Warpath!

[Geronimo36]

NY 1986, it's a part of my old VHS collection...

I believe they also have a clip of it in the Legend of Apache video that Big Seas productions has for sale.

[Geronimo36]

I could be mistaken but I believe that accident lead to a redisign of the sponsons on some catamarans so they had better recovery from a forward entry.

[MarylandMark]

Was that the basal skull fracture stuff?

[xlr8by]

Lucy do you have any pictures of the Keith Eickert motors with mechanical fuel injection from the early Apache race boats (I believe they were 500ci)?

Does ANYBODY have photos of the race engines...

[cashbrain]

Was that the basal skull fracture stuff?

Yes....and Ben had Bobby airlifted out.

[lucy]

Does ANYBODY have photos of the race engines...

not sure will check when I come back from my trip!

[baywatch]

Here's a little excerpt from Bob a long time ago, I found it in the forums. NOTE: Bobby has said people have modified it to suite their needs over the years so I'm not positive if this is an original version but here ya go;

"I founded Apache Powerboats in 1978 when I started tooling my 21’, 33’ & 39’ boat line. I incorporated Apache Powerboats and went into production in 1980. At the same time I also owned and operated Race Headquarters, Inc., a custom Hi-Performance center and I also co-owned Hawk Marine Power.

In 1982, I brought the Kramer’s into Apache as my partners, sold my interest in Hawk Marine Power and absorbed Race Headquarters, its crew and all its equipment into Apache. The first order of business was to produce the baddest wave buster’s money could buy. Since the tooling for my new 39’ offshore was still months away from completion, I went to the King himself, Don Aronow, and made arrangements to purchase a new 41’ mold he had just completed. The first boat out of the mold was blue and tan and Benny called it “Warpath”. My original Race Headquarters crew rigged Warpath and off we went for sea trial. Ben and I ran Warpath offshore through some of the heaviest seas imaginable at over 90 miles per hour. Ben and I knew immediately that we had built a real winner. We entered Warpath in the APBA Open Class and won the Key West World Championship in 1984. The original factory team was Ben Kramer – Driver, Bob Saccenti – Throttles, and Tom Evans – Navigator. In 1985 we took Second in the Key West U.I.M. Worlds, with the red “Team Apache”.

Ben and I were now racing around the world with APBA & U.I.M. to promote Apache Powerboats. Because of our demanding race schedule we decided to contract Bobby Moore to rig all of our 41’ production and to serve as Crew Chief on our race team. In 1985, I ended my partnership with the Kramer’s on a friendly note agreeing to share the name Apache. I called my company Apache Performance Boats; he kept my original name, Apache Powerboats. Even though we were now two separate companies, we continued to act as one, sharing boat show space and tooling. We also continued to race as a team for promotion of the name. In 1986, we won the National Championship and were awarded the coveted US1 in our “prototype” catamaran “Team Apache”. That was also the year we introduced the new 47’ triple engine Apache Superboat.

In 1987, things started to fall apart. The Kramer’s had major legal problems and the government seized all their assets including Fort Apache Marina and Apache Powerboats. The government hand picked one of Ben’s employees to run the company while they completed their investigation. Some of Ben’s employees were involved with Ben’s problems, some left, and new people were hired. With the new star employee running things, the first order of his business was to disassemble the last 41’ Bobby Moore rigged and copy all measurements and systems and make jigs and templates to duplicate Bobby Moore’s genius. Bobby Moore has never gotten over this to this day.

Many years passed and it was business as usual for me. Around 1996, the government auctioned all the Kramer’s assets. The only thing they did not sell was the Florida Trademark for Apache and the Apache Powerboat name. I did not think about it at the time because my Apache Trademark, although slightly different, is a Federal Trademark. From time to time my attorney in Washington would inquire about the State trademark and was always told “it’s not for sale”. Well, SURPRISE – SURPRISE. After one such inquiry, I was advised that the same star employee had just purchased the Florida Trademark from the same “it’s not for sale” government for a couple hundred bucks. What a success story, the employee gets to own the company. Yeah.

Now the real confusion.

With Apache Powerboats & Apache Performance Boats already sharing the market, the old retired 41’ molds were purchased at auction for 12k and re-sold to a company in Ohio that advertised that they could build the “41’ Apache for half the price”. Also, the star employee moved to the other coast and started to produce boats by Xerox under another tribal name and when I wasn’t looking he slid a few Apache’s in for good measure. Personally, I think he should have named his company “High Dollar Lead Sleds, Inc.”. Additionally, in the early – mid 90’s, a Miami based company made a very, very bad copy of the 41’. They changed the bottom, cut the sheer, and the first time in the water the boat rolled in its first turn. The molds were stacked and stored in the sun and weather out in the yard to never be used again. Just recently those same molds were sold to an individual in Blountstown, Florida who is now saying he is the “New Apache”. What a joke. I wouldn’t use those molds for a flower pot.

All of this would have surely brought tears to Geronimo’s eyes.

Also, rumor has it that I sold out, died, left town, closed up and went out of business and so on. WRONG. NONE OF THE ABOVE

All that I have written here can easily be verified and I know, I lived it.

If you have any questions please call or fax me. I do better on the phone than the keyboard. The resin makes my fingers stick to the keys.

Also, thanks to all the Apache owners who put the TLC and money into keeping their Apache in tip top shape and promoting the heritage.

Best regards,

Bob Saccenti"

Good post Frank.

I actually have a copy of this that is laminated that I keep in my boat. When people ask questions I just say, "read this." I have found it is much easier for them to read it from the "Chiefs" mouth than me trying to explain it.

[J-Bonz]

[QUOTE=baywatch;294601]Good post Frank.

I actually have a copy of this that is laminated that I keep in my boat. When people ask questions I just say, "read this." QUOTE]


Thats Great!!!

[lucy]

NY 1986, it's a part of my old VHS collection...

I believe they also have a clip of it in the Legend of Apache video that Big Seas productions has for sale.

Frank I have one more for your collection! PM me your address

[Dude! Sweet!]

Does ANYBODY have photos of the race engines...

I believe that these are out of Dry Martini, but same general idea...

[lucy]

cool!

[lucy]

[QUOTE=J-Bonz;294619]

Good post Frank.

I actually have a copy of this that is laminated that I keep in my boat. When people ask questions I just say, "read this." QUOTE]


Thats Great!!!

J-Bonz you have some great photos! like to get a CD for my collection!!

[J-Bonz]

[QUOTE=lucy;296165]

J-Bonz you have some great photos! like to get a CD for my collection!!

Thanks Lucy but, I cant take the all the credit! 99.9% are not mine. I just save every pic that I see. Once I get my old hardrive up and running I can add to what I have and make you a copy. I will have to make one for LT also...
Jr.

[J-Bonz]

[QUOTE=DAREDEVIL;296238]

AND ME !!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, You too Scotty...
Jr.

[Roger 1]

[QUOTE=J-Bonz;296182]

Thanks Lucy but, I cant take the all the credit! 99.9% are not mine. I just save every pic that I see. Once I get my old hardrive up and running I can add to what I have and make you a copy. I will have to make one for LT also...
Jr.

Here is a copy of the original picture that I took of Mark and Bobby down at spinnaker marina that you can save for your collection.
The reason for the one on its side is that if I rotate it, it reduces it in size.

It seems that it reduces it here either way. If you want the larger version of the one on its side, pm me your email address and I'll be glad to send you a copy.

Roger

[TMS1155]

For the others; What company did Bobby own/run prior to Apache?

good question! he could smell the garlic clams from there! lol[/QUOTE]

inservice marine back in the 70's

[TMS1155]

Yes....and Ben had Bobby airlifted out.

Good thing he picked a better pilot then when he tried to get himself "airlifted" out!

[Expensive Date]

The yellow one that was confiscated before a race and now owned by a man in NJ, am I correct? This boat still has the original graphics, I saw it as a flag boat at the point pleasant race a while ago.

It still has Ben and Bobs names on it.Lucy next to there names there is a helicopter with the circle and slash through it like saying no helicopters.What does that mean.Great thread it must have been wild to be around during this time.

[cashbrain]

[QUOTE=Expensive Date;296626]It still has Ben and Bobs names on it.Lucy next to there names there is a helicopter with the circle and slash through it like saying no helicopters.What does that mean.QUOTE]

A helicopter attempted to get Ben out of prison and that is someone's apparent joke about it.

[DAREDEVIL]

[QUOTE=cashbrain;297169]

It still has Ben and Bobs names on it.Lucy next to there names there is a helicopter with the circle and slash through it like saying no helicopters.What does that mean.QUOTE]

A helicopter attempted to get Ben out of prison and that is someone's apparent joke about it.

Wasn't there a news clip about that on some TV show ????