Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

I just found an old Car & Driver article (February 1992) titled "More Cubic Inches Than a Grave". It's about a 135 MPH 49 foot "cat" with triple 1000 HP I/O's. It was owned by Juan Almeida/Philip Feldman and Fort Apache Marina.

Just curious if this boat is still around? Does Fort Apache Marina still exist? Are Juan Almeida and Philip Feldman still into boats?

Mike

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Mike: any way you could scan the article, or possibly fax a copy, I would love to read it.
Thanks: Matt

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

MIKE FORT APACHE MARINA IS GONE WAS THE OLD THUNDER ALLEY IN MIAMI DONT KNOW ABOUT THE BOAT http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...play.php?f=158
OSO Television

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

this was back in april of 02....just about to come down..

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Fort Apache has been gone for a while :eek: I hear its condos now. All of thunder boat row is gone. I at least got a chance to see it before it was bull dosed down, :( about 10 years ago. the history that was lost :(

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Was there ever an aronow memorial or "ANYTHING" to represnt the history of what happened on that street :( :(

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Glad I got to experiance Thunderboat Row and Ft. Apache. I use to stop by there during my sales/business travels and look around back in '96 till it was torn down. I walked into Ft. Apache office and Bobby S asked if I needed any help...cool! I use to love walking through Bobby Moores across the street. I would spend an hour or so looking at all the boats stored and in for service there. I was walking out one day and this guy was walking out from looking at a boat and asked if anyone has helped me. I told him no but I am a offshore boat fan and have a little 26 Scarab and just enjoy looking at all the exotic hardware. That guy introduced himself as Bobby Moore and he show me around the shop and so forth. They were doing some rigging on the Alcone race boat...cool stuff back then!

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Oh....also another cool place back in the day I use to check out was Everglades Marina in Ft, Lauderdale. I have not been by there in years though. They use to have some awesome boats hanging around. Also on the Everglades Marina canal there was a hi-perf shop that always had some Apaches and Cig's in but I do not remember the name. It was near 15th st Fisheries.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

just about the same thing happened to me. I am so glad I got to see it before it was gone. I looked at a few boats with Bob S. and got some history lessons, It is a shame its all gone. I also would like to know is there, has ever been anything put up there to show what took place there or to mark its history?

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

I would like to have that Apache sign on the building.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

I drove down 188th back in late Feb 2006 and nothing marking the Thunderboat Row history was there that I saw. The street does not even look the same with all the condo and the modern elemtry school at the end of the street.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

They paved paridise put up a parking lot.....

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

don't it always seam to go. you don't really know what you got till it's gone :rolleyes:

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

got that right.........

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

those were the days huh......i drive down that road almost every day and it's really SAD......i remember going with my mom to buy my dad stuff for his old cig......there's NOTHING there now, besides hi lift marine.......there's a thread that i started like a yr ago with new pics of thunder row........rest in peace 188 st......the building may be gone but the memerios will stay with us for ever


Donz jr

Mike

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

188th-----------

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

All that is left of The Fort..........

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Too bad. It was a magical place for those of us who truly love the sport. I'll never forget my first time there. I think I remember more about that day than the day I lost my virginity.
Sad.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Mike, I believe the other place @ 15th St. was/is Herbie Stotler's rigging shop...you can walk to the "Fisheries" from there. Did alot of Apache-Power.
Hugh

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Hey Matt -

I sent you an email. If you want, get me your address and I'll make you a copy and mail it.

[email protected]

Mike

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Hugh -

You are correct, it was Herb Stotler's shop. Prior to Herb, it was Keith Hazell's shop until Keith passed away.


And about Everglades; there was a pretty stiff current in there. Tres Martin could back a high perf boat into a slip like you can't even imagine. Owners would take three or four cracks at it, give up, and then just have Tres do it. No matter what it was or how bad it was running, Tres would back it in, first time, every time; AMAZING!

Barry

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

During the time I used to look around Everglades they were a Fountain dealer. They had the 47 Fountain all red The Dealer boat there. This was the Fountain catalog cover boat. Always some cool Ferrari's parked in the garage too! Seems like all the cool Hi-Perf places like Everglades, 188thst and so forth are all gone. Also I used to like to go to Sloop John B's on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. Offshore racing theme with hundreds of offshore racing photo's and team uniforms hanging on the walls. Good food too.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

The Express Cat Was Rigged By Apache It Was A 48 Ocean Express With Triple 6's That "vanilla Ice " Raced Once Or Twice I Heard A Few Stories Like The Tunnel Was Ripped Out Of It And That It Ran A Fishermen Over In Biscayne In The Middle Of The Night......was A Bad Ass Boat

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

This boat is owned by a buddy of mine here in Miami Beach...his name is Milton...he transport boats

Mike

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

It was a 48' Ocean Express I have a pic of it some where in my office, The reason the tunnel came out was when it was shipped, it was sent out as a twin motor set up with extra tanks under the cock pit and they removed the center tank from the bilge and never added any super structure before they added the center motor.
It was sure a trick set up for the time I talked to juan a few time when I was still with O.E. we built some cool boats.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

These pics were taken about a week after Don was shot.
Also the pic of the shop had the Apache cat being rigged.Did'nt get a pic of it. :(
Next to the dyno room, was an engine room that had 8-9 PAIRS of engines just sitting there waiting to be run. All of them were fully dressed with all accessories ready to go. When I raised the camera to snap a photo of that room, Ben put his hand in front of the camera and stopped me from taking any pics in that room. That was the only room that Benny would'nt let me take a pic of. :mad:
Never seen so many engines in one room. :cool:

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

How many boat builders were on Thunder Boat Row?

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

This Sucks.............i Can Remember Being Maybe 4-5 Yrs Old And Going Down There With My Dad To Poke Around After He Bought His 35 Misstress From Don.....it Kind Of Stinks That I Was So Young, Could Not Really Appreciate It Back Then.....know I Cant Get The Old Man To Even Help Me With My Mag, He Has Just Lost Total Intrest In It, Or Maybe He Doesnt Like Me Lol.........love To Read This Stuff Guys Keep It Going Offshore History Is The Only Thing That Keeps Me Going..............

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

My buddy Pete P. worked on Thunder Boat Row for years.One time we went across the street to Apache to discuss building a boat for a client of his with Bobby S. I sat in his office while they discussed boats .At the time I did not think a whole lot of it,but man that was cool.Also Fort Apache was a pretty cool place from what I can remover.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Apache Bar was the $hit where all the ballerz, players and dealer$ woukd hang out and the women were hot.....

Mike

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

was or is miltons family in the transmission business?

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Any pictures of that boat now?

Mike Sufka

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Back in 1986-1988 I played in a band and we worked the clubs around Ft. Lauderdale and n. Miami where a lot of big time guys came to hang out. Yes the women were hot down there...still are! :drink:

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

Okay, here's my story-pathetic as it is...

It was a short time before Don was killed and I was down with the wife on vacation. Never been there so I had to go. So I'm driving this rental car really slow down the street and sniffing resin fumes and digging on all the cool stuff moving around. So I guess I'm only moving about 10 mph back down the street when all of a sudden this horn blows behind me. A guy in a Mercedes pulls around, flips me the bird and speeds off. Now the wife can't understand why I'm grinning ear to ear till I said "That is so cool, Don Aronow just flipped me off". Oh well, RIP Don.

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

No thats no the boat Miltons has arnesons on it

Re: Apache Express/Fort Apache Marina????
 

you are correct

Mike