Powerboat Talk

Gordy Jennings is one of the most decorated circle boat racers in history, particularly noted for his excellence in driving blown boats in the K-boat division . While his boat racing career is remarkable, Jennings is perhaps best known for his expertise in performance engine building, a skill he honed while working for his stepfather, Paul Pfaff, at Paul Pfaff Racing Engines . During his time at P...

Chuck Stearns and Mike Avila are two of Water Ski Racing's most successul competitors. Stearns, who is often regarded as the greatest water skier in history having won National and World Championships in tournament skiing, won his first Catalina Ski Race in 1955 at the age of 16. Stearns went on to dominate the international race winning an unprecendented (at the time) 11th title in 1982 at the ag...

Keith Eickert is one of the most recognized and successful high-performance engine builders in offshore racing history. With a career that began at Mercury Racing in 1972, Eickert went on to create power for 37 World, International, and National Champions.  Eickert was recruited to Mercury by his childhood friend Gary Garbrecht, who was the head of Mercury Racing. Eickert graduated from working on...

Jerry Gilbreath has made a career out of designing, building, and racing some of the most exotic and well-known boats in the world. His journey began in the 1960s, driving flat-bottom endurance boats in races like the Salton Sea 500 and the Parker Enduro . Gilbreath's father, Jake, founded Gil Marine, which started as a gas tank manufacturer and grew into one of the largest aftermarket performance...

Bob Brown is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on performance boating, having reported on and participated in every facet of the industry over the last 50 years. Growing up as an avid boat racer, Brown became the editor of Powerboat Magazine in 1973 through his affiliation with fellow racer Bob Nordskog . After leaving Powerboat in 1979 to start his own public relations agency, Med...

Nathan Eller, owner of East Coast Squirt Boats, discusses his passion for jet boats and LS Chevy engine swaps. He shares how he got into jet boating and the progression of his business, which now specializes in LS swaps. Nathan talks about the challenges and rewards of starting his own company and the freedom it gives him. He also explains the appeal and benefits of LS engines and discusses the va...

Welcome to my new podcast where we talk everything, performance boats! I have been boating my entire life and have spent over 30 years in the performance marine aftermarket. But, I still have a lot to learn and many people in the fast boat world that I want to get to know. I created this podcast so that I can share my experiences and knowledge with others who enjoy performance powerboats. Visit ou...

This episode features a talk with Ron Lund. Lund is not a household name in the boating industry, he's a cabinet maker by trade, but Lund recently bought two of the old Rogers jet boat molds so now he is a boat builder. I thought it was an interesting story when I stumbled onto it on Facebook so I decided to to talk to Lund to get the full story on what it took to get the molds and how he plans to...

Lorne Leibel is a three-time US and three-time world champion offshore racer who has driven boats with Bob Latham , John Tomlinson , Richie Powers, Ryan Beckley , Bob Idoni, and Bob Morgan, among others. After a decades-long retirement, Leibel, a homebuilder from Canada, is back in the saddle again with old mate Latham, conquering the open seas in the Ocean Cup series competition in his vintage tr...

In this episode, I welcome back Joe Shelfo, who serves as the secretary and treasurer at the National Jet Boat Association (NJBA) . Shelfo is not only an accomplished drag boat racer but also one of the foremost authorities on V-drive repair, setup, and rigging globally. Previously featured on Episode 32 of Powerboat Talk alongside NJBA President Mike DeClark and Southern Drag Boat Association (SD...

Mike Lovro is the Director of Instrumentation Sales for AutoMeter Products , one of the few companies that manufactures performance marine instrumentation. Lovro has been with Autometer for 21 years and is in line to become the company's longest standing employee when he reaches the end of his tenure.  In our conversation, we talk about some of the things that make marine gauges unique. We also di...

Speed on the Water is an online magazine/website owned and edited by co-publishers Matt Trulio and Jason Johnson. The pair have nearly 50 years of combined experience reporting on high-performance boating and its community. Both writers began their boating careers as employees of Powerboat Magazine and have been important figures in that magazine's legacy.  Founded in 2009 by Trulio, Speed on the...

Rusty Wyatt, a Canadian F1 racer, recently signed with the new Sharjah Team for the 2024 UIM F1H2O World Championship season. The team, previously owned by four-time F1 Champion Scott Gillman, now has Gillman as its acting Team Manager. Wyatt boldly announced his arrival to the foreign grid with a rare rookie win in his very first F1H2O race on Lake Toba in Indonesia. Wyatt grabbed the checkered f...

In this conversation, I talk with Nick Imprescia, the son of renowned throttle man Joey Imprescia, and Ian Morgan, Nick's longtime friend and driver of the 151 Express 450R Factory Stock class MTI offshore boat. We discuss what it's like being the "new kids" in the sport.  We also talk about the pair's journey in the marine industry and the influence of their families on their racing careers, and...

Corey Ferguson is the driver of Tom Buckles's Bucks Up K-Boat. Ferguson is a veteran circle boat driver, starting in the ranks driving for Jim Mobley's OutaPlace racing team . Ferguson has also been a successful participant in the Parker Enduro and also competed in the US and internationally as a water ski race driver. Ferguson drove in the Southern California POPRA offshore series with his dad in...

Michael Reagan is the eldest son of the former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan . Reagan is also a boat racer with a history dating back to the mid-sixties when he made his mark competing in famous marathon races such as the Colorado River Nine Hour Enduro and the Salton Sea 500. In this episode, Reagan discusses his renowned father and the path that led him to powerboats. Reagan info...

Boat racing doesn't have a decathlete division, but if it did, Andrew Tate would undoubtedly lead the pack. During the 2023 race season, Tate piloted boats in a number of classes, including Stock Outboard, 350 Hydro, Grand Prix Hydro, Formula 1, and, of course, Unlimited Hydroplane . In this episode, Tate delves into the details of his experiences racing the different types of boats. Tate, a fourt...

Fred Kiekhaefer, former president of Mercury Racing and son of Mercury Marine founder Carl Kiekhaefer, shares stories of his journey in the marine industry. He now owns K.Lab Design Works, a design and consulting firm, and discusses his latest project: a surfacing drive with a cockpit-controlled variable-pitch propeller. The drive, known as Project Dolphin, was designed for performance diesels in...

In this episode, I welcome Australian Champion Circle Boat Racer Chris Palmer who is also the promoter of the Australian BAD Boat Championship .  The Australian Blown Alcohol Displacement (BAD) boats are some of the most exciting pieces of equipment in boat racing. The V-bottomed V-drives are powered by up to 600 cu. in., 2000 plus horsepower engines and race on tight courses on rough narrow river...

In November, the National Jet Boat Association (NJBA) and the Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) came together to co-produce the biggest drag boat race in recent history, The Drag Boat Nationals at Firebird Lake in Chandler, Arizona.  I am joined on this episode of Powerboat Talk by NJBA President, Mike Declark, and Financial Secretary/Race Director, Joe Shelfo, and SDBA Owner and Series Direct...

In today's episode of Powerboat Talk, we welcome back Jet Pump and Drag Boat Racing expert Greg Shoemaker, owner of G.S. Marine. Shoemaker spent his most formidable years in the performance boating industry working for Eliminator Boats where he helped develop and popularize their 19 ft, Daytona through his very successful drag racing exploits.  In the episode, Shoemaker answers some questions abou...

I was recently joined by Nathan Yates, founder and Head Graduate Adviser of the Princeton University Electric Speedboating (PES) Team and Andrew Robbins, CEO of PES to discuss their recent world record speed run and how it came to fruition.  On October 26, 2023, veteran tunnel boat racer John Peeters piloted an electric powered, 14 ft. Pro-Outboard hydro to a new world Kilo record of 114.20 mph. T...

Eddie McPheeters is the owner of Eddie's Inboard Marine in Tucson, Arizona. McPheeters took over management of the business from his father in 2001. A self proclaimed "V-drive guy at heart," McPheeters specializes in restorations and gel coat refinishing and repair.  McPheeters has also become the "go-to" expert for repair, restoration, and performance upgrades for vintage Mandella Boats. McPheete...

For the first time on Powerboat Talk, we're excited to have back with us the renowned circle boat racing icon, Duff Daily. I first had the privilege of interviewing Daily last November for an article in Speedboat Magazine. At that time, he had just clinched a win in his class at the Parker Enduro, with his son Dustin by his side as co-driver. Since that initial interaction, Daily and I have mainta...