Old School

[redhotsommer]

I am hereby stating my claim to OLD SCHOOL status. 2012 will mark 10 summers of performance boating for me. The spring of 2002 saw me alternately training for the Chicago Triathlon and having heart palpitations resulting from the horribly nerve-racking experience of being a new boat owner. I was CERTAIN that every moment my boat sat in the water at Hammond, it was going to sink. After about a month of constantly being freaked out (and religiously cleaning the bottom), I gave in and dropped $10k on a Hydrohoist...which prompted me to worry about IT sinking. Yeah...I was a paranoid individual. And I still am. :)

I didn't know anybody with a go-fast. I was afraid to talk to the T-dockers at Hammond. Everyone on my dock was either a blow-boater or a cruiser. I didn't know how to dock. I didn't know how to throttle. I busted the microwave and the refrigerator from their mounts the very first time I took the boat to the city.

The next season, I decided to do a COPS run...and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here's some "old school" pics and a chronicle of my years of terrorizing the waters in and around Chicago (and occasionally Missouri).

This is the day it all began: Picking up our 1998 Powerquest 290 at Yacht Basin in Holland, MI. It was 45 degrees...notice Michelle in her ski jacket. We ran it on Lake Macatawa for the sea trial with the previous owner and froze our butts off. I borrowed a friend's brother's Ram 2500 to tow it home as I didn't have a truck myself!
727967279772798

[redhotsommer]

Some more from the Powerquest days...
Had to have all the friends out on the new ride...
Our first trip to Boater's Beach...

7279972800

[rschap1]

Nice
Congrats

[CruiserJohn]

You were like Dan, anchoring a mile out and not near any other boat! lol

[ICDEDPPL]

Cool story Mikey!
I`m gonna write my 10 year memoir .. only 7 years to go:driving:

John thats you buddy, I`m bringing some :lurk5: to watch you anchor for the first time with a boat twice the size. Its going to be an instant You tube hit!

[MILD THUNDER]

Cool! I see Mr. Cigs boat is in the backround, Mike's Magnum, Ryan and his dads old Checkmate.....

Auntie Michelle and Uncle Mike were just pups then. I still don't know why Tall keith and I refer to you guys as our aunt and uncle, but for some reason it sticks whenever we talk about you guys!

[redhotsommer]

Dan that avatar kicks a$$.

On with the tale:
2003 I decided to pull the trigger and jump in on a COPS run. My experience running with other go-fasts was not exactly comprehensive...I ran with the T-dock crowd to the old poker run on the Calumet River at the end of the season in '02. Scared the CRAP out of myself as the very first time I ever rafted off anyone...it was my favorite boat of all time...Jimmy Vos' Fox Hunter. When I did it successfully at Skippers, my very first Downscope tasted extra-special good...that was a wobbly ride back to the marina after dark! At any rate...COPS run. We had our friends John and Roxanne on board (the best man and maid of honor at our wedding, who had since gotten married themselves). Met up at Diversey with a TON of other boats...I was in AWE. I went to help Steve Dowding bring his 50 Nortech in to the dock, and ended up getting dropped in the drink! Met a bunch of new people and ran to Michigan City...it was a good day...

Couple of my pics from that day: ATTACH=CONFIG]72806[/ATTACH]72807

[redhotsommer]

Some more COPS 2003 pics: Mike, Mark, Steve728087280972810

[redhotsommer]

BZ, B-rad, and Frankie 10X

[redhotsommer]

Steve's Royal Flush, Magnum Mark's "Lucy's Special" 41 Apache, Candyman Dan

[redhotsommer]

Look familiar Ryan? Tag and Release in her earlier days as "Crazy Horse." Dave, the guy that owned the boat at that time, was the brother-in-law of the guy I bought my Powerquest from.

[redhotsommer]

Smilin' Bob, Don, and...the Predator.

[redhotsommer]

Last ones until lunchtime....gratuitous Predator shots...

[Underdog88]

Good Stuff... keep it going.
We started about the same year.

[Ratickle]

Last ones until lunchtime....gratuitous Predator shots...


OMG, those girls aren't wearing life jackets.....:eek:

[redhotsommer]

2004 rolls around and guess what I did...I FINALLY got a ride in a bigger boat. Specifically, Jimmy's Fox Hunter. Then Steve's Donzi. The Mark's Flatdeck...when I REALLY did the right thing and got Michelle to come along. Whist flying through 4 footers, my lovely and talented wife turned her head and yelled into my ear the sweetest thing a guy could hear: "Our boat is a piece of $hit, we need something bigger."

So...I started shopping. Here's a couple that I WAS looking at...I'm still bummed I missed out on this one....

[redhotsommer]

What I REALLY wanted, though, was the big #1. Had a deposit down on this boat pending the sale of my PQ...1991 Cafe Racer w/500s.

[redhotsommer]

In the meantime, we enjoyed yet another summer on the PQ...took it by water over to Saugatuck...we also took it by water to Milwaukee for Summerfest. Gas was a bit cheaper then!

Then one late summer/early fall day, we jumped on Candyman's 35 and went downtown to pick up his wife. He let me drive. I rather liked it.

[MILD THUNDER]

What was the story on the all red 35 with the SSM III's?? Im diggin it!

[redhotsommer]

What was the story on the all red 35 with the SSM III's?? Im diggin it!

Knew you would, Joe. It was up in Wisconsin...and it was an 89 or 90 38' with HP500s and IIIs. It was one of the first boats I brought to Michelle's attention, but didn't elicit enough of a response to go look at it. Plus, I think they were asking a bit more than I could afford. I have a couple more shots of the cockpit and interior...DAMN it was a nice boat...even had a fridge!

[ICDEDPPL]

That fountain is nice,love the drives !
Whats the scoop on the Predator, make/ size? Looks really roomy

[Underdog88]

Female / petite:)
Oh there is a boat under them?!

[ICDEDPPL]

it was hard to spot but I believe there may be a boat there:USA:

[redhotsommer]

50' Nortech with triple 750s, I think? It later became "Leviathan" and had a REALLY wild paint job.

[Cig Flat Deck]

Welcome to the old school club. Nice time line of your boating experience.Sweet pictures too. All the Fun runs, and photo runs were always good times. It was cool getting everyone together and going for a Gentlemans Cruise.

[Buoy]

This is a great thread Mike!!
Keep it coming!

And hey, where can I get another copy of the 2005(?) poker run DVD that you CPC guys passed out at the Formula plant tour in 2006(?). I loaned mine out and it never came back. It was a great vid!

[redhotsommer]

I'll have more tomorrow...all the pics are on my computer at work. And as for that DVD...if I can get my hands on a burnable one, I can get you a copy. I'll see what I can do. I have 05, 06 and 07.

[Boatfreak]

Great thread indeed. 2002 was the year we started coming up to the big pond......Good Times.....

[redhotsommer]

So...summer of 04 ends with me scouring the interwebz for a new boat...and searching for ways to PAY for it! Figuring I needed a new boat also meant I needed a new truck to pull it with...as I had been pulling the Powerquest to Michigan and back for the winter using a trusty 1978 GMC dually (with a 350!) that I had bought for under $3k. In the fall I found a red F350 diesel to fill the bill...now I just needed something to tow with it. My search spanned far and wide...when in the spring of 05 I stumbled across an ad for a 1994 35 Fountain down at Raymond's in Lake of the Ozarks. I called on it, and spoke with Charlene, who was just about the sweetest lady I've ever encountered. "I'm sorry, hun, but that boat has just been sold." Bummer. Back to the web again, and to Raymond's site, when I laid my eyes upon this beauty (and yes...I do still have the actual pics from the ad!):

[redhotsommer]

To get a better understand of my mindset at this time, one needs to back up about two weeks...my fever for a new boat has been stoked to a new pitch by the latest COPS event: a party in South Haven, MI and tour of the Douglas Marine facility up in Douglas. Mmmmm.....Skaters. Mmmm...Sterlings. And yes, that is Michelle with the legendary Cashbrain.

During the tour, we were only allowed to photograph certain things...one of the things we were NOT allowed to take pictures of was a V-bottom. Now...Skater had just come out with the 399, and we saw Hull #2 (which was being rigged with 1075s) in production. This one looked bigger...a LOT bigger. A question to our guide confirmed that fact. Fast forward a couple months and Cigarette appears with a 46-footer aimed a breaking Reggie's V-bottom speed record...built by Skater. Cool.

[redhotsommer]

While in Michigan, we had met a ton of people. We sat next to Baronmarine and his wife for lunch, met Boatme for the first time, and reconnected with a bunch of our COPS friends, including the always-ready-to-party T-dockers.

But the meeting that left the biggest impression was set up in a strange way. Back at that time, Cashbrain had his own boating forum (after being bounced from OSO repeatedly). A chance discussion on that site led to the discovery that a fellow powerboater lived a mere two blocks from me. Our computer correspondance was short-lived...he told me essentially "I don't type so good" and told me to give him a call. Which I did. Ol' Brian Miller (scarrab30) was just about as good ol' boy as they come...and when he told me he was a trucker...well...let's just say I wasn't shocked. We spoke for at least an hour...he told me he had a son about my age and that we should meet. And by chance...his son was going to be at the Skater party and described to me what he looked like.

So...my first line to Brian Miller (Straight Jacket) when I instantly recognized him via his dad's description was: "Hey, I met your dad online." I'm fairly certain Brian's response has something to do with just what the hell kind of websites have you and my dad been visiting....

Yeah...we hung out the entire rest of the evening.

[kerigoff]

Mike,
I haven't logged in here for a few months, until today. Reading your journey made my heart smile..

[redhotsommer]

Mike,
I haven't logged in here for a few months, until today. Reading your journey made my heart smile..

Ha! I was gonna send you the link once I got to the Brian part! More to come...

[redhotsommer]

Back to Charlene...finding that red boat on her site set my heart afire, and I picked up the phone once again. "Sure sugar, that boat is still here and ready for you." Do you take trades? "Why of course honey, just tell me what you have and we'll set you up right as rain." Or something like that. All I really heard was that she'd take a trade AND the value she placed on my PQ sight-unseen was right in the ballpark of what I was looking to get. Now I need to get down there and test drive.

Now...even though I had owned a boat for three whole seasons now, and now knew a bunch of people with similar boats that had a wealth of knowledge, I still wasn't very sharp in the ways of the boat. As in...motors were motors to me...they just needed to start when I wanted them to, and run all the time. I could handle the oil changes, gear lube changes and winterizing...but that was about it. Plus...a boat was pretty much like any other...I had been all over my PQ, but wasn't terribly familiar with other things I should be looking for in a boat.

I needed advice. I needed a second opinion. I needed a wingman. But who would drive 14 or so hours for no reason other than to look at a boat and go for a ride? Oh yeah...that one guy I met last week...72851

So, I picked up the phone. "Hey Brian, what are you doing Friday?" "Nothing, why?" "Wanna go test drive a boat?" "Sure, where at?" "Lake of the Ozarks." "We should leave early." "See you at 5am."

We got down there around noon, talked to Charlene in person ("Ain't you boys just the nicest young men? Your boat is in the water, Preston (the mechanic) will take you out. Preston just LOVES the red boats. Now you boys have fun."

We went down to the boat launch...it was in the water already...and I fell in love.72852

[redhotsommer]

We went for a test ride. Brian proved his worth immediately by detecting a misfire...and found the culprit (a dropped plug wire). I was excited enough to know that I was probably not thinking entirely clearly...but Brian went over every inch of the boat along with me, and we saw that it was well-cared-for and very clean...just a few little nicks in the rubrail and one small mar in the gelcoat on the bottom. I tried to take pics of any flaws to show Michelle, who I was sure I'd have to convince to make this move.

[Buoy]

I'll have more tomorrow...all the pics are on my computer at work. And as for that DVD...if I can get my hands on a burnable one, I can get you a copy. I'll see what I can do. I have 05, 06 and 07.

I'd really appreciate that. Hell, I'd love all three!

[redhotsommer]

We headed for home, pictures, video, and one red Fountain tanktop (courtesy of Charlene - a gift for Michelle) in hand. It was a bit of a power play, but I got Michelle to sign on to the deal, and we were going to own a new boat.

Now...if you know me, you know that for some reason or another, nothing is ever easy. I attribute my sense of humor and my writing style to the well-developed perception of the ridiculousness that seems to follow me in perpetuity. So why should purchasing a new boat be any different? Really...what could be simpler? Hooking up and towing a boat farther than I ever had to a destination I'd only been to once, to trade for a boat I was in love with but still unfamilar with (left hand throttle....wtf???), do a poker run the NEXT DAY (another thing I'd never done), and come home. Settle in kids...you are going for a ride with Mike....

We hooked up the PQ and rolled south when I finished work on Thursday, taking our sweet time as I was still nervous about towing. For some reason, the Ozarks seemed so much further in those days...I had planned to spend the night on the road and divide up the 7-hour drive. We ended up stopping just west of St. Louis...it was about 10 pm and I was tired of driving. Well...the exit we chose for a hotel turned out to be a less-than-desirable neighborhood...I didn't really notice until I had finished checking in to the hotel. Michelle, who had stayed in the truck, simply said "I am not staying here." What? Why? Turns out her reasoning had a lot to do with the small crowd that had gathered around the boat...and the fact that we were apparently the only people that did not LIVE at that hotel. Sooo....I went back in, told the clerk I had a family emergency and needed to cancel my room, and got back on the road. We stopped again in St. Charles, and the nice people at that hotel even let me have a VIP parking spot for the rig under a light.

My wife has an issue. She grow VERY attached to things she owns. I had to beg her to let me buy her a new car...and even the prospect of a BRAND NEW Firebird did not prevent TEARS (lots of them!) when she had to give up her old Toyota Celica. She has since repeated this performance when I bought her a Corvette and traded the Firebird...wouldn't even go to the dealer to pick up the Vette...just stood in the front room in tears as I drove her Firebird away. Who does that??? Well...as you can imagine...tossing the keys to our first boat to some stranger and then being shown our new boat was more than a little traumatic. Did I mention she is a bit meticulous? Oh yeah...even after the deal was done...she went over the Fountain, pointing out minor scratches in upholstery, stains in the carpet, excessive dust on the steering wheel, etc. Her conclusion: why did you make me trade my PERFECT Powerquest for this dirty piece of crap? I did my best to assuage her concerns...but mostly, I was just nervous as hell. Did I make a mistake?

[OBNOXUS]

She grow VERY attached to things she owns.

Hey,,,,dont pick on her,,,,, I do the same thing !!!!

[redhotsommer]

Well...I towed the Fountain away from Raymonds, whilst trying to ignore the tears in my wife's eyes, and headed for the boat launch on the west side of the lake that was right next to the resort we were staying. On the way, we stopped for lunch...and the sky opened up in a manner that I have seldom seen outside of the Ozark region. It freakin' POURED. But, by the time we finished eating, the sun was shining again. However, the road was now wet, I was towing a larger boat AND it turned out that the brakes on the trailer did not work. Oh...and then there was the road. I mentioned the wetness...but the hilliness and curviness were such that Michelle actually laughed out loud at how absurd this particular segment of pavement was. By the time I hit the Shawnee Bend launch ramp, there were impressions from my fingers in the metal of the steering wheel.

After a 5 minute timeout to lower my heartrate, it was time to launch. No problem. Michelle backed the truck and trailer up and dropped me in, then parked the rig and I did a touch-and-go to pick her up...as there are no piers at this ramp. We idled out of the small bay onto the main channel and got on plane...by this time, even Michelle was smiling. Suddenly, the sky turned...ugly. It was the Black Wall of Death...and it was on us NOW. The deluge was instant...we were completely soaked and desparately scanning the shoreline for our resort. We slowed to an idle, and finally caught sight of the resort and...COVERED BOAT SLIPS! I pulled into the nearest slip as far as I could and we tied off...the rain was thundering off the aluminum roof so hard we could barely talk to eachother. Looking to the stern of the boat, I saw the bilge pumps working furiously...which was cause for instant concern. What if a hose came off? What if the plug fell out? OH MY GOD THE BOAT IS GONNA SINK. Also, we had pulled into a 30-foot slip with a 35 foot boat...so not only was it still raining on our split engine hatches, but all the water that was hitting the roof and running down was pouring onto that same area. CRAP. I fired it up and executed my very first back-in dock....and the bilges kept on pumping...there was a TON of water in the engine compartment...I made the decision that we needed to get back on the trailer....NOW. Panic was setting in....even my normally composed wife was freaking out. We grabbed the lines, jumped in the boat, and went back out into the deluge. On the way to the ramp, I tried to get up on plane, and the boat seemed so full of water it would not come over. I was blinded by the rain and could BARELY see the bow of the boat...I'm sure the guy driving the pontoon boat that I missed by 20 feet was NOT happy, but I didn't care. We got back to the cove, I gave Michelle the keys to the truck, dropped her off, and she flawlessly backed the trailer down. I put the bow up, tied it off, and collapsed to the ground...just as the rain quit. The bilge pumps ran for 20 minutes as the boat sat on the trailer.

[ICDEDPPL]

more more more!!!!! don`t keep us hanging!

[Buoy]

more more more!!!!! don`t keep us hanging!

No kidding!! This is great stuff!

[redhotsommer]

Thanks guys!

Since I am all about maximizing my experiences and packing as much crap into each day as I possibly can, I had done the research as to what was happening in the land of LOTO for our inaugural weekend. I found the Frankie and Louie's Poker Run. What a great way to break in a new boat! So, whilst all of our docklines, towels, and carpets hung drip-drying on the railing of the condo at night, I lay away in fitful anticipation of the awesomeness that was to come on the morrow.

Here I am at like 4:30 am saying "When can we go boating? Can we take the boat out now? I want to go boating. Do you think its too early to take the boat out?" etc. etc. The view from our condo was such that I was able to watch the other poker runners head over to F & Ls. And here we are...amongst the masses in an unfamiliar land! Fortunately, thanks to the power of the Interwebz...I had the foresight to make contact with some others that would be at the Run that were more familiar with the lake. Mike Alford (Von Bongo on OSO and the voice of the Shootout) ended up recognizing us in our state of confusion, and volunteered to lead us around the lake in his Top Gun. Way cool.

[redhotsommer]

Remember how I said nothing was easy in my life? Well...even if you don't, my stories may serve to remind you!

We departed F and L's on the way out to the first card stop at Big Dick's Halfway Inn. I jumped in behind Mike and about 16 Black Thunders...and since I started towards the back, it looked like the Perfect Storm on the main channel. I tabbed down and tucked the drives and prepared for the worst....and it didn't come! WOW! This boat actually runs well in rough water! Michelle, who was white-knuckled in the back seat, relaxed and said "This is nice!" I said "Do you know where we'd be right now if we still had the Powerquest?" and she responded "Back on the DOCK." Life was quite good at that moment.

Then, we went around the corner. And the Black Wall of Death had returned.

Mike gestured for us to follow, so we did, right back to his house. He slipped into his dock as we tied off and barely got the cover on before all hell broke loose. We spent an hour inside getting to know our new hosts and had a great time...boat people are always good people. When the rain let up, we got back on the lake and took off on our original course. The sun was shining. The water was flat. Life was quite good.

Then Mike broke. He had a motor problem and had to go back. We continued on our own, however...and life was still good.

[redhotsommer]

We went to Big Dick's. Ate lunch. Did the requisite Minnow Shot. And started back up lake. We were 11 miles from our condo...and I lost the starboard motor. Just quit. At 50 mph or so. I came to a stop and tried to restart it. With futility. As we idled the 11 miles back, I called Raymonds and told them the problem and fumed to the point where Michelle wanted to jump out and just swim back rather than be near me. There are no pictures of this time.

We got back, put the boat back on the trailer Saturday night, and took it to Raymonds, clinging to the promise that the mechanics would look at it as soon as they got in on Sunday (which meant...after church).

For the record, being boatless at LOTO SUCKS A$$. Don't do it. We killed the day by going over to Ha Ha Tonka, the burned out mansion on the lake, and then, while we were eating lunch at Shooters, we got the call that the boat was done. An ignition module had burned out. Come and get it.

We picked up our baby and took it over to Shady Gators for a cocktail or seven, then, as the sun was starting to set, I dropped Michelle back at Raymond's to drive the truck and trailer back to the condo while I took the boat. It was a PERFECT evening, and I was in my own private heaven as I was driving back. I had purchased a map of the Lake, and because everything looks the same down there, I had it out on the dash for consulting purposes. A blast up to 70mph blew the map to the floor, I slowed up, and bent down to get it...just as the boat hit a wave. The throttles hit me right in the eye. I had been punched in the face by my boat. When I returned to the dock, Michelle was waiting for me and I had to explain why my eye was swollen. She named the boat The Big Red Meanie.

[MILD THUNDER]

Geez, I can't remember what I did last weekend!

[Buoy]

The throttles hit me right in the eye. I had been punched in the face by my boat.

HAHA!!!

I've been there, too funny.

Mike, you're inspiring me to write a few stories of my own... Hmmmm....

[Ratickle]

One question?

The 20 minutes of pumps running and boat almost sinking was because it was raining that hard? :eek:

Or did you leave the plug out and neglect to tell us?????:sifone:

[Bobcat]

I'm hooked, great story!

[redhotsommer]

One question?

The 20 minutes of pumps running and boat almost sinking was because it was raining that hard? :eek:

Or did you leave the plug out and neglect to tell us?????:sifone:

I've done a lot of stupid stuff, as you will see in coming installments...but no, the plug WAS in. :)

[redhotsommer]

The rest of that first trip was relatively uneventful. I took an additional day off due to the missed boating day on Sunday, so Monday we bopped around the lake seeing the sights. Went down to the Briday Cave, hit Dog Days (ended up having some drinks with a guy who's uncle owned Black Thunder), and then Dock Knockers.

Oh yeah...one more thing...the brakes on the trailer went out on the way home.

[Ratickle]

...the brakes on the trailer went out on the way home.


Well, the good news...


Not a "1978 GMC dually (with a 350!) that I had bought for under $3k." But a "........... found a red F350 diesel".....:)

[B.Z.]

Dan that avatar kicks a$$.

On with the tale:
2003 I decided to pull the trigger and jump in on a COPS run. My experience running with other go-fasts was not exactly comprehensive...I ran with the T-dock crowd to the old poker run on the Calumet River at the end of the season in '02. Scared the CRAP out of myself as the very first time I ever rafted off anyone...it was my favorite boat of all time...Jimmy Vos' Fox Hunter. When I did it successfully at Skippers, my very first Downscope tasted extra-special good...that was a wobbly ride back to the marina after dark! At any rate...COPS run. We had our friends John and Roxanne on board (the best man and maid of honor at our wedding, who had since gotten married themselves). Met up at Diversey with a TON of other boats...I was in AWE. I went to help Steve Dowding bring his 50 Nortech in to the dock, and ended up getting dropped in the drink! Met a bunch of new people and ran to Michigan City...it was a good day...

Couple of my pics from that day: ATTACH=CONFIG]72806[/ATTACH]72807


Look Mike my old boat is parked right in front of you....small world

[redhotsommer]

Look Mike my old boat is parked right in front of you....small world

Yup. I didn't know you back then...but I knew your boat!

[MILD THUNDER]

Yup. I didn't know you back then...but I knew your boat!

At least you didnt know what you were missing!

[paulb32]

Wow Mike, quite a memory and a great story! I only remember moments in time of my long boating history, not the detail you have here. Sooooo, time to write another chapeter right? Time for another boat soon? :)

[redhotsommer]

I'll be writing more...I was slammed at work this week and that's where all my pictures are. They are like triggers for my memory...it's easy to write once you figure out where and when they were taken.

I don't need a new boat...the one I've got is LIKE new now!

[Ratickle]

So was the one before this one......:sifone:

[redhotsommer]

Back to the stories....

As earlier mentioned, I often have difficulty with even the simplest of things...my paranoid and controlling nature is largely the result of many misfortunes and my constant watchfulness as to what bad thing is about to happen next. This is the tale of one of those times.

I was SO proud to bring the red boat home, and after an extremely thorough cleaning, she was looking GOOD, and we took her out to her berth in Hammond Marina. The T-dock crew quickly took notice of our new toy, and everybody dug it...I was a proud man. The project for the day, however, was to set up the Hydrohoist to accomodate the new and bigger hull. This meant adjusting the bunks to the ascribed places, not dropping the hardware OR the tools in the lake, and even moving the hoist back with regard to its position on the dock to keep the beak from sticking out over the main walkway...it was a 35 foot slip and a 35 foot boat, so I had to be right on.

A couple of hours in the hot sun, and the hoist was positioned correctly, the bunks aligned, and we were ready to test it. I pulled the boat around the dock and into my slip, and raised it out of the water. SUCCESS! I congratulated myself on a job well done, for everything looked great...with the exception of the fact that the bow was still pointed at the sky a bit, something that would be rectified by moving the boat forward and balancing out the weight on the pontoons. At that moment, my mother-in-law showed up and asked if we'd like to come by their boat for some lunch, so we dropped our tools and went a couple docks over to their Sea Ray.

About an hour later, my phone rings, and its the Candyman...Dan Vasta...saying "Hey...that thing looks great...let's take it for a ride!" So, we roll back over to our dock, I drop the boat back down in the water, and raise the hatches to give it the pre-run check. What do I see, but a bunch of water in the bilge. Crap. Granted...it's not a TON of water, but there's definately water in there that wasn't there before. So, I climb in the bilge to see if I've got a split hose or something. I then notice the water has a rainbow sheen to it...dip my finger in...and give it a sniff....

[redhotsommer]

Well...what I thought was water was much, much worse. It was gas. Fresh gas. Probably 5 gallons worth. Yikes. I shut the batteries off and started throwing buckets of water in the bilge to dilute it...and this is where my story has a lucky moment...the automatic bilge pumps kicked on and I did not blow up. Whew. I called Dan and told him I had a HUGE problem, and after I explained, he rallied the troops from T-dock and they came to the rescue. We towed the boat with a dinghy over to the launch ramp (a tail-between-the-legs moment if I've ever had one!), and I ran to get my truck and trailer. In order to keep the bow high and prevent the gas from moving forward, I inverted the 6-inch drop on my trailer hitch, GENTLY put the boat on the trailer, and pulled it out...all the way to the back of the huge parking lot in Hammond. At this point, the hero of the day stepped in. Mike Lucina took charge and almost instantly found the problem...someone had removed/replaced the sending units on top of the gas tanks and stripped out one of the threaded holes on top of the port tank...replacing the machine screw with a tin screw, which didn't provide enough torque to seal the gasket on top of the tank. Add to that the fact that I had just filled the boat to the brim before putting it in the water AND the fact that it had just spent an hour sitting at a protracted angle to the stern...it was puking gas all over. We "discreetly" pulled the drain plug and let the gas pour into the lot...SHHHHHH!!!!....then Mike rigged up a new setup involving an inverted screw and washer...and it was done. I left the boat on the trailer that night with the hatches up and cleaned the HELL out of it the next day to get rid of any gas smell.

I had owned the boat for two weeks and had almost sunk it and almost blown it up. Awesome.

[redhotsommer]

So I made you read a bunch...now for some pictures. 2005 had the Chicago Powerboat Club in full swingin' action. A couple weeks after I brought my boat home and managed not to blow it up, there was a photo run. I forget if it was like $50 or $60 per boat...two helicopters taking pics as each boat ran individually across Chicago's skyline. Definately cool, definately something we should do again... Here's some good ones: Our high school bud Jeff came out with us for the day. Fun Michelle was in effect (more on that in a bit). We met up at Jackson Harbor and ran down to McCormack Place to meet the choppers.

[redhotsommer]

Fast Kasch(s). 46 Cougar with triple 900s! Steve's 50 NorTech "Royal Flush." Mark Kingma (Payton) 34 Super Hawaii. I love Doug's boat.

[redhotsommer]

Met a bunch of new friends on that run...Keith and Marcy, Donna and Ian (Patriyacht and Mrs.), Leo and Teri (Exhilaration), and the one and only Magic Medicine (and Nytroboy420).

[redhotsommer]

T-Dockers at play...Candyman Dan, Bo, Quiet Storm Roger (with a baby Ryan(Cigflatdeck) aboard, Steve and KathyJo Shay, Don in Life Is Good,

[redhotsommer]

Gary's 39 Outerlimits, Frankie 10X in Reggie's old "Preacher" boat, Mark Smith in the Chi-Town Hustler, hustling off Chi-town.

[redhotsommer]

We were instructed at the driver's meeting to be careful, maintain safe distance, and go one boat at a time. Here's Bob Z and B-rad...:)

[redhotsommer]

These are probably my favorite shots of the day (other than those of my boat). Mr. Cig's Flatdeck, Jimmy Vos' Fox Hunter Flatdeck, and Crazy Horse 41 Apache doin' it OLD SCHOOL...

[redhotsommer]

So I mentioned earlier that Fun Michelle was in effect that day... She had a couple wine coolers early on with no breakfast, and was feeling pretty good by the time it was our turn to go. The conversation that took place in the following photos was as follows:

Her: "Hey, should I flash the helicopter?"
Me: "Yes, yes you should."

And yes I do have that picture. And no I will not be putting it up online.

A little advice, though...if you want the helicopter to keep coming after your boat at EVERY event, just follow the above protocol. I got a TON of pics from the air that year!

[OBNOXUS]

And yes I do have that picture. And no I will not be putting it up online.




BOOOOOO !!!!!

[OBNOXUS]

Hey,,,,,

Shouldnt you be working !!!!????

[redhotsommer]

Hey,,,,,

Shouldnt you be working !!!!????

I FINALLY HAVE A FULL CREW!!!!! YIPPEEEEEE!

On a related note...SHOULDN'T YOU BE GETTING READY TO WORK ON MY BOAT?

[OBNOXUS]

actually putting the motor in the Outerlimits tonight !!!

Your next !!!

[Magic Medicine]

Mike that was not Keith on the original magic medicine, it was my lil bro Alex, keiths twin. Great pics and great stories.

[redhotsommer]

Mike that was not Keith on the original magic medicine, it was my lil bro Alex, keiths twin. Great pics and great stories.

Ahh...couldn't tell from the angle of the pic, so I just guessed.

Here's a couple more from that day...featuring the ever-popular "Predator" NorTech...shown here with its new paint and new name..."Morphine." This is EASILY a record number of people on a go-fast boat. I count 21. Wonder if the entire cabin is full of life-jackets?

[OBNOXUS]

And only ONE topless !!!

[rschap1]

AWESOME pics !!!

[MILD THUNDER]

[QUOTE=redhotsommer;581772]
Her: "Hey, should I flash the helicopter?"
Me: "Yes, yes you should."

And yes I do have that picture. And no I will not be putting it up online.

QUOTE]


:icon_bs: :_boobies:

[redhotsommer]

WOW. I daresay it is actually HOT outside today in Chicagoland! I can't wait to get outside! It would definately be a good day on the water...so...here's some more pics from my history on the water.

When the "powers-that-were" controlling the Chicago Powerboat Club decided to have a Poker Run, I mostly just sat in the backseat and watched it come together. I had very little experience with that kind of thing, and really didn't appreciate the national scope they were shooting for. All I knew was that I was going to be there, come hell or high water.

I polished the boat until it was so shiny your eyes would slip off if you looked at it at the wrong angle, and gave it an oil change (5 fresh quarts of Mobil One...what? These are 8 quart pans? They HAVE those???? Lol. Didn't find that out for a month or so!). I was VERY nervous on the day of the event...our crew consisted of myself and Michelle, my dad, and two of Michelle's college friends that were both professors at Purdue and had never been on a boat on Lake Michigan. After the drivers meeting, we all piled into the boats and idled out...and it started to rain. Crap. We idled around for a LONG while, as the helicopters had gone to the WRONG marina, and the rain finally tapered off. Boats started to move forward, my dad fired up the video camera, and I made the decision to make things as easy as possible by following the Patriyacht 43 Black Thunder...let him bust the waves and we'll just enjoy the ride, right? The camera lasted about 30 seconds, as the pressing need to hang the f(*& on hit my old man...apparently it was bumpier on the lake than we had anticipated. It was only about 1-3 foot, but totally tossed...no rhythem or direction to the waves...typical Lake Michigan water. All know is that I still wasn't very experienced on the sticks and was totally paranoid about blowing a drive...and that I was throttling in accordance with the screams of our friend Amy. She screamed, I throttled back. It worked pretty well, considering.

[redhotsommer]

Jimmy Porter, Rich and Dave in the Show Stopper 42 Tiger, the FLEET (its good to have the red boat...I can always find myself in a group shot!), BZ airing it out....

[redhotsommer]

Pokin' and runnin'

[redhotsommer]

Two nutjobs in a boat. Straight Jacket and Scarrab30...the Brian Millers.

[kerigoff]

Mike,
I'm beginning to feel like a crack addict, I love your story.

[B.Z.]

You know what is funny we are only in like 2004 or 2005ish....lol

[Bobcat]

Two nutjobs in a boat. Straight Jacket and Scarrab30...the Brian Millers.


Those are some bad ass pics!

[Candyman]

Great thread!!!!!

[Ratickle]

Those are some bad ass pics!

I especially like this one....

http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww310/ptrose/Misc%20and%20Personal%20Boats/BrianMillersfromRHSommer.jpg

[redhotsommer]

I don't need a new boat...the one I've got is LIKE new now!

Damn...I guess I've got to start writing this thread again! I just re-read it and this particular post made me laugh! Maybe the muse will strike me tomorrow!

[B.Z.]

Mike we need updates.....

[redhotsommer]

Agree. I've got a guy in the shop on vacation for this week and next...so I'm actually busy...no time to write!

[Doug1]

WOW what an AWESOME thread. I really had some great times up on the the big lake and this is bringing back allot of great memories. Really miss u guys and hope to be back up there soon.

[f311fr1]

I know Brian Miller from when he moved to Nashville, TN. A real stand up guy. He spun out the Scarab on Old Hickory Lake while test and tune just before the Fun Run. He is lucky to be alive. Boat was a total. He bought a Charger Hellcat.