Innovation and change is what propels every industry, it is what drove Steve Jobs to never settle and to push the envelope to build Apple. Its the same drive you’ll find in Joseph A. Moch, President and CEO of Oliver Racing Parts, this driven motivation has him redefining internal engine components. A much nicer guy than Jobs (you did see the movie?), Joe recognized the merits of Oliver Racing and what they had developed over the last 30 years and set the course to propel their top level product to a new height of industry standard for a product that most would fear to challenge.

Joe pointed out that part of building great products is focus, finding and eliminating virtually every potential flaw possible and eliminating that from the products they build. That can only be done with the very latest in manufacturing and testing machinery as well as a staff that truly cares. When your products are the primary link and then continue to other multiple links in an engine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, then you better exceed your customers every need because your product is truly the real heart and soul of the engine and we know our customer is counting on us.

Joe exclaimed that anyone could make a connecting rod but less than half of a handful of people in the world could build the best connecting rods. Not because it wasn’t possible but that it takes such a high level of commitment, engineering, and development to be the very best. Joe said “we are passionate about being the best and being associated with the best engine builders is our companies focus.”

When we asked how have connecting rods changed over the years the answer was simple; strength and durability. “The connecting rod you bought as recent as five years ago doesn’t have the modern innovations today’s connecting rods deliver. There is a constant non-stop evolution to our products, six to ten years ago we were building connecting rods to live in 1000+ horsepower applications today we build products to live in applications 2000-3000HP applications and beyond.”

Connecting rods are just one of many products that Oliver Racing Parts will bring to the marine industry. Today if you’re looking for where you’ll find Oliver rods then just look to every major form of motorsports in America. Currently Oliver Rods are found in the 1600HP to 2500HP applications from the Likes of Chief Engines,BoostPower Marine, and Goodwin Competition.

We will be bringing you all of the latest developments with Oliver Racing so stay tuned

Whipple Industries at long last brings direct port EFI for the aftermarket

It has been a long time coming but at last a deep commitment from Whipple Industries has brought a great piece for the aftermarket. Whipple Industries has now given all the aftermarket the luxury only previously found on OEM based engines.

Getting aftermarket direct port fuel injection in a supercharged application required custom fabrication by premier engine builders or you were just forced to go to antiquated throttle body technology.

Today Whipple Superchargers, the twin-screw supercharging leaders have now developed an incredible universal manifold setup for multiple applications. This latest intake manifold offering will surely change the landscape of EFI supercharging and obsoleting old finicky carburetors.

If you have a traditional Big Block Chevrolet with virtually any force induction method, this port injected manifold will work with incredible efficiency.

Just a few of the exclusive features:
· Massive 3.25” Thick air-to-water intercooler core.

· Available in 9.8” or 10.2” deck heights.

· 671-1471 Bolt pattern for universal fitment.

· Just 6” of total height.

· 12AN in and out fittings.

· Multiple ports for sensors and gauges.

· Rectangle port fits 305-385cc type heads.

· Available with 8 injector or 16 injector setups.

· Extruded billet fuel rails.

· Available intercooled or non.

Leave it to Whipple to bring this great piece for all of us to propel our older boats up to the front with the new OEM stuff!

Over the past dozen years, Smokin the Sound has made a name for itself as a premier Offshore Racing venue that rivals the closeness of Key West harbor racing. Biloxi has also hosted all of theorganizations. APBA was there back in the early 90s, OSS called this their home turf for a number of years, SBI hosted the teams last year and for 2014, OPA has been chosen to produce the racing portion of Smokin the Sound.

This event has grown from a simple one day boat race, into a two week speed extravaganza. The first week includes High Speed runs,calculated by radar, a Poker Run, and OPA Racing on both Saturday and Sunday. The following weekend brings drag boats to a local lake for one a second weekend of racing excitement.

These folks along the Redneck Riviera know their racing and come out year after year to hear the roar of the engines as the boats scream just a few years off the bulkhead along Casino Row.

Eight years after Katrina tore up the Gulf Coast, Biloxi has rebuilt better than ever, with glitz and glamour to put Atlantic City to shame and rival portions of Las Vegas. But Biloxi has what can’t be bought or built, true Southern Charm. Turquoise waters of the Gulf, moss covered trees that line the streets, and sweet southern belles offering a drawl that was made to melt hearts, welcome to Biloxi Mississippi. Oh and there’s gambling and shows too.
Guys like Woody Bailey, Asher Travis and Rusty Davis are what make this sport tick. They love it with all their soul and work tirelessly to produce this annual event. Without Woody, Asher and Rusty and their troop of volunteers keeping the momentum going, there wouldn’t be these sorts of events in this section of the world…so say thanks if you have a chance.

The event went off without a hitch, with a few high lights along the way. The Gone Again Skater ran a blistering 181mph through the radar trap on Friday afternoon. The boat looked amazing and stable,as it tore up the Sound. One of the other highlights was the outcome of the “Run what ya brung, and hope you brung enough” Class. This single class carried a prize purse of $40,000 and paid down through five places. OPA has never offered this sort of class before, so it was interesting to say the least. Of course the big dogs where the favorites. Cat Can Do and Miss Geico can easily reach speeds in the 170s, possibly beyond, so they were the obvious fan favorites. The races were held both Saturday and Sunday, with the each racing being five laps over the seven mile course. Seven boats entered the race. The two big dogs, two vee lites, two Stock Outboard Cats and a 34’ Vee with a pair of 500s rounded out the seven boats that entered this class.

The Saturday start went off as expected. Miss Geico and Cat Can Do took off quick and soon lapped the field of smaller boats…but then attrition started. Cat Can Do smoked a motor while singing at full tilt in ceremonious fashion with a huge cloud of blue smoke emitting from the engine bay. Then it was Geico’s turn to go down. Scotty Begovich later reported “We used our biggest set of props and saw speeds in the high 170s. We never had this hull that fast before and the water pressure became too great for our setup. We blew both water intake hoses off one of the engines. We had to run the last two laps on one engine and almost sank the boat.” Miss Geico still came in first, but not by much over a pair of boats with Outboards.

One Sunday, Cat Can Do was on the trailer and the Geico team was ready to redeem themselves with a big win. The race started withGeico lagging at the start. They were in second at the end of the first lap, and heading to the crane with the bilge full of water again before the second lap started. From there it was the little Doug Wright that could, called SOS Venezuela that took first place and the $18,000 that came with it.

The other highlight of the day was the presentation of the Annual Randy Linebach Lighthouse Award. Randy died in a racing accident in Biloxi in 2004 and this award, presented to the racer that other racers admire most, went to David Denham of Pirate Racing. David was completely overwhelmed by the honor and said he will covet this trophy most.

If you were one of the lucky thousands of people to attend the Desert Storm street party last Thursday then you were privy to what has become a highlight of show goers everywhere we go. That being the Powerboat Nation models posing with show goers of all ages. Not only are these ladies beautiful but they’re smart so the conversation and communication has the crowd alive with laughs and banter that truly adds a personal touch that only Powerboat Nation brings to an event. Besides our own coverage, these pictures rapidly trend through all of social media and have become fan favorites of our power boating community.

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Boca Bash is HUGE-HUGE this year!

Now granted not a whole bunch of over the top Performance Pleasure boats, but we did see a few…… The point of this to me was how big its become and the demographic of party goers is very young. The Boca Bash is not new but it is certainly gaining in popularity and brings a ton of excitement and visibility to the boating crowd.

Powerboat Nation was pleased to be able to return from The Desert Storm Poker Run and be able to get on the water with great friends before leaving for Tickfaw. Check out all the pictures and keep in mind these are all the tame G-Rated shots.

What a show and what a crowd!

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Lake Havasu and the Desert Storm Poker Run continues to bring great excitement and visuals to the powerboating world. The boats may be the reason but the overall draw is enormous. Trucks, Bikes, Cars, ATV’s, and of course the girls that adorn all of these are a sight that just has to be seen over and over.

The Powerboat Nation Team was all over the Desert Storm Poker Run and we have tons of content in both pictures and video for you. Over the coming days we will load up hundreds of photos and continue to push out videos.

Excitement is what was felt on the street and it was wonderful to see all of our friends and supporters. So stand by for a seemingly never ending stream of visual stimulation starting with coverage of the Desert Storm Street Party! We had a lot of fun with our boating family and thought we would share this video with you and give you a sense of what it’s like to be in the thick of the crowd. We hope you enjoy and of course tell us what you think!

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Outerlimits Powerboats tops V-Bottom Kilo Record with a Shocking 180.470 MPH run. Running 179.500 mph one way and 181.422 mph the other this “special event” kilo run put Brian Forehand and Joe Sgro on top following a 172.876 MPH run the day before. To put up these kinds of speeds in a one kilometer run is nothing short of spectacular!

A huge congratulations goes out to the team that put this together, Joe Sgro with his 43-foot Outerlimits , Brain Forehand with his hard work and skill, and Dave Scotto for the use of his Mercury Racing 1650 QC4v Motors.

Mercury Racing General Manager Eric Christiansen was on hand for the run along with Mike Griffiths from Mercury Racing.

Also making record breaking news was Michael “Doc” Janssen 30 foot Outerlimits Super Vee Lite boat also driven and throttled by Brian Forehand who ran for a combined average speed of 100.840 MPH with a Mercury Racing 525.

A few boats just catch everyone’s eye and the big 46 SKATER “GOTCHA”is most certainly one of those. Powerboat Nation had the great privilege to be able to climb all over this spectacular build right after it splashed at Lake Havasu.

A special build from Skater Powerboats this 46 is rigged with Mercury Racing QC4v 1350 Turbo Motor giving the boat a top speed of just over 160 with great acceleration, easy shifting with DTS. But most important to the owner is the easy 150 MPH cruise.

The boat is something to be seen and it certainly got our attention!

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BoostPower USA Packs more cubic inches & design to DS than anyone

Well call it ingenuity, Ego, business savvy you name it. From Triple Blowers, to compound motors…. the bottom line is when Alexi Sahagian of Boostpower Marine rolls into the Lake Havasu City, Desert Storm street party he definitely makes a statement. Bottom line he throws down the gauntlet as the “West Coast if not Worlds cubic inch king”.

This year is just one more example of Boostpower flexing their muscles as a performance engine builder? On display is their latest 1000 cubic inch Hemi headed billet engine long block and complete race engine packages. Of course a little brother version of only 800 cubic inches is available as well as an option now in both naturally aspirated and supercharged versions.

The all billet engine block and cylinder heads had every hard core power junkie drooling and gawking as a soda can or small human’s fist can literally be fit in the cylinder heads intake port.
Boostpower says they plan to debut an entire program in not only complete engine but short and long block versions by this fall available to consumers and other engine assemblers. It’s great to see engine builders so focused on engine development for the future.

It is high noon in the streets of Lake Havasu City Arizona and already a people are pouring in by the hundreds. It’s as if you are watching one of those time elapsed films of a plant blooming. The streets are full of enthusiastic boaters in what looks like a mesmerized state. The West Coast brings colors and the true meaning of what West Coast Customs represent.

Nowhere else in the country is this type of hardware all displayed on the main street of an American town. Add that to what could be three of the hottest models adorned in the popular PowerBoatNation” race wear and let’s just say we are stopping traffic in full stride.

While we know you may not be one of the 20,000 people to be here on location but fear not we are going to bring every aspect of the excitement to you right here where no one else can deliver the feel of an event quite like us.
We will be adding pics all along so make sure to come back and take a look and thanks for visiting here!

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Tonight at Lake Havasu the “Welcome Party” hosted by Oregon Custom Marine, brought in a few hundred industry folks as well as many poker run attendees. Food, fun, and camaraderie was enjoyed by all. Part of the showcase inside was that Mercury Racing was on hand with their mobile marketing truck .

This event is a great way to start off a spectacular PowerBoating Weekend at Lake Havasu. Cool custom trucks, boats, cars and bikes were found all over the property, setting the stage for more to come.

A big thank you to Oregon Custom Marine and Lakeracer for hosting this event.

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Dean Loucks Artist Extraordinaire has his impressive personal display set up at Desert Storm. Deans work can be found all over the place. Many of the worlds most beautiful boats, motor homes, airplanes, helicopters, and even home appliances carry the Loucks signature. His art gallery Deans Place is full of incredible pieces.

A statement of his success is evident in the magnificent Motorsports display he has sitting outside the famous Nautical Inn today. From the beautiful Prevost Motor Coach to Deans custom Ferrari 458 Italia, there seems no limit to his design cues as well as performance. The 458 has a classic white paint job, red interior with subtle style of black out lights, black wheels and the distinct sound of Akrapovic Exhaust.

Dean has been a friend for a log time and I used to tell everyone that if you wanted a paint job you could get one anywhere but if you wanted art on your boat…. Call Dean