Bootleggers went Legitimate because the 21st Amendment in 1932 repealed the 18th Amendment abolishing alcohol. lol. And thankfully so for both America and NASCAR! I take the premise with my vehicles, that if it is good enough for NASCAR then it is good for my cars. lol Things like low temp thermostats, oil catch cans, increased cooling with high grade multi-step radiators and 100% Synthetic oil and fluids are great ways to see your vehicles will run as long as possible. Assuming you plan on keeping your vehicles anyway. I miss the 1980's. Good times. Good people.
I Live in Washington...near Mukiteo Eds Racing Engines! Mad scientist in his lab building race engines of all types... Mostly sprint car engines is how I got to see him do dyno engine break in runs... But his passion was building offshore race engines!
Early 2000s I worked for an engine builder. We also rigged boats. I used to have to go to Key West to support his teams and man Al Copeland had some amazing parties. The Key West races spanned 2 weeks and no cruise ships doced during that time. Al would show up on his 120ft Yacht, bring a catamaran that was jet powered, motorcycles etc. He had at least 10 chefs cooking all day on the cruise ship pier and then at night there would be a huge meal and party for the racers / crews and families. It was pretty fun.
Grew up in South Florida area ‘60’s through the ‘80’s when these machines were the kings of the ocean. Best of times, worst of times. Was sad to see it fade, wicked fast, tough boats and crews. Thanks for the memory.
Would be cool if someone made a video game around Powerboat racing, but not just racing, but also team management, boat building and maybe smuggling even.
As a photographer I got interested in Offshore Powerboat racing the year after Don Johnson quit racing and attended many of the races that were held around Florida which included Miami Beach, Cocoa Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Marathon and the 1994 World Championship in Key West. I got to cover the Key West race from a helicopter and a boat anchored at the finish line. I really enjoyed walking around the wet pits getting a close look at these amazing boats. Now I'm feeling grateful having experienced the sport in the glory days.
@@pattycoelho1 I used to have a website with several galleries but took the site down years ago. I do have my video of the 1994 Key West championship on my YT channel and towards the end I show several of the pics I took at that race. That's all I have publicly available at this time.
I was conceived on a boat. Born on a boat. My parents were married on the same boat. My father published a marine phone book in Illinois. I absolutely Love boats. Especially offshore!!! This was a dope video!
As an Kid.. My dad had an workmate(at Florida Power and Light) who raced.. Rich Smith.. I never got to know that side of Rick, I'm sure my dad hid it.. BUT Rick Did become an friend for me, and one day when we were talking Snakes, he offered me an MEXICAN BOA.. That snake was an nasty biter.. It would strike at anything that moved in it's range.. Had it for along time.. Divorce moved me away and I never got to learn more about Rick.. But racing was in my blood, and that;s where I enjoyed many days.. I understand Rick did some amazing things in his days.. This was in Miami and in the 1970's.. Rick Smith likely would never remember me.. But he was an diver as well, and that's another hobby I have enjoyed since those days.. So here's to you Rick.. you never knew the things you introduced me to.. or how much you had an affect on my life.. Manny
The thing that bothers me is that a sport like this dies when people not involved in the sport start regulating it. To make it "safer" and more "fair". Same with Indy Cars and Formula 1. Loads of rules no longer about who can build the best and drive the best, but who can conform the best.
@Bob1934-l6d I’d stop being bothered! 1. Rules etc had to be tightened as technology and materials made them faster and faster till…too fast. 2. And indy and F1 seems to be doing ok!
I was there at The Kings Grant Inn 1974 when The Benihana Grand Prix were putting the racing boats in the water with a crane, was something to see. Then they would go to the Manasquan Inlet to access the Atlantic Ocean. The day of the race I skipped summer school to see the races standing on the rocks on the Manasquan Inlet. Such a fantastic time now that I look back at it.
I don't know how this turned up on my Home page because I never watch the races on RUclips, only on the Clock App but this is exactly why I still watch Powerboat Racing and I even watched the Key West races last weekend...The simulation is alive
Apart from it being a 'bot voice, the cartoonishly stoooopid commentary trashes any sliver of _genuine_ sporting credibility this race formula ever had.
Grew up in Key West during the prime days of powerboats. I remember the parade of amazing boats coming to town once a year, I also remember the other side of the sport to which they refer. It didn’t seem sinister at the time.
In the late 80's early 90's me and mum used to watch powerboat racing on screensport and eurosport. We where a motorsport family mostly Dragracing but mom loved the powerboats. Good to find this vid now and remember the good times.
Lol.. not cigarettes here in FL.. they call the cargo Square Groupers.. from here in Jupiter down to The Keys.. and yea, the stories are true.. I've heard a few from the survivors of that era..
In my country we call them "Gomas" like rubber. Or "Flying boats". See about flying boats in Gibraltar. Or in Galiza! It started with cigarettes and after with narcos!
The unsung heroes are the helicopter pilots and photogs who shadow these boats. That job is nearly aa dangerous and the boat crews even if the casualties were lower.
these guys are the carbon copy of the Whittington's and Lanier were to the car racing world. these guys were what they based Miami vice the TV show on. these guys were gods to me as a kid growing up in the early 80's as where don and Randy with there 935's. an era that was so oppulant and gave us legends and role models(not for trafficking -racing) and you get the jaun Almeda's of the world who must have thought them role models for the opposite as most but it doesn't change the fact the powerboat racing and performance boats and cars wouldn't be what they are without them. another just outstanding video. I cant relay the enjoyment your videos have brought me, taking me back to revisit so of my finest times and memories with friends and family. for that I cant not repay you with anything other than the well deserved praise you should get anyway. thank you so much!! cheers
I worked at World Jet for about 6 months in 95, I remember Don had a red off shore racing boat just sitting there and never moved. I had no clue what was going on until years later. Kind of wish I would have stuck around.
Well produced thank you sir. When I was growing up I remember offshore racing was getting a foothold and just like it was covered in the video but I didn't realize that demise happened somewhere quickly.
This was a brilliant video. I was fascinated by this as a little kid seeing it on tv. Polarizing stories and figures in the sport. I hope one day the sport will flourish again 👍🏽
@@km6832 I was doubtful of your comment when I first read it, but by the end of the video the commentary had said 'iconic' so many times it couldn't possibly have been written any earlier than 2024.
@@vehiculemagazine nothing more patriot than lying about an AI voice and using the american flag while doing it. It's weird how true "The more someone uses the american flag the more of a conman they are" consistently is.
Most folks know him for diesel engines, but Gale Banks is the reason turbochargers are outlawed in these races. Three major rule changes were implemented because of him.
Very cool! I remember watching some of these races back in the 80's on TV. I remember I was at a race in Traverse City Michigan, at the annual Cherry Festival one year. Very cool documentary. Just more prof that life in the 80's and 90's was way cooler. Thank you.
That accident compilation at the end is shocking! As a kid growing up spending summers on the coast of NC, Reggie Fountain was a legend, even in the early eighties through the 90’s. Decades ago we were in a 40ft Sonic going maybe 65 thinking we were big shots, a Fountain passed us like we weren’t even underway, funny, he didn’t even sound rapped up, just mildly throttling along, haha.
@ There is a very successful marina/dealership in Morehead City NC that, for instance, sold 2/3 of every Albemarle made, including a tremendous amount of Carolina Classics, Cabo’s, etc, when those Albemarle dudes split. Reggie really wanted that dealership to offer Fountians, the owner refused saying he didn’t want the “demographics” buying from him. Every summer Reggie would come into the very tight marina basin in something flashy, camming away, do a slow twin screw turn, and leave.
The people here have romantic memories but it was the many accidents killing mostly very rich people that ended this sport. Its a pity but they had maxed it out...
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Who would all the folks work for, if it weren’t for the “aristocrats”? Ninety Nine percent of the people, either don’t have the ability, or the work ethics, to be the 1 percent that employs the vast majority.
My father had a run in with Kramer. There was a loaded boat that had broken down midway. My father had a pilots license and plane. They loaded up in the plane and flew out to the boat throwing note out to the boat captain with directions of what he were supposed to do from there. Some years later, law enforcement reached out to my father and took statements and his pilots logs from that time. Kinda a crazy time.
@@rtfabian The broadcasting technology wasn't there. Today it would be completely different with drones, high speed wireless internet and small hd cameras. The races aren't really "offshore" as much as "near shore". They're not crossing oceans.
@@generic_programmerso basically every for profit business ever?!? The goal of every for profit business is to grow to the biggest and make the most money. This is America. Welcome 🇺🇸. What we should be doing is fighting for our representatives to regulate and break up the monopolies to force competition. Capitalism is great with the right regulations to keep things as fair as possible for businesses and consumers
There is a show about Willy and Sal who ran Seahawk. It's called Cocaine cowboys: Kings of Miami. It focuses mostly on the blow trade but there are some segments about racing as well.
I lived in Southwest Florida from 82 to 87. Went to a bunch of the races and knew several of the racers and crew. Knew a few fellows who made good money building and selling fast boats, with some boats equipped just a little better than others. A couple ended up in jail,a few left the country, one just disappeared. A few left the sport and the business and left the area for years, only to come back in the 90s. But very few. It was a wild scene on and off the water. If you were smart you stayed away from it. Well, the upper levels. The lower levels were pretty much straight forward sportsmen and speed lovers.
I get a lot of 90s vibes watching parts of this. Reminds me of when I first saw a large gathering of power boats at Lake of the Ozarks years ago. Always thought that era had the best paint and decal designs.
makes me wonder how skilled a pilot really had to be? what can you do at those speeds and d unpredictability of d sea? forward-aft balance (trim) possible to adjust within fraction of a second? strategy?
@@raedy07 Good points. Also before those fighter jet cockpit glass enclosures the boat racers routinely used to un-alive so you had to have no fear of that in order to race, which, like it is said mountaineering (they often have high depression rates and a certain fatalistic attitude) attracts a certain 'devil-may-care' person. Maybe this granny was one of those who pushed the pedal to the metal and could are less of the consequences. I sure couldn't do it so hats off to her I guess but I'd like to know as well how much skill is needed and how much sheer bravery/recklessness.
That grandma was Betty Cook. Her husband (at the time) was Paul Cook. He originally drove the catamaran, Kudu. He got her into offshore racing in the early 70s. They were from Atherton in the Bay Area. They came into a boatload (no pun intended) of money through development of medical equipment development. I had the privilege of watching both of them in the mid to late 70s, racing out of the Berkeley Marina for the SF race.
What a time to be alive !! Thanks for the memories. My late uncle owned a bar on Chub Cay (The Bahamas), and a lot of his ole friends were the Bimini Boys. Yeah, there was a lot of "square groupers" floating, but the money was great for poor island folks. 😂
I remember going to Sarasota to watch the powerboat races when I was a kid. My family would get a hotel room with a balcony and we would watch the boats through binoculars and spotting scopes. Once or twice they had a boat show at St. Armands Circle or close to there with all the boats on display, I thought it was the coolest thing.
We had the Pacific 1000 racing down the coast of Queensland, Cairns to Gold Coast, during the late 70s and early 80s IIRC. Some amazing boats on display.
In the late 80's i was in middle school, living in Key West.. the 2 weeks the races came to town were the best, awesome boats. We would go check them out during the week when they would display them at some of the bigger parking lots on the island, and watch the races from the navy docks (pops was in the navy). Colorful boats, loud engines, huge rooster tails, and the amount of helicopters covering the races made for exiting times, being 11 or 12 at the time i geeked out on these boats. The Jesse James racing team was my favorite, it was such a cool boat. i still have the program from the 1988 race.
You're referring to the Hydro side of the sport rather than the offshore divisions. Unfortunately that all dried up in the early 2000's as well. They went from every event nationally televised on ESPN in the late 80's early 90's with sponsors like Budwieser, Dewalt, Winston, and Camel to pitiful RUclips streams with the top tier boats having to rely on sponsors deals from local mom and pop home disaster recovery services lol.
I was born in South FL and remember seeing those boats on the water and going down the highways. It was so cool. I just remember as a kid everyone calling every boat a cigarette boat no matter who made them! Being a kid in the 80s in South Florida was unreal, there will never be a time like it again. Millionaires and their Ferraris everywhere you went, amazing beaches and a killer water park called "Six Flags Atlantis," it was epic. I sure miss those days but as everything else, time keeps on moving and we left for North Florida in the late 80s for greener pastures.
Thanks so very much for this great documentary, I have loved these fabulous boats for years and love to see what they can do and this shows just that! Well narrated and great film clips, RIP to those who lost their lives in this amazing sport.
When y'all came to Galveston, I was working for the newspaper there, did a feature on the boat's pilot and he gave me a ride, got 'er up to a GPS-verified 100.1 mph in the ship channel. Good times.
This is by far one of "The Craziest" ideas by mankind. Insane but I love it. You are most alive when standing at the precipice looking death in the eye saying "Not today!"
Was born in Miami Beach. One friend was a mechanic and serviced Rocky Aoki's cars and his two personal speedboats at his Miami Beach home in the 70s. I know that Rocky took those boats out and retrieved square things. Sadly, my friend, John, who, despite his youth, was an amazing mechanic, overdosed unintentionally on Tuinals at the young age of about 20.
@@sammy-373 Hell, yes. There were so many that floated around and random people grabbed them. Square Grouper. The runners used to laugh at the Coast Guard since their fast boats blew them away. Rocky lived high, had many Porsches and personal fast boats.
Austin Texas used to have speedboat racing on the Colorado River downtown, which at the time was called Town Lake. Looking at it today, I don't know how they found the space. It drew huge crowds, until the neighborhoods in surrounding area grew tired of all the noise and gridlock. Crazy era of Austin history.
Worked for Alan Fuentes raced The Hit King for Pete Rose, before that the boat was named The Executioner. Lived exactly as you thought women, helicopters, parties at his Little Neck house. He started Computer Dynamics Institute in Virginia Beach, ran into some trouble with his illegal campaign contributions. Forced out of his company, had to sell almost everything. Unfortunately Alan committed suicide when he hit rock bottom. Told me they lost money racing he did it because of the parties, excitement and circle of people involved.
The extreme costs of maintaining the engines and outdrives along with the safety factors was the downfall, MERCURY with their new powertrains are MUCH more reliable that the previous combinations.
@@vehiculemagazine pound for pound nothing comes close to an outboard, but i agree on one part: the sound. 2 strokes were awesome, and cost much less so the average joe could just about compete. today its absurd how expensive everything is.
@@ct1762 not talking about outboards talking about the offshore inboard 9000rpm V8's based on a Big BLOCK Chevrolet with Mercury Racing's double overhead cam 4 valve per cylinder aluminum heads. The engines are expensive HOWEVER they are much more reliable than the previous off shore engines.
If you were into radio control speed boats in the 80s or 90s, you remember these boats, the catamarans and the Vee hulls. Big model kit manufacturers as well as niche suppliers. Graupner Arrow deep Vee, Graupner Systems catamaran, the MRP Gentry Eagle and many more gave local duck ponds a bit of the allure (and accidents) of the full size world!
TV, celebrity, and popularity ruin any sport. When it becomes more about the sponsor or the end-zone celebration than the competition itself, the fun is gone. At some point we are always reminded that a sport is a game, something we do for fun. Making it a career and a corporation makes a game into a job.
I live where we have the semifinals for the world tour of the water follies every year. The Hydroplanes we have now are insane. Some of the fastest most dangerous vehicles raced on water.
Key West 1981, I was invited out in the pleasure version of an Excalibur (monohull) racing boat. We barely got off the dock when it sucked an empty ice bag into one of the salt water intakes, over heating one motor. My ONE chance for a high speed ride was over bef. ore it statrted. DAYUM the luck! I think the pleasure version was a 90mph boat vs the 130MPH race version. In Tortola I did go around 70 MPH in a 25 foot boat in one foot seas between Road town and Jost Van Dyke. Even that was amazing. Even 70MPH on the water feels like 180 MPH on the road Of course it was awkward going out with a group with very stiff woody in my pants. Just ONE of the props was likley worth more than I made in year at the time. LOL
I worked for Cougar in Miami in the early 80's. We built a cat for Popeyes, some of us called it the Pope Yes, pretending it was supported by the Jesuits, and wondered what they were smuggling. Here's something you may not know. The offshore boats always had at least two crew, one was usually the owner/driver who sat behind the wheel, the other was the throttle man. Guess what? For most of these boats, during the race the owner did nothing, other than have the shit scared out of him. the steering wheel was inoperative due to the forces on it at speed. The throttle man controlled both the speed and direction with the throttles. They were the real stars, hired guns rarely given credit.
I almost got run over by Rocky Aoki the day BEFORE he wrecked at the Golden Gate, when he came out of Alameda estuary at more than 100mph (clocked by a USN helo).
@vehiculemagazine I was in a SAILBOAT, he bombs out of the estuary towing a 50ft roostertail. One of my crewmates was a USCG commander he was NOT IMPRESSED And a Coast Guard 47 footer (they knew they couldn't come close catching him) met him at hIs hauler when he got back. They told him and the other crews that limit in the estuary in TEN KNOTS and they WOULD BE WATCHING the next day. He stuffed it next day and almost died But not before CHP snagged him in his 911 on the highway at speed, lol
Really dig the music at the beginning of this and even the microphone quality somehow fits with the footage. Dig the vibe so far just at the start already
Seems like every motorsport eventually becomes "too expensive to continue in it's current form" and everyone pulls out leaving it a shell of it's former self. I wonder if Formula 1 will follow in that trend.
Minus the current safety of the current F1 cars, that's how I feel about F1 as a sport. I have a hunch it might go through a decline in the future akin to Nascar's post boom in the 90s and 2000s. Do note: I got into Nascar during the COT era.
I remember a demo version of that game that came on a demo CD with my Playstation 1, which I got in 1998. So that's what it was based on! Those people were complete maniacs! I love it!
Great races! Offshore racing was once like Formula 1 today, with international races like Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio, Miami-Nassau & Cowes- Torquay-Cowes. Not much survives today.
Bootleggers went legitimate & formed Nascar & legitimate boat racing went criminal to smuggle drugs. Things always find balance.
Bring them back,thanks!
Bootleggers went Legitimate because the 21st Amendment in 1932 repealed the 18th Amendment abolishing alcohol. lol. And thankfully so for both America and NASCAR! I take the premise with my vehicles, that if it is good enough for NASCAR then it is good for my cars. lol Things like low temp thermostats, oil catch cans, increased cooling with high grade multi-step radiators and 100% Synthetic oil and fluids are great ways to see your vehicles will run as long as possible. Assuming you plan on keeping your vehicles anyway. I miss the 1980's. Good times. Good people.
Fast boats have been involved in smuggling since before the ancient Egyptians.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The ultimate test of someone that call themselves the best engine builders!
I Live in Washington...near Mukiteo
Eds Racing Engines!
Mad scientist in his lab building race engines of all types...
Mostly sprint car engines is how I got to see him do dyno engine break in runs...
But his passion was building offshore race engines!
Early 2000s I worked for an engine builder. We also rigged boats. I used to have to go to Key West to support his teams and man Al Copeland had some amazing parties. The Key West races spanned 2 weeks and no cruise ships doced during that time. Al would show up on his 120ft Yacht, bring a catamaran that was jet powered, motorcycles etc. He had at least 10 chefs cooking all day on the cruise ship pier and then at night there would be a huge meal and party for the racers / crews and families. It was pretty fun.
thx for sharing
That's what I was gonna say 😂
Al Copeland, famous from his Popeyes franchise and racing toys. From New Orleans.
That sounds absolutely amazing!
I bet it snowed the whole two weeks.
"Pretty Fun"? Not insanely fun? Good times, glad you got in on the festivities.
Grew up in South Florida area ‘60’s through the ‘80’s when these machines were the kings of the ocean. Best of times, worst of times. Was sad to see it fade, wicked fast, tough boats and crews. Thanks for the memory.
Couldn't agree more!
Grew up in Florida in the 2000's, but wow I would've loved to experience what that was like to grow up in 60's and 80's
@@alecgoldberg303 You missed the part where He said it came from Europe..
I built models of these boats, r/c and scale models, great memories
@@juri_xiii9977 who said??
Pretty badass to start powerboat racing at 52, that`s one tough lady ;)
yes sir
She was a great lady!
Also have to give mad respect to the fishing boat skipper at 2:00 :D
Would definitely watch a bio pic of her boat racing alone is an amazing story.
That's not Old. I don't know why people think it is. My mother started an entire lobster industry when she was older than that.
Would be cool if someone made a video game around Powerboat racing, but not just racing, but also team management, boat building and maybe smuggling even.
what do you think we are doing
There was one in the 90's.
The crew motorfest has powerboat racing just very crude
Grand Theft Boat Racing
we need powerboat racing in GTA VI
As a photographer I got interested in Offshore Powerboat racing the year after Don Johnson quit racing and attended many of the races that were held around Florida which included Miami Beach, Cocoa Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Marathon and the 1994 World Championship in Key West. I got to cover the Key West race from a helicopter and a boat anchored at the finish line. I really enjoyed walking around the wet pits getting a close look at these amazing boats. Now I'm feeling grateful having experienced the sport in the glory days.
read the print edition link in bio
nice, I'm envious. Must have made a lot of great pics!
What a life, pal❤
Where can we see those pics?
@@pattycoelho1 I used to have a website with several galleries but took the site down years ago. I do have my video of the 1994 Key West championship on my YT channel and towards the end I show several of the pics I took at that race. That's all I have publicly available at this time.
I was conceived on a boat. Born on a boat. My parents were married on the same boat. My father published a marine phone book in Illinois. I absolutely Love boats. Especially offshore!!! This was a dope video!
Thanks for sharing!
As an Kid.. My dad had an workmate(at Florida Power and Light) who raced.. Rich Smith.. I never got to know that side of Rick, I'm sure my dad hid it.. BUT Rick Did become an friend for me, and one day when we were talking Snakes, he offered me an MEXICAN BOA.. That snake was an nasty biter.. It would strike at anything that moved in it's range.. Had it for along time.. Divorce moved me away and I never got to learn more about Rick.. But racing was in my blood, and that;s where I enjoyed many days.. I understand Rick did some amazing things in his days.. This was in Miami and in the 1970's.. Rick Smith likely would never remember me.. But he was an diver as well, and that's another hobby I have enjoyed since those days.. So here's to you Rick.. you never knew the things you introduced me to.. or how much you had an affect on my life.. Manny
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Fun fact: Chuck Norris once won the Open Class Championship in a rowboat.
And with only one paddle!
@@jeffrobe405 actually he swam using the butterfly stroke while pulling the boat by a rope he held in his mouth
😂 Gotta admire Chuck Norris.
I don't doubt it. Probably did it in his 50's too.
Nice!
The thing that bothers me is that a sport like this dies when people not involved in the sport start regulating it. To make it "safer" and more "fair". Same with Indy Cars and Formula 1. Loads of rules no longer about who can build the best and drive the best, but who can conform the best.
today everything is lame and boring
@Bob1934-l6d
I’d stop being bothered!
1. Rules etc had to be tightened as technology and materials made them faster and faster till…too fast.
2. And indy and F1 seems to be doing ok!
@@bullcrap9409 No such thing as too fast.
Stopped watching Formula 1 the cars sound ridiculous compared to 80's and 90's
@@Ob1sdarkside I`d rather watch Formula E than F1 at this point
I was there at The Kings Grant Inn 1974 when The Benihana Grand Prix were putting the racing boats in the water with a crane, was something to see. Then they would go to the Manasquan Inlet to access the Atlantic Ocean. The day of the race I skipped summer school to see the races standing on the rocks on the Manasquan Inlet. Such a fantastic time now that I look back at it.
🇺🇸🏁
I don't know how this turned up on my Home page because I never watch the races on RUclips, only on the Clock App but this is exactly why I still watch Powerboat Racing and I even watched the Key West races last weekend...The simulation is alive
yes sir
Love the narrator voice of these older documentaries.
classic
It's AI.
Apart from it being a 'bot voice, the cartoonishly stoooopid commentary trashes any sliver of _genuine_ sporting credibility this race formula ever had.
its ai
The Narrator of this vid sounds a bit like Willem Dafoe.
Grew up in Key West during the prime days of powerboats.
I remember the parade of amazing boats coming to town once a year,
I also remember the other side of the sport to which they refer. It didn’t seem sinister at the time.
thanks for sharing!
In the late 80's early 90's me and mum used to watch powerboat racing on screensport and eurosport. We where a motorsport family mostly Dragracing but mom loved the powerboats. Good to find this vid now and remember the good times.
What a time to be Alive! Some of the greatest racers, and entrepreneurs !
yes sir 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁
@@vehiculemagazine ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Today,,,,he is President Trump............................................
All memories i remember during those Miami vice days Don Johnson a boat racer himself used to drive to movie set every day in his 38ft kv scarab!
watch our dj film ruclips.net/video/fo9hZasD7b0/видео.htmlsi=6LGgNtxP0pYkObpS
01:11 THAT'S why they're called cigarette boats! Did not know that. Thank you!
✔️
Lol.. not cigarettes here in FL.. they call the cargo Square Groupers.. from here in Jupiter down to The Keys.. and yea, the stories are true.. I've heard a few from the survivors of that era..
In my country we call them "Gomas" like rubber. Or "Flying boats". See about flying boats in Gibraltar. Or in Galiza! It started with cigarettes and after with narcos!
Me too! My exact reaction as well.
I worked production during the Speed television series - what awesome times
niceeee
The unsung heroes are the helicopter pilots and photogs who shadow these boats. That job is nearly aa dangerous and the boat crews even if the casualties were lower.
@@slartybarfastb3648 each team has a copter & we had one above the safety divers. Each boat had a couple cameras depending on the boat.
these guys are the carbon copy of the Whittington's and Lanier were to the car racing world. these guys were what they based Miami vice the TV show on. these guys were gods to me as a kid growing up in the early 80's as where don and Randy with there 935's. an era that was so oppulant and gave us legends and role models(not for trafficking -racing) and you get the jaun Almeda's of the world who must have thought them role models for the opposite as most but it doesn't change the fact the powerboat racing and performance boats and cars wouldn't be what they are without them. another just outstanding video. I cant relay the enjoyment your videos have brought me, taking me back to revisit so of my finest times and memories with friends and family. for that I cant not repay you with anything other than the well deserved praise you should get anyway. thank you so much!! cheers
thanks so much! pick up a magazine you will enjoy it vehicule-magazine.com
My dad and Randy were cellmates in federal prison . Between their lives together in and out … oh boy! Good guys . Thankfully they are both out .
I worked at World Jet for about 6 months in 95, I remember Don had a red off shore racing boat just sitting there and never moved. I had no clue what was going on until years later. Kind of wish I would have stuck around.
@lummzy88 how cool would that have been. Holy cow. If we only knew then what we know now. What did you do at worldjet?
Yup, they made Road Atlanta fun !!
Well produced thank you sir. When I was growing up I remember offshore racing was getting a foothold and just like it was covered in the video but I didn't realize that demise happened somewhere quickly.
Glad you enjoyed it
This was a brilliant video. I was fascinated by this as a little kid seeing it on tv. Polarizing stories and figures in the sport. I hope one day the sport will flourish again 👍🏽
Glad you enjoyed it!
Narco subs killed offshore powerboat racing.
lool
I used to go to these races every year they held them on the Detroit River. Absolutely incredible
So nice to hear a real human narration! Nice job with this !!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅
Its AI
@@km6832 I was doubtful of your comment when I first read it, but by the end of the video the commentary had said 'iconic' so many times it couldn't possibly have been written any earlier than 2024.
@@vehiculemagazine nothing more patriot than lying about an AI voice and using the american flag while doing it. It's weird how true "The more someone uses the american flag the more of a conman they are" consistently is.
@CRneu are you still salty that Skamala lost?
My dad had a 24' paramount with triple 2.4's. We used it on weekends to run to the bahamas. About an hour usually from key largo.
Most folks know him for diesel engines, but Gale Banks is the reason turbochargers are outlawed in these races. Three major rule changes were implemented because of him.
I still have yet to meet someone who actually likes Gale Banks 😂
Very cool! I remember watching some of these races back in the 80's on TV. I remember I was at a race in Traverse City Michigan, at the annual Cherry Festival one year. Very cool documentary. Just more prof that life in the 80's and 90's was way cooler. Thank you.
That accident compilation at the end is shocking!
As a kid growing up spending summers on the coast of NC, Reggie Fountain was a legend, even in the early eighties through the 90’s. Decades ago we were in a 40ft Sonic going maybe 65 thinking we were big shots, a Fountain passed us like we weren’t even underway, funny, he didn’t even sound rapped up, just mildly throttling along, haha.
@@justgotohm4775 Reggie will go down in boat history as one of the most innovative committed guys to ever get on the water
@ There is a very successful marina/dealership in Morehead City NC that, for instance, sold 2/3 of every Albemarle made, including a tremendous amount of Carolina Classics, Cabo’s, etc, when those Albemarle dudes split. Reggie really wanted that dealership to offer Fountians, the owner refused saying he didn’t want the “demographics” buying from him. Every summer Reggie would come into the very tight marina basin in something flashy, camming away, do a slow twin screw turn, and leave.
The people here have romantic memories but it was the many accidents killing mostly very rich people that ended this sport. Its a pity but they had maxed it out...
@@udirt Spectacular and eliminates aristocrats? We need this sport to make a comeback, pronto.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Who would all the folks work for, if it weren’t for the “aristocrats”? Ninety Nine percent of the people, either don’t have the ability, or the work ethics, to be the 1 percent that employs the vast majority.
Sweet vid! I remember I had a VHS tape with some powerboats on it when I was just a little kid. They are still just as cool now.
super!
I remember as a kid my dad had a few die cast models of these speedboats they were amazing
2:00 That sportfish leading the pack is awesome and hilarious! Hopefully he got a least a booby prize, well earned.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅
My father had a run in with Kramer. There was a loaded boat that had broken down midway. My father had a pilots license and plane. They loaded up in the plane and flew out to the boat throwing note out to the boat captain with directions of what he were supposed to do from there. Some years later, law enforcement reached out to my father and took statements and his pilots logs from that time. Kinda a crazy time.
any pics?
@ if there are, I’m unaware. I was completely unaware of anything like that till the fuzz showed up at our home. In St. Louis. Lol
1986 was the end of unlimited racing every where.
Today, you can buy 1500+ engines. With a warranty.
yup
Unfortunately, OFFSHORE racing was doomed by its very name. Racing offshore meant little to no chance to have paying spectators.
A very short warranty!
@@rtfabian The broadcasting technology wasn't there. Today it would be completely different with drones, high speed wireless internet and small hd cameras.
The races aren't really "offshore" as much as "near shore". They're not crossing oceans.
Great video and great audio / voice acting matching the style of the time.Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Why is this not a Netflix series? What characters and stories!
because netflix sucks. but your welcome for watching our film for free.
@@vehiculemagazineyeah NO SGI RIGHT!!!??? SKREW NETFLIX BUT THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS AWESOME LITTLE WINDOW INTO A VERY WILD TIME!!!
To hell with netflix, and all other monopoly seekinng enterprises
@@generic_programmerso basically every for profit business ever?!? The goal of every for profit business is to grow to the biggest and make the most money. This is America. Welcome 🇺🇸. What we should be doing is fighting for our representatives to regulate and break up the monopolies to force competition. Capitalism is great with the right regulations to keep things as fair as possible for businesses and consumers
There is a show about Willy and Sal who ran Seahawk. It's called Cocaine cowboys: Kings of Miami. It focuses mostly on the blow trade but there are some segments about racing as well.
whole video was a nostalgic vibe for something I knew little about. Good editing and content
thank you!
I lived in Southwest Florida from 82 to 87. Went to a bunch of the races and knew several of the racers and crew. Knew a few fellows who made good money building and selling fast boats, with some boats equipped just a little better than others. A couple ended up in jail,a few left the country, one just disappeared. A few left the sport and the business and left the area for years, only to come back in the 90s. But very few.
It was a wild scene on and off the water. If you were smart you stayed away from it. Well, the upper levels. The lower levels were pretty much straight forward sportsmen and speed lovers.
very cool
Do you know if there is an official archive of race results from the 80s and 90s?
I get a lot of 90s vibes watching parts of this. Reminds me of when I first saw a large gathering of power boats at Lake of the Ozarks years ago. Always thought that era had the best paint and decal designs.
It's a crime that nobody has come out with an Offshore Sim for PCs.
Someone with more money than sense, make it happen before I'm dead please.
That California grandma who won many titles was the most impressive IMO, given that reflexes dramatically drop off from aging. How did she do it?
makes me wonder how skilled a pilot really had to be? what can you do at those speeds and d unpredictability of d sea? forward-aft balance (trim) possible to adjust within fraction of a second? strategy?
@@raedy07 Good points. Also before those fighter jet cockpit glass enclosures the boat racers routinely used to un-alive so you had to have no fear of that in order to race, which, like it is said mountaineering (they often have high depression rates and a certain fatalistic attitude) attracts a certain 'devil-may-care' person. Maybe this granny was one of those who pushed the pedal to the metal and could are less of the consequences. I sure couldn't do it so hats off to her I guess but I'd like to know as well how much skill is needed and how much sheer bravery/recklessness.
That grandma was Betty Cook. Her husband (at the time) was Paul Cook. He originally drove the catamaran, Kudu. He got her into offshore racing in the early 70s. They were from Atherton in the Bay Area. They came into a boatload (no pun intended) of money through development of medical equipment development. I had the privilege of watching both of them in the mid to late 70s, racing out of the Berkeley Marina for the SF race.
been waiting for this!!!
yes!
Absolutely fantastic video with great content, footage and coverage!
Thanks a lot!
I machined the sturndrives for don johnsons pwr boat,he won the championship, what a week!
very cool
What a time to be alive !! Thanks for the memories. My late uncle owned a bar on Chub Cay (The Bahamas), and a lot of his ole friends were the Bimini Boys. Yeah, there was a lot of "square groupers" floating, but the money was great for poor island folks. 😂
Our pleasure!
I had forgotten that these had slipped away.
I remember going to Sarasota to watch the powerboat races when I was a kid. My family would get a hotel room with a balcony and we would watch the boats through binoculars and spotting scopes. Once or twice they had a boat show at St. Armands Circle or close to there with all the boats on display, I thought it was the coolest thing.
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Wow i wasn't expecting to learn so much thank you glad i watched this 😊
Glad it was helpful!
Great picture of The Beatles on #16. A great time in history. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it
We had the Pacific 1000 racing down the coast of Queensland, Cairns to Gold Coast, during the late 70s and early 80s IIRC. Some amazing boats on display.
Loved going of the Jersey shore. Wild times.
Hey remember the Manasqan Inlet the boats going out the inlet?
In the late 80's i was in middle school, living in Key West.. the 2 weeks the races came to town were the best, awesome boats. We would go check them out during the week when they would display them at some of the bigger parking lots on the island, and watch the races from the navy docks (pops was in the navy). Colorful boats, loud engines, huge rooster tails, and the amount of helicopters covering the races made for exiting times, being 11 or 12 at the time i geeked out on these boats. The Jesse James racing team was my favorite, it was such a cool boat. i still have the program from the 1988 race.
Miss Budweiser boat on the Detroit River.
Singing it's heart out.
No sound on earth like it.
✔️🏁
You're referring to the Hydro side of the sport rather than the offshore divisions. Unfortunately that all dried up in the early 2000's as well. They went from every event nationally televised on ESPN in the late 80's early 90's with sponsors like Budwieser, Dewalt, Winston, and Camel to pitiful RUclips streams with the top tier boats having to rely on sponsors deals from local mom and pop home disaster recovery services lol.
Marvelous video. I remember they would televise some of these races. Great piece of history.
Glad you enjoyed it
The best channel!
🎉🎉🎉🎉
thx!
I was born in South FL and remember seeing those boats on the water and going down the highways. It was so cool. I just remember as a kid everyone calling every boat a cigarette boat no matter who made them! Being a kid in the 80s in South Florida was unreal, there will never be a time like it again. Millionaires and their Ferraris everywhere you went, amazing beaches and a killer water park called "Six Flags Atlantis," it was epic. I sure miss those days but as everything else, time keeps on moving and we left for North Florida in the late 80s for greener pastures.
✔️
What an amazing video. Retro footages and vintage voice-over really do the tricks👍🏻💪🏻
Glad you enjoyed it!
the voice is AI. Nothing vintage about it.
I worked for Robert "Doc" Magoon. He was a 7 time offshore world champion out of Miami.
Thanks so very much for this great documentary, I have loved these fabulous boats for years and love to see what they can do and this shows just that!
Well narrated and great film clips, RIP to those who lost their lives in this amazing sport.
Our pleasure! read more vehicule-magazine.com/
9:18 Betty's red anodized aluminum velocity stacks
lets race.
I need this whole video set to the Miami Vice theme over and over. 😆
vehicule-magazine.com/
Wow. Posted six hours ago. Glad I caught this.
Nice!
@@vehiculemagazine Miami Vice Forever 🌴 🥥
My Dad used to take me to the Miami powerboat races they had at the Miami Marine Stadium. We also never missed the boat show each year.
I crewed for INXS. Good times in the early 90’s
send some pics
I roadied for them on a couple of Aussie tours
When y'all came to Galveston, I was working for the newspaper there, did a feature on the boat's pilot and he gave me a ride, got 'er up to a GPS-verified 100.1 mph in the ship channel. Good times.
This is by far one of "The Craziest" ideas by mankind. Insane but I love it. You are most alive when standing at the precipice looking death in the eye saying "Not today!"
Was born in Miami Beach. One friend was a mechanic and serviced Rocky Aoki's cars and his two personal speedboats at his Miami Beach home in the 70s. I know that Rocky took those boats out and retrieved square things. Sadly, my friend, John, who, despite his youth, was an amazing mechanic, overdosed unintentionally on Tuinals at the young age of about 20.
oh wow
Remember those t-shirts - "Save the Bales! " ?
@@sammy-373 Hell, yes. There were so many that floated around and random people grabbed them. Square Grouper. The runners used to laugh at the Coast Guard since their fast boats blew them away. Rocky lived high, had many Porsches and personal fast boats.
@@sammy-373 I had one! 😂🤣
Austin Texas used to have speedboat racing on the Colorado River downtown, which at the time was called Town Lake. Looking at it today, I don't know how they found the space. It drew huge crowds, until the neighborhoods in surrounding area grew tired of all the noise and gridlock. Crazy era of Austin history.
lol, What river in Texas?
Worked for Alan Fuentes raced The Hit King for Pete Rose, before that the boat was named The Executioner. Lived exactly as you thought women, helicopters, parties at his Little Neck house. He started Computer Dynamics Institute in Virginia Beach, ran into some trouble with his illegal campaign contributions. Forced out of his company, had to sell almost everything. Unfortunately Alan committed suicide when he hit rock bottom. Told me they lost money racing he did it because of the parties, excitement and circle of people involved.
I still go to the Michigan OPA stuff. They arent as big as before but they have tv coverage and its a pretty fun time
The extreme costs of maintaining the engines and outdrives along with the safety factors was the downfall, MERCURY with their new powertrains are MUCH more reliable that the previous combinations.
outboards kinda suck
@@vehiculemagazine pound for pound nothing comes close to an outboard, but i agree on one part: the sound. 2 strokes were awesome, and cost much less so the average joe could just about compete. today its absurd how expensive everything is.
please explain? a MERCURY more reliable than a car V8?
@@ct1762 not talking about outboards talking about the offshore inboard 9000rpm V8's based on a Big BLOCK Chevrolet with Mercury Racing's double overhead cam 4 valve per cylinder aluminum heads. The engines are expensive HOWEVER they are much more reliable than the previous off shore engines.
If you were into radio control speed boats in the 80s or 90s, you remember these boats, the catamarans and the Vee hulls. Big model kit manufacturers as well as niche suppliers. Graupner Arrow deep Vee, Graupner Systems catamaran, the MRP Gentry Eagle and many more gave local duck ponds a bit of the allure (and accidents) of the full size world!
Miami Vice season 1 episode 8 The Great Mc Carthy depicts drug smuggling using offshore racing boats.
They knew already :)
This was a really well done documentary. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yep, used to watch it on ESPN
🏆🏁
dude what an amazing wonderful world we would live in if this sport some day returned
TV, celebrity, and popularity ruin any sport. When it becomes more about the sponsor or the end-zone celebration than the competition itself, the fun is gone. At some point we are always reminded that a sport is a game, something we do for fun. Making it a career and a corporation makes a game into a job.
I live where we have the semifinals for the world tour of the water follies every year. The Hydroplanes we have now are insane. Some of the fastest most dangerous vehicles raced on water.
The Popeyes boat use to be my favorite..these days I like watching boat drag racing
full film up now
I believe it was at the Benihana Grand Prix in 1974.
When I was in the Coast Guard we used to oversee the offshore powerboat races off of Ft Myers’s Beach Fl in the early 90s…….it was very cool.
Grew up watching this stuff. So cool. So amazing.
🏁🏁🏁
It's definitelty making a comeback in the UK right now. More boats in 2024 than 2023. More planned for 2025.
It's on mainstream TV in Australia. Most of the big builders are on the Gold Coast Qld
@@Downunder12 OK, thanks. Will check that out and try and find it. What's the program/channel called please?
@@Attitude-Media UIM Class 1 World Championship, Race World Offshore (USA), Offshore Superboat Championships (Australia) etc
Key West 1981, I was invited out in the pleasure version of an Excalibur (monohull) racing boat. We barely got off the dock when it sucked an empty ice bag into one of the salt water intakes, over heating one motor. My ONE chance for a high speed ride was over bef. ore it statrted. DAYUM the luck!
I think the pleasure version was a 90mph boat vs the 130MPH race version.
In Tortola I did go around 70 MPH in a 25 foot boat in one foot seas between Road town and Jost Van Dyke. Even that was amazing. Even 70MPH on the water feels like 180 MPH on the road
Of course it was awkward going out with a group with very stiff woody in my pants. Just ONE of the props was likley worth more than I made in year at the time. LOL
nice! be sure to read more vehicule-magazine.com
I worked for Cougar in Miami in the early 80's. We built a cat for Popeyes, some of us called it the Pope Yes, pretending it was supported by the Jesuits, and wondered what they were smuggling.
Here's something you may not know. The offshore boats always had at least two crew, one was usually the owner/driver who sat behind the wheel, the other was the throttle man. Guess what? For most of these boats, during the race the owner did nothing, other than have the shit scared out of him. the steering wheel was inoperative due to the forces on it at speed. The throttle man controlled both the speed and direction with the throttles. They were the real stars, hired guns rarely given credit.
facts
I think your confused. Driver some times needed help turning from the navigator. I was there back then.
@@yachteroz You may be right, it's just what Steve Curtis told me back then, and he was a throttle man.
That background music is amazing!!
thx
I almost got run over by Rocky Aoki the day BEFORE he wrecked at the Golden Gate, when he came out of Alameda estuary at more than 100mph (clocked by a USN helo).
wow
@vehiculemagazine I was in a SAILBOAT, he bombs out of the estuary towing a 50ft roostertail. One of my crewmates was a USCG commander he was NOT IMPRESSED And a Coast Guard 47 footer (they knew they couldn't come close catching him) met him at hIs hauler when he got back. They told him and the other crews that limit in the estuary in TEN KNOTS and they WOULD BE WATCHING the next day. He stuffed it next day and almost died
But not before CHP snagged him in his 911 on the highway at speed, lol
@@fooman2108what year was that?
@Fkujoeb123 79-80... Alameda Naval Air Station was still open. My dad commanded U.S.S. San Jose, when all the supply ships were there...
This is awesome. The 80's were a crazy time
They missed Bob Nordskog w/Teagues and Jerry Herbst - but great video.
stay tuned, also read the print edition vehicule-magazine.com
And people still ask me why I love the '80s... everything was perfect. I would give the world to go back in time and live it all over again.
Everything was NOT perfect 😭 forgetting a lot about all the war going on in the background and tons of other wild shit
Really dig the music at the beginning of this and even the microphone quality somehow fits with the footage. Dig the vibe so far just at the start already
Super cool video, I knew about aoki doing this but I never knew a couple of my favorite actors were super into it as well
Great video!!!!
thanks!
This was such a great video, subscribed!
Thanks for subbing! Watch the new one ruclips.net/video/vPR2o_GMoMA/видео.htmlsi=AzTtlLka1Fp8A2Zy
Good video of the golden years. Now they race in a small circle for better viewing. Not much big water these days.
yup its become very lame
I remember seeing the Benihana Grand Prix races off of Point Pleasant Beach back in the 1970s and 80s...
Seems like every motorsport eventually becomes "too expensive to continue in it's current form" and everyone pulls out leaving it a shell of it's former self. I wonder if Formula 1 will follow in that trend.
That’s how the 80s turbo era died.
Minus the current safety of the current F1 cars, that's how I feel about F1 as a sport. I have a hunch it might go through a decline in the future akin to Nascar's post boom in the 90s and 2000s.
Do note: I got into Nascar during the COT era.
I remember a demo version of that game that came on a demo CD with my Playstation 1, which I got in 1998. So that's what it was based on!
Those people were complete maniacs! I love it!
The beat goes on
more at vehicule-magazine.com
Great races! Offshore racing was once like Formula 1 today, with international races like Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio, Miami-Nassau & Cowes- Torquay-Cowes. Not much survives today.
SYSTEMS is my absolute favorite offshore boat ever.
Great doku and a great voice thank you for this
Thanks for listening