they run Mad Props, their custom one-off 2009 Skater 3212, powered by 700-hp Mercury Racing engines.

This year’s event sponsors included Iconic Marine Group, Adrenaline Powerboats, Mystic Powerboats, Nor-Tech Performance Boats, Broward Trailer and Mercury Racing.

Above: Richard Deman and crew ride in his Baja 22' Hammer, Screamin’ Deman.

Right: Dueling Mystics!

Bernie Neuhaus in the C3800 Catamaran (foreground) runs alongside Mystic President John Cosker in an M4200 Center Console.

Below: Kevin and Kelly Schulte in their Cigarette 42X, Hardline.

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Offshore by

Brett Bayne

photography by and

Todd Taylor

Ray Lee

Cocoa Beach

The first two bouts in OPA/P1’s series take competitors to Cocoa Beach and the Lake of the Ozarks.

Above: Class One podium finishers in Cocoa Beach include team members from Miss Geico (front row), Victory (back row) and 222 Offshore (far right).

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In Cocoa Beach, the Miss Geico team of James Sheppard (driver) and Steve Curtis (throttles) was the champion in Class One racing.

W

ith no regular races scheduled for Super Boat International (at least as this issue went to press), the Offshore

Powerboat Association (OPA) took center stage as the racing heavyweight this season, kicking things off on Florida’s East Coast for the Thunder on Cocoa Beach—previously an SBI event. It was the first of six races in which OPA would collaborate with P1 Superstock for the APBA Offshore Championship series.

Miss Geico, driven by James Sheppard and throttled by Steve Curtis, were the winners in Class One racing. In second place was the #3 Victory team from Dubai, with driver Salem Al Adidi and throttlespeedboat.com

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Left: Travis Pastrana performs the mandatory pre-race field sobriety test.

man Eisa Al Ali, and in third place was the #222 Offshore boat from Australia (with driver Darren Nicholson and throttleman Giovanni Carpitella).

One of the more high-profile aspects of competition in Cocoa Beach was the participation of Nitro Circus TV superstar Travis Pastrana, one of the world’s most influential extreme sports athletes. He took the wheel of the 32' Phantom JRA Boat Sales/Hurricane of Awesomeness in Super Vee Extreme class after originally planning to drive Brit Lilly’s revamped 2001 Fountain 40' canopied race boat (formerly raced as Cintron and Firewater), but that boat suffered engine failure prior to the race.

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OFFSHORE RACES

ProStock Vee: The Fastboys team of Ken Bolinger (D) and Stan Perkoski (T) led a pack of 10 competitors, including LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness.

Super Cat: The NZ-11 Pro-Floors team of driver Wayne Valder and rigger/throttleman Grant Bruggemann got the best of M-CON, Performance Boat Center/Jimmy John’s and WHM Motorsports.

Class 4: Simmons Marine finished first in the class against competitors Team Raven, Team Woody and Thee Dollhouse.

Super Stock: With 11 boats in the class, the winner was Shadow Pirate, featuring owner/ driver Nick Scafidi.

Super Vee Extreme: Marker 17 Marine was the unofficial winner, but officials determined there was an infraction.

Boatfloater.com was then named the official winner in the class.

Vee Extreme: Knucklehead Instigator, with driver Ed Smith and throttleman Anthony Smith, finished first.

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offshore

Lake Race

Super Vee Extreme: Brian Forehand (D) and Vinnie Diorio (T) finished first in Marker 17 Marine (above).

Class One: Salem Al Adidi (D) and Eisa Al Ali (T) were victorious in Victory Team (below).

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ProStock Vee: LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness (near lane) took the win for Brit Lilly (D) and Kevin Smith (T).

A

mere 11 days after the conclusion of Thunder in Cocoa Beach, racers were summoned to the Lake of the

Ozarks to participate in Lake Race, the second collaboration between OPA and Powerboat P1.

With 14 classes racing, the pressure was on for Miss Geico to repeat its triumph in Cocoa Beach. And Marker 17 Marine, still smoldering from having its victory snatched away because of an infraction, turned Super Vee Extreme into something of a grudge match.

Three Class One boats from three different countries—Miss Geico (USA), 222 Offhore (Australia) and Victory (United Arab Emirates)—battled for the checkered flag. The Victory team of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali took the early lead and stayed way ahead for the remainder of the

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race to take the win. Team 222 Offshore, piloted by Darren Nicholson and Giovanni Carpitella, finished second, and the Miss Geico team of driver James Sheppard and throttleman Steve Curtis, finished third, after coming off plane with an apparent mechanical issue.

Seven boats battled in SuperCat class in their 10-lap event. AMH Motorsports, with Aaron Hope and Anthony Smith, grabbed the lead early in the race and held on to it until the finish. Pro-Floors Racing, with New Zealand-based owner/driver Wayne Valder and throttleman Grant Bruggemann of Florida, finished second.

WHM Motorsports (with driver Billy Mauff and throttleman Jay Muller) missed a buoy, had to go back and re-negotiate the turn. Amazingly, though, they recaptured their footing and managed to finish in third place.

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OFFSHORE RACES Super Cat: Aaron Hope (D) and Anthony Smith (T) were the winners in AMH Motorsports.

Super Cat: Strictly Business, with driver Travic Blackmore and throttleman Steve Wallace, beat out Advanced Marine to take the checkered flag.

Unlimited: Mike DeFrees and Jay Muller in Team CRC ran uncontested in the class.

SuperStock: CR Racing, with driver Rob Unnerstall and throttleman Casey Boaz, bested eight competitors.

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Livorsified

by Brett

Bayne photography by Todd Taylor

Speedboat Magazine’s Ray Lee taps Livorsi Marine to give his Lavey Craft a much-needed dash facelift.

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F

aithful readers of Speedboat know co-publisher Ray Lee through his monthly column that traditionally appears on Page 8 of this magazine. Lee is the owner of a custom 2002 Lavey Craft 2750 NuEra that he often uses on Lake Havasu.

Like any recreational powerboat, the Lavey has required occasional mechanical TLC. The latest element in need of refurbishing has been the dash, some of whose Gaffrig gauges were starting to fail. The wiring behind the dash had also become somewhat prehistoric in the 17 years that have passed since the boat was originally built and rigged.

An upgrade was long past due.

To revitalize the dash, and to modernize its technology, Lee turned to two sources: Livorsi Marine of Grayslake, IL (maker of the finest gauges on the planet) and Absolute Speed and Marine of Lake Havasu City, AZ (one of the city’s most popular service centers). “He had some pretty old stuff,” chuckles Tom Veronneau of Livorsi after seeing a photo that Lee sent him of his existing dash panel. “He had ordinary white dials with platinum rims. So we just sent him the latest and greatest of what we had from our Mega Series. Everything fit into the same holes. They were gauges with the same functions—just brand new.”

One great thing about doing a gauge overhaul today is that Livorsi can offer a much wider variety of products and options compared to yesteryear, including numerous colors of rings, faces and needles, so you can completely customize virtually any way you want. All told, there were eight gauges total: vacuum boost, fuel pressure, water-fed speedo, tachomspeedboat.com

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Above left: A photo of dash panel with the original Gaffrig gauges (two broken ones had been replaced with Livorsi gauges over the stretch of time. Above middle and right: The dash panel has been removed, and work begins to remove the existing gauges and replacing them with the upgraded Livorsi pieces. eter, volt meter, fuel level, oil pressure and water temperature. Livorsi not only upgraded Lee to a GPS speedo, but also replaced the old-style Mercury controls to a Livorsi’s Performance Series. “He was able to take his 33C cables for shift and throttle and hook them right up to our new control,” Veronneau says.

According to Livorsi, this kind of upgrade is very common for powerboaters looking to put a new facade onto an aging but otherwise functional craft— and also fairly straightforward. In Lee’s

case, one of the basic differences between his old equipment and the new gauges was that the “old school” gauges, with their spaghetti-looking wiring, employed ring terminal connectors on the back with nuts holding them in place. “That wasn’t really the latest and greatest,” Veronneau says. “The new Mega Series come with Deutsch connectors in the back, so everything is waterproof. They use Molex-style harnesses that retrofit back to the wires, and the rigging ends up looking so much cleaner.”

Aaron Fluent, owner of Absolute Speed and Marine, had the task of doing this retrofit project and concurs that an upgrade was sorely needed, both for the way the gauges look in front of AND behind the dash. “We had to rewire the whole thing, which on some of these boats can be pretty difficult,” Fluent says.

“Basically, you have to cut out all of the old wiring that goes to the gauges and convert them over to the new style with the new harnesses.”

Fortunately, though, the way Lavey

Below left: The old gauges and wiring have now been completely removed. Below middle: Lee’s original bezels were integrated into the new installation. Below right: The new Livorsi gauges are in place and are now waiting to be rewired in a more modern fashion.

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Left: The new Livorsi Mega Series gauges are now installed, giving the Lavey a fresh, clean look. Livorsi provided eight gauges total: vacuum boost, fuel pressure, water-fed speedo, tachometer, volt meter, fuel level, oil pressure and water temperature.

Craft’s Chris Camire had originally rigged the boat made it much less of a headache for Fluent and his crew.

“He made it pretty darn simple on us, because he ran everything to a ‘bus bar’ that was in very close proximity to the dash,” he says. “That made all the routing fairly simple to the existing bus bar.

We just had to undo all of the wiring that goes at the dash on the one side of the bus bar, and we just threw it out.

Then we wired all of the gauges right to

the bus bar. It’s a nice feature on this boat. On some other boats, we really have to reinvent the wheel to make it look right.”

Fluent says that replacing the old Mercury shifters with the new Livorsi setup (featuring polished and arched handles) was also no big deal: “It just drops right into place,” he says. “That was pretty simple—the new one sets right in where the old one came out.”

As this issue went to press, the instal-

lation was just being completed and Lee had not yet picked up the boat. But his excitement was palpable: “Once I sit at the helm, with all of those shiny new gauges looking back at me, it’s going to be very cool,” he says. “I’m looking forward to getting used to the new feel and the look of the shiny new shifters, too.

It’s going to be like Christmas!”

Check out the before-and-after photos on these pages to see how this remarkable installation came together.

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.

The original Mercury controls (left) and the upgraded Livorsi controls (right).

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Blast to the

Photography by

Jerry Wyszatycki

Stu Jones gets his Caribbean groove on as his Florida Powerboat Club heads to the famous tropical paradise to interact with wild pigs and stingrays.

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F

or its 28th running of the Bahamas Poker Run, Stu Jones and his Florida Powerboat Club got off to a great start at Haulover Marine

Center, with 18 registered teams heading out for a six-day island-hopping adventure..

The majority of the fleet consisted of center-console models powered

by Mercury Verado engines. But at least four I/O-powered muscleboats made the journey, including three Cigarettes and one Fountain 47-footer with triple engines.

Stop #1 was a two-day stay in Bimini, where participants enjoyed the usual attractions, feeding the stingrays at the Honeymoon Harbor, snorkeling at the site of the concrete shipwreck S.S. Sapona, and rafting up along Bimini’s pristine North Beach.

On the third day, the group traveled to the small island Chub Cay to pick up another poker card during lunch. Then it was on to Nassau for a three-day stay.

Group lodging was divided between the Palm Cay Marina in Southeast Nassau and the famous Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island, which offers a full-service marina for boaters. On day #5, the entire group explored the Exuma chain of islands, including Staniel Cay and Big Major Cay, known for the friendly pigs that roam freely on the beach and enjoy a regular feedings from visiting boaters throughout the day. The entire event clocked in well over 600 miles for a six-day adventure with camaraderie, great weather and amazing destinations.

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Jason and Krisha Tolliver in their brand-new Sunsation 34CCX.

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BLAST TO THE Left: John Chrysler drives his 47' Fountain, Dixie Normous.

Below: Fred and Judy Reavis in their MTI V-42, Blu By You.

Above left: FPC President Stu Jones sets up the stingray feeding at Honeymoon Harbor near Bimini. Above right: Feeding the friendly pigs at Big Major Cay in the Exumas.

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Left: Chris Ribeiro and Rae Ford of Texas on his 38' Donzi, Low Maintenance.

Right: Bennett Loftin of Texas in his 36' Deep Impact, which was purchased just a few weeks before the run.

Below: Laurant and Nadya Besnier run their full-canopy 32’ Doug Wright catamaran.

Bottom: Roger and Pam Anderson of Texas drive their Nor-Tech 390 Sport.

Left: Dave and Stacy Condon of Ohio in their 38’ Cigarette Top Gun. This was the pair’s first time attending a Florida Powerboat Club event.

Above: Laurent and Nadya Besnier of France (left) with friends, photographed at Palm Cay Marina with their winning poker hand, a pair of Queens. speedboat.com

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Pirate Cove and Daren Van Ryte photos courtesy of

The iconic Southern California builder celebrates 50 years with its customers.

ELIMINATOR’s

F

ive decades ago, a young, ambitious salesman working for the Kellogg’s Corporation, most famous for its Corn Flakes breakfast cereal, had a passion and a dream. That man was Bob Leach and his dream was to build go-fast boats. With the help of brothers George and Bill Verkamp, the trio built a remarkable custom flatbottom SK boat that attracted a lot of attention on the local waterways of Southern California and beyond. Shortly after, Leach took that passion and opened a small shop in Huntington Park, CA and thus–Eliminator Boats, and West Coast performance boating was born and his dream was about to be realized.

Fifty years later, the Mira Loma company celebrated its Golden Anniversary in grand fashion by throwing a big bash for their customers on the Colorado River at the famed Pirate Cove Resort—the same waters that the legendary brand was built on.

New company president Jake Fraleigh and his team welcomed the loyal brethren to the popular waterfront location of Pirate Cove that provided everyone with VIP treatment, complete with gourmet cuisine, reserved parking and beachside entertainment.

Eliminators as old as a 1974 21' Cruiser that sported its original interior and gelcoat, to the latest model in the lineup, the 25' Speedster with a pair of Mercury Racing 300Rs, and everything in between were on hand to enjoy the festivities.

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Above: The party ramps into overdrive at Pirate Cove.

Top right: Corey Schmitz and the world-famous Pirate Cove girls in his 33' Daytona known as Fatal Attraction.

Above: Jennifer and Jay Kelley’s 33 Daytona, Dixienormous.

Left: A live band entertains Eliminator partygoers at Pirate Cove.

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PIRATE PARTY Left: Laurie and Walt Hollis’s 22' Daytona.

Below: Eliminator’s own Ben Fraleigh, Jared Johnson, Zack Cervantes, Jake Fraleigh and Mark Baker.

Right: A drone’s eye view of Eliminators filling the docks at Pirate Cove Resort.

Far right: Among the many Daytonas attending the 50th anniversary party was this 28-foot midcabin cuddy version.

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[Continued from page 30] fairly calm waters that never really provided a clue as to how the boat would perform in the rough stuff. That aside, Teague was impressed by virtually every aspect of the boat’s performance, awarding high marks to the holeshot acceleration, overall maneuverability, visibility coming on plane, turning left and right, etc. The boat gave us no problems through all of the speed ranges. He also raved about the boat’s layout, placement of controls and all of the boat’s standard features. “When you’re going straight, you can take your hands completely off the wheel,” he says. “It tracks well all the time.” Our top speed was 80.6 mph, but the boat probably would have performed a bit better with a five-blade prop than with the four-blade prop that had been installed.

The 41 GT would be an idea purchase for someone who loves vee bottoms, long cruises, cabin space and the efficiency of outboards.

It’s a boat you can spend the night in, and that’s extremely luxurious and comfortable.

As Teague says: “You could run it in the Florida waters, or you can run it on big lakes. It’s a very versatile machine.”

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Anna Ngo photos by Jeremy Ward / www.shot360.co.nz story by

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NEW ZEALAND RULES

Speedboat reports on how the offshore boats compete “down under,” using Wayne Valder of Pro Floors Racing as the ultimate case study.

B

oth surrounded and isolated by vast stretches of sea, New Zealanders are known the world over for

being skilled sailors. Having snatched the America’s Cup three times—most recently defeating Oracle Team USA in 2017—Emirates Team New Zealand will defend their title when New Zealand hosts the next cup in 2021. But

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a growing contingent of New Zealand racers are coming over to the “dark side,” opting for souped-up superboats instead of traditional sailing yachts and making a splash in characteristic Kiwi fashion.

While the competition at home is certainly spirited, veteran racers like Wayne Valder of Pro Floors Racing have their sights set on the world stage— namely, beating more Americans. Valder

and newly installed throttleman Grant Bruggemann recently wowed the crowds at Cocoa Beach on May 19 (see Page 42), besting the 40' Skater M-CON and a field of four more contenders to finish first in the Supercat class.

Though he wasn’t able to repeat his success at the Lake of the Ozarks’ Lake Race on June 1 (the second of the OPA/ Powerboat P1 series), Valder remains

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NEW ZEALAND

Left: Alimax, piloted by Gordon Robinson and Andrew Macbeth, famously flipped during the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championships in 2012.

Above: Sports 225 competitors Colin Dunn and Paul Ludeman in CRD Automotive. The class is for vee bottoms with a maximum 225 hp.

Right: Superboat 600 entry Papakura Toyota, powered by twin Mercury 300 outboards. The class is for catamarans with a maximum 600 hp.

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Left: Chris Haeger and Jono Hanley compete in New Zealand Home Loans.

Right: Chris Haeger (D) and Karl Wall (T) pilot BC Racing/New Zealand Home Loans, a 26' Shifty hull.

Below: Superboat 400 Class competitor Hijinx Racing, a 26' Shifty hull with co-drivers James Downs and Mike Urquhart.

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NEW ZEALAND

Fujitsu Better Heat, with copilots Tony Coleman and Chris Hanley.

optimistic and unflappable. He and throttleman Bruggemann, who helm a 40' MTI with twin 750-hp Mercury Racing engines with #6 drives, still have time to redeem themselves, with four more races on their calendar for the season.

When Speedboat caught up with Valder, he was still riding high on his Thunder on Cocoa Beach victory. “We were the only foreign boat in our class,” he says, the other eight boats entered for the season all hailing from the USA. “It’s an opportunity that I’ve always wanted to pursue. I’m the first New Zealander to win the Australian 1 championship. I’ve won three New Zealand championships, so one of my goals is to win the US1 championship, which is why I’m over there, trying to give it a good go now.”

By the time the series concludes in Key West in November, he will have traveled from New Zealand to the States seven times. Talk about dedication! But for an avid racer like Valder, it doesn’t feel like work. Now involved in the sport for about 30 years, he grew up around boats

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and got his start at the tender age of 17, racing with his cousin in Karaka, South Auckland. “His co-driver never turned up to one of the races,” Valder recalls, “and I was there, watching. He said, ‘Do you want to race?’ I said yeah. Once I jumped in the boat, I never got out! I was a young fella then, so always fearless.”

Starting off in the small class “called National A back in those days,” he and his cousin drove a 17-footer, then worked their way up. Valder now owns three Pro Floors boats, all of them catamarans, two kept in New Zealand and one in the U.S. One of the New Zealand boats is a Phantom, a 34-foot New Zealand-built cat running 525 Chevy blocks with a Mercury engine through a #6 drive. “I also have a 34-foot Skater running the same powerplant,” he says.

It’s fitting that these boats all bear the name of Valder’s earthworks business Pro Floors, now 22 years old. “You set yourself goals and that’s how it works,” he says matter-of-factly. But despite his work ethic, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

A crash in 2017 was followed by “an upand-down season last year,” after which he parted ways with longtime co-driver Chris Hanley. Of Floridian Bruggemann, Valder says, “I’d rate him probably second or third in the world as a co-driver, so it’s pretty exciting having him onboard. He raced in an opposition boat to us last year.

His previous team isn’t racing anymore, so it was an opportunity to see if he wanted to race with me. It worked out really well for both of us.”

On top of being an outstanding throttleman, Bruggemann (owner of Grant’s Signature Racing) brings 20-plus years of rigging know-how to the table. “A big difference this year is we’re getting to try different setups with the boat, which we haven’t done in the past, so that will hopefully play to our advantage,” Valder says. “It’s all about drive heights, propellers, inboard/outboard rotation, different weights in the boat, different positions, the balance of the boat—it all makes a big difference on race day.”

Asked which configuration has been speedboat.com

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the winner so far, he says, “Some setups will be faster in calm water, some setups will be better in rough water, so it’s just a matter of making the right choice on the day.” According to Valder, the Pro Floors MTI favors moderate to rough conditions, “which is ideal for Cocoa Beach.

But I think that we’re going to see some different setups this season for calmer races, and hopefully be still in the hunt for those.”

This year marks Valder’s fourth season racing in the U.S., “so they are familiar with me over there,” he says. “But, yeah, I think they don’t understand the Kiwi way.

They turn up in all their fancy trucks and trailers and whatnot. We turn up with just the basics and we managed to pull off a victory.”

Previously owned by an Arab team racing under the name Spirit of Qatar, the MTI is by now “fairly old.” Valder acquired her through renowned offshore powerboat racer Steve Curtis, who is this year racing 10-time world champion Miss Geico.

“We’re constantly making modifications to try and give us that edge. We also have a spare engine with us, so if we do have any problems during testing, we can always swap out an engine if need be.”

Aside from reconditioning the engines, Valder is working on himself a bit as well.

“This year, I’m on a regime to try and lose some weight, to feel a bit fitter and better inside the cockpit. The most important thing when you’re racing, though, is your concentration. The whole time we’re racing I’m looking 200 meters ahead, so I don’t take any notice of anything else. As soon as you lose your focus, you find yourself dropping back in the field quite quickly, so it’s important to stay focused. Focus on anything and you’ll be successful at it.”

In closing, Wayne says, “We’re very pleased and very excited that we were successful in the first round. I think the first round of the season is probably one of the most important, as it gives us a pretty good idea of how we’re competing against the other boats. Obviously, different conditions make different boats perform better, but we think that our boat’s very well prepared for all-round conditions. If I get four under my belt, I’ll be very happy.” speedboat.com

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Inside the NZOPA: Two official bodies sanction powerboat races in New Zealand: the NZPBA (New Zealand Power Boat Association) and the NZOPA (New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association). Here’s the lowdown on how organized offshore racing works “down under.”

First taking hold in the 1960s, offshore powerboat racing has gone on

to become one of New Zealand’s most well-established watersports. The NZ Offshore Powerboat Series, hosted by the NZOPA, typically runs late January through mid-May and consists of seven meets, one every three weeks, dotted throughout the North Island. Since their inaugural event in 1970, locales have included Auckland’s Gulf Harbor, Maraetai, Beachlands, Wellington,

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NEW ZEALAND

Sports 225 competitor Chindit, an 18' GTW hull powered by a 225-hp Johnson outboard.

Tauranga, Napier, Whitianga, Marsden Point, Doubtless Bay and Paihia, all chosen for their challenging courses as well as their viewing accessibility.

The annual NZ Offshore competition is actually a twofer: a 100-mile championship and a 60-mile championship, each featuring different classes grouped by boat type and size as well as motor size. A driver may choose to race in any class as long as the boat’s engine(s) are within the bounds of the maximum hp quoted for that class.

Boats in the 100-mile category are highperformance superboats that reach speeds of up to 200 kph (124 mph) while those in the 60-mile class are typically trailer boats that double as weekend pleasure craft.

Boats in this latter category allow virtually anyone easy entry to the sport, many of them copiloted by couples and family twosomes. In fact, so popular has junior racing become that a 30-mile category, called Family Class, was added, with a minimum age requirement of 15, or 18 for boats greater than 150 hp.

This year, the NZOPA’s season began in Taupo on Jan. 27, the peak of summer, though temperatures are generally quite pleasant, in the mid-70s. Taupo lies smack-dab in the middle of the North Island, on the shores of Lake Taupo, a caldera formed by a volcanic eruption some 26,500 years ago.

The season wrapped on May 18 in Timaru, a port city in the Canterbury

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region of the South Island where temps are a bit milder, in the high 50s at that time of year. 2019 marked the first time in a long while that the NZOPA championship series traveled to the South Island.

Though turnouts can vary wildly, from a few hundred to several thousand in places like Taupo and Timaru, what these Kiwi boaters may lack in numbers they more than make up for in enthusiasm.

NZOPA classes include: Superboat 1000—Catamarans 32 to 35 feet, maximum 1050 hp.

Superboat 600—Catamarans 28 to 32 feet, maximum 600 hp.

Superboat 400—Catamarans 28 to 32 feet, maximum 400 hp.

Sports 300—Vee bottoms up to 23 feet, maximum 300 hp (single outboard).

Sports 225—Vee bottoms, maximum 225 hp (single outboard).

Sports 200—Vee bottoms, maximum 200 hp (single outboard).

Classic Class—Maximum 100 hp, single outboard. (Classic boats exceed the horsepower limits of the Sport classes and are over 18 feet long. This class includes “historic boats.”)

On average, 20 to 30 boats compete in a typical NZOPA race, with American Skaters and locally built Phantoms being the hulls of choice in the Superboat 1000 class. Says Jeremy Ward, action sports photographer and official lensman of the NZOPA, “The Super 600s are mostly Skaters, and we have a new Doug

Wright boat this season from the U.S. The Superboat 400s are mostly Shifty cats from Australia.”

The point-scoring system mirrors that of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), powerboating’s international governing body based in Monaco, and boats in the NZ Offshore Superboat 1000 class comply with UIM Class 2 specifications: 30 to 35 feet long with a minimum inboard weight of 3,200 kg (about 7,050 pounds). Engines must be stock MerCruiser HP 525 EFI (or offered by the manufacturer at a maximum of 560 hp at the flywheel if dynotested), with Mercury #6 stern-drive propulsion. Header modifications must not be performance-enhancing, and any engine rebuilding must be preapproved by the NZOPA. This year, six-time New Zealand champion Warren Lewis and NZOPA president John Shand took the 100-mile title for the third year in a row, racing Fairview Windows, a Superboat 1000 35-foot Skater running 525-hp EFI V8s. (Wayne Valder, now racing in the U.S., and Chris Hanley won with a Pro Floors 35-foot Skater in 2016.) Espresso Engineers, the aforementioned Doug Wright cat driven

by Mike Gerbic, came in second and Rainbow Haulage in third, both boats in the 600 class.

Top of the heap in the 60-mile championship were Race 4 Life, Pist N Broke and Rumor Has It. speedboat.com

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Brett’s

1978 HALLETT

Featuring

NJBA May Madness

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HEAVYWEIGHT

’78 photography by

Ray Lee

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This father-and-son project got a boost from Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine. The result: A complete and spectacular overhaul.

J

ohn Johnson’s purchase of this 1978 Hallett two years ago was steeped in nostalgia. His parents had owned

a 1974 18’6” Hallett mini daycruiser when he was about 5 years old.

This ’78 was acquired to be a project for Johnson and his own offspring, Austin.

“It was a father-son kind of project that just kind of took off,” he says.

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In transforming the hull from its original red color, the Johnsons took it to Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine of Norco, CA, for a major makeover last year. “The boat had been sitting outside in Las Vegas for six years,” Johnson says. “It was not in great shape. So first, Shoemaker wanted to see if he could make it run.” GS Marine put in a new interior, redid the gelcoat and rebuilt the trailer. Basically

everything, including the jet pump work, engine and stereo.

The final product turns heads everywhere the Johnsons take it. “It just brings a smile to your face,” he says.

“You’ll pull up on a beach where big, expensive, brand-new 26-foot boats are, and people walk right past them and over to our little 18-foot jetboat and want to tell you all about theirs.”

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‘78

Above: The Hallett originally had a motor box. When Shoemaker redid the gelcoat, he eliminated the old installation and went with a full motor hatch in the back, custom fabricated at GS Marine.

Right: The dash was also redone.

Shoemaker installed all-new Autometer gauges. “There was nothing we used from the original boat except the hull,” he says.

“It really was a labor of love,” says GS Marine’s Greg Shoemaker of Johnson’s Hallett. “John gave me some color ideas and some designs and we went from there. You had to be able to see the potential in it—to visualize what you had in mind for it.

And that’s basically what we did. If you had seen the boat when it first showed up at the shop, you’d have been really put off by it. You would not have wanted to work on this boat.”

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Left: Johnson searched the Internet until he found a period-appropriate Hallett emblem to place on the side of the boat.

The completely restored Hallett features a foot pedal (above) and a silver Berkeley pump with a stainless-steel impeller and hydraulic Place Diverter. It spins an “A� impeller. speedboat.com

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Brett Bayne photos by Mark McLaughlin story by

Perfectly

FRANK

Ten years after a catastrophic crash that left his body and boat demolished, Frank Nagore looks back with a spirit that is truly inspirational.

Far left: Nagore with his grandchildren (from left) Ashley, Dillan (who was born a month before Nagore was paralyzed), Alexis (now 18!) and Anthony.

In this sequence shot by Speedboat ace photographer Mark McLaughlin at Lake Elsinore in 2009, all it took was a gust of wind to launch Nagore’s Blue Thunder hydro out of the water.

Although the capsule probably saved his life, the blowover left the racer paralyzed. After the accident, Nagore sought emotional support from Clinton Anderson of San Diego, CA— another racer who left the sport following his own catastrophic accident on Nov. 12, 1993.

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A

fter boat racer Frank Nagore’s Blue Thunder boat blew over while competing at Lake Ming in Bakersfield back in September 2002,

he spent a year recovering from his injuries. It didn’t stop him from racing, though. Almost immediately after his recuperation, he started building a new boat, which he raced fairly consistently on the IHBA circuit, performing quite well in the group’s Pro Comp Eliminator class.

But another devastating crash followed, this time at Lake Elsinore in 2009, and fresh injuries finally removed him from the race circuit—not to mention many of the routine activities he’d spent his life accustomed to doing.

The year is now 2019, and Nagore is marking his 10th anniversary of that nightmarish blowover accident that left him permanently disabled.

With any other racer, an incident like the Elsinore one might have taken quite a toll on his psyche, and meeting him today, you might prepare yourself to encounter a discouraged survivor with a downbeat outlook on life.

But that does not describe the man Speedboat found when we reached out to Nagore, now 63. Not by a longshot.

He is a beacon of sunniness and optimism, arguably more energetic than when he had full use of his body.

Flashback: Nagore got married at age 21, and bought his speedboat.com

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first jetboat the following year. In the early ‘80s, he stepped up to a 19’ California Performance gullwing hull, and told friends that when he could get the boat to go 100 mph, he’d race it. “It was the smoothest-riding boat you could imagine,” he recalls.

Eventually, his stock motor got a blower, and a top speed of 108 mph was achieved at Firebird Race Course in Phoenix, AZ. So, in 1996, Nagore decided to do some racing.

He recalls his first experience racing in Modified Eliminator class in 1998 at IHBA competitions as exciting and fun, so he immediately purchased what would come to be his original 18' California Performance hull known as Blue Thunder, purchasing it from a longtime IHBA racer named Steve Seidel. Nagore ultimately scored a runner-up placement in that boat, which fueled his determination to keep racing. After jumping around from class to class, jetboat guru Harold Bruce encouraged Nagore to try the Blown Fuel Jet competition in NJBA, and by 1999 and 2000, he had scored a points title in the class. “It was not very eventful,” he recalls. “We just went to the races to have a good time and socialize.”

Still, it was a magical time for Nagore, who never lost sight of the fact that this was purely a hobby. “I always got along with everyone,” he says. “When I got back home from a race, I wasn’t a boat racer, I was just an electrical contractor—a normal person like everybody else. So I made

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PERFECTLY Far left: Nagore, standing with the aid of leg braces, attends a race in Phoenix with daughter Jennifer.

Center top: At his shop with daughter Colleen, Nagore practices walking with a chain and harness normally used to lift his engines.

Center bottom: Prior to driving one of his Tom Papp-built Blue Thunder boats in Phoenix a few years ago, Nagore inspects the rig’s engine.

Right: Nagore walks on an AutoAmbulator machine at HealthSouth rehabilitation hospital.

Bottom series: This was Nagore’s original blowover accident, photographed by Mark McLaughlin at an NJBA race on Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA, in September 2002.

it a point that if I lost a race, I would congratulate the winner and say ‘good race,’ and not make any excuses. It was just such a thrill to go to the races and be around people who were just so nice.”

In 2001, he built a new Blue Thunder with Tom Papp for the Top Eliminator (nine-second bracket) class, and Nagore upgraded the engine to include a PSI blower. “We really upped the

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horsepower,” he says. “We went from having a nine-second boat to a sevenand-a-half second boat.”

During an NJBA race in September 2002, a gust of wind lifted the craft at Lake Ming, and the boat blew over.

“I broke all the ribs on my right side, as well as my shoulder bone, and also suffered a little brain injury from that as well,” he says. “So I missed the rest of

that year.” After spending 2003 recovering, he was back racing in a capsuled boat by 2004 and was back competing in IHBA’s Pro Comp Eliminator class, where he again captured a podium finish as a runner-up. Nagore was racing with competitors like David Lipinski, Ken Meyers, Keith Zellmer, Ben Nelson and James Pisetti.

Nagore continued racing in IHBA until

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2009, where he experienced his second blowover accident—the one that would totally destroy the boat and leave him in a wheelchair.

“I had crashed before, so it wasn’t a real big deal,” he recalls. “But after the boat flipped, I remember being upside down and thinking to myself, ‘Well, I’m safe in this capsule. It’ll be open in a minute. I might be a little banged up, but I’ll be fine.’ The next thing I knew, I was on the shoreline, still in the capsule. And I knew right away that I was paralyzed.

But I could move my arms, so I thought,

‘At least I can hug my grandkids.’ Because you either fight or you die. You can’t cry about it. You can’t be a quitter. And I had pretty much made up mind that I was going to be a fighter before they even cut me out of the capsule.”

In the 20 seconds it took for the rescue crew to reach Nagore, he was no longer breathing. “I was dead,” he chuckles. “But that’s actually good. My helmet broke and I lost all my hair in an instant, but because I wasn’t breathing, I didn’t swallow any water. So I didn’t drown. I didn’t have a water in my lungs.

The rescue team was fantastic.”

The local hospital was apparently not equipped to deal with someone with Nagore’s extensive injuries, so he was helicoptered to a facility in Loma Linda, CA, where he was put into a coma that lasted for a couple of weeks. During that time, the medical staff worked on his brain injury, shattered kneecap and broken collar bone and ribs (this time on both sides). Metal rods and pins were inserted into his back, which later developed an infection, leading to emergency back surgery. Nagore had to learn to breathe on his own again. It was a grueling and painful experience, but one that Nagore met head-on.

Shunted from medical facility to rehab center, Nagore was given every opportunity to drown in a sea of bleakness and despair. Instead, his determination to get better grew stronger and stronger.

With the help of a personal trainer, he worked hard to increase his upper body strength. Within seven months of the accident, his physical therapist, Willie, had helped his muscle strength become robust and well developed.

“I got to the point where I could walk with braces, and I can stand completely by myself and walk in a swimming pool with the help of a floatie. The very first night at the hospital, I couldn’t even lift my head to look out the window.

I thought, ‘This is not acceptable. I’m not going to live my life like this.’ And I haven’t.”

The same truck that Nagore drove to Lake Elsinore in before his accident—a 1999 F350 four-wheel drive—he still drives today. “I had a lift put on it that helps me get into the driver’s seat,” he says. “I’ve adapted it to where I can get around and do things.”

Alas, Nagore’s marriage did not survive his catastrophic accident, but he has remained best friends with his ex, Brenda. In addition, he has managed to stay upbeat about living by himself, and has a tremendous support system through his good friends and relatives.

And he’s retained a positive philosophy about his life and his career—he can perform most tasks in his house without any help, and can even shower by himself. He’s even gotten back on the race course: Two years ago, he actually raced Blue Thunder in Phoenix at the World Finals, in a boat that Dan Nelson of Jet Performance Marine retrofitted with hand controls in the steering wheel.

“I was surprised that I felt as comfortable as I did,” Nagore says. “As soon as I got the ‘thumbs-up when you’re ready,’ I forgot about everything.”

Nagore lives in Tuscon, AZ, and has three daughters (all of whom now have their own children): Monica, Jennifer and Colleen.

Back on the water!

Nagore races in Phoenix, AZ, a few years ago; Dan Nelson of Jet Performance Marine installed hand controls in the steering wheel to help Nagore drive. speedboat.com

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story and photography by

Mark McLaughlin

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METHOD

TO THEIR MADNESS Bad weather shortens the National Jet Boat Association’s May Madness competition at California’s Lake Ming.

P

BLOWN GAS FLAT racer Justin Perkins (above) qualified #4; his Thrill Ride flatty also entered in the Pro Comp Flat class, where he qualified #1.

PRO COMP HYDRO (left) racer Blake Thurlow rockets his Dead Man’s Hand hydro to the #1 qualifying spot with a blistering 5.49 elapsed time at over 157 miles an hour.

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oor weather h conditions di i cut short NJBA’s May Madness event. Saturday’s weather was

iffy, but by Sunday, the unrelenting wind and rain caused club members to vote to pack up and go home.

During trophy presentations for #1 qualifiers in each class, the weather actually cleared up and a lot of racers were having second thoughts about the vote. However, after the track clean up, hurricane-force winds and rollers began to sweep the course. Good call, NJBA! See you in September.

Among the highlights of the abbreviated race: In Blown Gas Flat class, racer Justin Perkins made a few changes to the fuel intake before Saturday qualifying. By the looks of the launch (opposite page), those changes sent him flying over the starting-line sensors. He would end up in the #4 qualifying position. Perkins’ Thrill Ride flatty did better in Pro Comp Flat class, with a #1 qualifier at a respectable 6.22 elapsed time to lead the field.

Meanwhile, the Blown Gas Flats put on quite a show Saturday, with Shane Westerfield putting a leg on not only the elapsed time record, but also the speed record. His 5.87 at over 138 mph was ready to break the two records on Sunday, but Mother Nature had other plans. Sean Giroux, on the other hand, wound up in the #2 qualifying spot with a 6.10 elapsed time at over 135 mph. Giroux is the current record holder at 143+ mph.

The “Double Down” happened again at the May Madness. Mike Ryckebosch entered

two classes on Friday. In the first class, he ran a 9.02 in the Top Eliminator class and ended up #1. His multi-colored flatty also ran in the Super Eliminator class. With a dial in of 9.00 and running a 9.00, Ryckebosch would not be denied, taking home both trophies. In Top Eliminator, Bill Erkelens qualified #5 in the class. With test and tune prior to qualifying on Saturday, Erkelens made the most laps of any other boat during this race weekend.

Congratulations to all the winners!

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METHOD TO THEIR

PRO ELIMINATOR After two rounds of qualifying, Bob Prigmore would end up #1 in the class. The Abracadabra jet ran an 8.01 in the 8-second class for the rain shortened event win.

TOP ALCOHOL FLAT winner Tony Scarlata, shoeing for Jeff Stewart’s Flat Hammered (above) accepts his trophy with tower guru and trophy queen Denise Haynes (right).

PRO OUTLAW In a six-boat field, Dave Wallingford lined up against Jason Mullican in first round of qualifying (above, near lane). He took the win with the #1 qualifying position of 5.34 elapsed time, while Mullican (far lane) took home the runner-up trophy with a 5.38. Above left: Wallingford collects his first victory of the year.

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BLOWN GAS FLAT Shane Westerfield (left, far lane) was ready to break the ET and speed records on Sunday, but Mother Nature had other plans. Sean Giroux wound up in the #2 qualifying spot with a 6.10 elapsed time at over 135 mph. He’s the current record holder at 143+ mph.

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STOCK ELIMINATOR Winner Curtis Craven (right, far lane) with Mod Eliminator #2 qualifier Charles Maclardle. Above: Curtis accepts his trophy with his crew and co-trophy girl Selina Barnes Reeve.

QUICK ELIMINATOR had 9 racers in the class; six entries ran in the 6.0s in a very quick field led by eventual winner Dan Jensen. His 6.01 would hold up until eliminations day. Right: He takes the winner’s trophy along side Selina and Denise.

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TOP & SUPER ELIMINATOR The “Double Down” happened again at May Madness. Mike Ryckebosch entered two classes on Friday. In the first class, he ran a 9.02 in the TE class and ended up #1. His multi-colored flatty (above) also ran in the SE class. With a dial-in of 9.00 and running a 9.00, he would not be denied, taking home both trophies. Bill Erkelens (far lane) qualified # 5 in TE. S P E E D B O A T | July 2019

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METHOD TO THEIR MODIFIED ELIMINATOR Below: Winner Seth Hallberg (near lane) runs an almost flawless 10.01. Curtis Craven (far lane) runs in the Stock Eliminator class for the win.

Right: Cory Hallberg picks up trophy for Hallberg.

UNBLOWN FUEL JET Chase Grenke (above) ran a 6.03 to take the runner up trophy in Quick Eliminator. In Unblown Fuel Jet, he took down his four competitors with a 5.91 at over 134 mph for the win. Left: Chase picks up his two trophies with Denise.

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OFFSHORE RACES first-class winner in Super Vee Extreme, but after the race was over, officials determined that Marker 17 Marine—the 29’ Outerlimits formerly campaigned as Snowy Mountain Brewery—failed to add extra weight to the hull because it has two or more steps, per OPA rules. They were penalized and moved to last place, and the unofficial second-place finisher, the Boatfloater.com team of Steve and Stephen Kildahl, were retroactively named the winners in the class.

“It wasn’t so much the team’s fault— they’d raced in Superboat International for years,” said OPA race director Ed “Smitty” Smith. “But in our rule book, multi-step

[Continued from page 41] boats have to take a weight adjustment for parity. It was just a mistake, but it was a judgment call, and I had to make it. Brian Forehand was pretty upset about it, and justifiably so. I just want them to know that I want them at the Lake of the Ozarks.

They didn’t do anything wrong—it was just a simple mistake.”

Said Marker 17’s Vinnie Diorio, who throttles for owner/driver Forehand: “When we decided to race the circuit months ago, we didn’t see anything in the rule book on it. We want to support the circuit, and support offshore racing, but we just feel like it should have been brought to our attention before the race,

OFFSHORE RACES

ON TECH

[Continued from page 45]

elevated idle RPM and carefully removing one spark plug wire at a time to see if it results in a similar drop in RPM and if doing that makes the noise disappear.

If all these tests don’t find the problem, I would pull the valve covers to make sure that the valve train is intact. Take a close look at each valve spring to make sure

Hometown favorite Myrick Coil, driving with throttleman John Tomlinson, narrowly missed a podium finish in their new MTI Performance Boat Center/Jimmy John’s, but still performed very well.

After FastBoys rolled over in ProStock Vee class—with no injuries to the team—it was Marker 17 Marine that took the win in the class. Meanwhile, in Pro Stock Vee class, LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness took the checkered flag.

Nine teams competed in SuperStock class—five of them being from the Lake of the Ozarks. CR Racing, driven by Rob Unnerstall and throttled by Casey Boaz, took an early lead and stayed out in front of everybody for the entire race, with Shadow Pirate making a valiant attempt to overtake their lead. Scafidi had to settle for second, while driver Myrick Coil and throttleman Rusty Williams took third place in Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert, a 32' Wright Performance catamaran that made its debut on the race course this year.

In other competition, Cocoa Beach winner SimmonsMarine was first again in Class 4. Deception took first place in Class 6, while Class 3’s Strictly Business (with veteran racer Johnny Stanch) was victorious in his 35' Fountain.

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and not after.”

Despite the “bad taste” of having the win taken away from them, Diorio said the team was committed to attending the next OPA/P1 race. “We’ll do whatever we gotta do—if we have to put weight in our boat, or handicap ourselves, we will. We’re still going to go run our boat and we’re still going to go do good with it. We have the best vee bottom driver and setup man in the world. Brian has the most amount of time in a vee bottom boat, period. It’s an honor for me to race with him.” Indeed, by the next race, the Marker 17 Marine team had something to prove—and prove they did (see Page 45).

[Continued from page 10] there is not one that is broken. Look carefully at the inner springs. If one of them is broken, it can “corkscrew” occasionally while the engine is running and hold a valve open. If it is an exhaust valve that is affected, it can cause a pop or thump in the exhaust system.

I am curious to know what you find.

Good luck.

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