When did it start for you?
 

I remember in my early 20s I stayed at the Marina Marriott in Ft. Lauderdale for business. Went to the Everglades marina on break and had drool coming out of my mouth looking at all the performance boats. Knew back then I needed one.
Saw this Video and had to laugh at how much has changed and hasn’t changed. I miss my Mullet !!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAPK-fzqgWc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAPK-fzqgWc

For me it started when I had my wife, daughter, and 1 year old in a 19' tunnel hull jetboat. Needless to say the wife was less than happy being in a boat like that with a 1 year old. Being the gear head it am there was no way I was going to end up in a toon or cruiser. That's when I sold it and bought a 27' Fountain.

Grew up boating and My parents bought there first High performance boat when I was 5 or 6. It was a 28 Checkmate! Been Hooked ever since!

Probably when I was little, a guy at the boat club here has one of those boats. Im not sure if he still does but I loved to watch him take off.

Always been around boats, was waterskiing as a little kid standing on my dads feet. Offshore.... the first time I saw them racing in the ocean on wide world of sports as a kid.. Got the dirt bug back then too seeing the Baja 1000 on tv. Im playing with boats now that I have the Baja 1000 trophy on the mantel. My current boat wont get me a water trophy, but it will give me the skills to get one in something else someday.

Grew up in south Louisiana.. We had a camp that was about a 30 min boat ride back then.
I was probably around 8 or 9 playing around down the bayou and found a lil homemade 8ft boat half sunk.. Side had huge crack from top to bottom.

My dad took some cloth and resin, we fixed the crack and put a battery and trolling motor on it and away I went trying to race lillies down stream!!

My first outboard!, lol

Been on boats since I was born. Our first sport boat I was about 10 and it was a 23 wellcraft nova with a 350 mag and thru hulls. Great boat. Just being on the water in the Chesapeake bay you saw lots of perfamce boats and I always have had a hp and speed bug. Gets worse with age. Lol

For me it was in the mid to late 80's when I was 7 or so. My grandparents had a place in Point Pleasant and my mother, brother and I lived there in the summers while dad stayed home and worked. I don't remember what year it was but I woke up to a louder than normal rumble, (we always saw and heard the go fast boats in barnegat bay going under the bridge) and it was one of the popeyes boats, I sat on the beach watching the boats race and test with my mom holding her hands over my ears. We never had boats growing up, but when I bought my first one, my mom said she always knew I'd have a fast boat from that day.

Grew up on my dads bassboats. Driving 55 by age 10. Borrowing the boat and running 65 while a senior in HS. Bought my first boat at 23......a 26ft cabin cruiser. Eventually wanted a go-fast for the range, not the speed. Now I wheel-2-wheel race cars and have a small CC for the water.

I always wanted a jet boat. Then, as a teen, I saw my first offshore boat on a trailer at the lake. 30'+ V with twins. I asked to see the inside. I saw the cabin and said "you can camp on this too?" I was SOLD!
Now I have a 38', 100mph 10000# mo/ho on water.

Now I wheel-2-wheel race cars and have a small CC for the water.[/QUOTE]
I too have gone back to road racing. The thrill is the same.........but tough to get girls in bikinis serving beers to you while on the track.

My Dad had a 14' Vee Hull Aluminum boat with a 10 horse Johnson on it...ran 20 MPH. We found a deal on a twin cylinder 25 Johnson...put it on that 14' boat and suddenly I could run faster than most boats on the lake. Forty Five is fast with a tiller controlled outboard!!

Spent many of my summers in Holland, MI, where my dad, brothers, and I would sit on the pier waiting for a go fast boat to come by and take off. We got such a thrill from hearing the power of those boats. Would also head out to Holland each year to see the boats come in for a card during the Smoke On the Water poker run. Truly the highlight of my year!

I am a 40yearold guy in NJ
I just as well could have wound up
sailing catamarans or a proper sized sailboat
but I discovered kite-surfing
and then wanted a MOTOR boat for approaching more kite spots
WHOOPS!
now I boat fast when its hot out and the wind is sh!!tty!

Started for me from the first memory I had about a boat. My dad always had over powered Hydrostreams and Checkmate outboards. My first real memory was of his two seat Sanger that was a legit 125-130 mph pleasure boat. We are talking 1980 here folks. Sick fast back then. Went from that to drag boat racing then ultimately hydroplane racing. Pretty sure I was born with speed in my blood. Now anything I own, drive, ride, race etc. has to be blistering fast!

My parents had a lake house since before I was born. There were always various jet skis and run abouts around. Then one day dad showed up with a 30' sleek craft in tow. Since then slow/quiet boats just haven't been the same.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]519032[/ATTACH]Dad raised me right. Him and I when I was 5 or so.

This is as far back as I can remember. I know my dad had a Stevens before this that was red and I have seen pics of that but I don't remeber that. This I remember . W my Mama And My Brother. (But my first boat was a 8' hydro)

Boated my whole life. My first boat I personally owned was a 21' Baja. Went to lake cumberland poker run and bought a 29' Fountain 3 weeks later I enjoyed it so much!

Looks like we all got it in our blood. Been on the water since I was born. Met my wife on my boat, got engaged on my boat, got married on a boat, Ship Rope custom wedding rings etc etc. Grew up with old mahagony Chris Crafts that we still have. My fiist was a Baja Blast, then a Stingray and now on my 3rd Fountian. Gotta Love Toys !!!

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.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]519034[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]519035[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]519036[/ATTACH]

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.

Having a family lake house on the main channel at LOTO since 1983, I saw the progression of performance boats on the lake. My family always had runabouts, but I knew I'd need a performance boat eventually. Had friends with them and finally picked up my own in 2008. Been enjoying the performance boat world and playing sponge learning about everything out there since then. Good times! :)

Little guy- 4-5 years old. My Dad had the fastest boat on Bangs Lake in Wauconda Ill. Don't remember the make, but it was probably 16-17 feet, had a 85HP Merc. Would run 45-50. It was an all-white boat named Casper

It started for me when I was about 10 years old. My family was vacationing on Indian Rocks Beach in the Clearwater area with the ICW across the street. I spent many days fishing off the small dock on the ICW and would see and HEAR the boats going by. I even remember the particuliar boat named "Intimidator" set the hook in me! Everytime that boat would run past me it had the sticks pushed to the bow and was L-O-U-D!!!

Growing up my dad had Bajas, and a 30 Velocity. We spent every weekend at Buckeye Lake. I had jet skis and a four winns 190 in High School / college, and would load a few chicks in my teal astro conversion van and head to the lake right after school. Funny how cool a van with a power folding rear bed becomes when you hook jet skis or a boat to the back :evilb: I missed the offshore boats, and the 24 Cig was my first performance boat. My wife loves the boat as much as I do, it's pretty much the only hard core common interest we have.

Had small fishing boats when I was a kid, loved to drive them when my Dad would let me. Always drove them wide open. I've always been a speed freak. Like everyone else my age, saw Miami Vice and wanted one just like that (and the car, and the Bren, and the clothes, and...) Bought a Yamaha on a whim at Havasu when the dealer let me drive his demo. 19', 310hp, throttles might as well have been on/off switches as those waverunner motors had no mid-range umph. Then I ran into this intern at work. He had a plane the same make as I did, and he had this "Cigarette" sticker over his desk. He also liked the same brand of cars... Did a great job and he got hired full time. Every month I was back at the main office I'd see his damn boat sticker and when I get home I'd talk to the wife about getting one. She always had some excuse for us to not have a boat. Then I got divorced, so the impediment to the boat was gone. Sold the house, moved next to a marina, and kept talking to the guy with the Cigarette every month. Next thing I know, I'm calling and texting him for advice, and BAM, title to the Formula in my hand.

So in the end, it's all Artie's fault!

Thanks bud!

Anytime! I love contributing to the delinquency of my friends!

...and thank you for the kind words. We missed you in Miami! You need to come do some Lake Erie boating, and I need to enjoy a cocktail on the way to Catalina :coolcowboy:

We will come out for a weekend to the Lake. And anytime you're on the west coast, the fridge in the boat is always stocked.

Gonna be at KOAK March 6th... so close, yet so far away!

SWA has a ton of non-stops to KSNA. I can pick you up!

Like many here, I have always been a speed freak, watched Miami Vice (still might sometimes:whistle:) but here are a few times my disease worsened:lolhit: First time on the water was at 5 or 6 yrs old starting on my great grandparents pontoon. But the go-fast bug came from Crazy Dave on Okauchee Lake and his Apache. Talk about LOUD and he had to watch out for the lake speed limit. What? As a kind in dad's 180 sea ray bowrider speed limits were not a concern. Few years later as a teen we're staying in Racine on the 370 and a brand new Apache was heading out, full head dress on the boat and they were putting on headsets!!! Just like one I had read about in a powerboat mag. Followed them out in the quicksilver rib w 15 merc, watched that Apache take off and...well....you know:evilb: Years after that up here at the Sturgeon Bay Poker Run I saw a catamaran with custom engines and all kinds or rumors, heard she outran the heli used for the radar run etc and remember one of the guys involved in the project, Mark Bentley. When I found the Sonic through Mark I told him that for years I had been dreaming of the opportunity to talk to him about a boat of my own, that was an unforgettable experience a real dream come true.

We love our boat, we love go-fasts and all that comes with it. Danielle loves it just as much as me. Hell we just showed the hot for teacher idle vid to my dad at work today and all shared a good smile at the power and fun that is go-fasts and boating in general. I am hooked so bad he asked about my car projects and I said not sure, but have considered selling both of the car projects for some blower whine of our own:poopoo: The freedom of the boat I have not found anywhere else. I love the track, but even that is not the same level of FREEDOM. Go anywhere at any speed at anytime. Where else can you get that?!