Boater of the Week: RJ Moscone
Powerboat Nation’s latest Boater of the Week has been named! RJ Mascone is an avid boater and hails from good ol’ Sarasota, FL, where he enjoys taking to the water as often as possible. RJ began his journey into the world of powerboating at age 9 when his grandfather deemed him old enough to pilot his 33′ Trojan International. “It was a nerve racking two minutes before I realized boating was [my] favorite thing I enjoyed doing. Still to this day”, says RJ. Having someone like his grandfather invest the time to take him and his brother out on the water twice a week to practice piloting has proved invaluable and only strengthened his passion for boating.
RJ will never forget his most cherished experiences powerboating as a young man with his family. It’s experiences like these that bring family together in a way that transcends time and distance.
“One Sunday a month my pops would treat us to breakfast on the boat parked at South Lido beach. My whole family would come out and spend time on the water for hours. Those times you just can’t get back when we were kids. Those trips I say were just as fun as him teaching me how to plot a course for an overnight stay to Cabbage Key using the old style Lowrance chart plotter from the eighties, back before GPS was invented! The whole point of our trip to get us out of the house was to get ice cream… At least that’s what we told mom and grandma. The real reason was our love for boating. I think my grandfather got a kick out of everyone watching me park his 33’x12′ Beem High Speed Cruiser while peering out from downstairs. It wasn’t easy for our grandfather to show pride in a proud way. Moments like this I will remember on a weekly basis till the day I die.”
RJ’s first boat was a 21′ Bayliner Capri, purchased in 2000 for him by his father; but the first boat he ever owned on his own was a 2000 28′ Donzi ZX, twin 350 MPI which he still owns to this day. He’ll never forget talking the previous owner all the way down to $15,000 from $42,000… It was a deal he would never pass up in a million years. The next day he hitched up the trailer and the whole family including their little Doberman, Mr. Higgins, were all headed back to Sarasota with the boat. Rj’s is looking forward to participating in the next boating even nearest his town where he can show off his Donzi and enjoy a rip roarin’ day out on the water with his fellow boaters! Don’t get the idea that he’s only about pleasure boating though. RJ has a fiery passion for racing and last year he took 3rd with his friend Pat Pumper (Owner/Throttle Man) in the Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix.
Although very content with his current craft, he does have his eye on either a 40′ Donzi or possibly a Skater for the future. A true boating enthusiast he works hard every single day so that he can enjoy the rest of his time out on the water with the people he loves most; teaching his daughter as his grandpa taught him is only natural and will continue to pass down a legacy of true passion and love for boating. He looks forward to what life has in store for him and continues pushing forward with the determination to make his dreams a reality.
We at Powerboat Nation are honored to have such a true powerboater in our midst and wish RJ the best in these coming years! We are looking forward to seeing him on a 60′ Viking at this year’s Key West this week!
