Flying Flipper, a boat manufacturer out of Sweden has recently their latest creation. And it’s nothing short of being a supercar that floats.

The superboat features a retractable hardtop, carbon fiber construction, and an ultra high tech cockpit that feels more like the inside of a luxurious supercar than a boat. It also sports 3 Seven Marine 627 outboards which can take the boat up to around 75mph.

Check out the photos below!

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(Images Courtesy of www.newatlas.com)

After winning the 1965 Sam Griffith Memorial race in February, the Broad Jumper Racing Team led the Miami-Nassau race for a while, until we broke. Owner Billy Wishnick was now tied for the lead in the UIM Offshore World Championship, compliments of his 9 points from the Sam Griffith, and he was fired up! He decided that we would race all the U.S. races, and the Cowes Torquay race in England. Suited me fine! We led and broke in the Around Frickin’ Long Island race, never got to race in an obscure offshore(?) race in the New Buffalo to Chicago and Back race, New Buffalo, Michigan. Just too rough for the local racers on their high speed Bayliners. Couple of great stories there, but I must wait until a couple more people die. Since we had inertia of sorts, heading west, we went on to Long Beach, California for their inaugural APBA offshore melee, the Hennessey Long Beach Offshore Inaugural Race. Swimmin’ pools, movie stars! I had been to the West Coast a few times on sales trips, but had never really spent any quality time with the local gentry (Get it?). They really are different. The was a boob out there who bet several hundred dollars that his 19’ Century Coronado would win the race overall. He only had to beat the leaders in the UIM Championship, Bill Wishnick and Don Aronow, in their 28’ Donzi full race boats, who had won the first two UIM races. It was foggy as hell. His Coronado held 40 gallons of gas for the 200 mile race. Lots of the guys bet him. I don’t recall his name, but he was known to some of the other local dorks. After the race, he protested our win, on the grounds that his navigation device showed that he had gone 200 miles, and he got back to port before we did, so he was the winner. The rules committee ousted him, and I bought some of the bet checks for ten cents on the dollar, figuring that I could send “Big Dirty”, our 6’3” mechanic to collect on them. Big surprise! They were good! It was fun hanging out with the celebrities. One of them, Dan Blocker, was actually entered in the race, in a pretty stock “left coast” vessel of some sort. Our mechanic, Bobby Moore said that he would give anything to meet “Hoss”. I offered to introduce him. “You tellin’ me that you know Hoss Cartwright?” “No, but he doesn’t know that”. I marched him down there and introduced them. Bobby was tickled pink. We had lots of movie stars and musicians at the cocktail parties. Best of all, the manager of the race, Sandy Kemp, and I became friends. I later appointed Sandy to the APBA Offshore Racing Commission when I was elected APBA Offshore Commissioner. Sandy took the existing UIM Offshore rulebook, which was the size of a Life Magazine, and condensed it to a few easy to read (and comply) pages. These rules were adopted by the UIM, and we were finally able to stop the Brits (Tut tut, stiff upper lip, don’t let the side down) from forcing us to carry a tea service in Class One. “But, what if one breaks down at tea time? My God, man! Have some civility!”

Another California entry was Bob Nordskog, a giant force in all things boat racing on the left coast. There may be something in the water out there. Bob, a millionaire industrialist, ran an 18 foot SK class flat bottom boat in the race. He ran right beside us until we hit a fog bank, and I don’t know where he went after that.

The race course ran from Long Beach Harbor to the south end of Catalina Island, then to the north end of San Clemente Island, around the backside of it to the north end of Catalina, and back to Long Beach. It must have been a beautiful course, but we never saw a goddam thing except the tips of the islands and their respective check boats. Our only real competitor was Don Aronow, in his Nassau winning 28 Donzi, 007. His boat was a stock 28 that we had taken off the assembly line and installed race engines for the Miami-Nassau race. He was lighter than us by half a ton, thus faster. Don carried a local navigator. I don’t recall his name. (I don’t recall a lot of other stuff, too). We didn’t. We lacked the cockpit space, recalling the jettisoning of Wishnick’s brother, Jack, in the recent Sam Griffith Memorial race. We had to outlast, and or, out navigate the speedy red Donzi to bring home the marbles. There were about 30 entries in the race. Most of them reminded one of Dunkirk, except with chrome. Strange bunch, them Californies…

The Pacific Ocean was pacific that day. There was a swell from the west northwest that surprised us, flying blind, as we rounded the islands to seaward. The shape of the swell was such that we climbed one side, then launched down the back side with just the propellers in the water for what seemed 40 or 50 yards at a time. At the bottom of the swell, we pulled a few “G’s”, temporarily disappearing from sight in the cockpit. Must have been weird for the check boats. I didn’t take long to figure Aronow’s strategy. He was following us, with the intention of “blowing us off” when visibility got better near the shore. We slowed, and sent him off on his own. We reckoned, correctly, that they had not been navigating while following us, and that they were pretty much screwed for the moment. We actually stopped and chatted with a local Abalone boat and got our bearings. They gave us a course to south end of San Clemente Island, and we retook the lead from Aronow, unbeknownst to him (and us). We knew the course to the northern tip of Catalina Island, and rounded it for the direct run to the finish line with Aronow closing fast from behind. The fog had lightened a bit, and we had a couple of miles visibility. The swells got progressively larger as we neared shore, and we began to collect air time in large doses. Aronow was inching up on us, and by the time that we could see Long Beach Harbor, he was only about 200 yards behind. A couple of miles from the finish line, we landed on some large aquatic form, maybe a shark, and our 1,000 HP blender made quick work of it, but the little pieces stopped up our cooling water intakes. We were about two boat lengths ahead of 007, with our temperature gauges reading 300 degrees when we took the checkered flag. Both engines expired as we crossed the line. Aronow was a grumpy second. We floated around the finish line for a while, but nobody else showed up, so we got towed in to the party.

Race World Offshore announced Friday that they will adding two new races with the aim of supporting the local communities and racers devastated by the recent natural disasters.

Restore the Keys Grand Prix, Memorial Weekend Festival will take place as the season opener next May 21-25 and will host 5 full days of festivities and racing for everyone to attend.

Race World Offshore presents: Restore The Keys Grand Prix, Memorial Weekend Festival

September 29, 2017 Key West, FL: Race World Offshore announces its inaugural season opener in Key West, Florida, May 21-25, 2018. A full week of downtown festival style activities and world class offshore powerboat racing dedicated to helping citizens throughout the lower Florida Keys. Key West should be back to normal operations by year’s end but there will remain specific areas throughout the lower Keys that will need our continued support.

“Key West is already making substantial progress in recovery from the storm,” says Larry Bleil, President of Race World Offshore, LLC and former president of the Conch Republic Offshore Powerboat Racing Association (CROPBRA), but the islands from Big Coppitt up to Islamorada were completely devastated, leaving many residents with severely damaged homes or some with no home at all. A lot of these folks work in the hospitality and service industries here in Key West and are one of our most important assets in making the town the great tourist center that it is. Our commitment is to help these residents and businesses get back to a new normal.” – Race World Offshore

The same commitment also extends to the association’s new Restore Houston Grand Prix, which will take place in conjunction with the Texas Outlaw Challenge in June of next year.

The racing and boating community is stronger than ever, and everyone is committed to seeing those affected by the disasters make a full recovery. We’re excited to see the faces next year and the impact they have!

As DCB came out with the largest and baddest widebody performance cat in their arsenal this year, we’ve been waiting to finally see it up close and personal!

Take a look at the 1550s powered pinnacle of performance below.

(Images Courtesy of DCB Performance Boats)

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The annual DCB Regatta is just around the corner! And as everyone knows, DCB owners and fans are incredibly loyal, setting up this year’s event on the 22nd and 23rd to be the largest one to date.

The event which takes place on a Friday and Saturday at the Nautical Beachfront Resort in Lake Havasu, AZ is expected to see more than 60 DCB boats and over 250 total attendees. Friday will include registration at the Nautical Pool & Turtle Bar and a lunch fun run, while the main poker run will take place Saturday.

As always, DCB inspires such a loyal following through their unending commitment to their customers by delivering high performance boats, high quality production, and premium customer service. And the annual regatta is a chance for all those that love the brand to come out and show their support, and for DCB to express theirs as well.

Make sure you stay tuned to see all of the photos and video from the regatta!

See the schedule below for a full list of activities and times.

· Saturday Schedule:
o 9:30AM drivers meeting
o 10:30AM staging in front of Thompson Bay to go through the Channel
o 11:00AM DCB parade through Channel under London Bridge
o 12:00PM to 3:00PM Poker Run stops open
o 3:00PM to 5:00PM Poker Run card turn in is open
o 6:30PM cocktail party
o 7:00PM – 8:00PM banquet dinner
o 8:00PM – 11:30PM raffle prizes, cash bar and DCB awards

· Every registered guest receives:
o Carbon-fiber edition 24 pack AO Cooler
o Custom 30oz. SS Tumbler with DCB logo
o Wristbands for all food and participation for the event including individual photo shoot for each registered boat
o DCB Regatta t-shirt
o Many donated products from sponsors included in each AO Cooler

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The organizers, teams, families, and all those involved in the Clearwater Super Boat National Championships are gearing up for this year’s races with the focus of delivering the best races the area has ever seen and supporting all those affected by Hurricane Irma.

While the decision to proceed forward with the races was not taken lightly, it became clear that racing is an important step to the area’s recovery efforts. Providing mental relief, fun, and bringing the community together is what it’s all about!

So get ready for the championships this year September 29th to August 1st.  We’ll see you there!

See the original press release from www.superboat.com below

(Featured Image Courtesy of www.activerain.com)

Starting in 1961, I raced a 16’ Boston Whaler with a 75 HP Johnson outboard motor (actually Challenger Marine’s demo) in a couple of “Up and down (and around) the beach races”, with trophy results. In 1963, we had a race from Miami to Bimini and back, over two days. I had dreamed of racing in a real ocean race, against ranked opponents, since the onset of offshore racing in 1956, and by God, I was about to do it! Jim Breuil, Jr., Carl Moesly, Jack Manson, Howard Weiler, Bobby Ridgell (Mercury team driver, brother of the great Roy) the Jacoby girls, Rene and Gale, and several others lined up for the start off Baker’s Haulover on Miami Beach. It was a little bumpy, and we collected some valuable “air time”. Halfway across, the 16’ Whaler seemed kinda small. We finished second behind Ridgell, and spent a wonderful weekend on Bimini with some of my idols. Played poker, dove for conch, water skied, drank, ate Bimini bread. Excellent days. We had a service there on the hill overlooking the sea for Sam Griffith, who had just passed away.

It was at that point that I realized that I had to have my own race boat. Upstart Don Aronow was making a new boat called “Formula”. I spent hours explaining to him how stupid the name was, that it would NEVER catch on, but he would just not listen. I immediately ordered a red Formula 233 with a 400 HP Ford 427 Interceptor on a Crusader vee drive. I still remember the look on my wife’s face when I told her about our new boat. I had some success with the new boat, with two second overalls, and a Class II win in the 1964 Miami/Nassau race, 5th overall against 50 boats. Aronow, never realizing what a mistake he had made with the Formula name, sold the company to Thunderbird for big bucks, and started a new company called…… wait for it!…….”DONZI”! For Christ’s sake Don, these stupid names gotta go.

At that point, I was GM of Challenger Marine, now TNT, and the largest Formula dealer. Apparently the lousy name didn’t bother the customers, either. Aronow hired me away with promises of money, fame, loose women, booze, drugs, etc. He forgot to tell me that all those things were for him, and I got to work 12 hours a day for several months for the same money that I had made at Challenger. One thing made it all worthwhile. He let me drive the new Donzi race boats. He gave me to Bill Wishnick, who had just purchased the 28 Donzi that Jim Wynne had driven to second place behind Jack Manson’s big Diesel boat, “Allied GX” in the Miami/Key West race, November 1964. Bill named the new boat “Broad Jumper”, and he and I set out to teach him the finer points of offshore competition. I forgot to tell him that I was just starting out in the big leagues myself. Bill was not very well coordinated at first (and second). He seemed unable to anticipate the seas ahead, and we often heard the twin 427 Interceptors humming at 8000 RPMS. Bill decided that I would drive, and he would watch me for a while. Hooray!

Our first race was to be the February, 1965 Sam Griffith memorial. We were beyond excited as we milled for the start. Our crew consisted of Bill, his brother Jack, Davey Wilson and me. Unfortunately, the cockpit was made for three men (or women) abreast, and we had four. What we didn’t have was trim tabs, and, with a brisk wind out of the west/southwest at 18-22 knots the seas were smooth along the first leg of the race, from Government Cut in Miami to Fort Lauderdale. After rounding the check boat at Lauderdale, we started across the Gulfstream WFO. The slight following seas had a rhythm, and we were able stay wide open, with just a microsecond of throttle reduction between crests. One by one, we passed my idols until we came up even with the mighty “Holocaust”, a 233 Formula driven by Sam Sarra (who would ride me the following year), powered by twin tandem turbo Daytonas on one prop. Sam was faster, and would not let us pass, until the larger and larger seas suited our longer hull, and we took the lead. High fives almost all around! We were laughing and yelling and having fun, until Bill noticed that Jack looked like he had eaten a rotten oyster. He was grey, and in pain. The seas had been increasing by the mile, and now we were spending about 50% of the time in the air, and landing on Jack’s side, sometimes in a heap, with Jack on the bottom. By the time we got to Bimini, the seas were five or six feet. When we turned the check boat at Bimini, we were in the beam of the seas, sometimes landing completely on our side, still running wide open. Jack Manson was about a half mile behind.

Nobody wanted to slow down (we didn’t actually ask Jack, but we knew that he was game). I told Bill that we would put Jack off at the Cat Cay check boat, “Conch Pearl”. I guess Bill assumed that we would mosey up and step aboard. Bill and Davey got Jack up on the engine hatch as I slowed down, and, as passed the check boat, I helped Jack overboard. Davey was adding oil to both engines (they didn’t seem to like the 8-9000 RPMs that Bill had given them.

By now, Manson was right on our ass, and by the time we got back up to speed, he was right beside us. We were now heading toward the finish line 50 miles away, but in a 5-6 foot head sea. We filled the ballast tank (a water tank in the bow of the boat, holding 8-900 pounds of water, to hold the bow down) and let ‘er rip. We stayed slightly ahead, through major effort, and occasionally ended up in heap on the floor. Once when I regained my feet, I got back to the wheel and found Manson right beside us. I waved to Captain Manson. He couldn’t wave back, as the sonofabitch was having a sandwich and a beer in his 48’ 22,000 pound yacht! On one “floor conference”, I asked Bill if he was OK. He said “I would rather die than let that SOB outrun us.” “Me too. Let’s go!” We dumped about half the ballast and picked two or three MPH (and occasionally a few feet of altitude), and moved steadily ahead of the GX, only diving the Broad Jumper 40 or 50 times. Finally, on the Miami side of the stream, it was smoother, and I turned the helm over to Bill to finish the job. We won some more after that, but, like your first girlfriend, they are just not the same.

The Florida Powerboat Club is pushing forward despite severe conditions from the devastating hurricane Irma.

Many of the FPC’s partners from Miami to the keys are used to the severe tropical storms and hurricanes in the region, but Irma has made recovery harder than normal for waterfront operations and FPC partners everywhere.

After speaking with Stu Jones briefly, he said that the FPC is still planning on holding the Bimini Run on September 29, and expressed optimism that the event should still go smoothly as planned.

And looking past Bimini, we’re about 2 months out from the annual Key West Poker Run which should allow all parties involved to work through any challenges that may manifest as a result of Irma. So we are looking forward to seeing how this year’s run develops.

But most importantly Stu stated that the safety and livelihoods of club members and all those in Florida is paramount.

“We just hope that all of our friends and colleagues get back safely  to their Florida Keys homes and and above all back to a normal lifestyle in the coming days.” – Stu Jones