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 triple-engine 47-ft Apache, boat #001 of the 47-ft model, Leibel spent years trying to find the boat...

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 (SDBA) Owner and Series Director David Carroll, Shelfo discussed the formidable task of uniting the...

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 discuss the history behind some of AutoMeter’s marine gauges including GPS speedos and stepper...

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 Water publishes daily news features, a weekly newsletter, and an annual print magazine called...

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 flag with a calculated and timely move from the outside lane on the finishing stretch of the...

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 their transition from racing a garage-built, low budget bracket class boat to competing in the...

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 their Skater Ferguson is also a seasoned boat rigger and engine builder after having spent time...

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 informed us that his original marathon race boat was the first glass boat constructed by Bob...

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 fourth-generation boat racer, began his driving career at the age of 11 in the APBA Stock and Modified...

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 the recreational and military markets. Kiekhaefer received a patent for the drive in 2022 but...

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 rivers throughout Australia.  In researching the subject matter, I discovered that in Australia,...

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 Director, David Carroll, to discuss the challenges in bringing the sport’s two most prominent...

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 about basic jet pump operation and provides input on some simple “do’s and don’ts” that are often...

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. The boat and engine were designed, built, and prepped by the 44 graduate and undergraduate...

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. McPheeters and his team proved their metal at the recent Parker Enduro where they ran McPheeters's 1972...

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 maintained contact, frequently discussing his illustrious racing history and the ongoing racing...

Ross Wallach is the Owner and President of RPM Racing Enterprises and is the main man behind West Coast circle boat racing where he is the race director and promoter. Wallach is the President of the Southern California Speedboat Club (SCSC) which was founded in 1946 and is one of the oldest, remaining, active powerboat clubs in the world and the stewards of the famous Parker Enduro.  Dubbed by Wallach as the “Indy 500 of Powerboat Racing,” the Parker Enduro was first established in 1963 as a...

Shaun Torrente is a three time F1 and two time Offshore World Champion. He also owns Shaun Torrente Racing where he manufactures innovative marine components, with billet set-back brackets being their specialty. Torrente is also a Mercury Racing dealer, rigs and set-ups race boats, and operates the GSR High Performance Driving School.  If that wasn’t enough to occupy his time, at this year’s Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, Torrente and his business partner and race teammate, Sean Conner,...

Jim Schultz is the owner of the Factory Billet 51 ft. Outerlimits GTX that set the record for the fastest V-bottom at this year's Lake of the Ozarks shootout with an astonishing run of 184 mph. The pass obliterated Schultz’s old record of 166 mph on the 3/4 mile course and surpassed the all time LOTO V-bottom record of 180 mph which was accomplished on a one mile course! Schultz, who is a machinist by trade, owns Geremarie Corporation which manufactures billet aluminum parts for world...

Jeff Bennett is an Aerospace Engineer and the owner of Bennett Analytics, a firm that offers state-of-the-art engineering services like aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing, and systems engineering- All talents that have helped things like the Space Shuttle. Bennett can also help your boat go really, really fast! Stemming from a love of fast boats, Bennett has methodically blended his experience from a career in the Aerospace industry (where he worked for Aeronautics giants General Dynamics,...

Tony Chiaramonte is the Vice President and part owner of DCB Performance Boats now located in Phoenix, Arizona. DCB was founded over 30 years ago, in 1990, by Dave Hemmingson, under the name Dave’s Custom Boats. DCB quickly became the “go-to” place for high end, custom rigged Eliminator Daytona’s and other high performance outboards. Chiaramonte joined Hemmingson in 1993 where he swept floors and washed boats as he learned the business of boat building. Fast forward to 2023, and Chiaramonte...

Mark and Thomas Weigl are the owners of Tuff Boats located in Ontario, Canada. At the recent Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, Thomas Weigl drove their TUFF 34 ft. model to capture the title of fastest single engine V-bottom at 135 mph. Powered by a Mercury Racing 1100/1350 hp engine, the boat has run 148 mph in testing on their home lake in Canada.  Mark, the elder Weigl, founder and President of Tuff, gained a wealth of knowledge through his years of experience racing offshore boats with his...

Jake Fraleigh is the owner of Eliminator Boats in Mira Loma, California. In 2018, Fraleigh and a group of investors acquired the company in a bankruptcy auction. Fraleigh had the good fortune of growing up near Bob Leach, who founded Eliminator boats in 1969, and spent many summers working at the boat company. Fraleigh now finds himself at the helm of the company that builds some of the most storied performance boats in the world. Fraleigh talks about his experiences growing up with the...