Insurance is a large and important part of our Powerboat life. Powerboat Nation now has the credible STAFF of Total Dollar Insurance onboard to guide us all through the myriad of insurance options and issues that come up. So now we can enjoy the colorful online antics of Mr. Sy Goldberg in addition to having the entire firm as a information resource for Powerboat Nation members. Under the Leadership of Arthur Buhr III, Total Dollars’ Full Throttle Program brings an experienced and versatile staff of marine insurance experts. TOTAL DOLLARS boat department knows the difference between a Rhumb Line and a Dock Line. They insure all boats and yachts but have a particular specialty in the performance boat insurance with their Full Throttle Program.

Saturday Night December 15th in Fort Lauderdale a small group of PowerBoat Nation Boating enthusiasts gathered at a member’s intercoastal home to take part in the 41st Annual Fort Lauderdale “WINTERFEST” boat parade. This gathering reminded and reinforced my thoughts and feelings that the true spirit and enthusiasm for what we do is with the people we surround ourselves with. While the Boat, Bikes, and Cars initially bring us together, the people we share this with is what keeps us together and ultimately feeds the machine. I also believe many of the core companies in the powerboat world don’t really understand this well enough and could do a much better job growing Powerboating by investing in the boat owners that pay huge amounts of hard cash to keep the machine feeding.

2013 is fast approaching and sitting on the dock at during this holiday with some of my great friends who just happen to be powerboat enthusiasts reinforced my cup half full of great optimism. 2013 is going to be an incredible year. We look forward to spending the coming year celebrating with and supporting all of you enthusiasts that choose to roll with us.

General Colin Powell teaches us “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. We can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best.” And we will, next year for the 42nd Annual WINTERFEST boat parade I look forward to participate on the water as PowerBoat Nation with the 100 or so other powerboats that create such a wonderful holiday gathering.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas !

Powerboat Nation

More about Fort Lauderdale’s WINTERFEST boat parade:

The Celebration primarily involves a series of events scheduled for December. Florida residents and visitors eagerly anticipate WINTERFEST each year. The events make the holiday season come alive in sunny South Florida. The WINTERFEST Celebration has grown throughout the years to include the Winterfest Boat Parade, The Winterfest Black Tie Ball, the Shoreline Decorating Extravaganza, the Grand Marshal Reception, Winterfest White Party, Golf Tournament and many other receptions and events. Winterfest is recognized as the 7th largest spectator event in the country and the largest event in Florida based on number of attendees. The Parade attracts over one million parade spectators and is televised nationally to millions of homes. Winterfest has had an economic impact on Broward County of over $42 million per year.

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By knew and understood the science of propellers and who had the ability to break it down and explain it to the rest of us. After 12 years with Mercury Marine’s service department and managing Mercury Racing’s legendary propeller laboratory, Brett opened the doors of BBLADES Professional Propeller in 2004. Along with Bob Lucht, a 30 year propeller artist and veteran of both Kiekhaefer Aero Marine and Mercury Racing’s labs, BLADES offers 80 combined years of professional propeller design, boat set up, propeller sales, modifications, and repair.

Anderson and his staff are well known for offering propeller performance and set up diagnostics in a one-on-one phone analysis BBLADES has become the elite go-to propeller facility for the performance minded boating enthusiast. With over 9000 square feet of propeller laboratory, BBLADES has the knowledge and equipment to provide any applications with the products and set up information you need.

BBLADES carries the complete line of their own propellers as well as the full line of Mercury, Hering, Hydromotive, Turbo, Signature, Stilleto and Acme propeller as well as many accessories and hardware.

Now you have the opportunity to get all special propeller information you need , directly from the best. Ask the questions to PBN’s “Ask the Pro’s”

Before leaving California Power Boat Nation stopped by DCB and caught up with the crew while they were finishing up the final touches on the M41. Waiting for tailpipes and running the final speaker wire for the stereo is about all that remains for this High-Tech Carbon Fiber Epoxy Masterpiece.

Now I have always been partial to the attention to detail that has come from almost all of the West Coast shops. The gelcoat sparkles, the trailers are immaculate, the trucks, rhinos, and sand rails are all painted to match. The art for the most part has always been in the graphic applied to the outside of the boats.

This trip out to DCB – Well, when I REALLY looked at this new boat and listened closely to the passion and heartfelt “all in” commitment from Dave and his crew it finally hit me. The art at DCB is in the build and it always has been. I am convinced (and this is a huge statement coming from me) there is no other builder that puts attention to detail, into, attention to detail like they do. The tooling on this boat reflects in the finished product. When you look down the sides of this one color hull, you see perfectly flat lines and absolutely perfect reflections in the GelCoat. The sharp lines on all edges and contours are perfect and perfectly matched port to starboard. The measurable difference is not left to the eye but is actually measured and less than 20 thousandths corner to corner. This is a rack measurement that some builders can’t get within inches let alone 20 thousands of an inch. Class A surfacing typically found in the automotive process to verify the fit and exterior finish of Bugatti’s and other high end automobiles is exact and used to bring these spectacular results. Each nut, bolt, washer, and billet piece is thought out, sourced from the very best, and polished before it is goes in the boat. The custom tilt trailer from Lugo Manufacturing, Inc was sent down, fit tested and exercised perfectly and then send back for finishing.

The M41 has an LOA of 41′ 1″, the 10’10” beam, and 66 inch wide tunnel is deeper than the other two M boats and has wider sponsons. The front wing extension will provide greater compression and the boat will offer some cabin configuration options for customer preferences. I expect the M41 to run hard in water that some traditionalists would believe it can’t run in. I also believe the boat will produce great numbers with the installed Mercury Racing 1350’s Turbo Charged Engines and M8 drives.

When DCB hits Miami for the boat show in February I look forward to being able to rip down Biscayne Bay and give this West Coasts Masterpiece a proper introduction to the east coast scene. If my pressure and persistence is convincing enough they will stick around for the Florida Powerboat Clubs Miami Boat Show Poker Run and the high end Cat group will have a new leader taking the pack down to Islamorada.

Congratulations to the entire crew at DCB and the new owner. We also note the tooling for the new M29 is completed and look forward to the full line of M boats-M29,M31,M35,M41 from DCB

http://dcbperformanceboats.com

Maybe boats are next for Costco who is now selling the Ultimate Garage Package Including Car for $89,999, Engine and Transmission Sold Separately.

Auto-enthusiasts and collectors have been known to pour millions of dollars to create a garage where they can safely park their expensive and exotic cars. Now for the likes of such car enthusiasts and Hot Rodders who would like to upgrade their garages to a professional level, Costco.com offers the Ultimate Hot Rodder’s Garage Package. Billed as a dream come true garage package, it features the Motofloor garage tiles to give your garage a more professional look, and a 2-ton capacity breakdown engine crane with high-tech jack stands and a jack, along with the all handcrafted aluminum Kirkham Motorsports 427 KMS/SC component vehicle.

The Kirkham Motorsports 427 KMS/SC roadsters were originally developed in a former Polish MiG fighter factory, where skilled craftsmen had generations of experience in fabricating high-performance fighter jets. But it should be noted this powerful ride doesn’t include an engine and transmission.

The Ultimate Hot Rodder’s Garage Package includes a NewAge 6pc storage cabinets, 456 sq. ft of black & white Motofloor Garage tiles, with the choice of color, one BigHorn 36 ECB safe, one FlowWall ladder hook, a Racor Extreme ladder lift, and one Trinity 41″ stainless steel toolbox, along with one 2-ton capacity breakdown engine crane, jack stands and one 3.5 ton capacity low lift height jack.

If you are asking the question or wondering why we may have some answers for you.

Authenticity-We run the forum after we are done running our boats, bikes, cars, and wrenching on our motors.

Passion-The business model is to be successful because we are truly passionate about powerboating and we wanted a place to hang out where others can share the same passion

NO BS or Whining-The true technical knowledge and information passed from our Subject Matter Experts to the members brings value that you can’t buy anywhere.

If you want to participate in the growth of this incredible on line community, all we ask is join us. If you want to brand your participating then it’s a tiny throw of $4.99 and we will ship you a $15.00 T-shirt. To us it’s really not about the money as much as welcoming you to the Club. Your online contribution drives the passion for us to deliver more back to you that anyone else.

Throughout 2013 we will continually have new features coming at you all the time. We want to share our passion for Powerboating with all of our friends and supporters.

Well if you asked yourself WTF? (Where’s the Fun?)

Power Boat Nation will cover more PowerBoat events and functions with actual staff and membership Coast to Coast. Actual Staff with be On Scene. We won’t just pay for content from pooled journalists. If you enjoy like minded boaters that are at the heart of the boating scene then there is no other place to go than Power Boat Nation.

What’s so different about Power Boat Nation?

Just Powerboaters I mean REAL powerboaters. This may sound crazy but were owned, operated, managed, and run by all boaters, boaters so driven and inspired to provide the ultimate boating resource to all of us. I mean boaters who are in the know and at the heart of the industry, and who have got their ears in the water and committed to give back more to this industry through this forum than anyone ever has before.

• The Leader in Tech Support
• The Leader in Powerboating News
• First at behind the scenes stories
• Unlimited photo and video coverage
• Inter-active Member support

Power Boat Nation Membership is your chance to be part of something that makes a difference and gives it all back to the membership.

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If you aren’t a member yet click the button below. (You will have to log-in or register a user account first)

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In a press release received today it is reported that Mercury Racing President Fred Kiekhaefer has announced he will end his distinctive 22-year career with Mercury Marine at the conclusion of 2012.

Kiekhaefer founded Kiekhaefer Aeromarine Inc. in 1983, and sold that company to Brunswick Corporation in 1990. Brunswick is the parent company of Mercury Marine. With the sale of Aeromarine to Brunswick, Kiekhaefer joined Mercury as president of its Performance Products division.

Kiekhaefer has worked in the marine industry for more than 30 years and will provide consulting services following his departure from Mercury. He will work as a consultant for Mercury through 2014.

“The achievements of Fred Kiekhaefer have been integral to the success of Mercury Marine for two decades and, more specifically, to Mercury Racing,” said Mark Schwabero, president of Mercury Marine.”

“Fred’s genetic association to boating (he is the son of Mercury Marine founder E. Carl Kiekhaefer) was strengthened by an impressive education and a powerful desire and commitment to create the best-performing marine engines.”

“Fred has brought many key innovations to Mercury, and his influence will be felt here and throughout the world of boating for many years. On behalf of all Mercury employees, I’d like to thank Fred for his important contributions and wish him the very best in all future endeavors.”

Erik Christiansen, director of engineering at Mercury Racing, has been appointed general manager of Mercury Racing. Christiansen, a 15-year employee of Mercury Marine, has held his current position since 2008. He started his career with Mercury as an engineer in research and development, then became an engineering manager in 2002.

“Erik’s rich experience and intimate knowledge of the programs and market needs will ensure the continuity of Mercury’s leadership in the global high-performance market,” said Schwabero.”

Christiansen has led and worked on design and engineering teams that created many of Mercury Racing’s most notable high performance engines. As chief engineer, Christiansen headed up a 25-person team that designed and developed Mercury Racing’s QC4 1350hp and 1100hp propulsion systems. The QC4 engine platform, which can power high-performance boats over 190 mph, was introduced in 2010. Christiansen also was chief engineer for Mercury Racing’s 850hp, 1075hp and 1200hp high-performance sterndrive engines. Prior to joining Mercury Racing, Christiansen worked on the design team for the Mercury Verado outboard, the world’s first commercially available supercharged outboard. Christiansen earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University.

Australian boatbuilder Roger Mutimer is developing an alternative to a high-performance stepped hull: a completely aerated hull. Roger has been experimenting with a somewhat radical hull surface. A welder by trade, Roger Mutimer says he has been designing and building aluminum boats for many years; they range in size from 13′ to 75′. Here’s the latest:
Rogers passion is designing and building aluminum boats. The latest project is a new hull design for powerboat racing. This aluminum hull is fully aerated and can be used on any powerboat design. The concept is not to try to get the hull out of the water, where you have no control, but to keep the hull on the water and use its movement over the water to draw air in so as to create a completely aerated hull. A problem found with many of the stepped-chine racing hull is that everything stops at the step. So when it comes down and hits the water, the water hydraulics up into the step, forcing the hull to go in the opposite direction. This theory is to have a lot of small steps over the hull to overcome that problem. All trailing edges plus planning strakes are sharp enough to cut your finger on.

Recent tests show the hull with a Mercury 300XS racing outboard on the back; with 35 gal of fuel and she came in at 2,646 lbs. On the water it managed to get 70.1 mph, but it could only get 5,700 rpm out of the motor. The run reached 70.1 mph and then the throttle was released, and the boat stopped as though he had put his foot on the brake.

The drawings explain how they did the test. As you can see, 3,516.48 lbs vacuum is a fair bit of drag on the hull.

Powerboat Nation was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Southern California Offshore Poweboat Elites (SCOPE) 2012 Holiday Party December 1st held at Woodys Wharf in Newport Beach California. At the this event current club president Nort Alderson handed the reins to Lu Lyall who will serve as fourth term as President of SCOPE.

Over 80 members and friends attended the 2012 Holiday Party and included some of Powerboatings well known elites: Jeff Johnston , Scott Struthers, Joe Baca, Gary Teague, to name a few. SCOPE really does represent the epitome of boat clubs. A wonderful group of true enthusiasts who are always planning, participating in boat adventures throughout the west coast as a club, and the club members travel throughout the country and participate in other events. SCOPE was founded in 1992 by Ron Songrath and has grown into one of the premier boat clubs in the United States. This group of enthusiasts support each other and are the perfect example of the fun loving boaters that love the life of Power boating. They share the experience with others and have done it all for nearly 20 years in altruistic fashion.

I have been lucky enough to be involved a few SCOPE Poker Runs and they have always been great. I am really looking forward to be able to return to California to hang with the WC kids again and go boating. 2013 looks to be a great year for the club as many mentioned the return of a SCOPE Poker Run and numerous activities planned. I was truly honored to be invited to their event by Tom and Shannon Whitham and so warmly welcomed by the entire membership.