Glastron has launched the 2014 model year line up to an audience of more than 30 International dealers at its headquarters in Cadillac, Michigan today. The Company will also be introducing its new lineup to their top dealers at an exclusive Leadership Conference scheduled for August 4-6th.

Rec Boat Holdings, parent company of the Glastron brand has undergone a tremendous redesign aimed at bringing new and innovative features to this iconic line of boats. The new model year adds the all-new GT245, a 24-foot feature-packed open bow boat, new Legacy models and the GTX160 and GTX185, both entry level models designed to attract the budget-conscious buyer. In addition to these new sterndrive and outboard powered models, the Company announced a new line of jet powered boats – the GT187 and GT207.

The expansion of jet boats was recently announced, along with the company’s new Scarab brand, to include the new GT187 for Glastron. The Rotax powered jet boat, the first of a series of models to roll out in 2014, promises to bring a whole new level of boating fun to the Glastron line. Jet power delivers unique benefits to boaters including shallow water operation, quick acceleration and additional cockpit space.

The GT245 expands the overall GT line to provide a roomier, open bow model packed with all-day features including an enclosed head with sink. The widely popular Legacy series expands into nine models, providing a broader choice for the discerning customer looking for a little more luxury in their boat. The attractive GTX160 and GTX185 models offer first-time buyers an exciting design specially packaged at an attractive MSRP.

“The rich heritage of Glastron continues to attract consumers to the product,” stated Roch Lambert, Group President, Rec Boat Holdings. “We have strived to maintain that heritage while delivering a brand new, modern day design that delivers on the Glastron promise of fun and family adventure. This model year emphasizes our commitment to grow the brand by providing a broad range of affordable boats to fit the needs and desires of our consumers,” Lambert stated.

Hometown Favorites win at Home. Dee Ungarten OPAcommunications director said “It was a great race week at St. Clair!” The 2013 St Clair River Classic Offshore Race again proved the hospitality of small engaged communities makes all the difference. St Clair provides a unique and fabulous venue with the Race Course Location on the River and the ability for the street party and parade. With an estimated 30,000-40,000 people on the street for the race these event venues are perfect for offshore racing. Val Fiorillo said it was great walking into dinner with the Broadco Team. The Hometown favorites drew immediate praise and applause from the diners seated around the place. The two hometown crews Broadco and Cleveland Construction took first place finishes in their respective classes. Broadco had to come from behind to take the win. On the parade lap one engine shut down and they made a dash for the pits to work the problem, They were able to get the problem identified and fixed before the green flag dropped and they were back underway charging for the fleet. For 11 laps they bit off more and more and with some attrition from the rest of the fleet came to a checkered flag in front after starting down one full lap from the start.

The Class 6 group had a total of 11 boats and gave the crowd a thrill. The boats are required to not pass each other for the first two turns and with 11 boats rounding the turns side by side at the same time some race action played out within the group that has a 70 MPH breakout speed limit. New Jersey favorites Team Wazzup II took the win. In two short weeks OPA will be just 20 minutes down the road from ST Clair for the International Offshore Powerboat Race Aug 9-11 at Port Huron, Michigan. This race features sponsor’s from across the river in Canada and the entire race fleet will parade over two Sarnia, Ontario for a static display meet and greet and autograph session.

Photo Courtesy of Freeze Frame Video. See more pictures here!

RESULTS: St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race:

EXTREME

1st – 5 Broadco Cat 5
2nd – 113 Miss GEICO
3rd – 388 Phoenix Parts
4th – 19 Cat Can Do/Jarvis

SUPER VEE LITE

1st – 66 Tug It
2nd – 29 Typhoon

CLASS 1

1st – 129 Cleveland Construcion
2nd – V1 Wazzup
3rd – 119 Cat Can Do (outboard)​​

CLASS 4

1st – 467 Velocity Racing
2nd – 422 Erie Monster
3rd – 469 Crocket Rockett

CLASS 5

1st – 555 Pushin Tin
2nd – 599 Dirty Sutphen
3rd – 519 PFE Racing
4th – 524 BK Motorsports

CLASS 6

1st – 601 Wazzup II
2nd – 644 Knot Guilty
3rd – 626 Maxed Out
4th – 639 Repeat Offender
5th – 623 Country Service
6th – 699 Grinch Racing
7th – 624 Miss PTM
8th – 667 Hurricane Force
9th – 615 Sale-N-Buy
10th – 607 Akula
11th – 613 Bad Newz

What’s better than having a fast boat? Having Hot girls ride with you! Powerboat Nation Models Kylie and Chelsea got a little more than just a photo shoot when they took a ride in Powerboat Nation Member Brad Slender’s Supercharged DCB Mach 26. While cruising to the shoot location, Brad hit the throttle and gave them a ride! Stay Tuned in the coming weeks as we reveal the beautiful details of these two ladies on Powerboat Nation!

Have you got your own Fast & Hot Video? Put it up on the Powerboat Nation Forums for us all to marvel at!

A Bahamas Run a few years ago. My great friends David and Kelly York in their 39 Cigarette that is now in Japan.

Early this morning a small group of passionate powerboaters took off on what many consider the boating trip of a lifetime. Lead by Stu and Jacky Jones this Florida Powerboat club adventure run left for West End on Grand Bahama Island. The group consisted of a variety of powerboats; Cigarettes, Nor-Techs, Deep Impacts and even a SunSeeker (the owner also has a Skater).

Today they will relax at the wonderful accommodations at West End after clearing customs. Tomorrow they are off on a short run to Grand Lucaya Resort Bahamas ResortsGRANDLUCAYAN.COM where they will have access to great amenities and Casino Time.

Lucaya Waterway

They will then travel through the Lucaya Waterway enroute to Treasure Cay and from there take fun runs to places like Nippers Nippers Beach Bar & Grill, Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamason Guanya Cay, one of my favorite places to get away in what I call the Real Bahamas. “You cant do what you do there in Nassua Man!”

Stu told us last night at the departure meeting that this is the 22nd Bahamas Poker Run and he is planning another Bahamas Adventure for this coming September. This is the first time in four years they have done the extended trip to the Abacos and look forward to going again in September. This additional run will allow many who would have liked to have gone this morning another opportunity. It seems summer family obligations and schedule conflicts are hard to work out.

This is a trip I have had the fortune to make a few times on various routes and I encourage all Powerboaters to add it to your list! Right here in Fort Lauderdale we have a whole crew that is happy to help with logistics and provide a ton of local knowledge and know how to anyone wishing to make these trips to the beautiful Bahamas!

Stu explaining the route

Officially retired Fred Kiekhaefer listening in

The final results are up for the 65th running of the Catalina Ski Race. World Champion Ski Racer Todd Haig won again and set a new record at 49.42.66 with this being his 11th victory at the prestigious race. Todd was followed over the finish line by Mark Weaver at 54.29.09 and Jake Tegart at 54.44.33

Todd was supported by the familiar team of Nordic Boats with Randy Davis at the helm. The Team Nordic 47 Mono-Hull has a specially designed bottom to support the skier and leave as consistent of a wake possible. Powered by Mercury Racing 1200 HP Motors they averaged about 75 mph over the 62 mile course. Haig has now tied the legendary Chuck Sterns at 11 Catalina Wins.

Boostpower Marine’s Alexi Sahagian was on hand for the event. The Boostpower Boats did very well, Of course Warpath, a 47 Fountain owned by Mike Avila was Boostpower’s premier boat with triple Boostpower 1000sc engines within it. They won overall last year with skier Peter Procter and this year they were on track for the world record however unfortunately Peter fell approx 4 miles from the break water. Proctor was eyeing for the win and at the halfway point nearly got the lead. Alexi commended the performance of the Australians noting “The Aussie’s did very well as usual. The water conditions here in the ocean are a bit of a challenge as they ski in better water conditions in the rivers abroad.”

After the race started, the water and winds of course became choppy and a bit unstable compared to the normal ruff oceanic conditions. The skiers definitely were required to adapt. From conversations I had with Drivers, they reported they had to navigate around a fishing fleet and also saw a lot of wildlife as well. “The approximate 62 miles sure tests the integrity of the engines, boats skiers and of course the drivers as well! It’s ‘The Great Race'” noted Alexi.

Alexi lauded the events history saying “The race is such a historic event for all of us current and retired ski racers. We always as children looked forward to this annual event in Long Beach. When we were kids we had the luxury of practicing in Lake Arrowhead were the water is as close to an ocean as possible and a lot of the skiers that were competitive were originally in the Lake Arrowhead Ski Club.”

More history may be written next year as records are made to be broken and we look forward to seeing a possible 12th title is in Haig’s future, although the other skiers may have something to say about that!

All the results can be downloaded here.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill this last Sunday that will crack down on those involved in boating while intoxicated. Under the new law which takes affect on January 1st, 2014, anyone operating a motorboat who becomes involved in an accident where serious injury or death occurs, will be forced to take a chemical blood test, breathalyzer or unine sample in order to determine blood-alcohol and/or drug content. To those who refuse testing, test positive for drugs or exceed the legal blood-alcohol limit, will face the suspension of their Illinois driver’s license.
This bill has been signed about a year after a 10-year-old boy, Tony Borcia was killed while tubing on the Chain O’ Lakes in Lake County Illinois with his family. A speedboat being operated by David Hatyina, 51, of Bartlett hit the boy. Bartlett was sentenced in June to 10 years in prison for the crime. He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in the incident.

“We enact this law in Tony’s memory,” Quinn said in a statement released on Sunday.

According to numbers released by the Illinois Governors office, in 2012, there were 101 boating-related accidents in Illinois, resulting in 17 deaths and 77 injuries. Alcohol use was a contributing factor in 13 of the accidents and five of the fatalities.

Across the country in Washington laws are getting tougher as well. Starting July 28, anyone caught boating under the influence may find the crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a receive $5,000 fine. The law will also allow for implied consent, so that an officer can require a boat operator to take a breath or blood test if the officer believes that person to be under the influence. If a test is refused, a $1,000 civil infraction may be issued. Law enforcement officers will also gain the ability to hold negligent or reckless boaters accountable for actions. Officers will now have the authority to issue citations for vessel accidents they did not witness. According to Washington state parks officials, alcohol is a factor in 30 percent of boating fatalities.

These two states are the latest to enact tougher new laws and other states such as New York may be soon proposing new Safety Laws. In a related boating legal thread, Ohio recently signed a Boater Protection Act into law which will limit state authorities from performing what was described as “overbearing” inspections on Ohio Boaters.

In a short teaser video released yesterday by Liquid Playground Productions, the first glimpses of a one of a kind SL52R were shown and left us with questions and begging for answers. This boat was built for on of Outerlimits repeat customers. A beautiful quad axle trailer has been built for it by Performance Custom Trailers of Warrensburg, NY and was shortly featured, although the boat was towed to the water for testing on a different trailer. This beauty of a boat is powered by a pair of Mercury Racing’s new 1650’s.

The 1650’s run a pair of Mercury M8’s. Data from the tests is not yet available.

From what we gathered in the video a velvet black interior and built in LED lighting are shown. We’re curious on what makes this stand apart from the standard SL52.

Check out the video below:

The assets of Checkmate Powerboats have been purchased by Global Marine Power, which is the parent company of Hustler Powerboats. Checkmate had halted production back in May and most of it’s staff was laid off. Hustler Powerboats, a manufacturer of high performance offshore boats since 1979, will now be able to offer 17 models to customers looking for boats under 30 feet by Checkmate.

“With a strong presence in the center console and small performance outboard boat market, Checkmate makes a great addition to the Hustler family,” said Paul LoGiudice, Sales Manager of Hustler Powerboats. “With 84 years of history between the two companies and 32 different models of boats ranging from 18’ to 50’, it will appeal to the new customers who are looking to find an affordable boat while working up to a larger boat without the need of changing companies down the road.”

“Hustler and Checkmate share many of the same attributes, custom, hand laid, exceptional performance and high quality boats,” said Doug Smith, company spokesperson for Checkmate Marine. “I am excited to see what Hustler will be able to help Checkmate accomplish.”

Checkmate will continue to produce and operate in Bucyrus, Ohio and complement Hustler’s current distributing channels. All current checkmate models will retain the Checkmate branding when production resumes.

About Hustler Powerboats

Hustler Powerboats, a division of Global Marine Power, Inc. manufactures 15 boats in both catamaran and v-hull designs, ranging from 21 feet to 50 feet in length. More information can be found by calling the office at 631-208-2933 or visiting the website at Hustler Powerboats. Follow Hustler Powerboats on Facebook, and on Twitter

About Checkmate Marine

Checkmate Marine, a division of Global Marine Power, Inc. has been in business for 50 years, manufacturing 17 different models ranging from 18 feet to 30 feet. More information can be found by calling the office at 419-562-3881 or by visiting the Checkmate website.

Chris-Craft’s annual Customer Event and Dealer Meeting in Sarasota, FL started on Sunday and wraps up today. Featured were a couple new boat models, such as the 21 Capri and a hardtop version of the 36 Corsair.

CEO and President of Chris Craft Stephen Heese had this to say about the new models: “We have pretty much every new boat we’ve introduced over the past 12 months here, plus the entire product line we have introduced in the past two or three years. Since all the products are in the water we also invite the press. We’ll have about 100 dealers from around the world,” Heese said.

Stephen reported that Chris-Craft sales are doing well as the year progresses. US sales have been very strong for Chris-Craft, which has helped in somewhat lacking European Sales. Asia, the Mid East and Australia have also done well so Stephen was very pleased on the general outlook for the Chris Craft Company.

The new Carina 21 is, for it’s intend use, a speedy runabout with an open bow. The Carina is powered by a single 270 HP Volvo Penta sterndrive. The boat accelerates quickly and can get up to plane in about three seconds. At full throttle she can run up to 54 MPH and it was noted to track well in high-speed turns. Chris-Craft had first introduced the boat at the Miami International Boat Show. Typical Chris Craft luxury features are present such as a closed bow covered with a teak foredeck and a huge aft sunpad rimmed with a teak rail.

The 36 Corsair Hardtop features a fixed hardtop with a sliding sun-roof to allow in the extra sun when desired. Like the Standard 36 Corsair, it is a twin engine boat and can be set up with twin 8.2L Mercury Engines rated at 380 HP or a number of Volvo Options ranging from 375 to 425 HP. Twin Diesel engines are an option as well. In tests with the Volvo T-8.1 Gxi’s, the non hardtop version ran at top speed of 48MPH.

The Catlinas also shown at the event are high-end center consoles, and are powered with outboards ranging from 200 to 300 hp. The 26 and 29 models feature dual outboards. The rest of the Chris Craft product line outside the Catalinas are powered with gas or diesel sterndrives. The 36 Corsair Hardtop shown at the event was powered with Twin Volvo Penta V8-430 sterndrives

Chris-Craft featured these boats at the event:

36 Corsair HT (hardtop); 32 Corsair; 32 Launch; 28 Corsair; 28 Launch; 25 Corsair; 25 Launch; 22 Corsair; 22 Launch; 21 Carina; 21 Capri; 29 Catalina; 26 Catalina; and 23 Catalina.

The 36 Corsair Hardtop on the Water:

Concept Art of 21 Capri

We’re getting ready, and we’re not the only ones: Over 180 boats have registered so far for this weekends event and as usual everything from big offshore boats to smaller Bajas, Chapparels and Pontoon Boats have been registered. One of the organizers, John Woodruff voiced his pleasure: “We are so excited about this years’ Pirates of Lanier Poker Run. We have a lot of boats and crews signed up for the event and it is getting better every day.” Last year’s event raised over $100,000 for local childrens charities and this year Poker Run organizers are hoping to bring in over $300,000 to help children in need. A $5,000 purse has been set up for the lucky Captain who gets the best hand.

Live entertainment will be on site and the popular Laser and Fireworks show will occur after the award ceremony. Vendors will be on display at the Sunset Cove parking lot. Three helicopters have been chartered to carry aerial photographers and photographs will be on sale. The Pirates of Lanier Poker Run is famous for it’s encouraged, but not required Pirate themed dress code. The most popular “Long Run” will be in five groups for safety issues due to the number of boats participating. The groups will be organized by classes so boats of similar type run together.

Weather for the event is shaping up to be in the 80’s will a small chance of thunderstorms. Water level on the lake is reported as full as well. We’ll be on the water with the T-shirt cannon on board! See you there!

Kip Brown emerged as the Winner of the Detroit Gold Cup driving the U95 Spirt of Qatar. Kip joins his Uncle Nate who won the event in 2004. Earlier in the heats, Ryan Mallow Flipped the U100 Jarvis Property Restoration. Check out the video here! The boat was heavily damaged and Ryan Mallow was taken to the hospital to receive x-rays for possible fractures in his arm. Although conditions were good for exhibitions on Friday, the water became more choppy going into late Saturday and Sunday. Press Release Follows:

Detroit, Michigan – United States – July 14th, 2013

Detroit Gold Cup Goes Brown!

Steve David cannot catch a break in the Detroit APBA Gold Cup. After two disastrous Saturday heats where penalties cost the 59 year old driver of the 1 Oh Boy! Oberto preliminary wins, things appeared to be going much better on Sunday.

By the start of the Championship Final Heat, the veteran driver from Lighthouse Point, Florida had worked his way to the top of the weekend points ladder and was the favorite to win his first Gold Cup in 23 tries. He had finished second seven times.

After ¾ of a lap, David had established a lead over Jimmy Shane in the 5 Graham Trucking, Kip Brown in the 95 Spirit of Qatar and Jon Zimmerman in the 9 Team RedDOT. As the four boats came through turn two, David was called for a lane infraction and assessed a one lap penalty. Shane went into David’s roostertail and lost the front wing of his boat.

With David penalized a lap and Shane’s craft crippled, Brown and Zimmerman were left to race for the Gold Cup and they staged a battle that had the Detroit crowd on their feet for four laps. Zimmerman moved out a lead over Brown and appeared to have superior boat speed, but Brown’s boat handled the rough water on the inside well and he used the shorter course to take the lead and the win from Zimmerman. There were nine lead changes in the final heat.

Tom Thompson finished third in th 11 Peters & May with Shane fourth and David fifth. Mike Webster in the 22 Roostertail 55 did not finish the final heat.

In the jubilant Spirit of Qatar camp, Brown said, “Right now I am so excited I don’t know what to think or say. It just came to us!”

A more composed Brown added, “Jon (Zimmerman) pulled out to the lead after we heard about the penalty but Jeff (Bernard, on the radio) told me to make him earn it. After that I wasn’t going to lift and the boat just ran great.”

Brown, a 36 year old from Ravensdale, Washington, was the H1 Unlimited Rookie of the Year in 2008 but had never been a winner on the H1 circuit. His first win came in the biggest race of a career that started in 1995 in smaller classes.

The 95 Spirit of Qatar is owned by Our Gang Racing of Preston, Washington, East of Seattle. The team is headed up by Brown’s uncle Nate Brown, a former Gold Cup winner and is carrying the Qatar sponsorship while last year’s winner, the 96 Spirit of Qatar, is undergoing repairs in Seattle.

Next stop on the H1 Unlimited Tour will be the Lamb-Weston Columbia Cup in the Tri-Cities area of South-Central Washington, July 26-28.

Qualifying Results
Number – Sponsor Driver Speed Points
1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 161.37 100
5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 161.126 80
9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 155.933 70
37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 151.466 60
57 FEDCO Mark Evans 148.19 50
11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 148.07 40
22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 145.273 30
14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 144.882 30
95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 130 0
100 Jarvis Property Restoration Ryan Mallow 130 0

Heat 1A Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 146.688 400
2 14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 130.461 300
3 37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 139.845 225
4 57 FEDCO Mark Evans 128.177 169
5 95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 136.881 127

Heat 1B Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 134.655 400
2 11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 132.422 300
3 1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 147.019 225
4 9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 146.21 169
DNS 100 Jarvis Property Restoration Ryan Mallow 0 0

Heat 2A Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 144.949 400
2 37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 143.232 300
3 9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 142.957 225
4 22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 128.743 169
5 57 FEDCO Mark Evans 124.158 127

Heat 2B Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 141.897 400
2 11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 132.38 300
3 14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 129.91 225
4 1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 138.993 169
ResultsforHeat3A

Heat 3A Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 0 400
2 95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 0 300
3 57 FEDCO Mark Evans 0 225
PEN 169-50 14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 0 119
DSQ-50 5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 0 -50

Heat 3B Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 0 400
2 37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 0 300
3 11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 0 225
4 22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 0 169
ResultsforHeat4A

Heat 4A Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 0 400
2 5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 0 300
3 9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 0 225
4 37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 0 169
5 57 FEDCO Mark Evans 0 127

Heat 4B Results

Finish Boat Driver Avg. Speed Points
1 95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 0 400
2 22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 0 300
3 11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 0 225
4 14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 0 169
Final: No boats have been assigned to this heat.

Accumulated Points

Number – Boat Driver Points
95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 1227
1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 1194
5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 1050
11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 1050
22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 1038
9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 1019
37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 994
14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 813
57 FEDCO Mark Evans 648
100 Jarvis Property Restoration Ryan Mallow 0
Accumulated Points with Qualifying

Number – Boat Driver Points
1 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David 1294
95 Spirit of Qatar Kip Brown 1227
5 Graham Trucking Jimmy Shane 1130
11 Peters & May Tommy Thompson 1090
9 Team Red Dot Jon Zimmerman 1089
22 Roostertail 55 Mike Webster 1068
37 Miss Beacon Plumbing J. Michael Kelly 1054
14 Jarvis Fire Water Repair Greg Hopp 843
57 FEDCO Mark Evans 698
100 Jarvis Property Restoration Ryan Mallow 0