Though the Florida Powerboat Club’s 34th annual Key West affair resumes today with the second wave of departures from Coconut Grove, club president and Stu Jones has made a lot more than 34 treks to the fame destination—as in hundreds more. Just yesterday, in fact, he piloted his new Deep Impact Custom Boats 399 center console to Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar in Key Largo and back Tuesday’s Key West-bound group.
Florida Powerboat Club head Stu Jones put his new Deep Impact 369 center console to work yesterday. Photo by Ryan McCoy copyright of the Florida Powerboat Club.
Some 200 boats are registered for the Key West affair. Another group departs this morning. The largest group leaves Thursday.
But Jones wasn’t just there to support club members. He needed to check out his new ride, which is powered by triple Mercury Racing 400R outboard engines, before doing the full run himself.
“It was my maiden voyage and first shake-down in the 399,” he explained. “I’ll be doing the run down and back to Islamorada. Then on Thursday I’ll do the entire run from Grove Harbour to Key West.”
Jones has logged thousands of hours powerboats of various brands including Deep Impact during past treks to Key West. Yet this one will be the first in a new 399 of his own.
“I’m very grateful for the support from (Deep Impact company owner) Mark Fischer and the Deep Impact team,” Jones said in a mid-September speedonthewater.com article. “We’re equipping the boat with the best of everything as we did in the past with our Nor-Tech 390.”
The Florida Powerboat Club head is one of three Deep Impact owners who will run new builds to Key West this week. Rob Madison of New Jersey, who took delivery of an orange 399 center console during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, will be in the mix.
As previously reported, new Deep Impact 499 center-console owner Paul Gooding also is heading to the city at the end of the Florida road this week.