The Top 20 Speed On The Water Stories Of 2023, Part I
Jason Johnson, my longtime friend and partner in speedonthewater.com, and I are suckers for holiday traditions. Among those is picking our “Stories of the Year” from speedonthewater.com. We started the ritual in 2012, three years after we launched the daily news site covering the high-performance powerboat world. Starting today with my top-10 story picks, the tradition continues.
Johnson’s top-10 article will go live tomorrow.
With its mind-bending top speed of 184 mph on the three-quarter-mile Lake of the Ozarks Shootout course, Factory Billet blasted its way into high-performance powerboating history. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Now for the usual disclaimer: First, the stories here are not listed in order of importance. (OK, I confess, the Factory Billet accomplishment tops my list.) Second, we know and accept that a few readers will quibble with our choices.
And now for our usual response: We don’t care. Search the speedonthewater.com archives and make your own list if these picks upset you.
All in good fun, of course. Enjoy
Factory Billet Runs Into History
No one, least of all the Factory Billet cockpit duo of owner/driver/throttleman Jim Schultz and engine-builder Mike Faucher, expected to destroy the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout V-bottom speed record in their 51-foot Outerlimits beauty. But with their 184-mph, Sunday morning pass at the 35th annual event in Central Missouri, that’s exactly what they did.
Produced by Speed On The Water and Scrapyard Media, a video chronicling the accomplishment of Factory Billet has been viewed more than 140,000 times.
DCB Goes Modern In Phoenix
For almost 35 years, DCB Performance Marine built exquisite high-performance catamarans and V-bottoms at a decidedly less-than-exquisite location in El Cajon, Calif. But when Craig and Kim Hargreaves purchased the company, relocating operations to a sparkling new facility in Phoenix, Ariz., topped his to-do list and he made it happen in short order.
Relocating to its new facility in Arizona has created efficiencies for DCB and improved employee morale.
Howe2Live Couple Survives And Thrives
Until they decided to run from Portland, Maine, to Key West, Fla., in an outboard engine-powered 44-foot MTI catamaran—in one weekend—the YouTube channel-showcased, go-fast-boat-lifestyle adventures of Mike and Sarah Howe leaned mostly toward the lighter side. But the ambitious, almost 2,000-mile open-ocean trek took them to their breaking points. To the surprise of no one who knows them, they made it in one piece.
Mike and Sarah Howe risked all in their most challenging adventure to date.
Speed On The Water Key West Bash Raises $200,000 For Samuel’s House
More than a celebration for performance boat fans in town for the Race World Offshore World Championships and Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run, the Speed On The Water Key West Bash raises money for a local organization dubbed Samuel’s House. And thanks to Lex and Austin Carver, who matched the $100,000 raised during the 10th annual party’s live auction, the event hauled in a record-setting $200,000 for the charity.
The $200,000 donation was the largest single donation to date made to Samuel’s House. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.
Mercury Racing Goes Big With 50th Anniversary Celebrations
The dominant force in the high-performance marine engine world, Mercury Racing wasn’t about to let its Golden Anniversary pass by unnoticed. On the contrary, the Fond du Lac, Wis., company produced two major celebrations combined with new product launches, one invitational powerboat race in its home state and an entire video series celebrating its legacy.
The Midwest Challenge in Sheboygan, Wis., provided yet another celebration of the Mercury Racing brand.
Patriotic Duty Takes On The Pacific
A trio of longtime go-fast boating buddies from Discovery Bay, Calif., decided they needed a new challenge and entered the Ocean Cup Series offshore endurance-record game in 2022 with Patriotic Duty, a 47-foot Outerlimits V-bottom. Just one year later, they had new San Francisco to Marina del Rey and San Francisco to Long Beach records to their credit.
The Patriotic Duty team smashed two long-held offshore endurance racing records in California. Photo courtesy Erick Bryner copyright Fast Loud Photography.
M CON Goes Back To Back With Super Cat Titles
Naysayers who believed the M CON team’s Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil will be distracted from defending their 2022 Super Cat-class national and world titles by their entry into the Class 1 ranks were sorely mistaken. With support from their crew and families, they repeated both accomplishments in their Skater 388 catamaran.
The man behind the M CON offshore racing franchise, Tyler Miller is one of the sport’s true gentlemen and fiercest competitors.
MTI Turns 25 In Style—With A Little Boost From Speed On The Water
From cartoon- and automobile-themed catamarans to luxurious center consoles, Marine Technology, Inc., of Wentzville, Mo., has covered a lot of water in the past 25 years. To help company founder Randy Scism and his teammates celebrate their accomplishments, which this year included adding a 44-footer to his outboard-powered catamaran line, speedonthewater.com launched a compelling weekly series chronicling the company’s remarkable history.
The unstoppable Randy Scism, his family and employees built MTI from the ground up.
Sunsation Breaks Ground On New Headquarters
Like many pure go-fast V-bottom sportboat builders, Sunsation Powerboats of Algonac, Mich., reinvented itself as a high-performance console builder—and its CCX lineup has grown to the point where expansion became a must. So the company acquired the necessary land and broke ground a new facility, which eventually will house all of its operations from lamination to rigging, this fall.
Thanks to the success of its CCX center console line, Sunsation Powerboats is building a new headquarters.
Fountain Launches Fountain Certified Program
Based in Washington, N.C., Fountain Powerboats has thousands of sportboats in need of upgrades and renovations, from power to upholstery. And that led to the genesis of the in-house-based Fountain Certified program for pre-owned Fountain offerings. Launched earlier this month, the program includes warrantied work that will help support sales and purchases among the Fountain faithful.
With thousands of pre-owned boats on the water, the new Fountain Certified program makes perfect sense. Photo by Mark Spencer copyright Fountain Powerboats.
Related stories
Factory Billet’s 184-MPH Lake Of The Ozarks Shootout Mic Drop
DCB Performance Boats Relocates To Arizona Under New Ownership
Catching Up With Mike And Sarah Howe—Riding Dolphins
10th Annual Speed On The Water Key West Bash Raises $200,000 For Samuel’s House
Midwest Challenge Day No. 2—’Good For The Sport’ And Beyond
Patriotic Duty Outerlimits Breaks San Francisco-To-Marina Del Rey/Long Beach Records
XINSURANCE Clearwater Nationals—M CON Repeats, Allied Construction Prevails And More
MTI At 25—The 2023 Collection
Sunsation Powerboats Building New Headquarters
Fountain Certified Program Launches
Speed On The Water Stories Of The Year 2022: Part IV Of IV
Speed On The Water Stories Of The Year 2022: Part III Of IV
Speed On The Water Stories Of The Year 2022: Part II Of IV
Speed On The Water Stories Of The Year 2022: Part I Of IV
Top 10 Go-Fast Boating Stories Of The Year, Part II—In The Lead Video Series Blazes Trails, Mercury Marine Adds V-12 Outboard And More
Top 10 Go-Fast Boating Stories Of The Year, Part I—Cigarette Sells, GEICO Bails And More
Top Stories Of 2020, Part I
Top Stories Of 2020, Part II
Top 10 Stories Of 2019, Part I
Top 10 Stories Of 2019, Part II
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