When I was about 9 my uncle was buying and selling boats, never kept a boat over a year donzi's, sutphen, baja's. I was hooked after my first ride in his sweet 16 with a 200xp. Bought a 16 Tahiti (sidewinder) at 12, painted it, hung a 135 on it, redid interior. Been addicted to speedboats ever since, and I also don't keep them long lol

It all started from here.....! Loved my Dad's old boat. Ran exeptionaly fast for a jet ~85mph.
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My love of boats actually started with my grandpa's jetboat! I have an old pic of me at about 4 years old in the backseat of the boat leaned over the engine while my grandpa was working on it. I showed my wife and told her this is where it all went wrong for you. I now have a similar pic of my son leaned over the engine of my 27' fountain! The offshore boat came around when the wife got sick of the 19' tunnel hull!

I started on standup Jet Skis when I was 12. I would burn a couple tanks of gas a day on those things...I absolutely loved it. Our cottage was on a small lake in southern Wisconsin, and about 4 doors down there was a guy with a 25 Liberator with thru hull called "Papa's Toy." I used to get all excited when he fired that thing up and took off for a run around the lake. There was a 24 Baja on the lake as well, and they would race. I just loved the noise.

When I was in high school, my now-wife's family had a 235 Chapparal with a 454...it would do in the upper 50s...I could never understand WHY her dad didn't open the exhaust ALL the time!

After we got married, we were both heavily into the Jet Ski thing (our wedding present to each other was a Ski)...her parents kept their 33 Sea Ray at a marina in Indiana and we'd bring the Skis there and hang out with them. It was then that I really got to see my first "offshore" boats (the famous, or infamous, T-dock in Hammond Marina...then home of OSO members Mr. Cig, Candyman, Quiet Storm, etc.)...and I knew right away I wanted one. I proposed the question about getting a boat to my wife, and she said."Only if it's fast." So...at age 27, I bought a 29 Powerquest...and haven't looked back.

It started for me when Dad first mentioned something about some crazy guy taking a small boat at speed to the Bahamas racing in the early 1960's when I was 8, and we were fishing at the lake on our 14 foot with 35 outboard.

First boat of my own, (I considered Dad's as much mine as his), was 1983 18' Formula with a 350, thru hull exhaust.

Always had a powerboat in the family to enjoy the nearby saltwater activities. I'm a saltwater guy for life, especially enjoy swimming in the ocean. Always refreshing.

A picture of an Apache in a 80's Boating magazine.

Point Pleasant, New Jersey 1982, Bradshaws Beach. Benihana Offshore Races
Till this day I dont care what everyone else calls the race now. To me and my old man its still the "Benihana Races"

I remember the year because I got a 1982 Honda XR80 for Christmas that year. LOL - Damn, I want to be 10 years old riding dirt bikes in NJ again....

Wow, looks like the Benihana races at Pt. Pleasant influenced a lot of people.

My Grandfather and Father always had a boat. They weren't fast, just runabouts that we would do some cruising, watersking/tubing and fishing. When I saw the races at Pt. Pleasant and the Popeye's boat I was hooked. Started with a Sears Gamefisher, 18' Checkmate, then got my dream Donzi 22 classic. Got married, had kids and the Donzi was too small so I bought the Baja. Now looking for a Performance Cruiser or CC.

Grew up running a marina with my family then when I was in high school or a little before we started doing testing for MERC. That's when I got hooked after running stuff in the Blackhawk program, man that was a blast.