New Activist Group Seeks to Keep Lake WinniPesaukee Open for Performance Boaters

New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee is a big lake - and has been one of the Northeast's top boating destinations for many years. Over the past several years, there has been a real struggle between boaters who want to keep the lake open to free, fun and responsible boating, and zealots who have pressured legislators to enact a 45mph speed limit on this attractive and popular lake.

Now there is an Activist Group - Safe Boaters of New Hampshire (SBONH) that is working with the State of NH Legislature to promote safe boating and effective legislation. This was the group the came out in severe opposition of prematurely ending the speed limit tests and instituting a permanent speed limit. This group of avid and educated boaters is also working to support bills to allow captains call on the lake as well as increase safety by promoting inspections with the US Power Squadron and other initiatives.

PHOTO CREDIT: www.lov2xlr8.no.

The group has started their own Forum to privately discuss these future initiatives and they ask that all interested powerboaters who enjoy Lake Winnipisaukee join to show your support as well as chime in on the crucial discussion that will shape the future of all lakes in New Hampshire. Check them out here.

Lightning On The Water Expected to Electrify Atlantic City & The Jersey Shore

The Offshore Powerboat Association hosts "Lightning on the Water" on Sunday Sept. 19 in Atlantic City, a Grand Prix event that's shaping up to be a critical junction in the current OPA racing season. This is the first year powerboats have raced in Atlantic City since 2004, after competing in Point Pleasant for the last several years. Racing takes place in six bracketed divisions, and the winner of the premier division (Extreme Turbine – Unlimited) will be vying for a $50,000 grand prize.

PHOTO CREDIT: Press of Atlantic City

"We have no intention of going away," said OPA president Ed Smith, 53, who races a 38-footer sponsored by Wazzup Motorsports. "We are going to do this for many years in the future. I am looking at least another five years."

This year's races begin Sunday at noon, right in front of Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort to the Showboat Casino Hotel, with the start/finish line in front of the Steer Pier. The races will air on the Versus television channel later in the year, and the high level of interest in the race may point to a revitalization of offshore powerboat racing on the Jersey Shore. About 45 boats are expected for this weekend's races, an increase over the 30 boats that competed at Point Pleasant last year. This year's event attracted a number of drivers due to the upgraded facilities, convenient dockage and extra entertainment value that Atlantic City has to offer.

This winter's television exposure is also expected to aid the growth of the sport, which is getting a major boost in support from Geico. The 2010 race schedule will appear on the cable sports channel starting in late Fall and will run through the end of the year. Geico has also teamed up with Trump Entertainment Resorts to give the Atlantic City race an extra-high profile, providing additional promotion and providing top-level accommodations for the racers.

PHOTO CREDIT: Seabreeze.com.au.

In addition, the 2010 race has a special international flair, as well known competitors like Spirit of Qatar driver Sheikh Hassan are showing up to hit the waves at Atlantic City. The Sheikh admits that the race venues on the eastern coast of the U.S. offers a distinct new challenge to his team. “In fact, the whole east coast is new to us,” he adds. “We know the races take place on open seas, and we hope we can have an advantage with that if we experience rougher conditions.”

Is a Plug-in, Electric Hybrid Powerboat in Your Future?

At this point, we certainly don't see it's innovative powerplant replacing a couple of Merc 1075s, or an Ilmor V-10, but the potential offered by Epic Boats 23e does provide some food for thought in regards to going fast on the water. Right now, for about $150,000, you can slide behind the helm of this first-generation, 3200 lb electric hybrid boat, which claims to offer the battery-powered equivalent of a 375-horsepower motorboat. I tend to doubt that claim, since my 23-year old, 325-hp Mercruiser will push my 42oo lb 26' Formula to 55+....something that I don't think this boat would be able to do with its 800 lbs. of batteries. But I could be wrong.

PHOTO CREDITS: Epic Boats.

The 23e uses a "Flux Propulsion" EVO 8.1 Marine Drive System to recharge itself over a four-hour run via gas motor, allowing it to use about half of what a similar wakeboat might use to pull a wakeboarder or skier. While that may seem kind of pricey for what you get, it's reported that 2012 may bring a $70,000 version.

The applied vinyl graphics look pretty nice (in a wake-boardy kind of way) and the video seems to demonstrate pretty decent performance for a ski boat. Of course, the big question is whether this type of power could ever be pumped up enough to deliver poker-run-ready-performance for the offshore crowd, who demand a lot more speed than the typical ski-boater.

If it ever could be, this technology would definitely go a long way toward making high-performance offshore powerboating a little bit "greener." The 23e offers:

- Over 50% reduced total carbon dioxide emissions
- Virtually no risk of CO poisoning with our hybrid drive system
- The Epic 23E burns 50% less fuel than a typical wakeboard boat on a 4 hour wakeboard outing
- Wakeboard for 1 hour on batteries without ever burning a drop of fuel
- Wakesurf for 3 hours on batteries without using any fuel
- It can be fully re-charged by the generator in about an hour
- The 23e can be re-charged from a typical 110v wall outlet or a 220v wall outlet once you're at home or at the dock

For more information, go to Epic Boats Website.

Southampton Grand Prix of the Sea sets UK's Southern Coast Abuzz

Powerboat fans in the UK were buzzing about the four big races on the South Coast at Southampton this weekend - as the Southampton Grand Prix of the Sea was set against the backdrop of the big PSP Southampton Boat Show. Seventeen teams from the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship fleet competed, including five teams that hit the water in P1 for the very first time.

PHOTO CREDIT: Powerboat P1 Superstock

That fact made it especially exciting for Team Fox, who celebrated its maiden Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship as Martin Colligan and Gideon du Val beat seven other powerboat teams to the title, moving within 26-points of championship leaders, Grandstand Motor Sports, with one event to go.

PHOTO CREDIT: PSP Southampton Boat Show.

Early reports had ticket sales up by 112% and the 350+ boat show had added up to 70 more showboats on exhibit in the marina, significantly up from 2009. The excitement and crowds generated by the boat show offered an outstanding opportunity for the P1 SuperStock Championship racers to compete in front of a large and enthusiastic audience. Last year the ten-day boat show event attracted 130,000 visitors but organizers say this year's 42nd annual show would likely break all records.

Don Aronow Memorial Marathon Race Around Long Island Set for September 18th

The 2010 Don Aronow Memorial Race is just a week away, and promises to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to race just like the legends of the sport did....and that includes traveling over the same course and deal with the same conditions they endured many years ago. As HORBA managing director Charlie McCarthy says about this race:

"You finally can compete without having to be a billionaire and have a chance for the win. Many, many races were won by people who used their heads, rather than go allout and blow up in the first half of the race.""

The race starts at LaMotta's Restaurant/Manhasset Bay Marina in Port Washington, NY, then heads North -- going around Orient Pt Litehouse, then around Montauk Pt Litehouse, South around the Rockaways, up the Hudson River, up the East River and back to LaMotta's Restaurant. The total distance is 271 miles, and participants can stop for fuel (if needed) wherever they want.

PHOTO CREDITS: Charlie McCarthy - HORBA,

Stu Hayim in his 32 Skater, "RECOVERY" set the record for this course at 3 hours and 6 minutes in 1989 with Joey Impresscia on the throttles. Think you need a big boat? The first two winners of the Around-Long Island race (in 1959 and 1960) were just 17-footers!

As always, thanks to Charlie McCarthy at HORBA for posting these inspirational, historic photos on the message boards for us to enjoy. For more information about the race, head over to www.nationalpowerboat.com.

Eliminator Boats Restructures Via Chapter 11

It's just been reported that Eliminator Boats, one of the leading West Coast performance boat builders, is filing for Chapter 11 reorganization. Company Owner and Founder Bob Leach made the announcement as the company prepared to submit its restructuring plan to the bankruptcy court and consider the possibility of seeking outside investors to aid ongoing efforts to remain in business.

PHOTO CREDIT: Eliminator Boats.

The company, which traces its history back to 1969 and has produced thousands of boats, is considering adding some new models to a lineup currently highlighted by the new 27 Speedster cat. While rumors of the company's demise have been quietly floating around, the current plan certainly beats having to close up shop completely. As a result, the company has also had to cancel plans for the 2010 Eliminator Regatta, which was scheduled for this weekend. Here's hoping that the crew at Eliminator will fight their way through these tough economic times and come out solid and strong on the other end!

VIDEO: Great Footage from Class 1 The Swedish Grand Prix 2010

We came across some great video featuring the Class 1 powerboats at the 2010 Swedish Grand Prix. Team Abu Dhabi walked away with maximum points from the race after Prix, after initial race winners Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Nendi were handed a post-race time penalty for an overtaking infringement on the start-lap.

The 27.62secs long-lap time penalty - added to the World Champion's overall race time - gives Rashed Al Tayer and Giovanni Carpitella a second Grand Prix win in two days. This was especially satisfying for them since it marked the team’s full time entry into the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship. Thanks to YouTube user Homarus12 for the great post.