HabanaJoe

Payton,

I never met Jeff at Everglades I just used to see the dealer plates on the Lambo and such that Ralph drove around/kept there as I recall. They quoted us trucks a couple times so I just wondered if they were involved in backing Everglades or anything else, nothing pressing just wondered that years ago?

Joe Gere

stevehaolecrab

Joey: "How ya doin"? Aloha from Hawaii. Thanks for the compliments in this forum.

Super Hero, Super Hero Boats, Super Hawaii Racing etc. are probably my fault! I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded. For the next few years, millions were spent on his boat racing, boat manufacturing, cars (15 AC Cobra's!). Kitami always kept me as his "friend" and right hand man. He also had a desire to have the best and spared no expense to hire the best he could, or advised he could. Fabio Buzzi, Bill Sirois, the list is long! It all came to an end in the early 90's when Kitami's brother was arrested in Honolulu on financial corruption charges in Japan. It was reported close to $100,000,000.00 was bilked out of Japanese banks and investors through Kitami and his brother.
I do know the history on some of the boats, but there wewre so many! There are 2 40' American Series here in Hawaii in a junk yard: One is my old boat with stars and stripes that was on the cover of PowerBoat. Both are wasted fiberlass shells full of termites! Great, fast and furious times. My wife has a condo on the intracostal a few hundred yards from Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale. I love to sit on the lanai and watch the boat parade by: just last November, a 40' SuperHawaii cruised by and I though I was back 20 years when we tore up the intracostal in the blue 34' and red 40' based out of Everglades. Back to reality! Joey, we'll keep in touch. Aloha, Steve Carr

HabanaJoe

Steve - so good to hear from you!!!!!

I see Anna in NY from time to time. After Morris passed she married Ben Benson. The son has grown up to be quite the man as well!

I don't want to tell much either of the story but you know the lawyer Cary and I went round and round for awhile too!

Hey it was good times and we walked away, that's all the matters!!!

Do you see Greg or Eric Schiff out there?

stevehaolecrab

Joey: I do see them quite often. Email me @ [email protected]

AO31

First time there saw that; I remember it thinking it was Chicago based as well. Thought just a small world???

HabanaJoe

AO31, I'm glad someone else picked up on that, I begin to think sometimes I imagine things? (LOL)

I remember Ralph driving those cars around and saying "what's the tie here?"

AO31

I thought that's what you get to drive when you're in the boat biz!

JUPITER PULSARE

"I intoduced Kitami to offshore racing in 1988 and we purchased "Waterheater", yes, a 28' Checkmate from Alan Shapiro. Kitami and I (and a cast of dozens) raced the boat in POPBRA was a year and then Kitami's desire got huge and the rest of the story unfolded."

Not to hi-jack this thread but............................


As I own a very rare Checkmate 2800SX Outboard, I would enjoy finding out more about the "Waterheater" Checkmate raceboat! How was it set up? What speeds were they seeing? What motors were they running? etc.. You may have some great Checkmate history that guys on Checkmate-boats.com would love to hear!! Any Pictures would greatly be appreciated!!

larslindroth

Here are a few links to articles in our very much missed Powerboat Magazine.

http://www.powerboatarchive.co.uk/Ma...CING%20(2).pdf

http://www.powerboatarchive.co.uk/Ma...T%20RACING.pdf

http://www.powerboatarchive.co.uk/Ma...CING%20(5).pdf

JUPITER PULSARE

Thanks larslindroth! I didn't realize the above links were in response to my thread on the Waterheater Checkmate raceboat! Very cool old articles. I'm going to copy and paste them to Checkmate-boats.com!!