Speculation Abounds Whether Phenomenon will Show at LOTO Shootout

Little has been seen or heard about Al Copeland Jr. and his Phenomenon cat since the boat debuted at the Key West Worlds in 2009 and making a splash at the Miami Boat Show back in 2010. The 56-foot catamaran with four T-55 Lycoming turbines got a lot of attention when it was first seen, but technical problems encountered since that time seem to have put the kabosh on any speed record attempts or further trials over the last year. Recently, speculation has grown on whether the boat might turn up at this year's Lake of The Ozarks Shootout, on August 22-28.

PHOTO CREDITS: luxury4play.com.

Driver Al Copeland Jr., was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his famous boat racing father, who founded the Popeyes restaurant chain. Phenomenon is the culmination of his father’s wish to break the propeller-driven speed record of 220.43 mph...but there's some stiff competition out there from other powerful turbine cats, like Miss Geico--which has hit 210mph.

PHOTO CREDITS: unrealluxury.com.

With the 4 turbines, the boat was supposed to bust out with about 12,000hp--and on paper, it should be able to make a solid record attempt. The question is, will we see it any time soon? The project's Facebook page has plenty of fan questions...but no answers.

Cigarette Takes Balls to the Wall with Photo Print Gallery

Everyone knows Cigarette Racing has become synonymous with extreme powerboat performance, and Cigarette is clearly the most famous brand of offshore boat on the water. Since its inception under Don Aronow, the company has always had a rakish, sexy and notorious attitude--and no where has than been more in evidence than it's famous print ads.

With that in mind, and due to popular demand from fans and customers alike, the company has worked with professional printers to produce fine, high-quality art prints that are just the ticket for your home, office wall, garage or your boathouse. Each photograph in the series has been color-corrected, optimized for the professional printer, and printed on Kodak Professional Supra Endura VC paper. This archive-quality, fine art paper is rated for 100 years of home use and 200 years in dark storage.

PHOTO CREDITS: Cigarette Racing.

In addition to unframed prints, Cigarette is also offer framing, matting, glass, and a myriad of options that will put a ready-to-hang art print on your wall fast. Selected items are also offered as 1.5" standouts, a unique way to display. For more information on the Cigarette Print Gallery, head to the store HERE.

Outerlimits' New Hull-Engine Package Powering Class 1 Fendi Team

Italian team Fendi Racing has been testing their new Outerlimits boat-engine package, which they are planning to run competitively for the first time in July at the Class 1 BMW Norwegian Grand Prix in Arendal. The American-made boat was put through a series of shakedown tests on Lake Lecco by throttleman Giovanni Carpitella, alongside team manager and crew chief Marco Bonomo.

The Fendi Team - PHOTO CREDITS: Class-1.com.

“This hull-engine combination is completely different to the Victory boat that Fendi ran in Abu Dhabi," explained Bonomo. "We have a lot to learn in terms of its handling characteristics and overall performance, and some work to do tweaking the engines.”

During test on open waters near Jesolo, Team owner Luca Fendi Formilli Fendi was there to get his first outing in the new boat. “I was very emotional when I saw the boat, even more so after going out to test,” he said. “The last time I saw it, it was just a mass of grey material in a workshop in America and to see it now is incredible. The team has done an amazing job. Now the project I started to talk about over a year ago has really come together.”

The decision by the team to run with the Outerlimits boat and twin 850 SC Outerlimits Powertrain engines sees the American high performance boat manufacturer making its debut into the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, swelling the ranks of different boat-engine manufacturers competing in the championship to five. The Arendal, Norway race is scheduled for July 15th - 17th.

Classic Speed and Style on Display at PLX Boat Show

Every year, I try to make it over to the local Chain of Lakes to check out some of the sharp classic boats of yesterday. The show is normally held on the 4th of July weekend, but organizers decided to move it up a week, and except for the fact that the weather was a little cloudy and cool, it didn't seem to be a bad idea.

As usual, The Portage Lakes (PLX) classic boat show always features a number of slick "woodies" - and everyone's favorites are the big dual and triple-cockpit Chris Crafts and Hackers, which you can see below. They were truly the "big bad boats" of their day, and they are great examples of style and crafstmanship.

Not all the boats are wood, however...and not all of them are really old.  There are some nice examples of boats from the late 50's 60's and 70's to be found, like the nice jet boat I came across, and some other old "performance boats" of their day.

Some of the examples on hand were clearly inspired by 50's auto design, and others--while modest in size--were clearly well-built, well-cared for and are now shown proudly by their owners at various shows and regattas around the country. In the end, a nice boat is a nice boat - and there were plenty of nice ones to appreciate here.

Available Now: [B3] Powerboat Weekly News for June 27-July 3

Be sure to check out this week's issue of The [B3] Powerboat Weekly. You can read about some of the advantages of outboard motors, Bonnier Communication's plans to re-launch Powerboat Magazine, Team Cintron's success at South Beach, and much more. Thanks to all our Twitter partners who help make it happen every week!

New 42' Statement V in the Works

No, they don't fall into the classification of "spy" photos, but St. Petersburg, FL-based Statement Marine builds some pretty outrageous and good-looking boats. The designs are original, the technology is truly advanced, and every new boat they produce is highly anticipated. We wanted to feature some photos of their latest creation, recently posted on OSO by member boating37.

  PHOTO CREDITS: offshoreonly member boating37.

This green beast is reportedly heading to Lake Cumberland, where she will fly down the lake bearing the "Saddle Up" moniker. The paint work was done by Rodney at Pro Body Works in MO. ...but there's no word on what kind of power they're planning on putting into this thing. Whatever it will be we're sure it will do the paintwork justice.

To see more of this beautiful boat, check out the thread on OSO here. To find out more about Statement Marine and their boats--check out their website.

Operation Dry Water Promotes Safe Boating This Weekend with BUI Enforcement

Operated carelessly, any boat can be dangerous--but this is even more the case with high performance boats, where size, speed and power can quickly multiply the effects of a bad decision. Most responsible offshore powerboaters are aware of this, and take care to avoid the risks involved in drinking and boating; moreover, most organized events, like poker runs, have strict enforcement policies when it comes to drinking and participation.

 IMAGE CREDIT:  operationdrywater.org.

This weekend, law enforcement organizations across the country are joining together through "Operation Drywater" to raise awareness about BUI (Boating Under the Influence) promoting enforcement aimed at reducing the number of alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.Curbing the number of alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities is key to achieving a safer and more enjoyable environment for recreational boating. According to the most recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics, Boating Under the Influence is still the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, with 17 percent of boating fatalities a direct result of alcohol or drug use. 

No one wants to take the fun out of boating, or stop people from having a good time on the water. But the purpose of the weekend is to remind boaters that if you want to drink, do it after your boating day is over, or be sure to enjoy it in a responsible manner. Also be aware that drunken passengers can put themselves in danger, despite your best efforts--and they can be a significant distraction while you're operating the boat.Take care...and you'll take everyone back home at the end of the day.

Team TDI Clean Diesel takes on NYC to Bermuda World Record

Chris Fertig from TDI Clean Diesel has announced that they will be attempting to break the world record time between New York City and Bermuda, using a 37' Statement Center Console (see below). As part of Boating Magazine's Bermuda Challenge, the basic rules of the run are simple: the boat must be trailerable, less than 40’ in length, and the 780 mile trip from the Statue of Liberty to St. Georges, Bermuda must be made without refueling.

PHOTO CREDITS: Boating Magazine.

The challenge was first met in 1996 by Larry Graf in his Glacier Bay 260 Canyon Runner with twin Honda 90s. Running time from North Cove Yacht Harbor at the World Financial Center in New York City to Bermuda, off Gates Fort, was 37 hours. The current record, set by Neil Burnie in a 306 Prowler back in 2002, stands at 22 hours and 23 minutes. "

Team TDI will be streaming live video and audio to the web during the run," says Fertig, "So you can cheer us on as we make our way across the gulf stream, through the Bermuda Triangle towards the finish line in St. Georges."

To see more pics and read more about the challenge, check out Boating Magazine's Bermuda Challenge web page.

Available Now: [B3] Powerboat Weekly News for June 20-26

Be sure to check out this week's issue of The [B3] Powerboat Weekly. You can read about how Miss Geico bested the rest in the Sunny Isles OPA race, a possible recovery wave in the boating industry, the Malta 2011 Grand Prix of The Sea, and much more. Thanks to all our Twitter partners who help make it happen every week!

VIDEO: Malta 2011 Ocean Grand Prix - OnBoard With Nigel Hook

Last weekend's Malta Grand Prix of The Sea Enduro Class was handily won by the #33 Furnibo boat, garnering them 20 championship points and a winning time of 00:39:43:80. For an interesting take on this recent race and the course, check out this YouTube video featuring the newest U.S.-built Lucas Oil boat, with an excellent running commentary by Nigel Hook.

The commentary is especially insightful as Nigel speeds through the course, explaining the methods involved in maneuvering around the bouys and negotiating turns effectively at approximately 100mph. It's very interesting to watch an expert in action, calmly providing the details about what would be a "white knuckle" ride for most people. Job well done!

Video courtesy of oceangrandprix.com

Excuse Our Technical Difficulties...

It's good to be back online after the DNS servers at 1and1.com decided to stop forwarding our bigbadboat.com web address to the proper location. Never really got a good answer from them on why that happened, but we were planning to switch the URL registration to another registrar anyway.

That's done now, so we apologize to our readers (and advertisers) for the delay. In the meantime, we have plenty of material to catch you up on, so be ready for plenty of fast boating goodness in the coming days ahead. Sincerely - The Dude.

BVI Leverick's Bay Poker Run is a Study in Good Times

Over on Offshore Only, respected powerboater Bobthebuilder has been sharing many of his Caribbean adventures, and recently he's been providing some updates on his trip to the British Virgin Islands, to participate in the Leverick's Bay Poker Run. Accompanied by Jay from Naplesimage.com, they provided some outstanding coverage of this event that you can see on the OSO thread HERE.

 PHOTO CREDIT:  naplesimage.com.

According to Bob, the run was even more fun than last year, with over 100 boats participating. Also on hand was a very large spectator fleet, including a large tour boat wiht a large crowd on board. They took hundreds of pictures, and were able to take a number of folks for exciting rides on his beautiful boat, PREDATOR. This year also marked the run's 10th Anniversary; we also were able to find this video, courtesy of YouTube member Cb4life13 - which provides some running shots of the participants...

All in all, this run looks like a great time -- the biggest challenge is just getting there. Most everyone has their boats transported, and while it's not an easy undertaking, it's well worth the effort, since you will be rewarded with a lifelong memory you will always cherish. In fact, Bob is providing info on how those who are interested  can participate in a separate OSO thread. Maybe you can make it next year...

Sharp New Boats in the Works at Eliminator

Eliminator Boats is showing off some of the newest examples of their fine work on the powerboat forums, and it's nice to see some of the incredible craftsmanship this respected West Coast builder is offering. One example is a new 36' Speedster cat that is reportedly going to a customer in Africa.

PHOTO CREDITS: Eliminator Boats.

With a 108" beam, approximate weight with engines of 7800 lbs., 160 gallon fuel capacity and seating capacity from 4-6 people, the Speedster is truly an impressive boat. In fact, one of these boats with a pair of 1200hp engines was one of the fastest non-race boats that Powerboat Magazine has ever tested, at 169mph.


Not so big, but definitely badass for its size--is this 22' Eagle, which will be featuring a supercharged Cadillac CTS-V engine. LOA is 22' 11" - with an 8.25' beam and a 40 gallon capacity tank--which seems a little modest considering that supercharged Caddy engine.

Eliminator is turning out some mighty fine boats, and as a strong competitor in APBA Offshore 2 Competition, their boats are race-proven and built tough. Find out more at http://eliminatorboat.com - and check out more photos of these new boats under construction on Offshore Only.