GO FAST Boats

Today was the annual Big Cat Poker Run in Discovery Bay, CA. Over 100 boats capable for 85mph and up. I think the fastest does about 140. Let me tell you these things are loud. When they fired up at 7 am, I'm sure they woke up the entire population of some 12,000 here in town. Pretty cool stuff. BKH

I wouldn't know about the $$$$ thing. Hotboat magazine had a helicopter out filming this, so it should be in the mag in the next month or two. Saw a few boats from Havasu, AZ (About 600miles) and a couple from Lake of the Ozarks (about 2000 miles). These boats are a lot of fun, but some of them are nearly a million dollars, not to mention burning over 60 gallons an hour.   Even the "cheap ones" are nearly 100K. Too rich for my blood. BKH

you have got to be bluffing me... I have a hard time putting in 60 gallons in a day! Way too rich for me too but we have are own riches in health family and our beloved Correct Crafts

David Adams wrote: you have got to be bluffing me...

Nope, no joke. Most of these guys are running blown 454s, and 502s. 800-1000HP. They burn a lot of fuel. Most have two screws, and some have three. The really big dollar boats now are the Cats, particularly the Skaters. There are a couple of 42 and 46 foot Skaters here. The cats are a lot of fun to ride in, but take some getting used to. Those first couple of turns scare the heck out of you when you're accostomed to a more conventional step hull. BKH

Hey Brian, I noticed that you had a couple of boats from the Lake of the Ozarks there. You just wouldn't believe the number of them on "The Lake" now. When my family first started going to the Lake there were mostly small ski boats and the occasional 18' Resorter or Correct Craft.
40 mph was considered an incredible speed.
Anyway, I really wonder where all the money comes from now, not just in purchasing but in running 400 gallons through in a weekend.
Many of us old timers wished the lake would have placed some restriction on size and horsepower. But that's the way it is, and that's why we found a small lake with quiet water to run the old boats.

Chuck

Chuck: you still on for our usual Saturday nite greeting. Think of ya just about every Saturday about this time.

Hope all is better for Mrs. Lake.

john

Hey Jbear, you too Dude, I'm here. Tomorrow is lookin' good. Are you still up jbear?

Chuck

BTW, Jbear, Brian if you find yourself in the midwest, I'd love to show you "The Lake."

As always good to hear from John, glad to have support drifting up from halfway across this country, the connection is strong.
I'm winding things down myself.

Chuck

A reminder of just how dangerous boating can be. Not an hour after I took these photos, I heard about this accident. Be careful out there. BKH

CONTRA COSTA TIMES
A man was airlifted to the hospital and several others were plucked from the Delta near Pittsburg on Saturday morning after a 30-foot racing boat flipped and triggered a freak pile-up.

The boat, referred to as a "skater" racing craft with its distinctive catamaran-style hull, was traveling about 100 miles per hour when its steering arm apparently broke, said Pittsburg marina spokesman Gene Lacey.

The accident occurred at a gathering of 130 boats at the confluence of Middle and New York sloughs across from the Dow Chemical plant in Pittsburg.

The boaters had just started a day-long poker run, a water version of five-card stud, Lacey said. Boaters travel to a pre-determined list of marinas and restaurants and pick up playing cards along the way. The boat with the best hand wins.

But for folks in five of these expensive watercraft, often called "cigar boats," there would be no winning hand. Instead, two boaters ended up in the hospital, one boat sank and the other boats would suffer thousands of dollars in damage.

Saturday's run began with a shot-gun-style start and the boats roared simultaneously down the slough, Lacey said.

When the steering column snapped and the ill-fated craft flipped several minutes into the event, the speeding boats near it were forced to swerve "and four boats couldn't stop in time," Lacey said.

Two occupants of the first boat went into the water but were uninjured, Lacey said.

Their boat, however, worth roughly $300,000, "was sunk," Lacey said.

As of Saturday afternoon, the boat tilted in the slough nose up with its motor underwater, where it awaited a vessel tow, he said.

A man in one of the boats that collided in the aftermath also ended up in the water and was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, confirmed Sheriff's Department spokesman Jimmy Lee.

Another person was taken to Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch.

Their names were not immediately available although Lee said both victims were alert and conscious at the time of the transport.

None of the other boaters were injured and vessels not involved in the accident continued with the poker run, Lacey said.

The other boats involved in the collision suffered varying degrees of damage. Lacey said one boat limped into the marina and was beached on the launch ramp. City staff kept it afloat with a pump until it was placed on a trailer.

Given the large number of boats traveling at high speeds in close proximity, the accident could have been far worse, Lacey added.

"This type of thing doesn't happen very often," he said, "but these poker runs are becoming more and more popular, so they will probably have to shift to a staggered start system."

The Coast Guard and the marine patrol unit of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department responded to the incident.


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    Didn't they ban those types of starts at bass tournaments for that same reason?Just too dangerous.

    Mike