Tucked away in the quiet coastal town of Palmetto, Fla., Manatee Marine Unlimited is anything but quiet right now. The first contest of the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships happens in less than two weeks, and led by Julian Maldonado the shop has no less than three raceboats to prepare for the three-race event.
But you wouldn’t know it from Maldonado, who co-owns the business with Sara Langheim, the wife of Factory Stock Jackhammer team-owner Reese Langheim. A soft-spoken gentleman, Maldonado is as cool as they come. Grace under pressure suits him.
“When are we not busy?” he asked a visiting reporter, then laughed.
Two of the three boats the Manatee team is prepping needed substantial work after the Englewood Beach American Power Boat Association World Championships a couple of weekends ago. The Jackhammer cat now has new Luna brackets for its 500-hp Mercury Racing outboard engines, which also have repositioned on the 38-footer’s transom.
Owned by driver Jeremy Tschida, the Super Stock-class Wozencraft Insurance Boat—on the other hand—needed a new transom and is now ready for re-installation of its 300-hp outboards on new brackets.
“The Wozencraft boat started out really strong but had a few struggles at the end of the season,” said Maldonado, who throttles the 31-foot catamaran as well as the Jackhammer team cat. “It usually takes about a season to get a new raceboat dialed in.”
As for the Super Stock Mikalyzed catamaran owned by Pete Riviero, it’s been dormant at Manatee since its roll-over during the XINSURANCE Great Lakes Grand Prix in Michigan City, Ind., in August. The needed repairs were handled after the incident, but there is still light prep-work to be done.
The Manatee Marine crew could have a fourth raceboat to prep if Connor Langheim decides to bring his Cat 300 machine to Key West. But the boat is for sale, and for that reason Maldonado suggested he leave it back in Palmetto.
“It’s in good shape now,” he said, then smiled and shrugged. “Why push it?”
A week from this Sunday, Maldonado and company will depart the Palmetto location in the early morning with three—and maybe four—boats in tow. He wants to arrive early, and he expects the tow to take six-and-and-half hours.
“OK, maybe that’s ambitious,” he said, then laughed. “With all those boats, it could take seven-and-a-half hours.”
On the other hand, the long drive could be a nice break from the work at the shop. for Maldonado and company. There’s sure to be plenty of it when they get back home.