jdwlac

hey wampum, what hull are u running that big power in?

apachepete - as always thanks, and by the way
you write very interesting posts -
joe

Nykamp

She currently has the 653ci super tall decks making 1000 hp and runs on 93 octane. 30 hours on the last rebuild, she is a seet ride. Steve

ApachePete

1000 HP on 93 octane is fantastic.

wampum

i'm currently running '97 41 mcmanus apache.i started with zul in 94 with a pair of 850's and had great success with them.i know richi well and he knows my maintenance program and mechanics very well.with the bigger power he likes to see higher octane fuel used.apachepete is correct in suggesting longer periods between rebuilds if you run conservatively.we try to run 4-8 poker runs per season in a good year.richi has experience with the big weight of the Apache.again,good luck and if i can be of any more let me know.

eyezlee

Fantastic story. Thanks for posting it. Living in the "mid-coast' all my life I know jack-sh!t about offshore history.

WickedWon

Pete, great post, thanks for all the facts. Always loved the 41' racers, yours and a few others suckered me into this silly "hobby"

Jim Deitz

ApachePete

Glad to be of service.

As I'm sure you can tell, I love to relive those exciting days . . . and it's FREE this time around!

RedDog382

Apache Pete,

Awesome boat, great story! And now you're in a 382 Formula? Does the wife like it better and what is your take on the 41 Apache vs 382 Formula for pleasure boating in terms of ride quality?

ApachePete

Yes, I'm in a 382 now, but there were some intermediate steps designed to please the Mrs.

First was a 45' Sea-ray. Thought cruising might be fun, but the boat usually was used for cocktail cruises. Pretty much over-kill. And too slow.

So, too big, and too slow: what to do?

So we tried a 28'Sea-ray bow-rider with 350
Magnums. A nice boat, but over time even less spousal participation, as the novelty of cocktail cruising had worn off. I liked to jump waves it in @ 60, but was always afraid I'd get thrown out.

So next was the 382, and a Pursuit center-console for fishing. As it's turned out, the Pursuit is also fine for lunch runs and cocktails, but for going any distance the Formula gets her reluctant nod. Even with Silent Choice it's still considered too loud, but it's marginally OK being kept on a lift at the house.

So my decades long quest for a good boating compromise has met with only limited success. There probably isn't an ideal solution at our house, but this one seems to work well enough to stick with a while.

As for comparison between the Formula and Apache, they're so very different in every way it's hard to know where to start.

The Formula is what I'd call a "Gentleman's Speed Boat," while the Apache is and "Un-gentlemanly Race Boat."

The Apache is much more solid, with zero rattles because there's nothing to rattle: no cabin, stereo, head, doors, etc. The Formula has lots of stuff to break and rattle.

The Apache feels much more secure at speed and in the rough, because you're standing in chest high bolsters that squeeze you on 3 sides. I also like the control set-up better on the Apache: the throttles are where they just naturally fall into your right hand, while the trim switches are just in front of the steering wheel, where you can easily hit them without moving your left had more that a couple of inches from the wheel. I find with Formula's set-up it's hard to throttle and trim (especially the tabs) at the same time, and I'm always hitting the drive trim in the throttles by mistake when throttling vigorously.

The Apache was actually boring for cruising in calm conditions: no wind protection, can't sit down, very loud. I got so that I would only go out if it was quite/very rough. It just wasn't worth the expense of racing gas for a calm cruise. And I could easily burn all 320 gallons in a day, at what today would be $6/gal.

On the other hand, the Formula is wonderful in calm conditions, OK in moderate conditions (like the Sarasota Poker Run last weekend), and no fun at all when it's really rough. It may be a successful F-2 boat, but with a full interior I don't think it's really much of wave-jumper. Sure, it'll do it, but it reminds me of my 41 pleasure Apache. As Marc McManus told me, that's not what it's intended for.

RedDog382

Thanks for your comments. Nothing said that really surprised me. I was fortunate to get a brief ride on a kevlar 41 Apache at a race in Cleveland a few years ago (Insane Warrior). I was really having a great time until interrupted when a F-1 boat was turned into a bow-rider in a really bad stuffing accident.

I briefly considered buying Insane Warrior when it came up for sale last year, but decided to go with the '99 382 Poker Run Special instead for all the reasons you have mentioned above. I didn't really like the fairing on the Poker Run Special due to the lack of wind protection and have replaced it with a stainless windshield.

I am very happy with the 382, but there is still just something about the Apache ...