Im Ready!!!!!!!!!
 

Well after busting my hump for the past 3 weeks now I finished up and she is ready to rock and roll next saturday weather permitting.
Exhaust pipe all welded and reinstalled and sealed.
Bilge was pressure washed and cleaned out, sea strainers cleaned out, Took out the aluminum floor boards and had to nip a corner off so it would flip up and not hit the blower belt. Installed 3 new 33c cables for drive trim and K plane indicators to work properly, I tightened up both blower belts (not too tight) but took the sloppy slack out of them and put the idler pulley inside to get more whine as per BDS. Drive oil checked, trans fluid checked, I need to add a touch of fluid to one of the trim pumps before saturday, but one thing, I could not find a dip stick on either engine so I guess I have to call Herb Stotler and find out what magical thing he has in here to determine that. (did not even see a hole in the block or the pan to where you would put a dipstick)

I think Im going to pull the boat up to the hose and fire it up on the hose before I take her to the water to just make sure she is okay, no water leaks or anything and that should do it, My Apache Princess is ready to see some atlantic ocean!!!
This is going to be the longest 4 days!!!

J

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more of her 4 day rest spot, Oh and for those of you that think keeping an apache outside, Its only temporary until Bill Mazzoni, of BTM marine and Team Taboo gets his storage, shop building built so I can keep it inside.

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more shots

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Best of luck!

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Jay here is the building going up as of today

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Damn Bill, Drove by 2 weeks ago and it was just a foundation, Good deal!!! My boats soon to be new home INSIDE!!!!!

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well deserved Jay

jr mike

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Florida construction, should be done in a couple of years...LOL

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Sweet ride jay you deserve it. Nothing like a big non-step V!

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Sorry Jeff. Should be useable by mid July. Inside finish work will take a little bit longer.

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So tomorrow is the big day for the maiden voyage! I am sure that you won't sleep at all tonight. Best of luck and don't forget to take lots of pictures for us!

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Change of Plans, SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY 11 AM Delray Beach FL ramp!
TheDonz had something come up and we had to change the day to Sunday which is fine, Ill be out tomorrow mounting my GPS unit in the apache, getting my docking lines all nicely laced on the back of the bolsters, new anchor line, Life vests, give it a bath since only thing I have cleaned is the bilge with the pressure washer so far, so this will give me a day to clean her up a little bit and get some wax on her I hope if it is not too stupid insane hot out (which im sure it will be) So I have to wait an extra 24 hrs, I wont die from it.
I think I am going to start the engines up on the hose at the storage yard though, make sure the batteries are okay and that she runs okay. Oh Mama, I have worked my hump to the bone for this day!!!!! Will, you KNOW what im talkin about, Go collect some bird feathers and make a head dress baby IM GONNA BE A TRIBAL MEMBER ON SUNDAY :evilb:
This is what its all about, Also Ill clear a video tape and the camera memory, Ill have some video and some stills on Monday for you guys!
Have to SHARE the apache experience with my friends here!
WOOHOO
J

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Hey BIll, interested in meeting up with us on Sunday by chance?
What do you think?
J

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Good luck Jay, waiting to hear about a great maiden voyage. I know how exciting that first run is. :)

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Jay -

Never met you but I've been following the story since you first had all the trouble with the Baja....seems like a LONG time...

Dude! I'm stoked for you !!!!

You and Mike behave yourselves on Sunday :drink:

All the best,
Hans

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Jay I will not get the boat back until Monday from the paint shop. Have fun the day is all yours

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One more day! I know that it's killing you! We are heading out again this Sunday as well. I'll run a lap up the coast to Delaware and back in you honor! Nothing like waking up everybody on the beach on a nice quiet Sunday! Once again, good luck and enjoy the day. You have waited a long time and you certainly deserve it!

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Joe, NO worries you KNOW ill be on here the SECOND I walk in the door!!!
Fred, my irreplaceable dependable parts guy (who will be getting alot of orders from me on apache parts!!!) thanks, I appreciate it. I kicked alot of props, walked away from a few good sweet deals in hopes the right boat rigged the way I wanted would come along and finally it did. I had alot of thinking to do and well with the gas prices going up and up and up big blower engine boats were affected sales wise by this so it dropped the boat into the range that I could purchase it, insure it and maintain it properly and I weighed out all those $'s and it fit like a glove in the budget I alloted for it. Wife liked it and liked the pink and she has her co pilot seat and its not a race boat (not a full cabin boat but hell have to give somewhere right) so boom pulled the trigger, had my financing through Russo Marine in 2 hrs (YES 2 HOURS is all it took) and the rest is listed here on OSO.

Hans, Ha, I type 80 words a minute so I write long posts, so the detail with the baja over the years was alot. Probably the most talked about baja ever! Thanks, Its been a wild ride, I have no regrets with the baja and im sure I wont have any with this apache either. I learned alot from the baja and it was a good first step (well the bayliner and the stephens drag boats were the first steps honestly) but the offshore type is where I wanted to be so the baja was a good first entry level boat. Just odd that I went from entry level to one of the top of the line boats right out of the gate. Actually had the baja for 5 years. Took 3 1/2 to iron out all the problems and fix everything (actually replace everything) and as per usual, as soon as I finish it I get rid of it. Seems to be a trend in my life for some reason. Mike is excited to see it and run on it with me. Thanks and like I said to Joe, Ill be posting up pics and Vids of it believe me. This is something that Ill never forget. The first turn of the keys (yeah this apache has keys for some stupid reason) the blood pumping through my veins as I hear those cams cracking open and closed through the exhaust, the smell of high test in the air on a calm sunday morning. My twin stotler bastard children yelling at me from the bilge, Come on Dad, LETS RUN! My hand resting on those marine machine sticks, smile on my face as I back out for the first time ever in my last boat ill ever own. (maybe I should not say that) And I wont feel sorry for all the folks that live right by the ramp and have to hear 1700 HP barking at them either!!!!!
Bite me I have an APACHE!!!

Bill, Paint, what are you getting painted the fountain? Ill call you today, maybe take a run up and see the building. :evilb: You painting the fountain in the old building? This I want to see. Bill you want to join us? Have a spot open. Never leave an OSO brother behind!!!

Will my friend, Yes its killing me but hey, its okay, its this weekend. Just had a snafoo in plans for today so no huge deal. Going to go get the apache stuff together and get the GPS mounted and wired in. Ill last another day no problem. Ill just sit behind the wheel and do some imaginary boating today LOL.
I would love that honor, buzzing the beaches of OCMD! LEt em all stare at your 45 and wonder to themselves, WOW that thing is cool! From Grandma;s and grandpa's to adults to children, they ALL look. I have pics of you running the old TS gun the F2 boat out there and all the people around me all pointing and staring at you. Just knifing through all the rough stuff and hammering up and down the beaches. Funny, Thats when I decided I needed a bigger boat that one trip to OCMD and seeing you out there kicking some atlantic ocean hump!
THis is going to be awesome, hopefully a good successful run with some good cruising speeds to report and the 31P props do the job right. As promised Ill take plenty of pics and ill bring the camcorder thing with me as well. Ill share the experience as much as I can with you guys so you get the idea of how she runs. One of these days maybe Ill be in an apache movie like the DVD's I bought from Freeze Frame Video!!! Ike wants me to come up to Rock the Bay in September this year and buzz along with him and he told me to pray for rough water so we can just jump out in front and leave everyone else behind. Sounds GOOD TO ME! Mind you all that I have never driven this boat or any 41 apache before, but if its anything like the 36 I drove when working for Thad with the 575SCI's in it, then Ill be plenty happy. I was told the 41's are 10000 times better than the 36's in the rough stuff and open ocean running. Well Ill tell you in 24 hrs if that is true. Stay tuned this is going to be just OVER the top!
35 years on this planet and my whole life has been focused on acertaining this boat and when you realize it, that day is tomorrow for the first run. This is one of the biggest days in my life and I sure as hell will document the hell out of it!

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Good luck!!!! I will be looking for the report late tomorrow and the only carnage I want to hear about is all the dino bones that you destroyed. :drink:

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Let's see those pics ;) Jay if you can tomorrow get a few seconds of us running, I tried to do it last weekend but the video came out all choppy.

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Now that's good! I remember my first run in the Apache as a passenger and as the owner. Even though they were both on flat calm water I loved it. We did a test run before buying the boat on the Apalachicola River and that thing just screamed up and down the river. It was really cool running the river surrounded by trees and having nobody else around.

After buying the boat and having Tres put it back together (you know the story) we did our first test runs on Lake Okeechobee. That's right, we ran the Apache on a lake! Tres used the lake so that he could get close to exact water conditions from day to day. His family also has a building there that he can use for storage so it all worked out well. Anyhow, I will never forget the looks we got around there. Pulling up to the ramp with that thing surrounded by pontoon and bass boats! It was great watching the Apache fire up and scare the sh*t out of the people standing there watching us at the ramp. I will never ever forget either of those runs!

That's great! So you can tell your wife that it's my fault that you are addicted to boats. :D The Top Gun and the Gladiator both would run those waters like they were shot out of a cannon. The Apache will too, but I am still getting adjusted to it. Because of the extra weight and length, swells that sent the Cigs flying don't do the same for the Apache. I still pull back on the sticks sometimes expecting the boat to fly when it doesn't. No big deal. I just have to get more time in it.

As for the noise and the people on the beach, I am sure that it is just like at the docks. I imagine that some people on the beach love it and some hate it. The only problem is that you can never sneak away for a day and run the boat without everybody knowing where you are. After a few trips up the coast and back everybody in town knows that you are out and there is always somebody waiting for you when you come back in the harbor. :p

Unfortunately there are only a few performance boats around here, but you certainly know when one is out running. For the most part I can honestly sit in my office and tell who it is by the sound of the boat. It's crazy, but true. Basically we have Rob's 41' Apache with big power, my old Gladiator with dry exhaust, Bill's 39' Kryptonite with huge pipes and a pair of Cigs with stock 500s/525s. That's about it unless there is something here from out of town.

Speaking of boats from out of town, you need to come back to OC and bring the beast with you. Maybe we need to do an Apache weekend here. Hell, maybe just a performance boat weekend in OC! That would be great.

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I think that these are some of the pics that he is talking about. He sent them to me a few years ago.

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i always behave everyone knows that :drink: :drink:

jr mike

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Will, Yep those are the ones!
You would come on up the coast and I would run to the balcony like a little kid, my wife was like OH GOD ITS JUST A BOAT
Yeah right, that sound goes through you!
OKay off to the storage to go get her, fire her up on the hose then drag her to the ramp!
Can I get an AMEN!!!!!!!

I SAID CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!!!!

Post up later!
J

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AMEN BROTHER!!! I am off to the marina, but wanted to check on you and wish you luck once again. No bad info or questions posted is a good thing right now!! Have fun.

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Good luck Jay.....

but if I just bought a new boat, I wouldn't be waiting on anybodys schedule to be going for the first ride. You should have gone out and ran the b!tch yesterday !!

post pics when you get back !!

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I would rather wait for an experienced good friend than to have my wife there telling me "I told you so" or "you paid how much for this". That is a lot of boat for one person on the first time out. :D

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Waiting to see how that bad b!tch ran! Post pics when you get home!