ITLLFLI....Sorry i missed you....I wanted a ride in that bad-ass !!

tssteph.....Who is that guy ? I have seen that boat on DeLaPalma.

Big Baja
I whish I had a bigger Baja I dont think there are two many smaller than mine its a 24

'Gofast' boater: We get bad rap

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Post staff report

Allan Hilsinger eased his 520-horsepower "cigarette"-style speedboat away from the wooden dock at Schmidt boat ramp in the East End and into the Ohio River.
The 24-foot, high-performance Baja Outlaw is capable of racing along at more than 70 miles per hour, but Hilsinger crept at just a few miles per hour as he put distance between his sleek white boat and the dock.

Boats smokin'
• "Cigarette" speedboats got their name because of their slender shapes.
• They are also called "gofasts" because they're capable of high speeds.

• Some "gofasts" have hit speeds over 140 mph.



He peered through blue-tinted sunglasses to his right, then to his left and then twisted his neck to check behind him before looking ahead and revving the motor.

"Some boaters forget to check what's behind them when changing speeds or turning," said Hilsinger. "You've always got to be concerned about other boaters as well as yourself."

Hilsinger said he and a group of about 20 Cincinnati area owners of high-performance boats are upset that they are being characterized as unsafe and uncaring in the wake of a highly publicized hit-skip boat accident 10 days ago.

Hilsinger recently demonstrated high speeds for a Post photographer and reporter he invited aboard his boat for a cruise.

At 55 miles per hour, the ride was smooth. At 63 miles per hour, the ride was just as smooth.

"It's the same at 70," assured Hilsinger.

During the cruise, Hilsinger steered far away from barges and even cabin cruisers. He said cabin cruisers, because of their bulk, cause much bigger wakes, and therefore rough water for other boaters, than high-performance boats, which skim the water's surface.

The high-performance boats are in the spotlight as an investigation into the crash continues.

The owner of Snap Decision, a 40-foot Baja Outlaw, is cooperating with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife investigation into whether he crashed into a 21-foot pleasure boat the night of June 27 on the Ohio River near Dayton, Ky.

Six of seven people aboard the pleasure boat were injured and the speedboat drove away.

Police have impounded the Ohio-registered vessel, which they have said they believe was responsible.

The investigation will determine whether charges should be filed against the owner, who is from suburban Columbus.

The owner, Glenn Colann, a 54-year-old car dealer, has hired experts to conduct a parallel investigation, his attorney said.

No evidence has yet been made public showing that the boat was in the vicinity of the crash, Colann's attorney said.

Colann has no citations on record with Ohio Watercraft in connection with the 2000 model boat.

Operators of high-performance boats are being unfairly characterized as a result of the hit-skip accident, Hilsinger complains.

"We're getting a bad rap," he said. "We're being portrayed as rich, snobby, arrogant maniacs. But we're normal, everyday people who just happen to like high-performance boats.

"We care more about the river and the boats on it than anyone. We spend more time on the river than anybody else. We're in love with the river and want to keep it safe."

Hilsinger said he prays for the recovery of the victims in the accident and wants the hit-skip driver -- whoever it is -- brought to justice.

If the driver knew he'd hit something, it is "100 percent inexcusable," he said. "There's an unwritten law among boaters that you don't leave a boat in distress. To leave somebody out there, perhaps to die, is appalling.

"I doubt that anyone is more outraged over this than the high-performance boat people. This individual is not one of us. If some maniac is a threat, I don't want him here. I hope he is never on this river again."

Hilsinger, 30, of Bridgetown, a graduate of Oak Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati, where he majored in marketing, is trying to forge his marketing skills and love for high-performance boats into a career.

After working the past six years in landscaping and real estate, he recently founded a company, Hilsinger Motorsports, and hopes to field boat and car racing teams that promote the products of sponsors. He won a boat race in New Richmond, Ohio, about three weeks ago.

Hilsinger said he's been around boats all his life and six years ago began driving high-performance boats. He bought a used 1998 Baja Outlaw for $40,000.

The model, which sold for $58,000 new in 1998, is a smaller version of the 40-footer suspected in the hit-skip accident.

Police have not speculated on the cause, but Hilsinger said he's heard people blame the crash on high speed. He doubts that was the cause.

"I don't think the problem was high speed. Probably 80 percent of all boats on the river can go 40 or 45 miles per hour.

"People not familiar with high-performance boats equate their high speed with danger, but these boats are built to be safe at high speeds and in rough water."

Hilsinger said his two biggest safety concerns are poorly lit barges at night and inexperienced or intoxicated drivers.

He said in the six years he has been involved in high-performance boating he knows of no accidents on the Ohio River caused by a high-performance boat.

"On the contrary," he said, "there are dozens of accidents each season on the river by smaller, quieter, slower, less flashy boats.

"High-performance boaters are the safest, most experienced operators on our waterways and we take great pride in our record.''


Good Work Allan, see you later at PIP.

Birdog,
He used to have a 24 ft Baja, blue and white, that ran in the high 90s. He sold it and picked up what I think is a 360 or 380. He stops by my camp every once in a while and uses my dock for a over nighter. Last I heard he is a undercover DEA guy... But he does not talk about it much. Do you know Jay Ratcliff (28 ft Warlock), Gary Reed (Team Douglas, Skater), Dwayne Forder? (29 ft Scarab)

Brian

I saw that 24 Baja this spring at an Int. shop....90+...NO Hyd. steering !!!!! Scared me just looking at it !!!!:eek:
Whoever owns that boat has let it go to hell......Nasty dirty..rigging laying loose.......Bad shape !!
Is your camp above the dam ? I hang out at at plce just above New richmond

Evidence revealed in boat probe

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The "cigarette-style" power boat at the center of the investigation into a bloody hit-and-run crash on the Ohio River June 27 shows signs of what might be blood on its bow and "damage consistent with it striking another boat," according to a report released Tuesday by the Campbell County Commonwealth Attorney's office.
One of the boat's propellers also shows signs of "fresh paint and fibers," the

Two "suspected blood swabs" are among the 34 pieces of evidence that investigators collected and sent to the Kentucky State Police's central forensics lab in Frankfort for testing. The evidence was collected with a search warrant obtained on the basis of a preliminary affidavit filed July 1 in Campbell County District Court by Bruce Collins, a detective for the prosecutor's office.

Other evidence includes hair, fiber and paint samples, and damaged portions of the boat's engine, steering wheel, propellers and hull.

Steve Dowell, a Newport attorney for the boat's owner, Glenn C. Colann, said that finding hair and fibers on the boat doesn't indicate anything.

"There's going to be hair and fiber materials found all over any boat," he said.

And he said the suspected blood swabs are also meaningless at this point, "because they're suspected blood."

Michelle Snodgrass, a spokeswoman for the Commonwealth Attorney's office, said the lab could take six to eight months before returning results on the tests, but "we're hoping they'll make this case a priority" and expedite the test results.

She said she couldn't say whether having the evidence in hand was sufficient for filing charges against Colann, but she did say that the investigation was going well and "we're satisfied so far with the results."

The $187,000 boat -- named "Snap Decision" -- is a 40-foot Baja "Forty Outlaw" with dual 502 engines, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources records.

Colann has hired his own team of experts to conduct a parallel investigation of the boat.

Dowell, who with Jim Morgan is representing Colann, said they have been working to get permission for their experts to inspect the boat that was hit in the accident.

Seven people were on that craft, a 21-foot open-bow pleasure boat. Six were injured.

Dowell said that prosecutors do not have sufficient evidence to move forward with their case.

"There is certainly not evidence for probable cause to issue an arrest warrant" against Colann, Dowell said.

"The damage to the underside of Mr. Colann's boat does not indicate, to the untrained eye, that it was involved in a crash of the magnitude that occurred that night." Collins stated in the affidavit that an unnamed passenger on Snap Decision the night of the incident told him "this boat struck an unknown object during the evening hours" of June 27 on the Ohio River, and Colann then took the boat out of the water at Moscow, Ohio and returned with it to Columbus.

But Moscow Mayor Tim Suter has said he saw someone pulling Snap Decision out of the water at a small Moscow boat ramp the next day between 1 and 1:30 p.m. The affidavit states that investigators have identified Colann's boat as the one witnessed at the ramp in Moscow.

Dowell said that Colann has been a responsible boater since he was 14, and could not have been involved in the accident.

"Mr. Colann did not flee, as everybody is saying he did, he did not flee to Columbus," Dowell said.




Publication Date: 07-09-2003

Birdog,
Yes I agree on the 24 ft baja, he sold it cheap for what it is. It has had outdrive problems ever since it was sold. It used to be a really nice boat, the bigger baja 380, runs 70 +. It is a little rough around the edges also. We camp in Utopia, we also have friends in Chilo with a ramp and another dock. Gary Reed's (Soutside Service station, Bethel) place is just above the Dam, his dock sucks because the barges come so close, I don't think anyone leaves their boat in over night for that reason. Where is the best place to put in below the dam or is locking through no big deal?

Brian

For those of you who don't know the area....NOBODY uses Moscow boat ramp to launch anything bigger than a bass boat.
By pulling out there a person would be able to get to Columbus using nothing but back roads....Avoiding the Interstates & Cin. with lots of cops.............

Brian......I will PM you.....don't want to muddy up this thread..It is to important to all of us........

The very fact that this guy already has a lawyer and an "investigative" team - give me a f'in break. He's guilty as hell - just smart enough to know he's in deep sh@t and has his lawyer buying him a bit more time as a free man. I personally love the comment about how blood and fibers are on every boat - sure - every boat that's been involved in a bloody hit and run. This guy should go away for good. Accidents can happen and do unfortunately - but you don't leave seriously injured people to cover your own incompetant ass.

formulafastech,

Kentucky is doing the investigation. Not that it matters. You're right.

I just now have read this thread. First let me say thank god that nobody was killed. I like everybody else was enraged by the inaccurate information in the press. The local papers called the boat store and began to ask questions about a 50 ft "cigarette" and who would own such a thing. When I read the articles, I was even madder. I was misquoted and they turned it around to suit the slant that they wanted to portray. I took it upon myself to try to get the correct information about performance boats to the TV media and Channel 5 went for it. I think that it went pretty good and at least the reporter got what I was trying to say right. I am sorry I even talked to the papers.

No I did not rent the girls, but I am engaged to one of them and the other is her littlt sister.( 16 years old )

Allan, Good job in getting it right.

Did'nt know you were on here F dealer............You did a Very good job on the TV............

FtnDlr,

I saw the part on Ch.5, you did a great job portraying the way powerboat customers care for their boats and the River.

Great Job!

Allan4,

Dito on Ch. 12. Nice work, see you all at the Poker Run next weekend.

........OR......you could live in Batavia and still share the only bathroom in the trailer with your grandma and uncle and have a dog named Walt live in the schoolbus parked in your side yard.

You know you live in Batavia when everything you eat is found on your property...

:D :D :D

This oughtta be good.......then what the hell is Norwood?? :D :D

Ftndlr...I think I owe you a bit of an apology. I went at you a little hard and should have thought things out a little better.

I thought your TV deal was really good, hope you all feel the same aobut mine.

Sorry man, I'll calm it down a bit in the future, I just could not beleive what I was reading!!

Thanks, see you in St Clair.

Allan:)

FtnDlr-
The quotes that originally came out from you were likely taken out of context, and I commented back in my disappointment.
Your follow-up quotes sound more like a person that has the same love of "performance boats" - (not just "cigarette boats" ) - as everyone else on this board.
Maybe the second interview didn't take only the "High Drama - News Media" slant and actually printed the point you were trying to make.
If anything I posted is offending, I apologize - in front of the OSO gods and all members.
I apreciated the way you emphasized (or at least the media actually allowed you to emphasize) the importance of the water and the care that most High performance boaters have.
Again, if your original qoutes were taken out of context, please take my original reply as out of context as well.

Bouy

FtnDlr
I will also say that I apologize if the quotes were taken out of context. It was enraging to here what they were saying in the paper on the radio and the TV. I think that you can understand how frustrating it was to here all of this going on. I did not want to be portrayed as a rich snobby ahole who blows hundreds of thousands on boats and whatever else. We all work hard for what we have and appreciate it a ton.
Todd

You are correct Allan !!!! Please don't come out here in the boonies !!! all this fresh air & wide open space is to scary !!!
PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!! All of you.......STAY OVER THERE !!!!!!!!!!!!::D

Okay....Okay.....Ya talked me into it....I'll stay over here....heHeHe....;)

What are you doing this weekend, call me.

Allan:)

Allan the only reason you know where Norwood is is because of wild oats! ;)

Like you say, I'm a business man", and Norwood real estate has doubled in the value the past ten years! Where else are you going to get that kind of return??:)

Bradenton-Sarasota Fl:D

Well, let's see....one option would be Bradenton or Sarasota FLA.......:D :D

Wow...I just read the whole thread. Couple -o- you boyz owe Micheal a few beers. I still don't understand why the locals wouldn't have anticipated the media turning the spin. Cincinnati has the worst local reporting in a major metropolitan area I have ever seen.

Well enough of that...group hug?

How many are doing the poker run?

Oh yeah the EASTSIDE ROCKS!

You Tell em Dano !!!! EAST SIDE !!
Property values double ?? = Clermont County !!

Lost your # Allan {yea,yea..I know}...Call me 678-5224
Need to do something !!!

I hate to do it but I have do jump in on ALLAN4's side here. ITTFLI what side of Vine did you grow up on??? West side is the best side.!!!!!!!! What have I been missing on the river?? Call me sometime and tell me what boating is like, I am starting to forget.

Having seen the photo's of that boat we painted it about 1yr or so ago, when we went inside to de-rig it we found 7 full bottles of Jack hidden under the seats and in the upper valences...........

Rhu Rhoo.............The plot thickens...............

CFD12............Where have you been ???? Thought we lost you !!!
Sun. River {Log Dodging} Allan & I have room.......{Even for a WEST Sider :D }

I tried to run Friday the water was way to high with some serious debris. Went down today even higher...Man this season is starting to really bite...

Yup Dano...I was out more by June 1st last year than I have been all this year.....starting to get annoying, no doubt.

CFD12...I tried to call you on 2 different numbers yesterday and they both were the wrong #'s!! I left a message for CFD5 and told him to call me.

Dog....HeHeHe...:D :D :D

Geo....you guys do killer work. I have seen an number of your boats (the blue 36 or 40 Outlaw is absolutely amazing) and they are all outstanding. If I ever need to have a custom paint work, you guys are getting aphone call. By the way....Interesting news you add....to say the least......hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Later....:)

Thanks for the compliment we will be posting some pics of a new 42 MTI race boat we are painting now, pity not to many people saw Ettore's new 42 fountain before it delaminated in Savannah, Oh well Reggie's paying for us to re-paint it.

Same thing here !!!! Another weekend gone !!!!
If you lived here Too old.......You would'nt have missed any boating !!

Any News?
 

Waiting for the Cinci.. guys to check in.

Wanabe

Last I heard all of the victims had been released. I read the paper every day and nothing new as far as news. Pretty hard to get any info about it recently. I guess it is "old news". I will get ahold of the news people and see what the latest is. Give me a day or 2. Anyone else have any info??? I'd like to know myslef how things are going on both sides.....

Thanks

Allan

Re: Crash on Ohio river / Dayton KY
 

Just reading through the old threads, anyone still out there that know what happenned in this investigation. Alot of interesting info hear but would love to know the outcome. Did this guy get off OR GET HIS???

Re: Crash on Ohio river / Dayton KY
 

The guy got 10 years in prison. Try to get out on shock probation but the judge and County Prosecutor fought him tooth and nail. The driver of the boat told a different story of the accident at his hearing. He finally came clean to see if they would let him out on shock probation but the judge didn't buy his story so he is still in the pen. This was just 4 weeks ago and it was in the paper.

Re: Crash on Ohio river / Dayton KY
 

The boat was on ebay not too long ago.

Re: Crash on Ohio river / Dayton KY
 

http://wcpo.com/news/2004/local/08/04/colann.html

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/200...atcrash29.html

http://www.kypost.com/2005/03/19/kycolann031905.html

Re: Crash on Ohio river / Dayton KY
 

Well, as little time that he did get atleast he has plenty of time to think about his actions. He must of really had a few to drink that nite to think that 20 foot boat in front of him was a log!?!?!?!? Although as said previously with the exception of the drives you would have thought to see more damage on the hull! It took awhile but glad to see that they got there man.