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www.pokerrunsamerica.comSunsation Powerboat’sJoe and Wayne Schaldenbrandwww.pokerrunsamerica.comStatement Marine 368 SUV CrossoverOuterlimits SV 29www.pokerrunsamerica.comwww.pokerrunsamerica.comwww.pokerrunsamerica.comHOW A VISION BECAME REALITYHIST OR Y198620173030303020202020YEARSYEARYEARSANNIVERSAR Y19972007Cover 20-4.indd 12018-03-26 1:16 PMBOB JENKINS – Production / Quality Control JOHN YORK – Business Development / Sales J.J. YORK / Product DevelopmentBLACK THUNDER POWER BOATSOur heritage dates back over 60 years. It all started in the 1950’s when Don Jenkins began designing and building his first boats, Beach Craft Boats, built in Louisiana, Missouri and tested on the Mississippi River.That heritage continues through today with more than 300 large power boats have been produced under the name of Black Thun-der. Throughout Don Jenkins’ history of boat designing and building, one very important aspect of design remains consistent; Don Jenkins, Beach Craft, Don V and Black Thunder have never experienced a hull failure. In the 1980’s Don’s 32’ V Bottom designs were raced all over the country including the prestigious Buick Open Boat Race. Black Thunder was one of a very few boats to finish this grueling offshore race. Following the success of the 32’ V Hull designs was the launching of larger power boats manufactured under the name of Don V. These large power boat designs lead the way for today’s Black Thunder Offshore Power Boats. Black Thunder Powerboats, “Built to Last and Built to Go Fast !” Black Thunder Powerboats are known for their exceptional smooth ride characteristics, industry leading 6’ 10” headroom below decks and a fit and finish unrivaled by their competitors.DON JENKINS – Founder of Black ThunderBlack Thunder.indd 22018-02-09 4:30 PMBlack Thunder Offshore / www.blackthunderoffshore.com / Instagram: blackthunderoffshoreJohn York / Director of Business Development - Sales - Marketing 636.497.5597COMING SOON IN 2018 46’ CENTER CONSOLE OFFSHORE POWER BOATS OFFERED IN BOTH I/O AND OUTBOARD MOTOR POWER PACKAGES.CALL BLACK THUNDER OFFSHORE TODAY AND RESERVE YOUR 2018 MODEL 636.497.5597Current 2018 Production models heading towards fit and finish include:43’ POKER RUN SPECIAL43’ OFFSHORE RAISED DECK POWER BOAT 46’ OFFSHORE RAISED DECK POWER BOATBlack Thunder.indd 32018-02-09 4:30 PM4WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COMWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COMA NEW ERA FOR PERFORMANCE BOATERS!Volume twenty / number FourPUBLISHER William E. Taylor bill@pokerrunsamerica.comEDITOR Eric Colby ecolby@pokerrunsamerica.comTECHNICAL EDITOR Price TurnerCONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chip Fendt, Bill Jennings, Bobbye Kenyon, Dina Paolella, Garth Cane, Chris Kourtakis, Bob Brown, Mark Rothermal DESIGN ads@pokerrunsamerica.com Tamara Taylor, Giselle BansalDIGITAL CONTENT MANGERSteve Sansford ssansford@taylorpublishinggroup.comONLINE EDITORTravis Kingdon tkingdon@taylorpublishinggroup.com PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Giselle Bansal giselle@pokerrunsamerica.comVP ADVERTISING & SALES Todd Taylor todd@pokerrunsamerica.comSALES Todd Taylor todd@pokerrunsamerica.comRoy Baird Jr roy@powerboating.comMelanie Taylor-Wallis melanie@powerboating.comSPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATORS Melanie Taylor, Jennifer TurnerADMINISTRATION President William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Special Projects Norm RosenPHOTOGRAPHERS Duane C. Adams, Pete Boden, Ken Denardo, Jeff Geradi - Freeze Framevideo.net, Jay Nichols - Naples Images, Randy Nuzzo, Tim Sharkey- Sharkeys ImagesEXECUTIVE & EDITORIAL OFFICES New York777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Tel: 1-800-354-9145 • Fax: 905/844-5032TORONTO 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 905/844-8218 • Fax: 905/844-5032EDITORIAL OFFICES 1-800-354-9145Subscription inquires call: 1-800-354-9145Website: www.pokerrunsamerica.comE-mail: info@pokerrunsamerica.comCover and contents are copyright protected and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Poker Runs America reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statement of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists Regular subscription rates are 4 issues: $19 US. 8 issues: $32 US. Canadian subscribers add $10. Single copy price is $5.95 US and $8.50 Cdn.POSTMASTER Send all returns to Poker Runs America, 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150PRINTED IN USAPUBLISHERS NOTEPRAbill taylorCan you believe that 30 years of Poker Run events, and 20 years of Poker Runs America Magazine have elapsed, and we’re still here, enjoy-ing the fascinating world of performance boating! Over the years, there have been thou-sands of Poker Run participants, and we have enjoyed tremendous support from the industry, in terms of corporate spon-sorship, as well an enthusiastic encour-agement throughout the development of the Poker Run phenomenon. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of the many event organizers, their staff, and volunteers, who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make every event a safe, entertaining, and enjoyable family experience for the Poker Run community. I would like to thank the local offi-cials, law enforcement officers, and Coast Guard in the various states and provinces, who have helped to facilitate major performance boating events on their waterways. I would like to espe-cially thank the many officers who joined us in the safety focus meetings prior to each event. This commemorative edition celebrates the many achievements of the Poker Run community. What we have planned for the future is even more spectacular. While preparing this special print edi-tion of Poker Runs America Magazine, we have been transforming many of the 21,000 pages of archived magazine con-tent so that it will be available to read-ers through the www.pokerrunsamerica.com website. This exclusive expert con-tent includes boat reviews, tech articles, major offshore race coverage, destina-tion features, and personality profiles that comprise a fascinating source of information and entertainment focusing on the Poker Run lifestyle. This issue has a few samples of the type of content you can enjoy FREE of charge through the website – as you leaf through this issue, take note of the articles that are tagged with a website archive reference… this content, and much more, will soon be available on-line, exclusively for Poker Runs America readers. It’s going to be a fantastic new era for performance boaters! See you on the water! PRA William E. Taylor, Publisherbill@pokerrunsamerica.comPOKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 20 Number 4pubpage-NEW.indd 42018-02-13 5:30 PMFountain.indd 12018-02-12 12:25 PMWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM FEATURES CONTENTS Harris with Wyatt Fountain (inthe Manufacturer 2 Division)hit 111.343 mph in a 35’Fountain Poker Run Edition. Inthe Manufacturer 1 Division,Frank Sarro and Scott O’Connor piloted their 29-footFountain to a new record of87.684 mph. • Bob Oliver and Rich Wyatt in a40’ Fountain, Firewater, clinchthe SBI Super Vee NationalChampionship. Bob also wonthe racer of the year award.• Longtime APBA racer MichaelJordan with throttleman BillBeaven win the NationalChampionship Offshore in theP-1 class in St. Petersburg,Florida.• The Bacardi Silver Team, drivenby David Scott, and throttled byLorne Leibel, win the SuperBoat Unlimited Championshipduring the SBI WorldChampionships in DeerfieldBeach, Florida.• Poker Runs America hosts thefirst annual Fort Myers PokerRun, which was an instant suc-cess as the event attracts morethan 45 boats.• Keith Eickert Power Products(KEPP) and SterlingPerformance sign an exclusiveagreement for Sterling to buildand service 675 hp to 1,000 hpKeith Eickert engines, usingcomponents purchased fromKEPP.• Fountain Powerboats sets newspeed records during the SBIFountain Superboat Pro-Amrace. The Bacardi Silver team,David Scott and JohnTomlinson, achieve an averagespeed of 198.198 mph while theFountain V-bottoms added threerecords as Jeff Harris andReggie Fountain III set an unof-ficial two-way average speed of122 mph in a new 40-footSuper Vee. Additionally, Jeff• Donzi Marine, the official spon-sor of the APBA OffshoreFactory series, serves as theofficial pace boat at everyAPBA Offshore race on theGMC Pro Grade ChampionshipSeries for the second consecu-tive year.• The second annual Smoke onthe Water Poker Run in GrandHaven Michigan raises morethan $27,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.• The APRA-sanctioned LakeLanier Poker Run, organized byBarkley Geib, celebrates its 10thanniversary. In addition to offer-ing a winning hand of $10,000,participants are given the chanceto win a Yamaha Wave Runner,while and the featured LasVegas-style Casino GamingNight offers the chance to win aGMC Yukon XL, Pontiac GrandPrix and an additional $25,000cash prize.Bob Russell of Duvall, Washington setsa speed record of 147.61 mph in aSterling Performance-powered 42’Outerlimits during Poker RunsAmerica’s World Championship PokerRun and Kilo Race on the PamlicoRiver in Washington, North Carolina.(Right) Steve Simon, acclaimed offshore racer andadmired industry professional, passes away at the age of 39. (Left) The same year,the boating industry is further saddened at the loss of Dennis Cavanaugh, man-ager of propeller sales and manufacturing for Mercury Racing. He was 57.Serious offshore competi-tor Stuart Hayim, a featuredracer this year, is seen herewith Hulk Hogan.10 year anniversay 1/30/07 4:34 PM Page 415224PRA vol. 20-414 THE FOUNDING OF POKER RUNS Poker Runs America Publisher and President Bill Taylor tells us how it all happened…24 THE EARLY YEARS A look back at the first decade of Poker Runs America, the people, players and events that helped found and bolster the sport. 52 THE MODERN AGE The key moments from the evolution and explosion of the sport from 2007-2017. The events and players that have shaped and influenced the last 10 years of the sport. 81 SPEEDZONES For the past 30 years, photographers of Poker Runs America/Power Boating Canada have been capturing the power of performance boating. 160 WINNERS CIRCLE In the magazine’s 20 year history, Poker Runs America has covered events all over North America. These are all the names of the runners who have taken home the gold in events we covered.169 FROM THE VAULTS Publisher and President Bill Taylor picks his favorite articles from the past 30 years from the pages of Poker Runs America. 6POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 20 Number 46 Publisher’s Message8 Editor’s Column62 Ad IndexDEPARTMENTScontents.indd 62018-02-12 4:58 PMWWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM 52169817 Volume 20 Number 4 | POKER RUNS AMERICA160contents.indd 72018-02-12 4:58 PMPantone 192 CPantone 2758 CPantone 192 CPantone 2758 C30Congratulations on 30 years of successful Poker Runs America events.20Congratulations on 20 years of success with the Poker Runs America magazine.Here’s to another 30 years!We would like to thank Bill & Melanie Taylor for their continuous support & promotion in bringing offshore racing to Canada.APPA Rookie of the Year (Molson Indy)2-Time World Champions(Big Thunder Marine & Bacardi Silver)3-Time US National Champions (Labbat Genuine Draft, Big Thunder Marine & Bacardi Silver)Canadian Motorsport Hall of FameCongratulations!Lorne Liebel Canada Homes.indd 22018-02-12 12:27 PMPantone 192 CPantone 2758 CPantone 192 CPantone 2758 C30Congratulations on 30 years of successful Poker Runs America events.20Congratulations on 20 years of success with the Poker Runs America magazine.Here’s to another 30 years!We would like to thank Bill & Melanie Taylor for their continuous support & promotion in bringing offshore racing to Canada.APPA Rookie of the Year (Molson Indy)2-Time World Champions(Big Thunder Marine & Bacardi Silver)3-Time US National Champions (Labbat Genuine Draft, Big Thunder Marine & Bacardi Silver)Canadian Motorsport Hall of FameCongratulations!Lorne Liebel Canada Homes.indd 32018-02-12 12:27 PMNext >