I had someone ask me at Key West during the Worlds if the two Popeye's were connected?? Heck, I follow Offshore pretty darn close and I don't know!!! I didn't see this boat on display at Coplands parties.....

I know Al Copland use to race, but after getting injured in a snowmobile accident he doesn't race anymore...

I know the Popeye's race boat is Dominic Visconsi, Jr.'s and it's a Platinum.......but I don't know why it's called Popeye?? Does he own some Popeye chicken restruants??? Or does he just like the Cartoon??

With such a known person such as Al Copland that ownes Popeye's Chicken and still ownes a couple of older race boats that are for pleasure now, why would you name your race boat Popeye if you not in some way connected???

I'm confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#84 Popeye

Owner: Dominic Visconsi Jr.
Driver: Dominic Visconsi Jr.
Throttles: Jim Dyke
Boat: Platinum Engine: Mercury
2004 Sponsors: Visconsi Companies, Ltd., Effen Vodka

He owns the Popeye's restaurant company as well as the Copeland's restaurant chain.

http://www.popeyes.com/backgrounder.asp

http://www.copelands.net/copelands/copeland.asp

Yea, I know Al Copeland owns all of that...........

But why is Dominic Visconsi Jr.'s race boat named Popeye????

Good Question:

Sometimes people ...

Don't remember.... but Jim Dyke has been around long enough to know the score

Don't care........ That's why there are boats named Jesse James, and Still Crazy.... even after the originals cost the lives of some great and well respected racers

Have the blessing of the original.... Maybe Copeland...or King Features (Popeye's copywrite owners) .... gave an okay.

Don't have a clue....... Sometimes people are Johnny come lately's and think they have something original... (If I see one more boat with 69 as their race number I'm going to barf)

T2x

Al Copeland's boats were called Popeye's. As in Popeye's Chicken.

Domonic's boats have been called Popeye. As in the Sailor Man.

The two have nothing to do with each other.

Ron:

Popeye's Fried Chicken was also named after Popeye The Sailor man. Al Copeland was able to lease the trademark rights to the cartoon character from King Features for the fast food business..... This is called licensing.

If Dominick has no such license then he might have a sticky wicket.

T2x

I may be mistaken, but wasn't there a "Popeye" boat raced in the mid 1970's, before Copeland started racing? I remember a boat named "Popeye" catching fire and burning up the year the race was moved from Pt. Pleasant to Atlantic City, 1977? Was this "Popeye" run by Visconci's father??
Sometimes what we think is the original, is not....

Cool info.!!! Keep it coming!!!

Fun Home,
I just checked the "Bible", "Searace"-I was wrong about the year-"Popeye" raced in Atlantic City in 1974 and burned to the wateline. The 44' Miller Saccenti hull was driven by Dominic Visconsi.
Although many think Copeland's "Popeye" was the first and only, according to Searace, it was not.

Bobby you are right on with that!!! Open up a page of Sea Race and represent you Nostalgic person you!!! Nice way of exerting the real facts for once.

T2X,
when it comes to boat owners and so forth in the history of Offshore I think Bobby might have you covered. As far as set up and mechanics tried maybe not but I love posts like this with old history.