Porta Performance Earns Offshore ‘Trifecta’ in Michigan City
Porta Performance of New Smyrna Beach, FL, is stoked about last weekend’s OPA/P1 offshore race in Michigan City, IN. The Great Lakes Grand Prix completed a “grand slam” that saw the company’s handiwork contribute to three separate first-place finishes.
• In Super Stock class, Shadow Pirate (a Doug Wright catamaran) took first place. The boat sports a Porta Performance-designed hull.
• In SVX class, Sun Print took first place; that hull was enhanced by Porta Performance.
• Finally, in Class 5, the “bat boat” Disabled American Veterans featured a cockpit-adjustable hydraulic transom bracket designed by Porta Products.
“Rarely do the planets line up for such an accomplishment in offshore racing,” said company owner Scott Porta during the awards presentation in Michigan City. “We spend a lot of time and effort making sure every performance product we design and build is spot on … and our teams do the same. Our hats are off to them for contributing to our winning heritage.”
In Super Stock Class, Shadow Pirate, owned by Nick Scafidi and throttled by Porta, got off to an early lead and never looked back. “It was a great day. We had a good start and we continued to stretch out our lead the entire race,” Scafidi said. The hydrodynamics on Shadow Pirate helped propel the boat to three World Championships and two National titles since it hit the race course. “We designed the bottom to turn better, accelerate quicker and run faster than the competition and it paid off today,” Porta said.
In the OPA SVX Class, the Porta Performance running surface delivered the hydrodynamic dominance lap after lap. “The competition is tough in this class,” said Steve Miklos, owner of Sun Print, a 30’ Extreme full-canopied monohull. “It was obvious that we got a distinct handling advantage but we also found that the overall speed was enhanced.”
Class 5 in OPA is tough in its own right. Being a “speed controlled class,” boat controllability is key. Porta Products’ cockpit-adjustable hydraulic transom bracket is perfect. The “Bat Boat” known as Disabled American Veterans is a fan favorite. “The trick for us is to be able to control the X dimension on the fly,” said boat owner Gino Marrone. “We can preset it for tight corners, early acceleration and long straightaways. It is the best tool we have ever worked with for total set up. And here’s the crazy thing: After we race, we take our Bat Boat out to the sand bar and with a flip of the switch, our race boat converts to a Suzuki powered pleasure boat and we back into the beach stern first.”
The high-performance version of the Porta cockpit-controlled Hydraulic Transom Bracket is finding its way into many classes of competition. The Porta R-Series is designed for vessels that cruise over 100 mph. Even at speeds over 60 mph, the ability to remotely and incrementally adjust the prop shaft height relative to the running surface of the hull is critical where 1/16’ equals 1 mph. The Porta R-Series is designed to do just that, with the touch of a finger. The Porta R-Series is available in 8”, 10” and 12” set back dimensions with a height adjustment from 2.25” to 6.5” respectively. Several high-performance remote adjustment controls and indicators are available. In all conditions every Porta Transom Bracket, regardless of age, operates under full load effortlessly and flawlessly for any horsepower outboard.
About Porta Products, Porta Performance and Porta Racing
Scott Porta was commissioned to design the aerodynamics and running surface of a 32’ catamaran for offshore racing. The boat, equipped with the Porta R-Series hydraulically adjustable transom bracket, subsequently earned three World Championships and two (2) U.S. National Titles. The bracket eventually was outlawed from the premier offshore series class after it was deemed an “unfair advantage.” That Porta product line used in offshore racing is now available as the new Porta R-Series to cruiser/center console OEMs, parts distributors, boat dealers and high performance rigging shops.
For more information, contact Clay Ratcliffe (386) 589-8848, or email him at PortaPerformanceTechnologies@gmail.com.
The Porta Bracket on the Bat Boat, Disabled American Veterans.
The Porta Bracket and Suzuki outboard on the Bat Boat, Disabled American Veterans.
The Porta Bracket and Suzuki outboard on the Bat Boat, Disabled American Veterans.
Scott Porta and Nick Scafidi of Shadow Pirate fame.
Scott Porta (center) with the Sun Print team of Steve Miklos and Steven Fehrmann.
Sun Print and Shadow Pirate.
