allez vite
 

was wondering any info on 41 ALLEZ VITE.
like the boat, but heard some bad history of fire

It was in West Michigan for years...in Saugatuck at Tower Marine, single handedly kept the racing gas at Parkside Marina after it was shipped back south to Florida the racing gas was history too! Dang I miss that boat! never heard of a fire while it was in Michigan....

It means to go quickly....

here

Re: allez vite
 

Jcwlac,

I manufactured the Apache 41 in 1989 as a race/pleasure boat. It was originally named "Allez Vite" and I believe it is still named that today. The boat was built of Kevlar with staggered C&G 850 HP engines on 18" center, #6 outdrives, race hatches, 6 fuel tanks and 6-man cockpit.

I do not know the current condition or mechanical set-up of the boat as of today nor any additional data on ownership.

Before purchasing any powerboat a licensed marine surveyor should evaluate the boat and provide a report of the boats current condition to a prospective buyer.

If I can be of further assistance, please contact me.

Mark McManus
Apache Powerboats

thanks for the info

ALLEZ VITE
 

I was in her at TNT on tuesday, she is getting a little make over. Allez Vite means go fast in french. She currently has Zul 1000's and only has 30 hours on the drive train and now has trannys instead of crash boxs. It's still looking sweet. Steve

APACHE
 

Yes she is for sale, she is getting the drives repainted and some gauge work,and a general check up.

The facts
 

I don't know why, but I've never checked the Apache Thread until today.


As Mark said, he built the boat for me in '89, as a "trade-up" from the '87 pleasure 41 he built for me.

I bought both from Ralph Martin @Everglades.

I bought it for pleasure use, but when the offshore circuit came to Grand Haven 2 years in a row, I couldn't resist the temptation entered on a "lark," first in Sportsman D, and then in Open the next year.

To our surprise, we came in second in both races, the second of which yielded a lot of coverage on ESPN. The week after the second Grand Haven race (OPT with John Carbonell), the APBA staged a race in Saugatuck, where I live.We won both Open Class (beating Reggie) and Overall (ahead of the Skaters and Jaguar Cats).

The experience was quite addictive, to say the least. We were officially "Boy Racers."

So we raced most of the OPT circuit in 1990, and never finished out of the money. The final race of the season was in Key West, and we won (coming in third for the 2-race Worlds after breaking in race 1 and limping in 8th).

So it was off to the races again in 1991, and we did about as well as in 1991, but the Skater 40's we're improving so rapidly that it was clear that we had to do something different if we were ever going to do better than second or third.

So, before the next Key West Worlds, we changed from our C&G/Carolina Racing 850's to Merc 1000SC's. The boat was rigged by Lake X, and went 104 there. We thought the 5-10 MPH gain would make us competitive.

BUT, we were only able to garner two 4ths in Key West, and it was becoming clear that we weren't going to be competitive against the Skaters, CUVs, etc. unless the conditions were very rough. And it was also becoming clear that our hopes of finding a sponsor to help pay for all of the $40K motors (we had 5) and $10K rebuilds after every other race (back then, the races were all over 150 miles) were remote, so we decided to quit the game . . .

BUT FIRST, we wanted to do just one more race in order to be SURE that we really couldn't keep up with the cats.

So we entered the first race of 1992 in Coco Beach (where we had finished second to Dirty Laundry the year before). It was very rough, and the V's were well ahead of the cats. Reggie was throttling Ohio Steel, and took a moderate lead in the first lap. We caught and passed him on the second lap (we both had Merc 1000 SC's, although I don't know if his were really "stock," as he had a reputation for having Troy Dennis "breath-on" his stuff those days).

Anyway, we suddenly lost power in one motor on the next lap. Normally in a situation like that, we would stop and open the hatches to see if we could fix whatever might be wrong (usually a broken blower belt), but because it was so rough, we decided that we really couldn't get into the engine compartment without getting hurt, so we dropped out of the race and headed back to Port Canaveral at 40-50.

When we got inside the channel, we slowed down for the No-Wake zone. We immediately smelled very strong gas fumes: I told the navigator to switch off the ignition switches in front of him, but before he could, the fumes exploded and blew us up in the air.

That's the "fire "you heard about.

Actually, there was no fire, as the explosion blew it out, but we didn't know that at the time, and were scared to death that the remaining 4-60 gallon fuel tanks full of 115 octane, and flanking the motors, would blow, so we jumped in the water an tried to swim for our lives.

We didn't get far, because all three of us had broken feet/legs: We were picked up by several spectators boats, and taken to ambulances which just happened to be at a helipad right next to where we exploded. Then on to Cape Canaveral Hospital.

In spite of what eventually ended up being almost half a million dollars in medical expenses to (partially) fix our injuries, the boat was not damaged much at all. There were some burned wires and hoses in the engine compartment, but the main damage was to the cockpit floor. It was replaced by the Skater guys(where I had it shipped) for only a couple of grand. Tom Earhart rebuilt the motors, and Allez Vite was as good as new, but our racing adventure had ended . . . One race later than we all wish it had.

The explosion was caused by a header on one motor "coming loose" (don't ask), and hitting the fuel block on the side of the blower, breaking it. Then the loose header fell down and broke off 2 spark plugs, causing the sudden loss of power.

Unknown to us, as we headed back to port, fuel was pouring out of the broken fitting into the bilge. When we got off plane, the fuel sloshed forward, through the limber-holes, and under the cockpit floor, which we were standing on. The broken, dangling spark pugs must have ignited the fumes, and that was all she wrote.

I kept the boat for a couple of years, and when we came down to Sarasota, I traded it Gene Whipp on a 45 Searay. (Even with mufflers, that boat would NOT have been welcomed in our neighborhood here!) He sold it thru Bobby Moore to the current owner.

I've seen recent pictures, and she looks better than new today. New everything, and now runs even faster on pump-gas with tyrannies. Progress.

As far as I know, Allez Vite is a GREAT boat.

If only . . .

Here ya go...I looked at this boat....still very nice condition.....

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thanks pete for the very interesting reading.
i think i met you @ 94 key west worlds
boat was for sale there ( i think pete pakovich was brokering the boat) fell in love with it. i shouldve bought it then. price now is more than asking price back then
and they say mercedes hold their value. how bout them old apaches. one more question - although many definitions over the years - what is exactly translation of allez vite?

"Allez Vite" just ran it through a electronic translater "Go Quickly"

thanks dyno

one more question - does anyone know which fuel i would need to burn w/ zul1000s and required rebuild intervals on these motors - thanks joe

When it was in West Michigan Parkside Marina had 108 octain racing gas just for that boat! Thats one of the COOLEST boats I have even seen! If you buy it your offically my HERO!!!

one more question - does anyone know which fuel i would need to burn w/ zul1000s and required rebuild intervals on these motors - thanks joe

Joe,

It would be best to contact Richie Zul directly.
Phone: 631-491-7268
80 Kean Street
Building 1
West Babylon, NY 11704

Mark McManus
Apache Powerboats

Dang any cabin pics of that boat???

Allez Vite means "go fast" in French.

My wife called all boats like it as "Go Fast" boats: she doesn't like them at all, unfortunately. Thinks that all of the guys have hairy-backs and wear gold chains, and that all the girls have silicone implants.

So to try to get her a bit more positive about it, I asked her to give a "sophisticated" sounding name. That's what she suggested.

It didn't make her like it any more, however. And after we got hurt, she really took a dislike for it.

Can't win 'em all.

JDWLAC,

When you saw it in Key West in '94, Mark Adams was the broker. When he didn't succeed, and charged me for storage, I moved it to Bobby Moore's.

As for old race-boats holding their value, don't believe it.

While the ASKING price may be higher today than what I sold it for in '95, Jon must have put another $100K in it (motors, tyrannys, cockpit, paint, etc.) since then.

And the price I got was only 37% of what I paid Everglades for it in '89! And that doesn't count the brand new Merc motors I put in.

NOT A GOOD INVESTMENT!!

As for pictures of the cabin, there isn't one.

AMEN !!!:rolleyes:

Cool boat none the less !!!

Every now and then, I find a "gem" on OSO that makes for great reading..............Thanks Apachepete !!
Great story !

No shortage of grabhandles thats for sure.Bad a$$ boat!

jdwlac,i run zul 653's-1000s' on sunoco 97.i have run sunoco 110 but they seem to like the 97.most important though, make sure you are delivering enough fuel(not just enough fuel pressure).mark mcmanus is correct,give zul a call.richi always has been very helpful after the sale so to speak.rebuild time is subjective to use and regular maintenance schedules.if you run conservitively,change oil and filters 10 hours or so ,check oil for gas contamination,etc..you could possibly see 1oo plus hours between rebuilds.good luck.

Motors
 

I believe it now has 705 ci, making 1100.

wampum, thanks for the insight.
rebuild intervals could be the deciding factor on purchase. but 100 hrs is reasonable.
apachepete, thanks for history, i just gasped when u said rebuilds every other race. i would plan to really use the boat alot. that could equate to many rebuilds per season.

Rebuilds
 

Remember that a race is 150 mile @ wide-open throttle. And the motors were still running fine after a couple, but were rebuilt as preventative maintenance, not because they were shot.

In pleasure use, I got hundreds of hours without MAJOR problems, but did experience non-catastrophic breakdowns several times a summer, which would force me to limp home on 1 motor. Things like broken lifters, broken blower belts, loose headers, broken water hoses, oil leaks, electrical problems, etc.. Not acceptable in a race, but OK as a cost efficient alternative to a total rebuild, I think.

But a lot of the guys running the really big power in poker runs rebuild before every one, just to be on the safe side. Nice if you can afford it.

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

APACHE
 

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

1000 HP on 93 octane is fantastic.

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.

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

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

Jim Deitz

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!

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?

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.

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 ... :D