apache heritage
 

Richie,

I was watching the a 92 key west worlds race last night and it showed you throttling the 50' Apache Heritage what was that like? What speeds did she run? can you tell us a little about the experience!!

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Bonz nice pictures...

what hp are those trip engines puttin out?

As I recall those were Mercruiser 1000 SC's..... approximately 950 HP each.

T2x

I believe it's actually a 45' footer after redaing an artical on it a few years back.

Nice machine though!

Cougarman

Yeah, something like a cut down 47

I took the rather blurry photo´s of the boat taking turn 1 at a serious angle!! Had to be seen to be believed!

It's doesn't look blurry too me it looks AWESOME, very nice shot....

It is a long story re: Apache Heritage, I could write a mini book about the ADVENTURE and the crew. I`ll shoot for the highlights. The boat is a regular 47` cut down. Everyone thought it was a 50` because of the race number which I was given by Don Johnson after racing the 50` Revenge super cat.
I was interviewed by Omar Danial and Patrick Mercurio for the throttleman position along with Bobby Moore, Bobby Idoni, Steve Curtis etc.. When I met the driver Omar we had instant chemistry and we said let`s go racing, rest is history, three world titles later, all first place finishes except one, where we finished second to Tres and INXS water turned out calm first race in Key West in 1993 we had our boat set up wrong, next and final race was 6` to 8` seas with 20 mph winds. We averaged in the 101 mph range consistant every lap and won, Beat all the cats, and won overall.
when we were in progress of building the Heritage, I suggested to Mark McManus that we make it a canopy sit down boat. Mark was all for it, many others who heard about the thought laughed and said we would get beat up really bad, and this was from some famous guys in the sport. I told Mark and Omar that nothing hit harder than a 22,000 lb. four engine fifty foot cat at 135 mph. in six footers. The V-bottom would be incredible, which it was.
When we tested at Lake X on a monday before having to be in Key West for first race on Wed. we found that we could not see over the bow, we failed to cut the bow down enough, so we hung out of the canopy and finished our set-up work. Top speed was in the 115 mph range. We called Mark and told him the problem, he said bring it back to Miami and we`ll fix it???????? Monday night Curtis Chapman cut the front of the deck lose from the hull all the way back to the canopy, then commenced to cut about another 18" or so out of the nose, dropped it back down on the hull glassed it up. we left for Key West, for drivers meeting etc. boat showed up at 6:00 am Wed. morning at stock Island, we nervously put her in the water, as we dressed for the race, all the time wondering how she would sit.
When we took off to go to the Galleon it was approx. 5` to 6` following sea, we could finally see pretty good, the faster we went the better we could see, we didn`t even realize how fast until we looked at the speedo and was a solid 100 to 105.
Apache Heritage is by far the most incredible boat I have ever raced. Once we pulled the straps down and became part of the boat, it was history. Incidentally it was the first time Omar had ever raced, and first time we were together in an ocean race, and of all things the worlds in Key West.
The Apache Heritage TEAM was the best I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with. And I believe history was written. To the best of my knowledge we built the first successful canopied V-Bottom race boat, which set the benchmark for all others. Power was triple Merc. 1,000`s number six wet sumps. Check out an article that Poker run magazine did last year on the boat team etc. It was a great article. Thanks for remembering the Heritage 7XCHAMP

Great history , sit down is the way to go!

MR. 7xChamp, You are absolutely right when you said the most sucessful deep V"canopied" raceboat! As far as I know Tommy Adams- Signature had the first "hard top" stand up boat, I believe I had the first canopied race boat back in 1986. I had Jim Muir design the add on canopy on my 28' Pantera. It had Recaro race car seats,
mounted on shock absorber pedestals, 5 point harness, Lexan windshield etc.
When I showed up @ the Apache race here in Miami in the fall of 1986 APBA thought it was too innovative and did not let me race the boat. It was a C class boat @ the time. Willie Diaz "El Boss" was to be my throttle man.
Soon there after I think Popeyes was the first boat to get canopied.
You know the best part is that nobody ever gave me credit for the canopy, BUT, what the hell we used to have a lot of fun back then racing the ocean and the other boats, not chasing buoys 3 to 4 miles apart. Who would have thought you could race offshore in a river?
Ahhhh, those were the days, and I thank God for letting me be there and to still be around today to reminish such great memories!
OSO and HORBA have made a lot of newbies to the sport realize what it used to be like.
Later,
Your friend,
Pepe @ Pantera.

PS, I do NOT think a lot of todays racers would look forward to the Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio race in a 28' boat.

That must of blew somebodies mind Pepe'. Thanks for setting the record straight!

Yeah, I am a legend in my own mind!
Later,
Pepe @ Pantera.

It looks like this makes Apache Heritage the original "Cat Killer." Sorry Reggie. :D :p :D

I would like to clarify something, I do not want to sound like I am putting down todays racers, as a matter of fact as strange as it may sound, coming from somebody that has raced in the 70's,80's 90's and the new millenium, I think that todays racing is so much more precise and dangerous!
I just do not like the idea of doing 8 mile laps, where you are constantly turning a stepped bottom boat.
Also, offsore racing was meant to be run in the Ocean and I mean open water not up and down a beach. It is such an exilirating feeling to run away from shore that I feel @ least some races should be Ocean racing not inshore racing.
Just my $ 0.02 from an old timer, who has done both.
Later,
Pepe @ Pantera.
PS, let's bring back the skill of navigating w/ a compass and cojones!

Amen!

pepe, there's a supposed miami - nassau race in the works.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=155824

Hola Pepe,

Well Said, Thank you
Couldn't agree with you more.
Thank you
Jim

7xchamp & JO

Thanks for taking the time to post! We all appreciate it.
Jr.

You are all very welcome! These threads bring back some wonderful memories. OSO and HORBA has done a great job of bringing back the legends of this wonderful sport of ours.
Guys like 7xchamp, Brownie, Charlie Mc Carthy and Black Tornado, littlenige and a bunch of others have such great accounts of the history of Offshore powerboat racing. It is great!
Later,
Pepe @ Pantera.

So where is the boat now ?
In good Hands ?

Cougarman

I believe Apache Heritage is currently owned by Mark McManus...

Great history Champ thank you! :) Will you be in the Miami-Bimini race this year?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WecHVHuA8Io&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHLeoTdfzBI

What a great story. Also - it's great to hear Pepe's views on racing - like they say, it's hard to know where you're going unless you understand where you've been.

The sport's history is one of the greatest treasures we have.

I have a stack of pictures going back to the 60's and have been having them scanned. Look what came back in a batch today!

Key West, but not sure of the year.

I started in 1966 with Mercury factory offshore race team out of Lake X and Fondulac. Any pictures from then would be awesome. My first race boat was 21` Seacraft with pair of 110 mercs then 25` seacraft with triple 1250`s and 28` Memco with triple 1350 BP`s 1966 thru 1969 when Kiek disbanned the offshore team and sold all equip. to the independents, that`s when guys like Pruit, Odel, Riggs, Stuteville and myself went to work for them in Europe, mostly all Italians bought the equip. and personel to race for UIM. I went to Europe in 1992 with Bonomi and the rest is history, any and all pixs are cool, I would love to see from that era.

Capache Powerboats

sorry
i just had to do it...

I just signed up last night and I really enjoy reading about the history of offshore racing, custom builds, and all of the personalities that go along with the sport. Long live Apache and Pantera!

Tommy at "CHIEF ENGINE" Was also crew, This is the Only RACE APACHE HUll, Cut Down Approx. 11" At Factory from nose back for better visibility, I know for a fact!, Last I knew, Patrick has it stored in South Fla. still in Race-Ready Condition!, On Trailer, Told Me He wanted to race it again a few years back!...And was faster than the "KID"...

Richie Powers & Omar Danial ran it at the 2004 Fort Myers Poker Run. They took out the 1000sc race engines & replaced them with 900sc. Modified the #6's to dry sump. McManus removed the top of the canopy and added a 3rd seat in the back where the center console in the aft cockpit was. Was very cool to have it run past us.