STAND-UP FOR FUN

Keith Middleton and Zac Contorno jump a wake on sunny afternoon at the lake

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

Contorno grew up spending summers at his parents' Lake Martin cabin

He shoots a fire hose of water across the lake

Middleton demonstrates porpoising with the SuperJet in this photo series

After years of riding, he's learned a few tricks

Zac Contorno loves old rides and fast ones, and he loves combining old, fast rides with his love for Lake Martin, where he grew up spending summers and weekends at Parker Creek. His grandfather built and restored wooden race boats, and Contorno grew up restoring classic cars with his father. Now a professional contract pilot, he collects and restores stand-up personal watercraft, including the 1997 Yamaha Superjet nicknamed Wacky Wild.

“I think it’s in my blood. Anything that burns gas,” Contorno said. “I always liked Jet Skis as a kid. I grew up riding PWCs. I always thought the stand-up kind were cool.”

Wacky Wild is the third stand-up Jet Ski Contorno has owned, and the third he has restored.

“When I go out, I ride a couple of miles, usually staying where another boat can see me, in case I have problems. The tank will last about three hours,” he said.

From his parents’ lake house in Parker Creek, Contorno might ride as far south as Kowaliga Bridge, which is 5 or 6 miles by water. But rather than log miles, his objective is to have fun.

“Mainly, I do tricks on it. Slides, firehoses, that kind of thing. I bought it two years ago in September and restored it over the winter. Phil Hanna painted it with this wild airbrush job in 1999. He was the original owner, and then it traded hands a few times,” Contorno said. “It is mostly original, but there are a few after-market parts. It’s had some steering upgrades and an after-market exhaust system and more power. It’s not the original engine, but it is a factory correct engine.”

In contrast to the modern sit-down personal watercraft that carry two or three riders, the stand-ups are single rider only and have no couch for the long ride. While the sit-down mod-

els will get up to 65 or 70 miles per hour, Contorno’s SuperJet ran 42 miles per hour from the manufacturer. With the modifications he’s installed, GPS mounted to the watercraft recorded his top speed at 50 miles per hour, Contorno said.

He often rides with Stand-ups of Lake Martin, a private Facebook group that meets monthly in season for club rides.

“There are about 50 of us in the group, and maybe 10 or 15 have skis. Most people ride the Yamaha Superjet or one of the Kawasaki models,” he said. “We do a meet once a year and just ride and have a good time, talk about skis.”

Contorno’s parents bought their Parker Creek cabin in 1989 when small fishing cabins were the norm on Lake Martin’s shores.

“I’ve seen a lot of change in this lake growing up. Household income has been the biggest change. The lake used to be small cabins. Now, it’s millionaire’s homes,” he said. “I think I get down there more than anyone else in my family now. My main gig is just having fun when I’m there. I plan on loving and riding it, as it should be, for a long time.”

Middleton uses weight distribution and speed to send the PWC airborne The Wacky Wild is the third Jet Ski Contorno has restored