Barron Boats (Azusa, CA), the performance boat manufacturer owned by Jerry Barron, will debut a new model at the Los Angeles Boat Show this Thursday.
The 190 RS, a vee hull, will join Barron’s 290S deckboat as part of a growing lineup that draws from Jerry’s years as the head of Hallett Boats. The 190 RS is a single-engine ski-racing machine set up to handle outboard, jet and V-drive engines. It’s described as a “highly flexible hull for your dream build,” featuring wide interior space that can accommodate up to seven or eight passengers. It’s got two buckets up front, a rear bench and two side seats in a wraparound seating configuration. It features a 50-gallon fuel capacity and is “sexier than hell,” according to Barron.
The first 190 out of the mold will be exhibited at the L.A. show with a wakeboard tower and a Mercury Pro XS 250 outboard for power.
Barron says he was inspired to design the 190 because of his childhood, which he spent boating in Blythe, CA, on the shallow waters of the California River. “So I designed and built this boat just to kind of go back to my childhood a little bit,” he says. “Nobody has come up with anything this small, that’s this sexy and bitchin’ in 30 years. I’m just trying to find a nerve with the public—something that they don’t have that they’re looking for.”
He says that the ideal buyer for the 190 would be a guy in his 20s with a family of 2-3, who doesn’t necessarily have a ton of money, but who wants to wakeboard and scream up and down the river in the 70-mph range. The boat, he adds, can be customized to sport a wood bottom, or as a jetboat with a big exposed motor or in any number of other configurations.
Come see the first Barron 190 at the L.A. Boat Show, which opens Thursday.
DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, is one step closer to debuting its much-anticipated new model: the M37R.
The boat’s deck design was spearheaded by Franco Gianni (of SFG Yacht Design, Miami Beach, FL) and the team at DCB. According to DCB President Jeff Johnston, it was derived off of the company’s flagship M44, specifically for a few key features, incuding:
• Three-step steps at transom (bustle), resulting in ease of boarding.
• Dedicated walkway around the side of the windshield, resulting in ease of walking to front deck area.
Meanwhile, the boat’s bottom design was a collaboration of an engineering team with decades of knowledge and experience. The plug and mold work was contracted through a third party based in Florida.
The bottom mold has been completed and arrived at DCB’s factory the first week of the new year.
Deck mold on the M37R, along with other miscellaneous parts, will be wrapped up and shipped to DCB by end of February.
Johnston told Powerboat Nation that the first five hulls have been sold, and that DCB is currently taking deposits on slot #6. The first hull is slated to debut at Lake Havasu’s Desert Storm event in April. “This deadline will be tight, but it is still our goal,” Johnston said.
GALLERY #1: Artist renderings and early construction work:
Brunswick Corporation is showcasing its technology leadership in recreational boating with its debut exhibition at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which kicks off today in Las Vegas.
In addition to showing off its current technology strategy and future marine concepts, Brunswick’s Sea Ray brand has unveiled one of its most innovative and connected boats in the marine industry: the SLX-R 400e, powered by triple 450R Mercury Racing outboard engines. The boat features cutting-edge technology paired with high-performance propulsion, elevated design elements and the orchestrated excellence of the SLX 400.
It’s the first model of its kind for Brunswick, combining the luxury of Sea Ray, powered by supercharged 450R engines with the all-new Fathom e-Power System, which is an eco-friendly alternative to a fuel-powered generator system. The Fathom e-Power System includes marine-grade lithium ion batteries and an intuitive user interface, giving the boater power management at their fingertips.
Brunswick continues to define the future of the recreational boating industry with the world’s leading propulsion and boat brands, the world’s largest marine technology companies and the largest boat club (Freedom Boat Club)—all of which are being featured this week at CES.
“We are very excited to be presenting and exhibiting at CES in 2020 as a marine-focused enterprise,” said Brunswick’s Chief Executive Officer, Dave Foulkes. “Consumer expectations of boating are driven by other mobility experiences which is why our ACES strategy drives our vision for the future of technology in recreational boating. We see the tracks of Autonomy/ADAS, Connectivity, Electrification and Shared-Access being important to the future of our products and services – and you will see us continue our growth in these vertical technology suites including here at CES.”
Visitors at Brunswick’s CES exhibit will be able to experience the company’s focus on design thinking and its entire ecosystem of technology including a current helm featuring joystick piloting, Skyhook virtual anchor, NAUTIC-ON remote connectivity and a full suite of marine leading technology for consumers to interact with. With a nod toward the company’s plans to redefine the future of boating, Brunswick is displaying a concept helm that features gesture and voice recognition as well as an enhanced consumer interface.
“CES presents a unique opportunity to debut the new SLX-R 400e in front of an audience that will truly appreciate its beauty, capabilities and incredible suite of new technologies,” said Sea Ray President Steve Langlais. “This pioneering new model, which will be available in 2020, showcases the kind of unique, advanced technologies that are worthy of the world’s largest consumer electronics show.”
The “e” in the SLX-R 400e Outboard model name designates a first-of-its-kind boat electrification feature – the Fathom e-Power system. Developed by Brunswick, the Fathom system includes a high-capacity lithium-ion battery pack with an intuitive power management system capable of powering all of the boat’s accessory systems and providing boaters with a convenient, smart way to enjoy all of the features of the boat, for a longer, quieter and more eco-friendly day on the water.
“CES is a wonderful event because it brings together engineers, technologists and innovators from many industries with the common aim of applying technology to simplify and enhance experiences,” said Foulkes. “The breadth and pace of our product and technology development is unmatched in the marine industry and we’re looking forward to sharing our vision in a truly exciting exhibit that demonstrates our commitment to redefining the marine experience.”
CES runs through Jan. 10 in Las Vegas, NV. With more than 170,000 attendees and 4,500 exhibitors, CES is the world’s largest and most influential tech event.
Randy Scism (far left) delivers the new 340X to Rick Hendrick (third from left) at Haulover Marina in Miami.
Retired NASCAR and APBA driver Rick Hendrick III—a legend in both auto and boat racing—is currently enjoying his newest ride, an MTI 340X powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards.
The Virginia-based speed fanatic, who has a home in South Florida and has owned numerous boats, took delivery of the MTI last week at Haulover Marine Center in Miami. Since then, Hendrick says he hasn’t missed a single opportunity to take it out on the water. In fact, he’s been so enthusiastic about the boat that has has been emailing and texting MTI owner Randy Scism repeatedly to tell him how much he loves the boat.
Before becoming one of auto racing’s biggest and most successful owners—he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017—Hendrick got his start in drag-boat racing. He campaigned boats and was a regular fixture on the APBA boat-racing circuit in the 1980s. He is fondly remembered for having campaigned Nitro Fever, a Top Fuel Hydro drag racer driven by Jimmy Wright (who once set a record of 222 mph in the boat) as well as piloting his own hydro known as Preparation H.
Hendrick ultimately traded a career on the liquid quarter mile for the one on the asphalt, but he never completely lost his appetite for the water. Quite the contrary: he has owned a plethora of Yellowfin fishing boats, and in 1987 purchased his first Wellcraft Scarab, and still owns a Scarab today. He has also owned other performance boats, including a 33’ Skater in the mid-1990s that was rigged by former offshore racer Bobby Moore.
More recently, Hendrick got interested in the MTI line when a friend who owned a 52-footer put it up for sale.
“I was actually looking at buying that boat,” he says. “Then I saw a picture of the MTI 340X and thought, man, those Mercury engines are bulletproof! So I ordered one.” Today (Monday, Jan. 6) he has been tooling around in the Florida Keys.
His review of the boat, to say the least, has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’ll tell you what,” he says, “I can’t tell you how many boats I’ve had, but it’s a bunch—every kind of boat that’s ever been built—jets, hydros, drag boats, circle race boats, center consoles, vee-bottom offshore race boats—and I’ve never had a boat that I liked as much as this boat. The quality of the ride is amazing. I just love it. I haven’t had it for two weeks and I’ve driven it every day I can get in it. I don’t just like it. I love it!”
So much, he says, that he’s already thinking about buying another one to run in his home state of Virginia.
Hendrick is the owner of Hendrick Automotive Group, a dealership network with 94 locations across 14 of the United States.
Above and below: Hendrick piloting his Preparation H hydro for the APBA circuit in the 1980s.
Extreme Class World Champions Mike DeFrees and Jeff Harris of Team CRC/Spooled Up Racing.
More than two dozen race teams came to Florida to participate in the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships in November 2019, an event that composed of three separate race days. Competitors faced off in seven different classes, three of which featured boats running unopposed. It was a week that saw three boats flip in Super Stock class—two running side by side.
By Sunday’s final bout, Billy Mauff and Jay Muller in WHM Motorsports walked away as Offshore World Champions in Supercat class, Mike DeFrees and Jeff Harris of Team CRC/Spooled Up Racing were the champs in Extreme Class, and Rob Unnerstall and Casey Boaz in CR Racing were victorious in Super Stock Class.
Billy Mauff and Jay Muller of WHM Motorsports walked away as World Champions in their class.
Some of the battles were genuine heartbreakers, especially in Supercat class. Competitors Charles Broaddus and Chris Hanley in Broadco had finished second on Wednesday and won their class on Friday, so their chances of taking the world title were promising. Unfortunately, they dropped out of Sunday’s final competition about halfway through the race, while another condender, Dependable, also dropped out with a mechanical issue. WHM’s Mauff and Muller stayed out in front for most of Sunday’s race before being overtaken in the final laps by both the New Zealand team of Wayne Valder and Grant Bruggemann in Pro-Floors Racing and Tyson Garvin and Tyler Miller in M-CON, who finished first and second, respectively. But WHM didn’t need to win Sunday’s race—they had enough points from earlier in the week to capture the world title. Pro-Floors wound up with a second overall finish; M-CON, third overall.
Rob Unnerstall and Casey Boaz in CR Racing are World Champions in Super Stock class.
Then there was the Super Stock carnage. On the first day of racing, the field of 10 boats included Team Allen Lawn Care and Team LPC, which at one point were running side by side when both appeared to take too much air under the tunnels, blowing both over simultaneously. Video footage of the accident immediately went viral; fortunately, Billy Allen and Larry Minegar of Team Allen Lawn Care and Mike Wright and Loren Peters of Team LPC were not seriously injured. (CR Racing, a Doug Wright catamaran with driver Rob Unnerstall and throttleman Casey Boaz, finished first on Wednesday, followed by FJ Propeller and Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert.)
With the field narrowed to eight boats, Friday’s race saw Gary Ballough and Jimmie Harrison in FJ Propeller take the lead in Super Stock when Jackhammer blew over in the fifth lap (Reese Langheim and Ricky Maldonado quickly emerged, mostly unscathed.) The race was later restarted, and CR Racing grabbed the lead and finished first, followed by Shadow Pirate and Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert. FJ Propeller ended up finishing fourth. Three teams jockeyed for the first-place position in Super Stock during the final day of racing. For the first couple of laps, it was FJ Propeller, then Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert, and then finally CR Racing. Unnerstall and Boaz in CR Racing prevailed, managing to hold off the other six competitors to earn the checkered flag and the World Championship in the class. Nick Scafidi and Scott Porta in Shadow Pirate finished only seconds behind them, with Myrick Coil and Rusty Williams in Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert maintaining a third-place position—the same spot they earned in the first two days of racing.
By Sunday’s race, Mike DeFrees and Jeff Harris of Team CRC/Spooled Up Racing—who had won in Extreme Class earlier in the week—ran unopposed in the class along with the Super Cat field, as their competitors Team Freedom and Huski Chocolate both dropped out with engine problems, sealing a World Championship for Team CRC.
Owner/driver Jim Simmons, with Jason Zolecki on throttles, took SimmonsMarine.com to the winner’s circle in Class 4 over Team Octane, which Simmons also owns.
Sunday action featured bracket class racing that featured mostly competitors running unopposed, following the pattern set by the previously days’ racing. The only real drama came in Bracket Class 4, which pitted SimmonsMarine.com (the winner on Wednesday and Friday) against Team Octane; both boats are owned by Jim Simmons. The two boats traded the first-place position until Octane suffered a mechanical issue in the final lap, handing the win to Simmons and Jason Zolecki of SimmonsMarine.com.
Other winners:
Super Vee Extreme—Shameel Mohammed and Mark Niemann in Sheriff Lobo.
Bracket 2—Dan MacNamara and Eric Treadwell in Speedster.
Bracket 3—J.P. Larkin and Ed Tamberino in Wix Filters.
Bracket 5—Greg Bluttler and Mark DiDario in Illicit Motorsports.
Bracket 6—Damon Marotta Jr. and Damon Marotta Sr. in Offshore Outlaw.
RWO president and founder Larry Bleil told Speedboat that the event went off even better than he had anticipated. “I had a vision of changing things up, and making Key West the World Championship that it should be,” he said. “We added concerts during the week. We added a VIP experience that had not been at any other race anywhere. We brought in a shuttle to take people to the VIP area. I was able to implement all of these ideas that I’d come up with over the years, and got nothing but compliments from the people who were there.”
Bleil is now planning to expand the group’s racing season in 2020. The organization held its inaugural race season in 2018 with a modest lineup, including races in Mentor, OH, and Dunkirk, NY. For 2019, RWO dropped the Mentor race but picked up two events in Florida: the Clearwater and Key West competitions formerly run by Super Boat International. “I’m working on two new sites, and we’re going to change our Dunkirk dates,” Bleil says. “We’re working with Orange Beach, AL, on an event toward the end of April, and a race on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, GA. We’ve applied for the Army Corps permit in Lake Lanier, so after it’s approved, we can move forward.”
The 51' Mystic American Ethanol was the Top Gun winner for the fifth year in a row.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout sawDon Onken‘s American Ethanol—the 51′ Mystic catamaran campaigned by driver Tony Battiato and throttleman John Cosker—take Top Gun honors for clocking the best speed on the course.
The streak began in 2015, with a 208 mph run (with Myrick Coil and Cosker in the cockpit), followed up with a blistering 217-mph run in 2016 by Battiato and Cosker. With the course shortened to 3/4 of a mile in 2017, the duo hit 204 mph both that year and in 2018. This year, the boys had to settle for 201 mph, because the boat (powered by quad, piston-powered Onken Racing custom engines with around 9,000 hp) threw a propeller blade that damaged its hull when they sought a better number. But it was enough to earn them a “five-peat,” as no other competitor broke the 200-mph mark.
Performance Boat Center made a strong showing, with three different raceboats: The retired Jimmy John’s Skater hull, now privately owned by Ron Szolack; the Auto Alert Super Stock competitior, a 32′ Doug Wright hull, and the current Jimmy John’s MTI, the last of which participated in an exhibition run dueling with a stunt plane. PB Center also hosted an elaborate party, attended by hundreds of people, all of whom enjoyed a massive display of fireworks.
Event organizer “Captain Ron” Duggan said this 31st annual event—which comprises a street party, poker run, silent auction and other activities—went off extremely well in 2019, “especially the participation in the poker run—our numbers were way up on that,” he told Speedboat Magazine. The LOTO event raises cash for more than 35 charities and organizations. Duggan said that $357,000 was raised in 2019.
Among the Shootout participants:
Driver Taylor Scism, with her dad, MTI founder Randy Scism, piloted a 340X (powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R engines) to a speed of 123 mph.
Joseph Cardella was clocked at 113 mph driving his 2003 Hustler 377.
Tom Kennedy made four passes in his 28′ Skater and wound up with a top speed of 119 mph.
Bob Bull drove his 52′ MTI with company founder Randy Scism. The pair made two 162-mph passes.
Mauricio Vivanco, driving his DCB M31 Widebody Open Bow with twin Mercury Racing 700SCis, achieved a speed of 123 mph.
Dave Megugorac ran 156 mph in his DCB M44 Widebody, powered by twin Mercury Racing 1550/1350 engines.
Larry Wiser, driving an Eliminator, achieved a speed of 111 mph.
Brad Benson, in DCB M33R Widebody powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 400R outboards, achieved a speed of 113 mph.
Ricky Maldonado, driving a Victory X32 Pleasure model powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 400R outboards, was clocked at 110 mph.
Philanthropy, friendship and caring: these three words perfectly sum up the philosophy of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run.
The third annual installment of the event took place in upstate New York in 2019, in a cozy, slow-paced community known as Clayton, where the population is less than 2,000 residents. This community roars to life when the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run, benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation and River Hospital, comes to town. The idea of the run formulated four years ago, when it was brought to organizer (and now event president) Bobby Cantwell to gauge his interest level in getting involved. Cantwell was keen to embark on a journey that officially began with the inaugural event three years ago. The second annual event was showcased on the cover of Speedboat Magazine’s September 2018 issue, depicting a spectacular view of the famous Singer Castle in Chippewa Bay, NY.
The 2019 event kicked off on Thursday with a street party on Riverside Drive; Friday afternoon brings volunteer rides for around 20 Make-A-Wish kids and their families. “We had an enormous amount of poker run boats whose owners wanted to sign up to give rides to the Make-A-Wish kids and their families,” Cantwell says. “We had more boats than we had passengers. Everybody had smiles on their faces.” Saturday is the main event, a poker run that attracted heavy-hitters like John Woodruff, Bill Tomlinson and Bob Christie, along with sponsors DCB Performance Boats, MTI, Mystic, Outerlimits and Adrenaline Powerboats. The boat count this year was at 110, but could frankly have been much higher. Unfortunately, the water on the Saint Lawrence River was about 2½ feet above the normal level. Consequently, the New York State Park Police—one of the agencies that issue the permits—imposed a limit on the number of boats that could participate in the run.
“We could have had 140 to 150 boats,” Cantwell says. “And that’s no exaggeration.” Not only have organizers partnered with Make-A-Wish of Central New York, but also with Make-A-wish Canada. “Officially, our name is now the Thousand Islands International Charity Poker Run,” Cantwell says. “We actually have the American and Canadian flags in our logo. From a benefactor and course perspective, we now are truly an international poker run.” The event was an immediate success—nearly doubling last year’s donations to the tune of around $80,000. Cantwell attributes that success to the divergent personalities of the board of directors. “One of our members, Nolan Ferris, likens our board to a bag of Skittles—we’re all different colors, but when we come together, we’re a formidable opponent. And we do very, very well. Each of the members has an asset or attribute to bring to the board, and I credit that hugely to how successful we are.”
The 2019 edition indeed exceeded the year before—not only in attendance, but in dollars raised for charity, nearly doubling the $45,000 raised in 2018.
In 2019, the big guns came out for the 11th annual running of the Texas Outlaw Challenge in Kemah, TX.
Held each June, the event—famous for its shootout, poker run and pool parties—brought out some of the rowdiest and most fun-loving boaters to congregate in Seabrook and Kemah for an extended weekend of high horsepower hijinx.
The Street Party on the Kemah Boardwalk featured some of the finest boats for the participants, as well and the public to view and ogle over the hardware. The festive vibe of the area lends to the excitement that is yet to come. The Shootouts on Clear Lake, which kick off the boating weekend, brought out the speed demons to test their wares against other likeminded people, all in hopes of securing the title known as “Top Outlaw” and take home one of the coolest awards around—an old western-style rifle on the plaque, held on by bullets.
Immediately following the Shootouts was the crown jewel of the Texas Outlaw Challenge–the epic pool party at Kenny Armstrong’s private residence. If you don’t know Kenny, he is the charismatic playboy that owns and operates the famous 48′ MTI Phantom and is the title sponsor of the event with his company, DH Tech—a dehumidification company that provides humidity and temperature control solutions to multiple industries. Every year, he opens up his home (and pool) to all of the participants of the Challenge to come eat, drink and be merry. It also happens to be the first card stop of the Poker Run. And if the provided food, drinks and camaraderie wasn’t enough to keep you entertained, then cue the Swimsuit USA bikini contest and skydiving exhibition that lands in his yard, around the fleet of helicopters that came to join the festivities.
Saturday was the Poker Run and the day brought some bumpy water conditions on our way out to Harborwalk in the town of Hitchcock, where another pool party awaited the fleet.
In years past, the Texas Outlaw Challenge had their Awards Presentation on Sunday morning, after the event was mostly over. This proved challenging because most of the fleet were already well into their travels back home. So this year, with the help of Marine Max-Houston, an over-the-top, Casino-themed Awards Party with VIP boat slips and available bottle service welcomed the Outlaws for the final hurrah.
“We had Cirque du Soleil with aerial scarf dancers and a Casino Night,” says event organizer Paul Robinson. “It was just a really great get-together for everyone and an enormous success. Miss Houston, Blaine Ochoa, was there to help us with our charity checks that we were handing out. Some VIP boat slips got complimentary bottle service as part of their package; that was sold out within two days after being announced.” Otherwise, it was the usual conglomeration of triple-digit speedboats, off-the-hook pool parties and drop-dead-gorgeous girls.
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