River Dave's Place

Every once in a while boaters do win one against government and bureaucrats. Although it didn’t receive much publicity, our ever-vigilant and all-knowing lawmakers in the Sacramento legislature were preparing to hike boat registration fees by a whopping 250% earlier this year. In some boater...

We still have at least another 60 days of 100+ degree summer heat here in Lake Havasu. And although for many boaters those are ideal on-the-lake temperatures, it’s also a time for caution. Although you may think you’re acclimated to triple digits, that's not always the case. The enemy that’s...

Roy Schrader Fearless – Faithful – Fun-loving – Forever-Friend Words by Dinarella To know Roy Schrader was to instantly love this special soul from the first moment you met him. And boy does everyone have a story about where he or she first met Roy – whether it was over a few shots of his...

I'm sure many of you are fans of the long-running Discovery Channel’s hit TV show, "Deadliest Catch." And when you’ve been around as long as I have, you occasionally have the opportunity to meet some interesting boating-type characters along the way. It was the summer of 2007 at the San Diego...

Tier One Water Shortage Declaration Imminent A week ago, I posted an article about the improbable solution to ease the woes of western states drought conditions. The notion of constructing a several thousand mile long water pipeline from the Great Lakes to the west seems like nothing more than...

Triple-digit temps out west. No rain. Where’s all the water? The pattern might last for months or years. Lake Michigan could be coming to Idaho. I guess Havasu and Parker boaters should consider themselves lucky. We have Colorado River water but much of the western U.S. is living through...

Avoiding on the water collisions is all about knowing the U.S. Coast Guard Rules of the Road Anytime a boating accident thread appears in the RDP Forum involving two or more boats colliding, a debate routinely follows about who had the ‘right of way’. Although there seems to be a lot of...

Bill Muncey Reveals Being a Professional Boat Racer Isn’t Quite as Glamorousas It Might Seem Since there were more than a handful of you RDP faithful who seemed to like my account of Bill Muncey’s breakfast meeting with famed L.A. Times sportswriter Jim Murray story, here’s another behind the...

Although this is a personal story that not too many people might appreciate, it is a story that’s never been told…..and something I think is worth telling. Hope you find it interesting. Coming in as the new executive editor at Powerboat Magazine in late 1973, I had the opportunity to meet and...

In Part 1 of the Harlan Orrin interview, we chronicled Harlan’s amazing longevity and influence on the development and innovations of the west coast custom boat building business since the mid-1950s. This part of his story focuses on more recent projects including the building of a replica of...

Anybody remember the old saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure?" Well, feast your eyes on this. Tucked away in the hilly back-country near Fallbrook, California, resides Harlan Orrin, on a five acre parcel of land with a modest house and a separate barn out-back he built himself...

Story & select photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from C. Gavidia & The Official TRUMP Boat Facebook Page Part Two: To describe the vibe in Palm Beach for the Flag Day Trumptilla on June 14, I've got to go with the AC/DC banger "Thunderstruck" from my classic rock playlist; you know the...

The Invincible Captain Trump The Gentleman Behind the Mega MAGA Marine Movement Story by Dinarella / Photos courtesy of Carlos Gavidia Part One: The gentleman behind the mega MAGA marine movement is Carlos Gavidia but try hollering out "Captain Trump" if you really want to grab his...

For those that are familiar with the high end V-drive game on the West Coast there is a name that has been around for a long time and is one of the most respected in this "niche" industry. Mike King has been doing custom rigging on not only race boats, but show winners for as long as I can...

Story by DinaRella / Photos by Foley Loaded, Outerlimits, THE BOAT SHOW, & JK Automotive Designs When Valentine's Day weekend arrived, Jason and Laurie Moe were in a HURRY to wave goodbye to Washington and cross the country with their son Colton. If their daughter Katelin wasn't on a...

We all get excited when a manufacturer announces that they are going to do a new model. It happens in several subtle stages, the first of which is quite literally "conversation." "We are thinking about doing XYZ" Depending on the feedback they get from their inner circle and close customers...

This project has been kept under wraps by the crew at Nordic for the last several months. We managed to get our hands on the spy shots of the boat before it debuts at the Los Angeles Boatshow!! Boat came out absolutely incredible! Look for the full write up after LA!

Meet the Owner Robert Lankford and Service Director Mike Morris of Iguana Marine located on Industrial Blvd here in Lake Havasu City. Best friends since high school, Robert and Mike grew up in Southern California. Since childhood, Lake Havasu has always been a favorite playground for the two...

Legend Performance Marine is a new dealership in eastern Washington, just outside of Spokane, in a small town called Liberty Lake. The new owner, Chad Bixby, has always loved the high-performance boating industry. When it comes to Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, and Lake Powell, Chad is no stranger...

The performance-boating industry generally consists of companies founded on a distinct passion for going fast on the water. Regardless of the size of the company, nearly all players in todays performance segment can trace their roots back to a simple love for the water and of course, the...

Part Two: The Now Fortunately, Allan "Brownie" Brown hasn't permanently traded in his toolbox for a table in Starbucks to pen the sequel to his grand slam debut hardback -- Tales from Thunderboat Row. And even better, he answered "yes" and required minimal persuading when an old-time racing...

Part One: The Then Everyone has a nickname and Allan Brown's is BROWNIE. He is sweet like one too, but more suitable and fitting would be to place the word BUOYANT in front of his alias, and place a snapshot of the nonsubmersible hero alongside the definition of the word. Wondering why...

I am excited to announce that we are getting back into both Boat Tests! RiverDavesPlace.com is traditionally recognized as a lifestyle website. That's not to say that we haven't put out some of the best and most accurate boat tests in the industry to date! That's to say we didn't put out...

My last article on RDP was for the Long Beach Sprint Nationals. If you read it, you’ll know that the weekend didn’t necessarily have a happy ending. It turned tragic when our friend, Greg Duff, was critically injured in an accident on the first turn of the second race of Sunday morning. At...

Life jacket exchange events kick off Saturday, May 19! 10-year anniversary of life jacket exchanges starts with events statewide Have an old, worn out life jacket? Swap it for a new one. 2018 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) life jacket exchange...

A few weeks ago Fox's had their grand opening of their new dock bar on the Parker Strip! Now if you are a Havasu guy that might not sound like much, but if you are a Parker guy, then one of the three main fixtures on the water being rebuilt from floats to rooftop is a pretty big deal. Parker...

We are polar opposites on the political Spectrum.... I met you by chance through some friends of friends. And further more you'll always be "B" team to me But you have always been a solid dude, and I'm not only glad to have met you and gotten to know you. I'm proud to be your...

There's one company changing the face of the Solar Industry one customer at a time and that's Palomar Solar. If you are in your early forties you will remember all the positive PR that went into the Solar Industry thirty years ago. Colleges had Solar powered car races, they had solar powered...

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet up with Glenn Prine to check out his amazing 75 Howard 21 V-drive. Gene Willen had told me about this boat at last years Howard Regatta and said "You have to see it in person to believe it." While Gene has never been one to live in the past...

DCB has just delivered it's latest, and first of it's kind to Mike and Kathy Stevenson. Mike an avid performance boat enthusiast is no stranger to DCB having owned an M35 previously that he touts as : "One of the finest boats he has ever owned." I can tell you without a doubt, that...

If you were lucky enough to be on the lake this weekend, you might have noticed an unusual amount of HTM's on the water. This weekend was the 2017 High Torque Marine "Legends Float Party!" The HTM get together started in Thompson bay where the infamous 306 dubbed "Team Huntress" was...

This boat is a 94 American Offshore 2600. 454 Mag with a B&M 250 Blower / Super Chiller (approx 500 HP). Big Gun Tube Headers, Billet Teague Accessories, Bravo X Upper, XR Lower, Dual Hydraulic WPM Steering, Dual Hatch Rams, Dual Auto/Manual Halon fire suppression , All new Carbon Fiber Face...

https://vimeo.com/220177241 Thanks for putting on another killer regatta guys!

https://vimeo.com/218642883 <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/218642883" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/218642883">DCB M28</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/aerialpeek">Aerial...

In our second installment featuring the build of Lickity Splits new hauler, we will watch it go from concepts to completion. If you haven't had a chance to watch the frame come to life make sure to check out the first article we did on the build HERE. When we left off the frame had been...

The 2017 Desert Storm Poker Run brought with it huge crowds, great weather, not so great weather, amazing new boats, some old favorites, a few challenges, and of course parties that will go down in history! From the first lunch run to last call at the after party, this year's Desert Storm...

The 2017 Desert Storm Street Party opened up today to sweltering temps and eager boating fans and RDP was there to bring swag, a cold beverage or two, and a party that had the whole street captivated till they the powers that be shut it down. In true RDP style the whole street next to Bad Dogs...

The Wednesday of Desert Storm is always the low key opening for Desert Storm. Consider it a "soft opening" of sorts. Folks are rolling into town and getting setup, others are enjoying some boating, and promoters, participants and sponsors are gearing up for tomorrow's Street Party. While all...

FRIDAY POKER RUN - RAFT UP 1.This location was picked because the south facing beach should offer some protection from boat wakes. It is approximately 1 1/2 miles North of the Pump station. 2.Bring an Anchor, and BRING LARGE FENDERS!! If you show up with coke can diameter fenders don't be...

Teague Custom Marine is thrilled to be co-hosting the 6th Annual Krusin' for Kids event at DESERT STORM 2017, with Lake Racer LLC and other sponsors! Those that have been part of Krusin' for Kids know that this day is very special and made possible by our volunteer boaters, helpers and the...

We are giving away a ride for two people in the RDP Helicopter Friday afternoon during Desert Storm! All you have to do is tell us your best "RDP" story in the forums HERE If you are a newer member and don't have an "RDP" story that's no problem! Tell us your best Desert Storm story, and...

Desert Storm Poker Run & Shootout Power in the Park Powersports Festival March 29, 2017 It's with thanks to the multiyear returning main sponsors Shugrue?s Family of Fine Restaurants, Spectre Powerboats, the Lake Havasu Convention and Visitors Bureau, DCB Performance Boats and Teague Custom...

IMPORTANT 2017 "HAVASU'S COOLEST BOAT CONTEST" PARTICIPANT INFORMATION Part of the 26th Annual Lake Havasu Boat ShowLake Havasu State Park, Windsor 3 & 4 - April 7-9, 2017 Thank you for registering to participate in the 2017 "Havasu's Coolest Boat Contest.". The event will be held at Windsor...

Now compared to our usual shop tours where we actually try to give a tour of the shop, this article is more focused on what's actually going on down there. I'm only allowed to upload 25 pics onto the front page, and I'd like to focus them on the over the top bad ass builds going on instead of...

This is a great example to show how far the best in the Industry has come in just under a decade. Kenny Gonzales purchased this boat from Maxed Out Marine with the intentions of taking what is arguably a very nice boat and updating it to the best that 2017 has to offer! DCB has recently...

Approximately two weeks ago we published an article about "Bullhead Bully" (Paul Wallner) in his 28 SS running 126 MPH in his 28 Nordic SS with Twin 400's. At the end of that article I wrote that it, to our knowledge, was the fastest stock 400 boat out there. DCB is not one to be...

I recently took a trip down back to Southern California to visit several industry related shops, and boat builders. One of the stops made a lasting impression on me, and that was Cobra Boats! It has been years since I have taken a hard look at what Cobra is doing (pre-recession LA Boatshow...

IF YOU DON'T WANT ATTENTION, this boat is not for you. Designed and built by Errol Lanier a legendary Racer. The best riding boat under 25 feet by far and I have owned over 10 cats in my lifetime. Powered by a stock 2006 Mercury 250XS 400hr. * Magic tilt tandem...