Happy June, Outlaws! It’s time for the highly anticipated Texas Outlaw Challenge, just three weeks away. Have you registered yet? If not, now’s the time to secure your spot and enjoy VIP treatment at the prestigious Houston Yacht Club.

This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever, featuring four epic pool parties, including the Most Wanted at Kenny’s Casa, Harborwalk Fun in the Sun, VIP Houston Yacht Club Bash, and the ultimate Allans Ranch Pool Party. Each party offers a unique experience you won’t want to miss!

The excitement doesn’t stop there. The Saloon Street Party will showcase live entertainment and a stunning display of performance powerboats. Additional thrilling Poker Run stops will take place at TopWater Grill, Pier 6, and other exciting locations.

One of the main highlights is the Extreme Shoot Out, kicking off Friday on the waters of Clear Lake. Boaters will push their limits to see just how fast they can go. If you think you have what it takes, register now to join the action.

The weekend culminates with the Saturday Night Awards Finale and Charity Casino at the Hilton. This unforgettable event promises fun, excitement, and the chance to celebrate with fellow boating enthusiasts.

Don’t miss out on this incredible weekend. Register now and prepare for an unforgettable experience. See you soon, Outlaws!

https://texasoutlawchallenge.com/product/gunslinger-poker-run-registration/

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) unveiled over $21 million in grants through the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program, aimed at enhancing marinas and boating facilities in 21 states. This initiative, crucial for the recreational boating industry, allocates $4.4 million to 18 states under BIG Tier 1 and $17 million to 12 states under BIG Tier 2.

States like Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin are among the largest beneficiaries. USFWS Director Martha Williams emphasized the economic and community benefits of these grants, which will create 187 new slips, 7,768 linear feet of docking space, and additional amenities for transient recreational boaters.

Funded by the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, the BIG program supports projects that enhance access and facilities for boats 26 feet or longer, used for recreation and staying 15 days or less. The grants also promote education and information dissemination about recreational boating.

This significant funding underscores the importance of boater access to waterways and the ongoing commitment to infrastructure development, benefiting both local economies and the boating community at large.

We had a fabulous weekend at the Powerboating for a Cure Poker Run and thanks to all the participants and the 30 boats in the run,  they were able to raise over $25K for Edmarc, a local charity.

On December 3rd Powerboat Nation traveled to the heart of Florida for the 2021 toy tour. This event takes place alone the St. John River, in Palatka Florida. The run is to help underprivileged kids, and victims of domestic violence. This event was created by and has been going strong for the past 21 years with the help from Walter Braithwaite and Scott Mccormick of velocity powerboats. Other sponsors include Mystic Powerboats, Mercury Racing, Mystic powerboats,  Spectre powerboats, Cigarette Racing,  and Myco Trailers.

Friday’s fun run started with 55 boats heading from Crystal Cove Resort down the St. John’s river,  to Dunn creek. Dunn creek is 10 miles of Sharp left and right turns that takes you to crescent lake where you end up at 3 bananas.  After the teams road back to crystal Cove for a fun night that included a dance party,  that ended with a magic / hypnosis show.

Saturday’s run from Crystal Cove to was quite the excitement. The morning started off with heavy fog that delayed the run a few minutes as it was really thick.  After the fog lifted the boaters strapped up their life jackets with blood pumping waiting on Velocity president Scott Mccormick in the new Velocity 29 with twin 400rs to signal to start run.  We rode along with DJ Williams in his 31 American offshore to all the toy drop at Weleka Boat Ramp where the Putnam Police department was waiting for everyone to drop off the toys.

“We really appreciate all the powerboaters that participants in this”

After the toy drop off the boaters went to the toys drop off, everyone headed to Renegades for lunch stop. The fun didn’t stop there, everyone headed to Silver Glenn Cove for a big raft up and party in the clear water. That night the banquet was packet full of fun an excitement with a live band and plenty of give aways.

” It was a really good first time” said Williams, ” it’s a really great cause and we will be back next year with Powerboat Nation on board with us.”

Marine Design’s TrimSync Testimonials:

Backed by five decades of professional powerboat racing experience in multiple classes from his
Allison Boats start in 1969 to tunnel boats in the mid 70s to more current victories the last
twenty years in an array of offshore V-bottoms – one must only say the name Ben and it’s
evident the respected world-champion racer being referenced is Ben Robertson, president of
South Carolina-based BAR Marine Group. And while his early career includes time spent at
Cigarette Racing Team and a more recent partnership as a stateside representative for Predator
Performance Boats out of Norway, by and far, the badge Ben Robertson wears most proudly
from the brand that defines him is – Fountain Faithful!

As a result, when someone with Robertson’s wealth of nautical expertise speaks out in favor of
a product, the boating community listens… and does so attentively! Such is the case with
TrimSync the game-changer from Marine Design, in which he’s been an outspoken advocate of
for seven years repetitively stating, “I won’t race professionally or run a boat for pleasure if
TrimSync isn’t installed.”

Campaigning Peter Meyer’s Fountain Instigator at the 2014 Key West Worlds is when Ben first
became aware of the innovative instrument after hearing the success stories from Team Gone
Again and STIHL Racing which had them installed in the catamarans; discovering the device’s
capabilities during testing is what hooked him in. Climbing out of Instigator at the docks, “All
you have to do is push a button,” he said. That day Mike Clesceri, the proprietor of Marine
Design and the architect of TrimSync, took on the “button guy” moniker.

Robertson explained, “TrimSync keeps the drives perfectly even which is the biggest job of the
throttleman, plus another major advantage is the fact, there’s no need to look down at the
indicators. The impact it makes on how to trim the boat and keep the drives synchronized is
huge. The beauty of the system is that it has an infinite amount of numbers to work off of,
whereas, Mercury cables and digital indicators don’t come close to being that precise. Even
when Mercury introduced Auto Trim it was speed controlled only up to 50 mph… with TrimSync
it’s about user input and control.”

The recall feature has four preset modes that let you set or automatically sync the drives to the
exact position you want for: getting on plane; going into the turn trimming down; accelerating
out of the turn trimming up; and half way down the straightaway when trimming the drives in
with less slip and better hooking up of the props. In addition, this takes the load off the
competitive racer, not to mention, the pleasure boat poker runner who is always making
adjustments during go time!

Racing is where Robertson fell in love with the system and learned to make it work; today he
continues to triumph in that arena. This past August at the 33rd Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, he
laid down a 152-mph pass in Swedish powerboater Christian Dahlberg’s 2008 Fountain. For the
speed run, Robertson engaged just two presets, rightfully titled: launch mode and haulin’ ass!
Off the competitive course, businesswise Robertson is also seeing big gains on his BAR Marine
Group customers’ triple and quad center consoles by way of 2-to 3-mph bump-ups in speed and
an improved fuel economy of up to ten percent. Because the multi-outboard crafts are often
improperly trimmed due to the longer drive shaft of the center engine (or engines) which throw
off the geometry, he’s discovered it’s necessary to trim the middle one (or two) buried in the
water just two degrees higher.

For a not-so-experienced boater, removing the “how and where” guess work from the equation
is worth its weight in gold, and whilst it takes a bit of skill to set up the perfect angles, once the
task is complete TrimSync keeps the engines perfectly offset and aligned. Competitively priced
and easy-to-use, Clesceri guides you through the software programming, and even better, with
a Wi-Fi connection the system can be remotely accessed for setup and diagnostics. Isn’t it time
you tried TrimSync?

On Saturday, July 31, 2021, over 50 powerboaters took to the waters of the James River, leaving from Jordan Point Marina in Prince George, Virginia, heading downriver to Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, Virginia.

This event was established by Joey Cutrona, after numerous and lengthy conversations with his close friends; Rob Paden and gathering ideas from JW Davis. Over the years, Joey has spoken to several other collaborators for insight and ideas to finalize his vision. Joey finally put his plans into motion and with the enormous support from the local boating community, the event commenced once again. This run emulated the ‘Jammin on the James’ run of years past, which drew boaters in from all over the country.

The event kicked off Friday night at Jordan Point Marina with a party to welcome all boaters and spectators. Friday evening’s festivities included live music, along with an oyster and shrimp bar that was located inside of the marina. Jordan Point offers an on-site pool which allowed activities to run late into the evening. There was ample parking to accommodate the RV’s, campers and boats that opted to stay and make the most of their weekend getaway.

Jordan Point Marina’s team stated, “We welcomed the boaters as well as the followers that came to watch this event take off.”

Saturday morning, the boats gathered at the Benjamin Harris Memorial Bridge, coming from as far north as Maryland and as south as North Carolina. The boaters heard the national anthem and observed a beautiful flyover by John Mazza Jr. and John Mazza III before taking off.

Afterward, Mazza Jr. stated, “I thought it went great, the timing and support all worked out great!”

A fellow boater, Michael Wilkerson, commented, “It gave me goosebumps, I don’t think anyone knew about it, it just made everything complete”(describing the flyover). Michael went on to say, “Just talking about it gives me goosebumps!”

The 55+ boats began their run to Tidewater Yacht Marina only stopping for a quick lunch at Decoys in Suffolk, Virginia and some opted for other stops along the way. Eventually all boaters arrived and docked at the marina to enjoy the remainder of the day.

“We had a blast” said Ashley Wood. “It was a lot of boats for things to be run as smoothly as it was. We were impressed.”

Powerboat Nations (PBN) own videographer Mike Goode took to the skies via helicopter to capture the days’ events.  Aerial photography is typically how most larger powerboat poker runs are photographed.  This was Goodes first event shooting and covering for PBN.

“It’s really great to be a part of this event and help with the growth of it,” said Goode. “Seeing people come from out of town, bringing their beautiful boats, I’m still shocked about the turnout.” “I can’t thank everyone enough for bringing me in and trusting me. It was a dream come true,” commented Mike.

“Most people usually don’t get to attend such events without traveling states away so to be able to experience and record this event, in a helicopter, for everyone to see was such a cool and exciting thing!” said Goode.

This run was officially put on by Joey Cutrona, Organizer and Powerboat Nations videographer, Mike Goode. Other than the boaters fuel, food and there beverages of choice, this was a free event for all to enjoy, what more could you ask for? It is now in the record books for being a true “Fun Run”!

Earlier this week, Nautique announced the launch of its Super Air Nautique GS22E, an electric towboat they quote as “unlike anything else on the market today”. By partnering with their sister company, Ingenity Electric, the multi-sport GS22E will utilize the latest in electric propulsion technology to deliver optimal performance while also appealing to the increasing popularity of clean energy.

“unlike anything else on the market today”

But there’s more to the Super Air Nautique GS22E than just its eco-friendly packaging. The GS22E is nevertheless a luxury experience exuding modern minimalist elegance meant to turn heads whether you’re cutting waves on the lake or chilling off the coast for a sunset ride. As with all Nautique models, the GS22E is customizable from color, trim, and accents, to multiple seat configurations and storage space options. This combined with its advanced hull design initially developed for the G23 Paragon, the 22 foot GS22E is not to be understated.

However, while the visuals of the GS22E and the pedigree of Nautique’s are already impressive enough to garner a closer look, the electric drive system abroad is nothing to laugh at either. With the ability to deliver instant torque straight to the prop for 2-3 hours use on a single charge, Ingenity and Nautique have worked tirelessly to create an efficient drive system meant to maximize your time on the water without compromising performance.

So whether you’re looking for an opportunity to connect with your family or something to spoil yourself, the GS22E is an excellent luxury option while also staying green.

Pompano Beach, FL – Jason Ventura, Founder and President of the 12-year old, custom marine shop is proud
to announce his company’s accreditation by Mercury Racing as a Certified Mercury Racing Dealership.
Brand X earned its reputation as a top custom mechanical, electrical and rigging company among the most
discerning powerboat aficionados. Ventura’s extensive background in marine service, racing and with builder,
Outerlimits, where he worked for 8 years, together with renowned powerboat builder and founder, Mike
Fiore, provided the background to move to Florida in 2008 to create his own company.

His concierge service for exclusive powerboat racing and poker run teams has dominated the custom-marine
service industry and Ventura and his team work on all types of inboard and outboard engines. However, as the industry became more outboard dominant, Ventura recognized that Mercury Racing, as his clients’ top choice, required some additional designations. The program, started by former Mercury Racing President, Fred Kiekhaefer, was intended to protect boaters–owners, who wanted to be sure that all the subtle differences in installing and servicing the top-performing engines were completely understood and followed by their mechanics. The certification is costly and time consuming, including online, onsite and continuing education on new products, but to Ventura was worth the investment.

“We’ve been working on Mercury Racing engines for years,” says Ventura, “We’ve rebuilt, re-powered and
installed countless Mercs over time, but to earn Racing’s recognition as ‘certified’ to their specific standards,
now sets us above other shops.”

Brand X Hi-Performance Marine also handles paint, fiberglass and metal fabrication as well as drives, custom
rigging and set-ups to improve overall engine performance. Ventura’s experience with Outerlimits gives him
unsurpassed edge in service on that brand and his license with the State of Florida DBPR enables him to do
brokerage as well.

For more information visit www.BXPMarine.com or call (954) 366-1800.