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Yearly Archives: 2015
Performance Boat Center in Top Form: From Small Brokerage to Lake of the Ozarks Boating Hub
Performance Boat Center may be a name you’re familiar with if you’ve boated near the Osage Beach, Missouri area on the Lake of the Ozarks, but if not pay attention because it’s one you need to know. The company is on the definition of a comeup, with the past year seeing a huge burst in growth in selection, service, and even location with the move to its amazing 10,000 square foot waterfront showroom.
People from all around the Lake of the Ozarks area make the trip to the docks just to view what’s new in the showroom – and with recent additions of brands like Cigarette, Skater, and Sunsation they always have something new to look forward to. Whether they’re window shopping or waiting for servicing, they will soon be able to stop off at the newly-opened sister restaurant Redhead Lakeside Grill within the complex.
It’s not just standard additions and business as usual, though; Performance Boat Center (PBC) is ahead of the game in its lavish yet savvy investments. They plopped down hefty sums of hard cash to attract potential buyers with new lines – including a $1 million dollar Outerlimits – and bring excitement to the powerboating world, all without a direct guarantee of a buyer. They recently invested in the entire line of exhaust products from Custom Marine INC and stock some of the largest selections of the most popular brands on the market. PBC’s continued stellar selection and excellent service are what give them the freedom to innovate and make these business choices; the word of mouth from the tight-knit community of the Lake of the Ozarks keeps people coming back to the place that makes their boat run right. Co-owner Brett Manire says that even in the winter months, where many local companies typically find business slow, things are wild around there and he loves it.
In yet another example of PBC’s committment to customer service and your boat’s performance, they recently purchased Nauti Marine in 2014. Besides the high expectations acquired from such a brand, PBC expanded its already top tier service team with members from Nauti Marine, further bolstering their reputation as *the* place to service your high performance boat. Reflecting on their growth – to think they grew from 4-5 employees to 25 in such a short time – we can’t help but wonder what other crazy expansions PBC have planned next.
The summer is upon us with the upcoming Lake Race and LOTO Shootout near Performance Boat Center. You can be sure Powerboat Nation will be on hand to showcase all of the new and exciting happenings at this premier powerboating hub in Missouri.
VIDEO: 2015’s Spectacular Tickfaw 200
The Tickfaw 200 Poker Run… I don’t know what more I can tell you about this run! It is the best, it is in Louisiana, and the hospitality of the people that put this whole thing together is incredible. This event has a feel, flavor, and uniqueness to it that cannot be replicated anywhere else. The Tickfaw 200 is a stand out one of a kind event and always brings a host of great characters to celebrate the lifestyle of performance powerboating.
We can’t wrap up 2015’s Tickfaw 200 coverage without some video, so check out our PBN Exclusive VIDEO from Tickfaw 200!
Smokin’ The Sound Rocks and is Fixing to Grow Huge!
The Sixth Annual Smokin the Sound Poker Run was the very best ever. Why? A date change to move it downstream from Tickfaw and Havasu, making it a stand alone event from the races, and a huge $25K Prize purse all contributed to making this year an incredible year. The years to come will just get better and better and these are the reasons why.
This year Powerboat Nation was on hand to capture it all and we had a great time in and around Biloxi. Kort Ordered was the boat of the day as Kort and Jessicca Wittich were kind enough to host us aboard their incredible 36 Sunsation CCX.
The PBN crew aboard was a blast… I had so much fun doing this run and it was because of who I was privileged to hang with. From SUNBUNS, Steve Emmons , Mike and Angela Goldbaugh. The fun loving always a blast to be around AJ with Allison Lo Proto and enjoying the ride along with me handy engine builder Marc Boos from Precision Marine
The Golden Nugget Resort is a fabulous resort casino hosting the event and all of the card stops along the way were incredible. The long lunch stop at Base St. Louis gave all of us a chance to take in the the brand new marina complex along with some incredibly cool historic buildings that actually survived Katrina… and not much did.
The skinny run up to Orangutangs Daiquiris and Bar topped off the day.
A big thanks to all my Powerboating Friends that really show such strong support to PowerBoat Nation and all we are trying to do.
Great Time! See you all in Jacksonville:
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM BILOXI!
New Sunsation 36 SSR: Coming to Water Near You?
When something is good it is in demand, when it’s great it is in high demand and usually doesn’t stay on the shelf for long! The new SUNSATION 36 SSR just delivered to Performance Boat Center is sure to not be available for very long.
This great looking brand new boat with Mercury Racing 565’s was delivered right on time for the Memorial Day weekend. Performance Boat Center Owner Brett Manire said this after running the boat all over Lake of the Ozarks. “The 36 Sunsation impressed past expectations. The fit and finish are top notch, the paint turned out great, the custom trailer matched the graphics perfectly.” He went on to say “The boat handled the rough Holiday waters of the Lake of the Ozarks better than any other boat of that size I have driven. The boat was delivered on time as promised and all of us at Team Performance Boat Center are impressed.”
A beautiful 36 foot Sunsation that runs 95 MPH and comes with a full warranty that includes the engine package… What else could you want! We don’t expect this boat to last on the shelf for very long at all.
The full details of this 2016 Sunsation 36 SSR: Powered by Staggered Mercury Racing HP565EFI, ITS transoms, Bravo 1XR sterndrives with Maximus 5 blade props, 380 Kplanes, Big Gun 5” exhaust tips, Mitcher T custom paint, acrylic Sunsation oval see through engine hatch, Mcleod electric bolsters, Livorsi DTS controls, Livorsi gauges & depth sounder, Smartcraft Vessel view 4, Garmin 741xs touchscreen GPS Chartplotter, Livorsi LED tab indicators, carbon fiber dash panels, Fusion Marine stereo system, Sport cabin option, pump-out porta-potty, removable cabin & cockpit carpeting, cockpit cover, and Heritage custom triple axle trailer with spare. All trades considered, financing and transportation available.
PBN TECH TV: Handy Hottie Maddy Brings You the “Art of Gauge Customization”
When it comes to the customization of your boat’s dash some of the options available are not only stylish but relatively easy to install. In many cases for less than $100 you can add some dazzling colors to a plain or drab dash’s outdated look. We know that if we’re going to ask someone about style that it should be a woman, right? So we turned to Maddy, one of our PBN Tech TV Handy Hotties to demonstrate just how easy adding custom gauge bezels can be to any dash or gauge. Gauge bezels are available in a rainbow of colors and can be found at many of our PBN supporter companies. So let’s turn your boat into the most stylish it can be, we hope you enjoy!
Powerboat Nation Headed to Biloxi for Smokin’ the Sound 2015!
The 2015 Smokin’ the Sound Poker Run is set and ready.
With a $25K Prize Purse and a Premier Resort Casino as the host hotel this weekend is sure to be a great time. Event organizers are expecting 50 plus boats to run this year and the hotel room block is already sold out. This entire event has been retooled and expected to be a huge event in the coming years.
Powerboat Nation will be on hand to capture it all from the beginning to the end. Be sure come back throughout the weekend to find all the pictures and video of the excitement.
Chief Performance Brings in the Top Tomato
Nothing rests at Chief Performance these days. Just after completing the super successful 1350 Turbo Install in Pure Platinum II for David Southern. The crew at Chief turned had to complete a big re engine job on the former WHM Race boat now know as Top Tomato and owned by Sal Sciandra Sr. and son Sal Sciandra Jr. from Toms River New Jersey.
This boat was purchased six years ago and has been running Mercury Racing 1075’s. The power was tired and needed a full rebuild so Sal and his son weighed the options and rather than mess about with the Mercury Racing Engines they called long time engine builder friend Tommy Hofstetter of Chief Performance.
Sal Sr. has over 30 years running and racing high performance offshore boats and said he has seen it all come and go with engines and engine builders. The real success to the build of the new Chief Engines is the proprietary Chief Performance Engine Management System. Tommy has logged thousands of hours in the development of this remarkable system that truly dominates in every way. The tune is optimized continually as the engine is running and bring and bold warning signals alert the driver of a condition while the system manages the condition to protect the engine.
But the really great news is that rather just dumping you into a guardian mode the software identifies the specific issue and lets you know right away. Sal was annoyed with the constant guardian issues on his 1075’s and is ecstatic about Chiefs system. Moreover if you do have a real problem you can call up Tommy himself anytime anywhere 24/7.
The 1350 Turbo package was painstakingly built and installed in all of these boats by the Team at Chief Performance. For Top Tomato they also did a full dash re rig, hung rebuild drives, new transmission, interior, and some paint work. The result is incredible, the boat cruises at 165 MPH and there is a lot of throttle left when they are ready to push it.
VIDEO: Racing on the St. Joe River in Idaho
When I was young growing up near Lake Coeur d’ Alene and the St Joe River going fast was always a dream and big offshore powerboats were something we never saw. But we did have JET Boats, and Drag Boats, and drivers from all over the world now converge to the wild rivers of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to compete in APBA sanctioned timed runs on these incredible waterways.
Just this weekend while visiting family in St Maries Idaho I had a great opportunity to catch a little action of the Race the Joe! Jet boat River Race.
Boats and drivers from as far away as New Zealand ran the Jet River Racer Marathon river course. The course consisted of a 25 mile leg, a 50 mile lap with two laps each day for a total of 200 miles.
Each boat starts individually and runs against the clock, the fast turbine powered boats led the way for some very cool runs up and down the river.
For the final race results visit here.
The truck is a 1947 Cheverolet COE sitting on a 1977 Chevy 1/2 truck frame with a LS Vortec engine Pretty cool ride. He drove it down from Sandpoint, Idaho.
Check out the video and photo gallery below! CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS IN THE FORUMS.
The Godfather of Offshore Speed Turns 94, Still Running 180 MPH
Arneson is one of the household names of boating. As both the inventor of the pool sweep and the Arneson Surface Drive, Howard Arneson has left his mark on the water in a big way. With Howard just having turned 94, it’s amazing to think he’s still shaping the marine industry and a good time to reflect back on his achievements. Howard had raced hydroplanes since the 50s, but it wasn’t until a fateful accident years later that he began development on the pool sweep, which eventually enabled him to persue his true passion – high speed powerboats.
In the 1980s inspiration struck, and the innovative design of the Arneson Surface Drive was born. Typically, a prop must be fully submerged, but not with the Arneson drive. A set of hydraulic pistons keeps the prop half in, half out of the water, and another set steers the boat. The streamlined simplicity and efficiency of the design over the years led to Arneson’s inclusion not only in powerboats, but yachts, ferries, and even military equipment.
Arneson Surface Drives (ASDs) were so effective that they were carried by many of the offshore racing champions of the time. Stern drive heights were 3-6 inches lower than they were today, and speeds were nearly 10-20% lower. With even more innovations to the ASD technology, such as trimmable rocker plates that can be molded-in or transom mounted, improvements to Arneson’s handling and speed capabilities are constantly being made. Even though Howard retired from racing in the 80s, it’s undeniable that his vision for speed and passion for boating is still being realized today.
VIDEO: Pure Platinum Running at the Tickfaw 200
After the Miami Boats Show’s premier reveal of one of the industries most followed and reported on new boating projects, the Platinum Series of the new 388 Skater is on the water and showing strong results. The first version belongs to the man behind the inspiration, Bill Pyburn Jr., whose Skater has recently been seen on the water at Poker Runs around the country.
The result of the finished Platinum series boats are truly breathtaking from a enthusiast point a view. For ages boat interiors have looked as if they were designed to fit around the sharp edges and square angles that make up a boat’s hull. With a desire to bring the same luxury and refinement you’d seek in a modern high end super car, the interior of these boats started with with the endorsement of Peter Hledin. His expertise was able to accommodate the numerous changes and interior panels required to develop a super luxury style contoured interior.
At last, the interior of these boats matches the incredibly aggressive look of the new cutdown (lowered) deck on the 388 Platinum. These boats were not just designed to be another pretty face – there were hours and hours of design augmentations that took into consideration not only the airflow over the hull, but the effect on the passengers and their comfort level.
All of this was built with the thought in mind that the boats would be filled with the most exotic high horsepower engines available anywhere from Goodwin Competition. This makes this boat perform like no other catamaran in its size and class. The balance of the boat is incredible and it handles, turns, accelerates, and simply runs like no other. This is not just a opinion, it is a measurable fact that is a result of a joint comparison of numbers and ride comfort.
Check out our exclusive video from the Tickfaw 200 Poker Run and stand by for more performance data on these over the top performance catamarans.
We have more video coming from Tickfaw 200 as well, so stay tuned.
Tickfaw 200 Still Lives On with More Photos!
With how many mementos are still rolling in here at Powerboat Nation, you’d think Tickfaw 200 was just yesterday. We covered plenty of the weekend’s festivities before, but you guys couldn’t get enough. We don’t blame you: the sights, the food, the local quirks, the girls, and of course the boats were enough to leave everyone satisfied but still wanting more.
Luckily for us, Powerboat Nation fan Jared Holbrook was generous enough to share even more memories. He managed to photograph a variety of candid partygoers and a beautiful array of boats. Check out the slideshow below and relive Tickfaw one more time:
VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS HERE!
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