How Does One Get Into Performance Boating?

[warpt71]

View attachment 1187832 Buy or build a boat like this, when you can drive it well you can drive anything, then you’re a very proficient “performance boater”.

Dago Red

 

[Yoshiro]

I lived on an island near Seattle as a kid in the mid 80s, waterfront. We had an 8' Livingston dinghy like the one pictured below. We had a 4.5hp johnson for it, as it was rated for 5hp. I found a 1958 18hp johnson and put it on there, thinking it was the perfect boat for it because of the hull design (tunnel). Put a tiller extension on so I could sit up on the nose to get it going and not flip. That was the start....

 

[Drew]

I started years ago with a mod v hydro stream with a hopped up 2.4 Bridgeport . I would hang that thing on the edge of blow over all the time. It takes years to know how to run a boat especially in the snot. There is a ton that goes into everything that has to do with racing . I moved up to a velocity io ran in the low to mid 80’s. Left flighty but still a handful in the waves. Now I have a 35’ fountain running in the 90’s and still learning. But between prop choice how props work different trim and how and when to run tabs it’s not something that you can go and buy a sick boat and think that you will do good. The top guys in super boat or opba have years of testing that can be taught . A lot of guys that come from motocross background seam to have a nack for how to throttle a boat and how to stay on top of the waves better than someone without any experience .

 

[HST4ME]

8 years old when I got my first boat, had my first 100+ boat at 20 , Hydrostream/260 EFI. Been through about every aspect of it since.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

i just did it the old fashioned way
bought a 18' flatbottom boat at 18
then few years later got a 21' day cruiser,
after a few more years got a 21' jet boat
Got married had a kid and had that boat for years. California and couple trips to Lake powell but mostly local so cal lakes and parker,
At 47 i Got divorced and went right out and bought a 35' Cigarette
After getting that i was introduced to the whole offshore and performance boat life style.
Sold the Sand rail, quads, motorhome, trailer, Jeep, and started boating year round
now i go boating all over the country

And yeah 08 hurt, had to sell everything but worked hard to get another one ( had a few years being boat less that really sucked )

This is why I for one dig ya buddy....
"At 47 i Got divorced and went right out and bought a 35' Cigarette"

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Well considering most of these answers “why” and not “how”
Why…. Dad moved to bullhead during the Laughlin boom, so we were always at the river, uncle raced blown alcohol flat bottom and had a place in Parker. Other family had place in the beachcomber in early 90’s. I actually have lake havasu on my birth certificate,”river born”. So that’s the why. Always been hooked.
How…. Lots of side jobs I bought my first boat, it was a 22’ velocity w/ truck 454. Pulled the motor to go through, waterfall later I was down at Teague asking for a motor package that I assembled myself. Sold it now have the 29 magic. Would love to upgrade one day, but boat works for the family well. 100+ would be fun but comes with responsibility.

Here Here for the 29' Magic! Long live the Wizards!!

 

[beaverretriever]

I bought a brand new Moomba wake boat in 2003. Great little boat but after I went to Havasu with it that same year and heard those loud custom boats and saw everything from Ultras and Magics to big HP Eliminators and DCBs blowing past us through rougher water, I was sold on buying something faster and cooler.

We never did much wake sport wise anyways. I just wanted to get to the sand bar faster so I look at girls in thong bikinis and drink beer!

 

[timstoy]

Be prepared to flop your wallet! Bob Graff GN7 RIP.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Some of the threads about snow birds aging out and how millennials don't understand or care about the performance boating lifestyle got me thinking: how does one even get into performance boating? There are definitely barriers to entry (knowledge, cost, etc) and i think its a miracle this lifestyle exists.

Personally, when i was 18 my dad bought a maxum runabout that we cruised around big river area of parker. When the 08 happened all the fun toys got sold. Fast forward When i turned 27 i bought another Maxum to use at local San Diego lakes and bays/oceans and then ventured back out to parker 8 years ago. It was then i started seeing performance boats and said "I want one of those." Then came the renegade then the daytona.

That all said, how did you get into performance boating? How can we educate and pass this torch on to the next generation that seems to care more about a weekend experience for social media vs owning and maintaining a perfomance boat.

Its a good thread.... here's my tale....I was raised in Fla & Va and Florida universities have D1 water ski teams. After graduation a buddy who skii'd bought a Ski Nautique and spent a day attempting to teach me to ski.... I struggled but convinced him to teach me how to drive. That worked great cause he got to show off barefooting etc and I fell in love with driving a powerboat. We actually took that little thing into the ocean which was a near death experience but I was hooked. I moved west to Cali at 30.... grew my money and was sitting at the Newport Beach Pier sushi restaurant in about 2003 when a bunch of performance offshore guys [Like @Tank] came flying by the pier screaming with big blocks. That was it for me basically.... I started small but was never really a boat addict like some I know. However there is nothing that I've found quite like speed boating at sea.
To answer your question of how the younger generations find boating, I believe it will be through enjoying their experiences in boating. they have to be exposed to it. I've taken a mess of kids out aging 10-18 and often they'd rather go below and stare at a phone. that was sad to see. But then there are the fun ones that I teach to drive... let me tell you there's nothing scarier than 10 year old girls on the throttle of a go fast in the ocean! My hopes are one of them will fall for a guy with a boat and who knows maybe one day get their own go fast.

 

[yuppie]

If the culture is going to keep going, it needs to be passed down. Kids in their 20's all the way down to their early teens should be exposed to boating.

Give them something to do, throw them in the truck, bring them along and make them part of the process. Indoctrinate!

 

[Apex svt]

My father was always into cars and boats. Grew up with both and it’s a hobby we’ve done together our whole lives.

I’ve always been heavily interested/involved in drag racing and boats. Had the opportunity to work for (now one of my best friends) Motorsports shop. Got hands on with very high powered cars and learned an insane amount, which heavily translated to boats.

Anyways, here was the start. 1997 212 islander W/454 carb. Boat ran pretty hard for a stock 21 I/O. Upper 60’s.

Then came the 25 Outlaw. Beautiful boat but was actually slower than the 212. Stock 496HO 23p mirage.

Dad got mad that it was slower than the 212 decided it needed a blower. In came the Procharger. 5# kit. I was 16 and he let me put the kit on. Had some help when it came time to pull the motor/drive and notch the stringer.

Boat picked up about 10mph. Ran a best of 75mph on a real cold day.

Always got a kick out of this, traded the boat in years later and here was the for sale ad they had. Always take these ads with a grain of salt.

The 25 went up for sale right after we took our first LOTO trip and got our asses beat.

In came the cheetah! What an awesome boat 525EFI’s XR’s imco lowers. Low 90 mph boat dead reliable.

We got to play with this one a bit. Tore the interior out(originally white) had it redone in yellow and a lot of powder coat. Had the 32’s cupped to try and get it off the limiter (never did). I got to refresh the top ends right before we sold.

After running LOTO a few years dad saw his dream boat pop up for sale. He’s had his eyes on it since the first trip.

Worked a deal and in came the Mean Streak.

This boat was our first introduction into what high powered offshore boating is like. It’s work. Maintenance/check overs/repairs, I can easily see how someone would get burnt out.

The boat doesn’t enter the water unless we’re together. He drives, I run maintenance/repairs/gauge monitoring.

It has been and is still an amazing experience that I’ve had the opportunity to do with my father. We both share the passion together and have been able to bond together in the good times/bad times of these boats. Tons of hours of work but i’d have it no other way.

 

[92562]

Like many here I was raised boating on the Colorado river. I worked for the Chaparral dealer in Escondido and was basically their boat tester and boat delivery person. They also had a huge consignment business and the first time I tested and then delivered a 1991 Formula F311 SR-1 with a pair of carbureted HP-500s, I was hooked!

 

[was thatguy]

I’ve always been a drag racer. Since my first car, 71 340 duster.
Became a machinist and learned the trade from Bob Hayes, then Darrel Coker, and worked with some really good fabricators and real life racers.
As I got older I built a few engines for flatties and a Miller jet. Then rode in a Sanger 5 rib hydro one day and that was that. I was in my 20’s then.
To me “performance boating” is peddling a flattie at 90+, or cruising my Miller at 80+, using chop like it’s whoops on an MX track. Airing out the potato chip at 80 MPH will make you a believer!
I do love the big boats, riding in Steves skater is unlike anything I’d ever done.
But the little hot rods are my deal, and they’re affordable as a part time hobby.

 

[bilz]

Performance Boats=3 or more axles on the trailer

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I had a father who grew up racing SK boats and then water ski racing in the 60’s. His sister married a guy that also raced SK as well as KRR. So you gotta figure he had the go fast boat bug pretty strong.

Marriage, and me, put an end to the racing, but my dad got around that by building the family sleeper. It was full interior but had all the race parts under the hatch. I grew up learning to drive that from Mohave to Arrowhead. I was less than a month old before I was in the river at Bullhead and as kids we camped on Mohave at night, and by day we waterskied and drove around in that sleeper doing some ad hoc racing with other hot boats.

Later I got to race that boat in ski racing. Meanwhile we kept upgrading the fleet from the 21 to a 23 to a 26 and finally a 30. Nothing that hasn’t had a blower or two turbos.

Also as a kid , I didn’t have regular birthday parties, we had Lake parties. Grab like 4 good friends and we all went to the lake all day. We’d swim, water ski and go for fast rides. Parents would come along but it was all about the kids.

So start early, in anything you can afford and let it grow from there however you can. Bring friends. Look for boating girls to have a relationship with and boating as a family is easy.

 

[DWC]

My father was always into cars and boats. Grew up with both and it’s a hobby we’ve done together our whole lives.

I’ve always been heavily interested/involved in drag racing and boats. Had the opportunity to work for (now one of my best friends) Motorsports shop. Got hands on with very high powered cars and learned an insane amount, which heavily translated to boats.

Anyways, here was the start. 1997 212 islander W/454 carb. Boat ran pretty hard for a stock 21 I/O. Upper 60’s.
View attachment 1187863

Then came the 25 Outlaw. Beautiful boat but was actually slower than the 212. Stock 496HO 23p mirage.
View attachment 1187864
View attachment 1187871

Dad got mad that it was slower than the 212 decided it needed a blower. In came the Procharger. 5# kit. I was 16 and he let me put the kit on. Had some help when it came time to pull the motor/drive and notch the stringer.
View attachment 1187874 View attachment 1187875

Boat picked up about 10mph. Ran a best of 75mph on a real cold day.

Always got a kick out of this, traded the boat in years later and here was the for sale ad they had. Always take these ads with a grain of salt.
View attachment 1187876

The 25 went up for sale right after we took our first LOTO trip and got our asses beat.

In came the cheetah! What an awesome boat 525EFI’s XR’s imco lowers. Low 90 mph boat dead reliable.
View attachment 1187878 View attachment 1187879

We got to play with this one a bit. Tore the interior out(originally white) had it redone in yellow and a lot of powder coat. Had the 32’s cupped to try and get it off the limiter (never did). I got to refresh the top ends right before we sold.

After running LOTO a few years dad saw his dream boat pop up for sale. He’s had his eyes on it since the first trip.

Worked a deal and in came the Mean Streak.
View attachment 1187881 View attachment 1187882
This boat was our first introduction into what high powered offshore boating is like. It’s work. Maintenance/check overs/repairs, I can easily see how someone would get burnt out.

The boat doesn’t enter the water unless we’re together. He drives, I run maintenance/repairs/gauge monitoring.

It has been and is still an amazing experience that I’ve had the opportunity to do with my father. We both share the passion together and have been able to bond together in the good times/bad times of these boats. Tons of hours of work but i’d have it no other way.

You win.

 

[farmo83]

Runs in the family somewhat.



A long-time family friend/mentor got into racing boats in the 50’s. Raced for Red Adair, etc. Through him my Dad got into fast boats and Dad is a mechanic so he could fix stuff up/keep it running etc. Also I think that generation was just more into competitive minded stuff. They would pull seats and anything else basically not bolted down and some things that were to race Century Arabians which might make 50 on a cold day, no fuel etc. Dad had a jet boat that ran really well, Bill had his 1100 hp Spectra at the time, One of Dad’s good friends had a Twin Turbo Charged Baja etc. It was all I knew growing up. I ended up with the jet boat as my college gradation present, drove it for a while and bought my Schiada. Drove that around for a while and then repowered it. Dad has a nice Hallett now etc.



As far as how to get folks into it you either need the knowledge to build up stuff yourself or have the money to pay someone to do it for you which isn’t cheap as we all know. It’s a unique combination. Also as we all know you can drive that fast anymore due to all the surf boats. Back in the day you could roll around in a flat bottom and not get swamped. Now you can only use them maybe 10 min after sun rise or before dark. Bigger boats to roll around in and deal with the chop are more expensive which keeps folks out etc.



Sadly I do predict it’ll end with me though.

 

[Hoodoo]

My boys are 18 and 15, completely normal in all regards but have little to no interest in my boats. WTF, I had no opportunity for such things at their age and don’t get it??

 

[Eliminator21vdrive]

Mine's on my forearm.

Mine's on my forearm.

Mine too !

 

[River Runnin]

$500,000.00 to start or go home!

 

[beaverretriever]

To be fair, I had ZERO interest in boats until the late 90s. My father was not a boater and never introduced me to anything boat related. However, my first trip to Havasu in 1999-2000 on the 4th of July with some buddies changed me forever. My buddy had a friend who had a new 20 foot Bayliner. We gave him gas money to take us to the sand bar. My God, I was obsessed with buying a boat so I could go to the lake. I think it had more to do with partying than actually boating though. But after some time I realized how cool and fun boats were that I became more interested in boats.

I ended up loving boats so much I made it my career for over four years. We have thought about moving to Florida so I could persue something in the boat industry again, but with my parents not getting any younger and my father in bad shape, we are staying in SoNev for a while.

So to make a long story short, basically girls in thong bikinis and drinking is what got me into performance boats and boats in general.

 

[Justsomeguy]

I've always enjoyed anything with a motor really. My older cousin was mechanic. In my younger years I spent many weekends learning how to wrench in his parents driveway with all his friends coming over to hang out. They in their later 20s and me 15 years younger. They all had bikes, so Glamis and Pismo was the thing we did.

Then I met one of my best friends in High school. The bikes brought us together, but it would be the river that keeps us together to this day.

His family grew up at the river. Every June, and still to this day, the entire family goes to the river for moms birthday. He would always talk about it, I always wondered about it. Then came the day the 3 boys, his brother, his dad and himself all went in on a 230 velocity caliber 1. What a , I thought to myself. First trip was great but was mellow. Nothing crazy. It was fun. Then I started dating a girl with an amazing family. Her dad was into it all. Was like an older me, he was great and I think we got along great and he taught me so much. He had an advantage jet boat. So every summer I was off to the river, this is when I truly became hooked. The sand bar. I'll never forget the first time I saw that place. A stripper pole on a deck boat. Genius I thought. Then out the hatch he pulls beads and jello shots. Who is this hero? Someone with mutual friends, I would later find out. For years same routine. Then the inevitable happend. We went our separate ways. Which was best for all, but my river didn't end there. It's a vast river and plenty of it.

Back on the caliber I went for many more years. I left for school out of state. I hated those years of no river. Every late night studying I would find myself on Craigslist looking at boats, reminding myself why I was going through such torture.

Finally, school and state exams are done, I'm licensed and a new baby. Time to start shopping. I bitched, I moaned, I saved, I got frustrated, I searched. Finally, I found a caliber 1 230 velocity in my range, kind of. But I couldn't get to it in time. Then, I'm on the last page of numerous pages and hours of looking. I see what seems to be a decent ultra. Shorter than I wanted, but big block. I sent to it to my buddy for opinions and input. Worked out my schedule at work and off I was to Yuma. I've never smiled more on a long drive home by myself. The faces of the wife and kid when I got home. They haven't stopped smiling since.

Fast forward, my buddy has moved. He has 2 daughters similar in age to mine. The river is the only time I see him now. The girls love playing together. It's amazing to watch.

I'll never stop loving the river. But as has been said. If you don't love it, it's not for you. It's a ton of work.

 

[Hoodoo]

$500,000.00 to start or go home!

2022 34 Phantom was 100k plus rigging.
Easy 100mph V and turns like it’s on rails.

 

[jetboatperformance]

In 1975 coming off a very short lived marriage/divorce, I met my now wife Rhonda of nearly 50 years while cruising town in SLO , She asked me to go to Naci to her parents cabin Her Pops (Mopar mechanic) Had a Big ass Cathedral Hull Dolphin Outboard that he had built/installed a 440 Dodge motor (from a burned out CHP car) and a Berkeley Pakajet kit . Its Throaty growl and awesome throttle response was all it took , a year later We were coming home from the lake and I spyed My 18 Miller jet in the showroom of R&R sports center (just outside Paso) BOOM I flipped a bitch and the Miller was ours , after a carreer In Auto dealerships in the 90's We started Jet Boat Performance Clearly I was Smitten with Her and Hot Boats . That was 100's of Jets and Vdrives ago .... theres alot more ..... (Pic is 76' )

 

[RIVERBORN]

I've always enjoyed anything with a motor really. My older cousin was mechanic. In my younger years I spent many weekends learning how to wrench in his parents driveway with all his friends coming over to hang out. They in their later 20s and me 15 years younger. They all had bikes, so Glamis and Pismo was the thing we did.

Then I met one of my best friends in High school. The bikes brought us together, but it would be the river that keeps us together to this day.

His family grew up at the river. Every June, and still to this day, the entire family goes to the river for moms birthday. He would always talk about it, I always wondered about it. Then came the day the 3 boys, his brother, his dad and himself all went in on a 230 velocity caliber 1. What a , I thought to myself. First trip was great but was mellow. Nothing crazy. It was fun. Then I started dating a girl with an amazing family. Her dad was into it all. Was like an older me, he was great and I think we got along great and he taught me so much. He had an advantage jet boat. So every summer I was off to the river, this is when I truly became hooked. The sand bar. I'll never forget the first time I saw that place. A stripper pole on a deck boat. Genius I thought. Then out the hatch he pulls beads and jello shots. Who is this hero? Someone with mutual friends, I would later find out. For years same routine. Then the inevitable happend. We went our separate ways. Which was best for all, but my river didn't end there. It's a vast river and plenty of it.

Back on the caliber I went for many more years. I left for school out of state. I hated those years of no river. Every late night studying I would find myself on Craigslist looking at boats, reminding myself why I was going through such torture.

Finally, school and state exams are done, I'm licensed and a new baby. Time to start shopping. I bitched, I moaned, I saved, I got frustrated, I searched. Finally, I found a caliber 1 230 velocity in my range, kind of. But I couldn't get to it in time. Then, I'm on the last page of numerous pages and hours of looking. I see what seems to be a decent ultra. Shorter than I wanted, but big block. I sent to it to my buddy for opinions and input. Worked out my schedule at work and off I was to Yuma. I've never smiled more on a long drive home by myself. The faces of the wife and kid when I got home. They haven't stopped smiling since.

Fast forward, my buddy has moved. He has 2 daughters similar in age to mine. The river is the only time I see him now. The girls love playing together. It's amazing to watch.

I'll never stop loving the river. But as has been said. If you don't love it, it's not for you. It's a ton of work.

Nice. Not to many velocity’s out there. 220 was my first boat.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

My boys are 18 and 15, completely normal in all regards but have little to no interest in my boats. WTF, I had no opportunity for such things at their age and don’t get it??

Have you tried teaching them at the helm? That was what hooked my friends younger kids.... otherwise they didn't care less. I had to give em the wheel or else their need for constant stimulation took their brains elsewhere ....like to the cell phones.... it wasn't enough stimulation to keep them engaged even if we were at speed sometime.

 

[Tank]

I absolutely love listening to boating friends talk about growing up with performance boats (like Connor above @Apex svt ).

Neither of my parents had boats but they had a love and affinity for the sea and lived on the beach most of their adult lives. That somewhat thrust me into boats. At 11 my dad bought me an Avon with a 5 hp motor to cruise around the harbor and out to the platform Gina (they were unaware of that one). When I was around 12 I worked for a rental company down the street from my house that rented mini schiadas and addictors. They had about 8 of them and I’d run them all over, get gas, clean them etc.

that rolled me into cleaning boats at the wellcraft dealership. This was the hight of Miami Vice and they had 2 scarabs in stock. I was SOLD!!! from that point on it was my mission to own an offshore powerboat.

I was running and around various boats through my teens. Had a whaler had an addictor, but when I finally got a real job at 20 I bought my first real boat. Brand new from the factory 24’ Baja outlaw with a. 454. Had that for about 8 years and bought a 38’ cigarette top gun, sold that when we had our boys, had a 26 eliminator for a short time, and then bought our current cigarette cafe racer. Now looking to get a #6 cigarette either 42’ or another 38’ with big power.

I will say I was hugely influenced by Miami Vice. It was definitely one of the seeds that planted the addiction in me. Shit, I still want a testarossa.

Meanwhile I ran and crawled through a shit ton of boats over the years. I‘m convinced I have more seat time in other boats than my own! Lol From good friends owning formulas, cigarettes, skaters, fountains, Outerlimits, DCB’s specters, scarabs, etc to working for powerboat magazine and being exposed to even more boats.

My goal when I had kids was to raise them around the water and around performance boating. Because I respect those bonding stories that I really didn’t get. We raised our daughter that way (she was driving 1,000 HP 42’ cigarettes at 12 years old and heading to key west for the worlds with us by 16. she ended up marrying AJ and now they own a cigarette (so, I feel the passion stuck).

We’re raising our boys around ocean and lake life. And they love it so far. Always asking to take the boat out. Love driving the boat. And like I’ve said, gonna get my older son a 17’ whaler to cruise around here on.

I think for some the passion for cool shit and speed is there from birth. It is for me even though I wasn’t raised around performance boats. But there are still an endless amount of parents who are injecting that passion for performance boats into their kids every time they drag ‘em along to the lake or other boating events.

People always ask this question about the next generation but there’s no shortage of performance boats being sold. And while trends ebb and flow and fast pontoons and center console popularity rose, there’s still traditional performance boats heading out the door. I’ve been into this scene for many years and as I get older I see more people younger than me owning bad ass boats. So, it’s there. It’s being passed on.

Im Doing my part to keep it going!

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

I absolutely love listening to boating friends talk about growing up with performance boats (like Connor above @Apex svt ).

Neither of my parents had boats but they had a love and affinity for the sea and lived on the beach most of their adult lives. That somewhat thrust me into boats. At 11 my dad bought me an Avon with a 5 hp motor to cruise around the harbor and out to the platform Gina (they were unaware of that one). When I was around 12 I worked for a rental company down the street from my house that rented mini schiadas and addictors. They had about 8 of them and I’d run them all over, get gas, clean them etc.

that rolled me into cleaning boats at the wellcraft dealership. This was the hight of Miami Vice and they had 2 scarabs in stock. I was SOLD!!! from that point on it was my mission to own an offshore powerboat.

I was running and around various boats through my teens. Had a whaler had an addictor, but when I finally got a real job at 20 I bought my first real boat. Brand new from the factory 24’ Baja outlaw with a. 454. Had that for about 8 years and bought a 38’ cigarette top gun, sold that when we had our boys, had a 26 eliminator for a short time, and then bought our current cigarette cafe racer. Now looking to get a #6 cigarette either 42’ or another 38’ with big power.

I will say I was hugely influenced by Miami Vice. It was definitely one of the seeds that planted the addiction in me. Shit, I still want a testarossa.

Meanwhile I ran and crawled through a shit ton of boats over the years. I‘m convinced I have more seat time in other boats than my own! Lol From good friends owning formulas, cigarettes, skaters, fountains, Outerlimits, DCB’s specters, scarabs, etc to working for powerboat magazine and being exposed to even more boats.

My goal when I had kids was to raise them around the water and around performance boating. Because I respect those bonding stories that I really didn’t get. We raised our daughter that way (she was driving 1,000 HP 42’ cigarettes at 12 years old and heading to key west for the worlds with us by 16. she ended up marrying AJ and now they own a cigarette (so, I feel the passion stuck).

We’re raising our boys around ocean and lake life. And they love it so far. Always asking to take the boat out. Love driving the boat. And like I’ve said, gonna get my older son a 17’ whaler to cruise around here on.

I think for some the passion for cool shit and speed is there from birth. It is for me even though I wasn’t raised around performance boats. But there are still an endless amount of parents who are injecting that passion for performance boats into their kids every time they drag ‘em along to the lake or other boating events.

People always ask this question about the next generation but there’s no shortage of performance boats being sold. And while trends ebb and flow and fast pontoons and center console popularity rose, there’s still traditional performance boats heading out the door. I’ve been into this scene for many years and as I get older I see more people younger than me owning bad ass boats. So, it’s there. It’s being passed on.

Im Doing my part to keep it going!



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Livin the Tank life!

 

[Bobby_329]

I was pretty much born into it going to the ski races. Learned to drive them super young probably 10 or younger driving around the 1st Family Tradition boat then I was taking the vector everywhere we went as soon as i got my drivers license I think my dad got tired of me ripping on his shit so we built a 19 hallett in 2008 Later I bought the 22 stoker I have now less motor and built that. I like building them and making them my own as much as taking them out.

 

[ToMorrow44]

I’m a millennial, I got bit by the bug really young as a kid going to Havasu and Powell. The key for me is I do all the work on my boat, I grew up wrenching on everything. That being said, most of my peers can’t change a tire.

My kids have been going on the boat since 6 weeks old and love helping me work on it, they’ll be the next generation for sure.

 

[Apex svt]

I absolutely love listening to boating friends talk about growing up with performance boats (like Connor above @Apex svt ).

Neither of my parents had boats but they had a love and affinity for the sea and lived on the beach most of their adult lives. That somewhat thrust me into boats. At 11 my dad bought me an Avon with a 5 hp motor to cruise around the harbor and out to the platform Gina (they were unaware of that one). When I was around 12 I worked for a rental company down the street from my house that rented mini schiadas and addictors. They had about 8 of them and I’d run them all over, get gas, clean them etc.

that rolled me into cleaning boats at the wellcraft dealership. This was the hight of Miami Vice and they had 2 scarabs in stock. I was SOLD!!! from that point on it was my mission to own an offshore powerboat.

I was running and around various boats through my teens. Had a whaler had an addictor, but when I finally got a real job at 20 I bought my first real boat. Brand new from the factory 24’ Baja outlaw with a. 454. Had that for about 8 years and bought a 38’ cigarette top gun, sold that when we had our boys, had a 26 eliminator for a short time, and then bought our current cigarette cafe racer. Now looking to get a #6 cigarette either 42’ or another 38’ with big power.

I will say I was hugely influenced by Miami Vice. It was definitely one of the seeds that planted the addiction in me. Shit, I still want a testarossa.

Meanwhile I ran and crawled through a shit ton of boats over the years. I‘m convinced I have more seat time in other boats than my own! Lol From good friends owning formulas, cigarettes, skaters, fountains, Outerlimits, DCB’s specters, scarabs, etc to working for powerboat magazine and being exposed to even more boats.

My goal when I had kids was to raise them around the water and around performance boating. Because I respect those bonding stories that I really didn’t get. We raised our daughter that way (she was driving 1,000 HP 42’ cigarettes at 12 years old and heading to key west for the worlds with us by 16. she ended up marrying AJ and now they own a cigarette (so, I feel the passion stuck).

We’re raising our boys around ocean and lake life. And they love it so far. Always asking to take the boat out. Love driving the boat. And like I’ve said, gonna get my older son a 17’ whaler to cruise around here on.

I think for some the passion for cool shit and speed is there from birth. It is for me even though I wasn’t raised around performance boats. But there are still an endless amount of parents who are injecting that passion for performance boats into their kids every time they drag ‘em along to the lake or other boating events.

People always ask this question about the next generation but there’s no shortage of performance boats being sold. And while trends ebb and flow and fast pontoons and center console popularity rose, there’s still traditional performance boats heading out the door. I’ve been into this scene for many years and as I get older I see more people younger than me owning bad ass boats. So, it’s there. It’s being passed on.

Im Doing my part to keep it going!



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Thanks for the shout out brother, if it wasn’t for these boats we wouldn’t have ever met!

We’re only 156 short days away from the reunion! Make sure captain chaos has the Tiger ready.

 

[Tank]

Thanks for the shout out brother, if it wasn’t for these boats we wouldn’t have ever met!

We’re only 156 short days away from the reunion! Make sure captain chaos has the Tiger ready.

Capt. Chaos. It’s so Fuckin true!

 

[Hoodoo]

Have you tried teaching them at the helm? That was what hooked my friends younger kids.... otherwise they didn't care less. I had to give em the wheel or else their need for constant stimulation took their brains elsewhere ....like to the cell phones.... it wasn't enough stimulation to keep them engaged even if we were at speed sometime.

Yeah when they were really young I’d have them take turns running the world cat in from 50 mi offshore fishing. They’ve been with me in a few of the crazy New Year’s Day runs and the more civilized Pend o rielle runs in Idaho. They just haven’t gotten the fever, maybe someday.

 

[81Sprint]

I was always into street cars and running at the drags every weekend that I could. Met and married my wife in '07, she basically grew up going to the lower river, her parents had a place down at Walter's Camp forever and her dad had many jet botes. I had never had one, but sounded fun living in Vegas with the lake around the corner. So we went to Bass Pro shops and came home with a 21' Tahoe, that thing handled horribly but we went every weekend always had a blast and met a ton of people. Was a great starter boat. Happened to be the river with some friends and met Greg Fuller (RIP), he let me drive his blown spectra, and the performance boat bug has had me every since.

 

[was thatguy]

Most of you have seen this, but it’s worth a repost to me!

Keep putting gas in it and it’ll keep going 80 all day long!

 

[pkrrvr619]

This thread is delivering!

 

[SJP]

I think I have posted this story in another thread but I will tell a version of it again.

I grew up on a lake in Upstate NY just outside of Syracuse. Snowmobiling on the lake in the winters and boating all summer. Growing up we had a Glastron Jet Boat with a 460 Berkley Jet. My dad bought a 25 FT Baja with a 454 MAG pictured in the background of my avatar. Summer weekends were spent in the 80s and 90s at our version of the sandbar, pirates cove bar and other coves. I hung out with the other boating kids before any of us had jet skis or any other variant of PWCs. Daring each other to steel drinks out of our parents coolers and swimming under day cruiser boats in less than 2 - 3 waters on a dare. End of the day we would end up at a bque on the lake or a bar for dinner. Mixture of performance, day, overnight boaters. Performance boating on my lake growing up and arguably to this day is 60mph plus.

In the very long winters my father graciously brought us to South Florida, Ft. Lauderdale maybe once every couple of years to escape the winter. Mid Eighties he booked us a trip and we were on the inter coastal. I watched the Ft. Apache guns run in addition to a host of Donzi, Cigs etc in the height of ”Cigarette Boats” on Thunder Row. Being at the time 8 years old I was amazed. Guys with Oakley Blades and Blondes to match. At that point this was exactly where I wanted to be. Cut to my dad bringing our family (I was the one of 3) to Shooter’s Bar and Grill. Honestly I have no idea how they let us have lunch there. The docks were stacked and 5 to 6 boat deep along the entire dock of just killer 80s paint job go fast boats. Wet T shirt contest still ranks on my top 10 lifetime events I have attended.

 

[Tank]

I think I have posted this story in another thread but I will tell a version of it again.

I grew up on a lake in Upstate NY just outside of Syracuse. Snowmobiling on the lake in the winters and boating all summer. Growing up we had a Glastron Jet Boat with a 460 Berkley Jet. My dad bought a 25 FT Baja with a 454 MAG pictured in the background of my avatar. Summer weekends were spent in the 80s and 90s at our version of the sandbar, pirates cove bar and other coves. I hung out with the other boating kids before any of us had jet skis or any other variant of PWCs. Daring each other to steel drinks out of our parents coolers and swimming under day cruiser boats in less than 2 - 3 waters on a dare. End of the day we would end up at a bque on the lake or a bar for dinner. Mixture of performance, day, overnight boaters. Performance boating on my lake growing up and arguably to this day is 60mph plus.

In the very long winters my father graciously brought us to South Florida, Ft. Lauderdale maybe once every couple of years to escape the winter. Mid Eighties he booked us a trip and we were on the inter coastal. I watched the Ft. Apache guns run in addition to a host of Donzi, Cigs etc in the height of ”Cigarette Boats” on Thunder Row. Being at the time 8 years old I was amazed. Guys with Oakley Blades and Blondes to match. At that point this was exactly where I wanted to be. Cut to my dad bringing our family (I was the one of 3) to Shooter’s Bar and Grill. Honestly I have on idea how they let us have lunch there. The docks were stacked and 5 to 6 boat deep along the entire dock of just killer 80s paint job go fast boats. Wet T shirt contest still ranks on my top 10 lifetime events I have attended.

The old wet t shirt contest every Sunday at shooters. Fuckin south Florida STAPLE!!!!!

 

[Eliminator21vdrive]

I started water skiing when I was 11 behind dads Glaspar/Evinrude every summer all summer. Fast forward to junior year of high school a neighbor of my dads was working on Eliminator 21 step deck with a new Banks TT 454 And ? out drive. I worked for him on weekends and after school and went on the wet test of that boat and needless to say fish on!

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Grew up in Bullhead near river, dad always had some sort of boat, yet they seldom ran. As kids we’d hang out by the river my buddy’s always would ogle the jets and little boats, the rare occasions you’d see a 24-26’ boat i knew what i wanted. At 22 i was ready to buy, but instead went to Cheetah and had them build me my first boat. Two months later ol Pixilated Pussy had to have it and i sold and made money on it, then my Blown TCM 02 Howard and well it’s a sickness now. But I’ll be sticking to my little cruiser i have now for a good while longer.