Comeback Kids

ONE SWEET WEDDING PRESENT: CIGARETTE 20 REBORN

OUTERLIMITS’ FIERY SL 41

350 BOATS!

TICKFAW 200 SETS NEW RECORD

BACK ON THE WATER

EIGHT SURGICAL SUCCESS STORIES

HIGH FIVE

ISSUE 18 MARCH/APRIL 2016

SPOTLIGHT ON CUSTOM ENGINE BUILDERS

DESERT STORM

SUMMER TIME!

START

MARCH/APRIL 2016 | VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 18 | SPEEDONTHEWATER.COM

FEATURES

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43

An in-depth look at the perfect wedding gift—a Cigarette 20 restored to betterthan-new condition.

Whether it’s a new engine or a rebuild, here are five of the strongest independent high-performance builders around.

Sugar for a Bride

Power Brokers

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For a few glorious days in April, Desert Storm turns Lake Havasu into the center of the powerboat universe.

The Tickfaw 200 Poker Run in Louisiana is one of a kind, and it’s got the numbers to back that up.

Desert Storm’s Three-Part Act

72 Comeback Kids

84 Go Big or Go Home

Offshore racer “Doc” Janssen gets people back in their boats.

Cover photo by Halsey Fulton

REGULARS 07

09 16 20 26 32

The Mighty Tickfaw 200

Outerlimits delivers another beauty with its latest SL 41.

From the Editors

A little something for everyone in this issue

Hot Sheet

Latest headlines from the world of go-fast boats

Teague’s Take

Bob Teague answers a water pump question

On Scene

Highlights from Tampa Bay and Sarasota events

Gear

A closer look at the latest and greatest products

Product Spotlight

A closer look at the WiMEA Wireless Kill Switch

ON THE COVER The scorching new SL 41 from Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats featuring twin supercharged 700-hp Mercury Racing engines was recently delivered to a “special” owner on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair.

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COMEBACK KIDS

For some well-known powerboat enthusiasts with spinal issues, advanced spine technology and recovery was the ticket to getting back behind the wheel. words Karen L. Johnson

Rodrick Cox

M

ore than 90 percent of Americans suffer from episodes of debilitating low back/neck pain that slows them in even the most undemanding physical activities. So they are forced to either slow down or completely abandon their favorite physical past times.

Sad, but all too common.

But slowing down was not an option for offshore racing world champions Bob Teague, Gary Jones, Reggie Fountain, Dan Davies and Bob Bull—as well as Skater Powerboats founder and owner Peter Hledin and go-fast-boat enthusiast Nancy Tuck—when their back pain threatened to rob them of their passion. Though their stories differ, all were suffering from disc symptoms, which impaired their passion for

offshore boating, building and competition. While each one invests routinely in the most advanced marine technology (hulls, power, drives, props), when their pain worsened, they searched for the most advanced spine technology, including total disc replacement (TDR) surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) so they could return to the water.

That’s where racer Michael “Doc” Janssen, a renowned physician specializing in spine care and resolutions, came in.

“Doc is the best,” Tuck said.

“He pioneered artificial disc replacement and has the most experienced surgical hands in the country for this type of advanced technology. I knew he volunteers his experience and talents around the world, and we had full trust in his

Spinal surgeon/ offshore racer Michael “Doc” Janssen

judgment and surgical talents.”

Janssen was among the first surgeons in the nation to perform TDR. He was involved in clinical studies, which he initiated 15 years ago, and has been performing disc replacements since 2006 when the ProDisc was approved by the FDA. Since then, he has performed more than 1,000

Pete Boden

complex TDR surgeries for patients globally. Additionally, he has trained thousands of surgeons worldwide to perform the procedure. Janssen recently published an article on the long-term results of TDR surgery in the prestigious Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (November 2015).

Patients suffering from advanced degenerative disc disease (DDD) are not uncommon. Tuck, Teague, Jones, Davies, Griffin and Fountain are among an estimated 30 percent of Americans between ages 30 and 50 who suffer from this condition. In most cases, DDD is caused by wear and tear on the spine and advanced degenerative changes, but it can also be accelerated by repetitive trauma that propagates the aging process.

More than two decades ago, Janssen founded the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in Denver. The internationally recognized Center for Excellence specializes in education, technology and determining the best treatment for patients with symptomatic spine conditions.

“I AM SO CONFIDENT WITH THE REPAIR THAT DOC JANSSEN PERFORMED ON MY C-SPINE THAT I NEVER THINK ABOUT IT, EVEN WHEN I’M RACING.” –BOB TEAGUE TEAGUE’S RETURN In February 2015, Bob Teague, a veteran offshore racer who holds dozens of national and world championship titles, went to the Center for Spine and Orthopedics and had C-Spine surgery by Janssen. A few years prior, Teague crashed while helping test a competitor’s boat in Key West, Fla. He fractured his T-6 vertebrae in his spine.

After a previous fracture of T-7, complications were evident.

“It was pretty painful and not healing well so I called Doc Janssen for advice, and he worked with my doctors here in Valencia (Calif.) to manage my care,” he said. “I tried pain management for my thoracic spine with reasonable results and avoided surgery.”

A few years later, pain began in Teague’s left arm, and his 73

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hand was becoming numb and losing strength. Many years of racing, military combat and fire department work had taken its toll on Teague’s cervical spine, compressing his spinal discs.

“My doctors recommended pain management injections in my cervical spine, and I agreed since I had success with my thoracic spine,” Teague said.

This time, though, he had a reaction to the injection and landed in the hospital for a day or so. Soon after, Teague called Janssen, who requested his MRI results. Janssen called back right away. “He said that I had two bone spurs that were impinging on my spine,” Teague added. “He explained my treatment options, which definitely included surgery. I was relieved that he didn’t tell me I couldn’t race anymore.”

Comeback Kids

Rodrick Cox (family), Gary Jones

Two weeks later, on a Monday night in February 2015, Teague flew to Denver.

Early Wednesday morning, Janssen removed his C5-6 disc and inserted a state-of-the-art mechanical disc replacement (ProDisc).

“It was a good experience,” Teague recalled. “I was out of surgery by 10:30 a.m., ate lunch and walked that afternoon.”

That night, Teague walked a mile. The next morning, after X-rays and a conversation with Janssen, Teague was released from the hospital and flew home Friday. “The pain and numbness subsided quite rapidly,” he said.

“It took about a month for things to return to normal.”

In June, four months after his surgery, the 67-year-old was racing again. That same year, Teague and Team AMSOIL won the first race in Marathon, Fla., and went on to win other races throughout the season, including podium finishes in all races except one. Team AMSOIL finished third overall at the Key West World Championships and first a week later at the OPA World Championships in Englewood Beach, Fla. “I am so confident with the repair that Doc Janssen performed on my C-spine that I never think about it, even when I’m racing,” Teague said.

JONES BACK TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FORM Like Teague, trauma was an underlying factor when Gary Jones sought Janssen for help. Jones took a bad fall in Sarasota, Fla., plunging six feet through a bilge hatch, hitting the back of his skull. The next

Dr. Michael Jannsen, from left above with his son, Matt, and brother, Terry, is a board-certified spine surgeon who often can be found lecturing, teaching and performing surgeries around the globe. One of the boat racers he helped get back on the water was Gary Jones, pictured at left with trophy, who owns the Black Pearl Fountain.

morning, he knew something was wrong. Jones got an MRI. Specialists in Sarasota advised him to have surgery the next day. His C6-7 discs had ruptured and pinned the spinal cord to the back wall.

Overwhelmed at the news, Jones decided to get a second opinion. He called friend and veteran offshore racer Billy Glueck, who has secured many world and national titles over the past decade. Glueck trusted Janssen, having flown his mom to Denver for two major spine surgeries that dramatically improved her functional recovery.

Glueck encouraged Jones to visit Janssen’s Center for Spine and Orthopedics in the Rocky Mountains—and Jones quickly took Glueck’s advice.

“I had a good conversation with Doc,” said Jones, who flew to Denver a couple of days later 75

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for an appointment with the spine specialist. “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had dealing with a health issue.

Doc and his team made me feel very comfortable in a scary emergency situation.”

A few moments before surgery, Janssen saw the concern on Jones’ face. “He asked the staff to leave,” said Jones. “Then, he sat down, listened and helped put my concerns to rest.

“I’ll never forget that,” he added. “He is an incredible, well-respected surgeon.”

Jones underwent a threehour spine surgery, which was complicated by bone fragments very close to the spinal cord that the MRI had not detected.

Janssen removed the fragments and replaced Jones’ C6-7 disc with a ProDisc artificial disc.

A few days later, Jones

Comeback Kids Thanks to a shared interest in going fast on the water, Dan Davies (left) and Janssen (right) pictured with legendary racer and boat builder Reggie Fountain, have spent many hours racing boats together and bringing home checkered flags.

Rodrick Cox

returned to Sarasota and began the healing process. He was able to go boating within a few months. Most important, he had full mobility in his neck. That was in 2012. A year later, his Black Pearl/BOATWORX team swept multiple titles, including the 2013 world championship in Key West. In 2014, he ran the full tour, winning the Triple Crown of boat racing—the Florida State Championship, the National Championship in Clearwater and the World Championship in Key West.

“If I had listened to the first surgeon, I would not have full mobility nor would I be boating,” said Jones, who since winning big in 2013 has opened a yacht brokerage and is currently preparing to compete in the 2016 racing season.

DAVIES’ DECISION Dan Davies had been racing the 42-foot Fountain raceboat Global Warmer around the country before it retired to a new team in Trinidad. Boat racing, along with his profession in the construction business,

increased the strain on his lower back, and he developed classic sciatica. Davies traveled from his home in Chicago to Denver for a MISS procedure at the Center for Spine and Orthopedics to get him back to his passions and profession in a couple of weeks.

In the fall of 2012, Davies teamed up with Janssen for the Super Boat International National Championship race in Clearwater, Fla., in Janssen’s 30-foot Fountain, Watch Your Back. He immediately realized that the 30-foot Fountain lacked the glide capabilities he was accustomed to with his larger raceboats. Davies and Janssen earned a checkered flag, but Davies’ back suffered a setback, which required another MISS procedure to get him back on the water.

“Like a race boat, I have had a couple of tune-ups to my spine,” he explained not long after getting back on the water in a poker run. “I do not think it is in my best interest to crawl back in a small raceboat for competition in the near future.”

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TUCK GOES PAIN FREE Nancy Tuck was carrying a cooler to her boat when her back pain began. At first, she thought she had pulled a muscle, but then found herself lying flat on her back for two weeks. The pain was excruciating and grew worse, even after taking steroids to reduce the swelling. She also began to experience numbness.

“It spread down my right leg, down my calf into my big toe,” she said. “I could not get any relief. My mother had chronic back pain forever and ever. I did not want to go there.”

Tuck learned she had a ruptured a disc. She talked with Janssen about treatment options and had a laminectomy to relieve the pain. The surgery was successful, and she was pain-free for two years until one day when she was running her skiff. When a large wave hit the boat, she re-herniated the disc. “The pain was a ‘12’ on a one-to-10 scale,” she said.

Tuck discussed her options with Janssen and decided on total disc replacement (TDR) rather than fusion. “Fusion puts more pressure above and below the repaired area, putting you at risk for another ruptured disc,” Tuck explained. “Plus, you lose 10 to 20 percent of your mobility with fusion.”

In mid-October of 2015, Janssen performed a spine surgery through her abdomen

Comeback Kids

Loren Morrissey, Jason Johnson (Bull)

to reconstruct her spine with a TDR. After a week, Tuck was back at work with her husband at the couple’s lumber business in Gatesville, NC. Within four weeks, she went to Key West to watch the 2015 SBI World Championships. By January, she was cleared for boating again and went on a scuba diving trip. Four months later, she visited Janssen for a backcountry snowmobile adventure.

“I am so happy to have chosen TDR,” she said. “I love boating and beach activities, and I love waterskiing. If I’d gone the traditional route with physical therapy, I may have had permanent nerve damage.

If I’d had a fusion, my mobility would have been limited. TDR has given me my life back.”

STRONG BULL Like Tuck, Bob Bull wasn’t content to live with back pain.

“I had back problems for years due to boat racing,” the multitime world champion said.

Following an MRI, Bull met with Janssen. “It was not as bad as other doctors had told me,” Bull said. “They said I would not be able to race for a year.”

Bull described his experience with Janssen and the staff at the Center for Spine and Orthopedics as “phenomenal.”

“Customer service is No. 1 with Doc and the facility,” Bull said. “I flew to Denver on a Monday. By the end of the day, all my tests were done, and I got treated the next day. In most places, it takes so long to get something done after you get a diagnosis. Doc Janssen and his staff are able to get stuff done a whole lot quicker!”

Citing boat racing as a primary cause for his back issues, CMS team owner Bob Bull (inset) turned to Janssen, a fellow offshore racer, to help alleviate his back pain.

Bob Bull and the CMS team secured another SBI World Championship in fall 2015 in Key West.

HLEDIN’S SOLUTION Peter Hledin of Douglas Marine/ Skater Powerboats fame had been suffering from severe back pain for many years. Designing and building boats to bring innovations to the market accelerated his pain to the point 78

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that he decided it was time to seek help. His longtime friend and customer, Bob Teague, recommended Janssen.

Hledin had an MRI at a local hospital and then tracked down Janssen at the Key West Words last fall. Janssen reviewed his MRI results and recommended a MISS procedure with a short recovery time to relieve his pain.

“He explained that a bone spur on my vertebrae was

Comeback Kids About Degenerative Disc Disease

Michael Janssen

rubbing on a nerve and that if we killed that nerve, most of my pain would dissipate,” Hledin said. “I wanted to stop the pain with the easiest and most simplistic procedure possible.”

Hledin traveled to Denver and had the procedure at the Center for Spine and Orthopedics. “When I got up, I could not believe it,” he said.

“It was absolutely incredible. I felt so good.”

The next day, Hledin flew to Canada to visit his family, including his 103-year-old mother, for Christmas prior to returning to his home in Michigan.

“The goal was to avoid a major surgical reconstruction and at the same time improve Peter’s functional ability and quality of life,” Janssen said. “I think we accomplished that.”

GRIFFIN POWERS UP World-renowned engine builder Joey Griffin has been building engines for offshore raceboats and high-performance pleasure boats for decades. In 2010, he began experiencing pain and weakness in both legs, which became progressively worse.

“I was in such bad shape that I almost had to quit,” Griffin said. “I took a fall and almost could not work.”

Though Griffin thought the problem was in his legs, an MRI showed it originated in his spine. He sent the results to Janssen, who diagnosed the problem as spinal stenosis.

Griffin flew the plane he built to Denver on a Wednesday in March 2012 to have Janssen perform MISS. “Not everyone needs a total

D

egenerative Disc Disease (DDD) describes normal changes in the spine due to aging. Spinal discs are soft, compressible discs that separate the vertebrae (bones) that make up the spine. These discs act as shock absorbers that handle pressure and impact and cushion the spine during movement.

Their role is vital in preserving the vertebrae as bones cannot sustain repeated stress without becoming damaged.

In a healthy intervertebral disc, the nucleus pulposus (soft, spongy center) contains a high level of water that allows it to absorb stress. When excessive pressure or impact is incurred by the disc, the annulus (tough outer ligament material that surrounds the nucleus and supports the vertebrae), is often the first part of the disc to exhibit damage. Small tears in the ligament material are replaced with scar tissue as the body tries to heal itself. However, the scar tissue isn’t as strong as ligament and weakens the annulus. As the outer layer degenerates, the nucleus pulposus begins to loose water, causing it to dry up.

Due to water loss, the disc looses its capability to absorb stress and act as a cushion for spinal flexibility, adding stress.

The damage cycle repeats itself,

disc replacement,” Janssen said. “We offer a variety of treatments for different people.

We tailor different procedures for different patients with different injuries, depending on the phase of their disease.

Our goal is to improve the individual’s quality of life.”

Griffin felt so good after surgery that he wanted to fly home that afternoon, but Janssen advised him to wait 79

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further tearing the annulus and causing the nucleus to collapse.

As the disc compresses, the space between the vertebrae above and below it narrow. As the area becomes constricted, the facet joint at the back of the spine can move out of position, making the joint less operable.

Bone spurs also can form around the disc space and the facet joint, impeding excessive motion to the damaged area of the spine. These spurs can grow into the spinal canal and press on the spinal cord and nerves.

This is known as spinal stenosis.

DDD can take place throughout the spine, but it often occurs in the discs in the lower back (lumbar) and neck (cervical) regions. A sudden (acute) injury leading to a herniated disc (such as a fall) may also begin the degeneration process.

a day so he returned to his home in Washington, N.C., that Friday. “My legs are awesome,” he said. “I haven’t had any problems since then. My 73year-old brother also had spine surgery there. Now, he’s like he was 20 years ago.”

Since having surgery, Griffin is back to building engines at Griffin Marine, and his brother is once again working on airplanes in North Carolina.

Comeback Kids FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH World record and offshore racing legend Reggie Fountain got his first boat at age 14 and began racing in the late 1960s after graduating from the University of North Carolina Law School. In 1968, he had his first racing accident, one of eight powerboat crashes during his two racing careers, which include his time with the Mercury Racing factory team and many years competing offshore.

After his last accident while running 128 mph, he landed in the hospital for about a week, having injured his back. That was in 1978. Fountain continued to race, and though he never had another accident, rough water and 5- to 6-foot waves aggravated his back and spine.

He took Advil to ease the pain.

In the late 1990s, Fountain met Janssen and, after getting to know him, informed the spine specialist about his back problem. By then, the pain at the base of his spine was stretching down his leg.

Fountain got an MRI and sent the results to Janssen, who diagnosed his problem as severe spinal stenosis.

Rodrick Cox (Outerlimits), Robert Brown

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE AND TOTAL DISC REPLACEMENT, VISIT WWW.CENTERFORSPINEANDORTHO.COM.

“The repetitive trauma to his spine had compressed the spinal nerves in his lower back,” Janssen said. “A Total Disc Replacement was not necessary.

In Reggie’s case, we performed minimally-invasive surgery.”

Fountain flew to Denver for surgery at Janssen’s Spine Center for Excellence in

“I recommend that anyone with back pain get an MRI and send the results to Doc. If anyone can fix it, he can.”—Reggie Fountain

Before he converted Stampede, his 42-foot Fountain Powerboats V-bottom (top), into a canopied raceboat, Janssen took the poker run edition model featuring twin Mercury Racing 1075SCi engines to events like the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Janssen won multiple world championships in his 29-foot Outerlimits, Snowy Mountain Brewery (above), which is currently up for sale.

November 2008. “Mike picked me up at the airport and took me out to dinner,” Fountain said. “He gave me a tour of the center. I had surgery at 7 a.m. the next morning and was walking by 9:30 a.m.”

Fountain flew home that afternoon.

“Doc was terrific,” Fountain said. “Whatever he did worked.

Not only is he an exceptional doctor, he has a positive personality—people like him. I like him. He’s not just my doctor, 80

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but a good friend. I respect him.”

Fountain raced a couple weeks later and continued racing until his final race of his career later that year. During his career, he won more than 100 races and still holds the world record of 177 mph that he set in 2004.

The now 76-year-old man was in his 60s when he had spine surgery. “I recommend that anyone with back pain get an MRI and send the results to Doc,” Fountain said. “If anyone can fix it, he can.”