Previously on Powerboat Nation we’ve revealed some of the terrible details about what E15 Ethanol Fuel can do to your engine. You may be wondering how to avoid putting this engine killer in your boat? Well wonder no longer as the website www.pure-gas.org contains all the information you need to find your nearest ethanol-free gasoline. The locations on the site are all user generated, so if you know of a local station to you that sells ethanol free gas then make sure you post it so others can find it. This amazing resource is great for traveling to poker runs as well as you’ll know where to fill up before hitting the water The Pure Gas website also publishes its own iOS and Android apps for checking on the go! With over 7000 stations currently listed, you shouldn’t have any problem finding pure gas in your area, unless you live in California or Nevada where the map of mostly devoid of pure gas stations.

Late Friday night after the sun went down at the Lake Cumberland Poker Run. Brett Manire of Performance Boat Center, Idled into State Dock with the new creation from Outerlimits Powerboats. This new 36 Super Leggera featured a beautiful white and blue color scheme with quality all the way down to the stitching.

After running the new boat on the Poker Run Brett told us the ride was absolutely incredible and even on the roughed up lake water it performed really well. Brett went on to say how fast the boat accelerated and responded to throttle input which uses the new integrated Mercury DTS system (Digital Throttle and Shift System)

Brett said he saw 96 MPH during the Poker Run. This new 36 SL is the first production boat to receive Mercury Racing’s new 520 Stern Drive Package.

Contact Brett at Performance Boat Center for more information and pricing for this and other new Outer Limits Powerboats and other new and used boats offered for sale.

Take a look below at the pictures for this impressive new offering!

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Powerboat Nation’s original post regarding this incident was intentionally muted as we were literally directly involved with these two, before, during, and after the incident. Out of complete respect for Jeff, Brad and their families we remained quiet and guarded regarding the loss. We are a family that is bound by the common thread of Powerboating. This is about the men and the lives of everyone they touched. The shock and devastation of the incident has trembled its way around the world already. We know everyone wants to find the answer of how and why, but for now the tragedy of the loss is what we are immediately faced with. The loss of these two men is a huge tragedy; not only the loss of life and the staggering affect to the families but also to the sport we love.

To tell you something about these two guys is to begin with how both were larger than life in their own ways. Competitive and driven like very few people you could have ever met. How can we exclaim such details? It’s easy because we were all close personal friends. We shared business, friendship, and boating like so many others that we share Powerboat Nation with. We shared numerous texts, phone calls, emails, and late night drinks discussing the how, why, what, and if’s of the performance power boating world. It was these characteristics that lead both Brad and Jeff to be clients, friends, and boaters and brought them to be such strong supporters of Powerboat Nation.

Brad Smith had become a prominent rising star in the performance engine building field. He was raised with horsepower in his veins and a research and development spoon in his mouth. Brad often tested parts to the brink of failure in the quest to define the ultimate in reliability. He was a incredible engine builder with advanced skills and forethought that only a handful of modern engine builders possess. In specific regard to fuel injection and electronics technology, Brad was charging hard in completely uncharted territory. When questions would come up as to why a product couldn’t meet a need, Brad first remark would be “then let’s build it”. Brad had endured some business ventures with shysters only to separate and shine brighter as they dwindled into dust, Brad was a winner regardless of the situation. Brad was behind the development of such things as the two speed transmissions to the most exotic turbo charged engine packages found anywhere. In most recent years Brad played a significant role in development of numerous products for marine parts manufacturer Hardin Marine.

While everything that bore the Smith Power name gleaned of a finished product equivalent to fine jewelry, it also performed at that same level. Brad wasn’t his best promoter due to his relaxed style and professional demeanor but that didn’t matter because his clients cheered on his work and his work is what established the foundation to a long time friendship with construction mogul Jeff Asbell.

Jeff was a self made man that faced the mountain then conquered it. He had built an empire of businesses and had now turned his good fortune towards the power boating industry. For all of his success he was a kind soul, a guy that you enjoyed talking too. Jeff hated the bully and he felt that the industry was being clobbered by the men in black. They had brought the success of turbo charging to all of the elite but out of the realm of the common boater. While Jeff respected the success, he believed in Brad and wanted to prove that with the proper resources an independent could compile the best parts in the industry and face off against them, building engine packages for the common performance power boater.

This leads to how the loss is well beyond the physical lives of these two great men. Big corporations can come in and throw millions at potential profit centers for their own well being and they can absorb loss. But this wasn’t the case with Jeff; he was committed to giving back to this industry for all the good fortune life had bestowed upon him. The boating world we find camaraderie in has not seen this type of commitment towards its core in a long-long time.

What was not known publicly was a special project that was in the works: Jeff had broken ground a year ago and was building an entire engine development center to house the development of an entirely new engine program patterned after today’s successful NASCAR offerings. Multiple dyno centers and a test facility had just been installed in a shop that any NASCAR team would be proud to have. Brad had designed the set up, and was driven to build something this industry had yet to see in the private sector; Jeff’s business experience showed him he knew he had the right man to make this happen as Brad was the one who had the knowledge, skill, ambition, and an overwhelming enthusiasm to raise the bar. All you had to do was ask Brad a question about a motor, tuning, development, turbo charger, whatever, and his phone would come out and the pictures and details of a motor would begin to spill out. He was truly immersed in what he loved to do. Brad had also successfully developed a number of items this industry has yet to see.

Beyond the 40SS that had just been completely redone, Jeff had just given the green light and commissioned Peter at Skater to build a new state of the art 46′ Skater that would be campaigned to race against the big black corporate giant. Ironically his goal was to develop a host of new safety devices and standards to change the safety aspect of hi performance boating. This boat was to be the safest ever built. Beyond that goal was to even the playing field showing that with the very best the aftermarket had to offer they could be a winner. The new boat would be powered by Smith Power engines, Arneson Industries drives, Hering Propellers, and Hardin Marine accessories. Jeff was a man committed to helping the smaller independent companies wage a competition similar to “David & Goliath”.

These two guys were set to make a statement and leave a mark on the future of power boating. Not only will they always hold a very special place in our hearts, we will always have to wonder just what might have been had God not taken our friends away from us so early.

As for the ugly facts of the incident we know what we have seen. That discussion and topic points will remain for another day. For everyone at and associated with Powerboat Nation this is not about news and conjecture this is about the heart wrenching loss of two great guys who were passionate about life and how they lived their lives

God Speed guys, you will forever be in our thoughts and prayers.

Update 9/11/13 – We worked very closely with Brad Smith, and as such we hosted his website for him. We’ve since turned that into a Memorial page for both Brad Smith and Jeff Asbell. We know there were others who were close to these men as well, and may want to share a message or a picture. Please visit this thread if there is a message or photo you want to add to Brad and Jeff’s Memorial Page at www.bradsmithpower.com.

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What we are referring to here is engine oil temperature. For many engine oil temperature is one of those things that’s taken for granted. Many people assume some oil temperature is fine or they presume if it’s similar to their engine water temperature that it must be fine. The fact is low oil temperature is one of the most frequent engine killers that goes undetected . Too cool or inadequate oil temperature causes excessive frictional drag and wear on an engines bearings, pistons, cylinder walls and valve train. For those unaware for every pound of fuel (6 pounds in a Gallon) burned through an engine that the combustion process generates an equal pound of water inside of an engine. If engine oil doesn’t reach or exceed 212 degrees ( boiling point of water) the moisture inside the engine will mix with sulfur, another combustion product and create acids that will actually eat away at an engines bearings.

These issues can easily be solved by making sure your engines oil reaches preferred operating temperatures . Companies such as Hardin Marine have expanded the marine industries realm of options to make sure these issues can be cured in nearly any application. Hardin Marine’s latest offering is a engine block mounted temperature control adapter. This unit bypasses the engines oil away form the engine oil cooler until it reaches optimum temperature and the thermostat then directs the engine oil to the oil cooler.

They also offer remote mounted engine oil thermostats for easy mounting and use on any engine model. Quality conventional motor oils will tolerate oil sump/pan temperatures of up to about 260 degrees but start breaking down over 275 degrees. The optimum goal should be to hold oil temperatures between 220 and 260 degrees. Keep in mind that performance engines are built to work in harmony with their moving parts. Piston-to-cylinder wall clearances, piston ring end gaps , bearing clearances are specifically precision assembled to match the optimum oil temperature.

Bottom line making sure your engines oil temp is correct is as important to your engine as the blood flowing through your veins so take care of it and you’ll not only save a ton of money but enjoy a lot more days boating.

Hardin’s New Block Adapter

A Typical Oil Cooler

Hardin’s Remote Oil Thermostat

On Saturday September 7th, a great tragedy occurred at the Lake Cumberland Poker Run. With deep regret and heavy hearts we report that Brad Smith and Jeff Asbell have died. The incident remains too close and personal to say any more at this time. Prior to the tragedy we celebrated life with both Brad and Jeff. They spent the night on board our houseboat and were great fun. Our deepest condolences to Jeff and Brad’s Family and Friends. We will have more on both of these great guys in the coming days and weeks.

Just like other sports there are legends in Offshore Racing. Most other legend activities end up with full fledged Museums, Halls of Fame, and expensive private collections for the cars, bats, balls, etc. Not so in the world of boating you see old race boats that have proven their might in the most treacherous of racing conditions often end up as reborn hi performance pleasure boats.

The key is to start with a pedigree and such is the case with Matt Barnard of Northern California who recently acquired 40′ Skater. Matt is not new to boating he’s been around the power boat field for some time making the trek to not only West Coast events but even making sure to endure the 3000 mile one way trip to attend Stu Jones Florida Powerboat Club’s, Key West Extravaganza, which is undoubtedly the crown jewel of boating events.

The irony of this project is that Matt has been a loyal Fountain aficionado. He literally completely de-rigging his last boat and went through everything, down to the last screw. He prepped and re-installed everything to a show quality finish. Being a Fountain fan means Matt as others know the story of Reggie’s famous “Cat Killer” and its reign of over the powerboating world and its record runs. Fountain fans of all relished in Reggie’s throw down of the gauntlet.

But Matt had a strong desire to be able to go even faster with more control, comfort and safety. Matt’s desire to leave the V-Bottom market and head towards bigger speeds of the catamaran market lead him to a much decorated former race boat. A race boat that had started life as the famous “Mixed emotions” boat and moving on to become the Carlo & Charlies 1997 APBA Class One Champion.

Moving beyond life as a full time race boat it into a poker run winner as “Maxed Out” with Ronnie Barrette. Ronnie piloted this boat to a memorable June 14th, 2008 New York City Poker run win over the famous Cat killer Fountain.

Now in the hands of Matt the boat is set to start an entire transformation again that we will bring you a continued progress story of the boats preparation into a life as a high profile Skater on the West Coast scene stay tuned.

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Boat owners will debate and argue about what the biggest frustration and reoccurring problem with their boat might be, but the one consistent issue among high performance boats is controlling water pressure. This has always been a problem but it was limited to a very short list of guys who would see speeds in excess of 100 MPH. Today with so many boats running at speeds well above 100 MPH the problem has gained higher visibility. With the evolution of hull design and higher horsepower that 100 MPH that once eluded so many is now the commonplace of the industry and even now there are lots of boats exceeding the 140 MPH realm. Additionally, new engine management systems have limited thresholds for water temp and pressure making it a challenge to keep the engines out of their safe or guardian modes.

There is a limited number of people that have the good fortune to test a products reliability and performance at over 140 MPH and fewer yet that have the same opportunity in excess of 180 MPH. This is not a journey of the faint of heart. In the last five years we have seen the speed numbers climb from 125 mph, 150 mph, and now into the stratosphere of 180 MPH in open cockpit pleasure boats running on plain old pump gas.

With the advent of bigger horsepower, better props, and refined setup boat speeds have climbed exponentially. With these increased speeds we have seen virtually every component of a boats drive train stressed, strained and destroyed in the attempt to reach big speed numbers. The speeds have literally wreaked havoc on engine builders, boat builders, and especially riggers sending them searching for answers and solutions to maintain the integrity of the machinery they are responsible for.

Quite possibly the single biggest challenge for the engine builder and boat manufacture is how to get water for the cooling system properly balanced. Most engine development is done in a controlled environment, a Dyno room with a static foundation and an array of engine management configurations that can be applied. The entire engine system can be monitored and tailored for the perfect scenario.The problem occurs when these finished engines are installed in the boat and it’s quickly recognized the additional horsepower certainly makes the boat go faster but the new speed created a HUGE problem with the cooling water pressure and flow.

Water distribution is not a problem as the engines water pump is in place and all modern high HP engines use multi-stage pumps to feed individual cooling needs. The dilemma comes with the speed increase,the difference in water pressure from a 100 MPH boat to 125 MPH boat will see the pressure and volume increases of as much as 100%. A 125 MPH boat to a 150 MPH boat often sees increases of nearly 200% and spikes of water pressure nearing 200 PSI. Escalate that speed to 180 MPH and those pressure spike reach 400 psi on the inlet or sea strainer pressures. These high pressures can break apart sea strainers, blowout head gaskets, blow off hoses and tear up exhaust systems.

When it comes to rigging, preparing, and maintaining boats of the industry elite, high caliber owners, you know the kind of people that expect nothing but the very best. These type of owners turn to Jason Ventura from Brand X Hi Performance in Pompano Beach FL. Brand X is not only a full service high performance center, but a company with a history of knowledge that starts with boat construction and goes all the way to the actual tuning, dial in, and operation of these boats.

Jason’s whole professional career has been spent with a clientele that typically cruise around in excess of 100 MPH and reach top speeds beyond 180 MPH. Brand X is the esteemed service provider of Bill Pyburn Jr’s 388 Skater “Pure Platinum”. There is likely not a more recognized boat on the poker run circuit today. Bill was the first to really prove the 388 Skaters real potential. What came with proving that was a ton of R&D and test time. Bill is a perfectionist and has become the real spokesperson for the brands model. Rarely is a new 388 considered by a prospective buyer without a phone call to Mr. Pyburn asking for suggestions about the boat and specific set-up details. This knowledge came from piloting Pure Platinum for 100’s of hours at speed, finding the weak link in anything that had it, and really paying attention to the details.Bill and Jason both knew that the installation the latest high horsepower engine creations developed with Chief engines that the challenge would be to control water pressure with the consistent increase in speed.

Both guys are favored customers of Hardin Marine as the boat is rigged extensively with Hardin Products. They know that when the chips are down and they need something they can make the call and The Hardin guys will respond immediately. So making the call was easy and finding the solution was fate. The guys at Hardin had spent the previous year developing a Brad Smith designed water pressure control system. Brad like a number of engine builders was plagued by high water pressure situation in one of his customer’s turbocharged boats.

Brad convinced the Hardin team to tackle the problem. Brad pointed out that while there were numerous off the counter crude home plumbing supply type options with the correct thread size none had a valve large enough to displace the water volume these boats were dealing with. With a hand sketch and a few prototypes the Hardin engineering team went to work turning concept into reality. This new valve features a massive 2″internal valve and multiple plumbing ports for options as well as an auxiliary pressure port for additional engine water pressure relief.

Installation of the new Hardin Marine High Pressure Water Control Valve has been the answer to creating the perfect cooling system for the Pyburn 388 Skater but the rigging from Brand X of the system is nothing short of a show quality product. Special thanks to Brand X Hi Performance for pictures and allowing me to assist in the decision to help with the placement and routing of the valve in the boat.

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It’s been awhile since I have been to the Lake Cumberland Poker Run and I can’t wait to get back. It really is one of the best events in the country and has a unique appeal and arrangement that makes the event incredibly fun.

If you look very close youcan see the PBN Cigarette on State Dock from a few years ago.

If you have never attended you need to. You have to actually experience the “DOCK DROP” with a few hundred other people to really understand how great the scene is at Lake Cumberland.

The State Dock Marina State Dock offers houseboat rentals for everyone to stay and the boats stay right on the dock throughout the event. This makes the venue the event and brings a feel and atmosphere that can only be captured here. The party never stops! No trips back to the hotel or splitting up for dinner and drinks. The houseboats on the dock are where the action is and where it stays!

Powerboat Nation will be at Lake Cumberland to support the event,the event organizers, and all the participants. With a projectedboat count exceeding 100 boats and crews coming in from all over thecountry this year’s Lake Cumberland Poker run is sure to be a greatsuccess and we will bring it to you. When you arrive be on thelookout for the houseboat near the party barge with thePowerboat Nation banners up. We will be on hand shooting T-Shirts,video, and taking pictures of the live action so everyone who can’tmake it will experience it online atwww.powerboatnation.com

If you’ve followed Powerboat Nation long then you were able to follow along the journey with us as we watched Skater Powerboats build Louie’s latest shootout winner. While Louie had a vision or a dream he was definitely committed to making it all come together. Louie had previously ran the Shootout in his 28 Nordic SS and hit 148 MPH. After that run he set upon a mission and the work on the Skater began. The idea of having a vision, building the boat, and running it as expected on the shootout to a record speed is a story itself.

The Skater 338 Fat Boy is powered by a set of Eddie Young Performance Marine engines coupled to a set of Arneson #7M Drive Units with Hering Propellers debuted in Miami and was an instant hit among show attendees as well as PBN followers.

To prepare for the 2013 Lake of the Ozarks Shoot out Louie had spent the last couple of months dialing in the boat and installing a new Hardin Marine high speed water pressure relief system due to the boats incredible performance.

It is safe to say that his hard work and vision has set some new standards in this size boat segment as the the boat stormed down the course besting the nearest competitor in its class by nearly 30 MPH. As you can see from the video below, their run was so impressive even the camera had to take a bow!

Congratulations goes to Louie, Eddie Young and Skater!

Full LOTO Shootout Results:

Bill Tomlinson did what he said he would do. Not long ago at a Miami Boat Show Bill told us he was going to really set a record at LOTO. A gentleman and a gentlemen racer, Mr Tomlinson is certainly someone who is not unfamiliar with speed and knowing what it takes to get it. Having gone through an armada of different boats, with a variety of engines, rigging and set ups. His latest boat “MY WAY” a 50 foot, 3000 HP, twin turbine Mystic came to be shortly after the 50 foot Outerlimits cat was built.

This new record of 224 MPH in the short mile course of the Lake of the Ozarks shootout really makes a statement by blowing the old record out the water by more than 15 MPH. Many were expecting My Way to breach the previous record, but to do so by such a margin is quite something. The previous receord of 209 MPH was set in 2006 by Dave Callan and John Cosker. Getting to 224 MPH in such a short run in a huge 50 foot boat is not something easily done or attainable for just anyone with the means to do it. It takes a ton of work that requires persistence and determination to set a goal and then realize the success. This is Tomlinson’s 2nd LOTO Top Gun Trophy, as he won his first in 2011, running 208 MPH that time. When asked how fast he thought he boat was capable of going, Tomlinson replied “The boat is probably capable of running 240 MPH.” In the past 20 years the speed of the LOTO Top Gun has nearly doubled from the 1993 finish of 115 MPH.

This year, the LOTO Shoot Out organizers employed a new radar gun setup to more accurately gauge the speeds of the boats. This year many teams’ GPS Speedometer data corroborated the data from the radar guns while in years past there had been discrepancies between the two.

A huge congratulations to Bill, his entire team and to John Cosker of Mystic Powerboats for creating such a capable craft. It looks like we may be in for even more spectacular LOTO shootouts in the future as new boats and teams challenge for the record.

Full LOTO Shootout Results:

The 1908 Summer Olympics had the distinguishing characteristic of hosting the first, and last powerboat racing events in Olympic History. 3 classes were devised, an open class, an under 60-ft class and a 6.5-8 meter class (21 -26 ft). Each event was intended to run the same 8 nautical mile course for 5 laps for a total of 40 nautical miles. All three events had only one boat finish, so only gold medals were issued for all three races. Events were held on 28 August and 29 August 1908.

The open class race took place on the first day of the competition. Only two boats, Wolseley-Siddely and Dylan, arrived to run the race. Dylan was forced to abandon the race before the first lap was comple, while Wolseley-Siddely managed to finish the first lap before the weather became too harsh to continue the race.

The next day after both other classes had finished their races, another attempt to run the race was made. Dylan did not return to race a second time. Wolseley-Siddely again started and a French boat named Camille arrived to race against it. Camille was the only non-British boat to compete in any class. During the race, Wolseley-Siddely ran aground on a mud spit and Camille crossed the finish line alone to win the gold in the open class.

The Under 60-ft class was held right after the first open race was abandoned. Aswith the open race, only two boats arrived at the starting line, Quicksilver and Gyrinus. Quicksilver abandoned the race as it was troubled by water coming over its sides. Gyrinus,which was a much smaller boat, carried an extra crewman whose job was to bail water. Gyrinus made to the finish line becoming the first Olympic Champion in Powerboat Racing.

The race in the 6.5-8 meter class took place on the 2nd day. Gyrinus, which had won the Under 60-ft class the day before also qualified for this class and arrived to run again. Her opposition in this race was Sea Dog. Gyrinus was again the only boat to finish the race. Sea Dog experienced engine problems and was towed off the course.

Gyrinus was one of the first boats that attempted to plane over the water rather than plow through it. It was characteristics that enabled the little Gyrinus to win two races. After the 1908 games, Olympic Powerboat Racing was quickly abandoned as it more of a test of machine than of man, putting it outside the spirit of the Olympic Games.