Performance Boat Center Wraps Up Fall Fun Run in MO
Performance Boat Center, the mega-dealership and service center with locations in Missouri and South Florida, held one of its biannual Fun Run events at the Lake of the Ozarks this past weekend, and enjoyed splendid weather—at least, until mid-afternoon rolled around.
“We had a little over 40 boats registered, but more than 50 boats showed up for our Fall Fun Run,” said PB Center co-owner Brett Manire. “We had a little bit of everything, from 48’ MTIs and big canopied Outerlimits to Nor-Techs, Donzis, Sunsations and Cigarettes—all kinds of brands. It was very cool.”
Many participants started to roll into town on Friday afternoon and hung out at PB Center’s Redhead Lakeside Grill restaurant. Crews then met at PB Center between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday for a “meet and greet” with coffee and doughnuts. After a quick driver’s meeting, everybody boated to Jolly Rogers Grub ’n’ Grog, a pirate-and-battleship themed on-the-water eatery to hang out for a couple of hours. Then it was off to Franky & Louie’s Beachfront Bar & Grill (Sunrise Beach, MO) for refreshments until about 3 p.m., which is when the rain started rolling in. Finally, it was back to PB Center’s Redhead Lakeside Grill for a shrimp dinner and discounted drinks. Then most people gathered their belongings, headed out and drove home on Sunday.
“We’ve been doing this for six or seven years,” said PB Center co-owner Brett Manire. “We usually do a Spring Fun Run in April and then a Fall Fun Run in September or October, depending on the weather. The trees are starting to change color, and I usually try to find a sunny day. This year, it didn’t rain on us until about 2 p.m.,” he chuckles. “We try to give some revenue to restaurants that are getting ready to close for the winter time, and it gives us a reason to go out and boat one more day.”
About 75% of participants were from Missouri and surrounding states, but some came from as far away as Michigan, Oklahoma and even Arkansas. Among the attendees were Burton Kirsten of Chesterfield, MI, with his 46-foot Outerlimits, as well as Matt Mawby of Bentonville, AR, with his 39’ Cigarette GTX. “We had a nice mixture of vee bottoms, center consoles, catamarans, closed boats, open boats—a real cross-section. We even had a canopied raceboat, the 388 Skater HP Mafia, show up. It was a really neat deal,” Manire said.
As for the famous Performance Boat Center raceboats—the 42’ MTI Jimmy John’s Supercat entry and the 32-foot Doug Wright Auto Alert Super Stock class competitor—they were left on the trailers as they undergo testing and prep work in anticipation of the OPA bout in Fort Myers Oct. 10-12.
Check out this gallery of photos from the event! (Photography courtesy Brad Glidewell)
