The editors of Powerboat Magazine recently named the 2008 Boats of the Year during an awards ceremony in Universal City, Calif.
A Boat of the Year award by the magazine is one of the highest honors in the performance-boating industry. Powerboat has been naming its top picks for more than 30 years.
The awards are based on boats tested by the magazine during its annual Performance Trials in the fall. Industry veterans Bob Teague and John Tomlinson along the editors put the boats through a series of comprehensive tests. This year more than 40 boats were eligible for the Awards for Product Excellence honor.
“To win a Boat of the Year is the cinematic equivalent of winning an Oscar,” said Gregg Mansfield, editor of Powerboat magazine. “The winners should be congratulated for their hard work.”
The 24 Hours of Rouen endurance powerboat race concluded May 1 in Rouen, France, and for the 16th time in 17 years, Mercury Marine took the first-place trophy in the grueling 24-hour race. In fact, the top eight spots were occupied by boats powered with Mercury Marine outboard engines.
Running nonstop for 24 hours on the Seine River, with the exception of fuel stops and driver exchanges, the tunnel-boat endurance race tests both man and machine.
Powered by a Mercury S3000 race outboard, the winning team, Team Casino Forges Eaux, finished 44 laps ahead of Team Star Boat another Mercury-powered boat. Team Casino Forges Eaux pilots Philippe Masselin, Thierry Marchand, Jean Marie Guerra and Arnaud Gallard completed 798 laps for the overall title.
Markel American Insurance Co. is introducing the Safe And Friendly Environment (SAFE) program, which is designed to reward participant safety at poker runs and other similar events.
Markel, which insures high-performance boats, said the program stresses the importance of approaching poker runs and similar events with a conscious focus on safety.
“Safety doesn’t happen by accident,” said Thomas Conroy, marine director for Markel American Insurance Co. “That’s why we’re implementing the SAFE program to stress the importance of approaching a poker run with a conscious focus on safety.”
The first event of the boating season for Southern California Offshore Powerboat Elite (SCOPE) was a huge success with 20 performance boats gathered in Catalina to celebrate the annual Avalon Spring Fling.
Boaters departed from all over Southern California to meet up with their friends and families for a weekend of boating, golf, diving and a Saturday night barbeque at Descanso Beach. The dinner was followed by dancing late into the night.
Buying a performance boat now comes with something extra.
Ilmor Marine is extending the warranty on all new Ilmor MV-10 engines by one year as part of a limited-time offer. All engine orders received between April 1 and December 31, 2008 will be eligible for the special offer.
The exclusive offer extends the comprehensive warranty to a full two years (24 months). The MV-570, 625 and 7-10 engines are all available with the extended warranty at no additional charge from Ilmor Marine.
The Plymouth, Mich., engine builder is one of the most successful high-performance engine design and manufacturing companies in the world. Ilmor has had more than two decades of success in Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR and now the Powerboat P1 World Championship.
For more information on the special offer and engine specifications, visit www.ilmor.com.
OSS Opens Season in Record-Setting Form
The “Smokin’ the Sound” Offshore Super Series (OSS) race set new records this past weekend (Sunday, April 6). A record crowd — estimated between 48,000 and 50,000 spectators — crushed last year’s attendance by at least 15,000.
A speed record of 194 mph also was set at the OSS season opener, and it was actually accomplished by two boats. The speeds easily eclipsed the previous record of 174 mph.
t has been naming its top picks for more than 30 years.
, the tunnel-boat endurance race tests both man and machine.
