throttling
 

Good afternoon, real breifly; I've been an Cheif Engineer in the Merchant Marines now for 12 years and I'm getting board with it. My passion has always been powerboats and while having never had the plesure of owning one I have been around, under, over and through plenty. I want to learn how to throttle a race boat; I mean I know how and have done it on a very small scale, but I want someone to teach me; I'd like to be good at it and feel as though I have the quick wit, reaction time, understanding of trim, ballist, fuel load, sea conditions, etc that are needed as fundimentals. Basically I'd like to race w someone. I'm still relatively young and fit @ 36 so I've got a little time left ahead of me.. Where do I start? I've got some vacation time to use and would be willing to travel on my own dime just about anywhere. I realize this may appear at first glance as off the wall but this is somthing I am very serious about. Any help would be kindly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration. Feel free to pm me with any questions, concerns or otherwise.
-Corey

Welcome Corey,I hope you realize what you may be getting yourself into.This is a disease that should be taken very seriously.Once infected you cannot get rid of it,There is no cure.No drug,no excercise not even psychotherapy will be able to help you.It may go into remission at times but you cannot control the flare-ups.You will feel the need to tell your friends,family and even your grand children about this continuously.It will dwarf all other memories for the rest of you life.I hope you realize what you are getting yourself into!!!!!

Go to a race and introduce yourself to the teams and ask questions. We all love to talk shop.

Rich
Joker Powerboats 611
OPA

Thanks SB and Heater, thanks for the words of wisdom! Being involved really is my dream! I'm ready to do this; I've got a valid passport, speak spanish, have been all over the world and don't have any problem picking up and going...

CW,

That is what I am going through the same thing. I start getting involved with offshore boat racing in 2006 and decided that I want to become first Deaf Driver to win race, win national and world championship. Yes, I am deaf. I stopped by many teams and talked about boat racing. Today, I am with JD BYRIDER Racing owned by Tony M. I usually hang out at that site alot. Never know if Tony needs a backup driver, who knows? Maybe, Maybe not. I learned soooo much from him for last 3 years ( gonig on 4 this July!) Wish you good luck with your searching.

Whatever happens at racing, stay at racing!

Chris

driver of donzi that is awesome that you drive that boat. iwould love to get involved even if it is washing. mechanic or something in the pits to help out a team. my boat is only 21ft so to small to race and i have have of my insides removed due to colitis,colon cancer,chrons, adhesions etc. god bless ya keep up the good work

I have not driven a raceboat just yet.....Just still needing to learn more before stepping into the raceboat and see how it feels when on high speed. I currently own F-14 Sea Rayder with 120 hp jet engine, can push up to 50 mph, even on rough waves. these are tooo easy for me. I am looking for more fun and competition.

Chris

All kidding aside Chinewalker,call Chris Reindl of Reindl powerboats and race a bat boat.Thats how I got infected

Yes yes....That's it...I was trying to remember the name of boat racing.....He's right..contact Chris Reindl!

Chris

I love the attitude! You are on the right path with your desires. I dont want to sugar coat it. Racing takes 2 thing's, money or dedication and mechanical ability.
A true story: Aprox 12 years ago I wanted to race boats in the worst way. In NJ the point race is big and just being there with the teams watching was big to me. I was just like you all saying how do I get involved with a team. I went to a race awards banquet and met several teams. I told every team that if they ever needed a crew guy Im there guy. I begged a team with a owner named John Wooley from Lightening Jacks that Im his guy if he needs a crew guy or test piolet. At that time he just got a race boat from Donzi called "Dam Donzi". One day before a race I called and asked if I could help him at a point Pleasant race and he said yes come down and you can change my oil. Let me tellyou I was the happyist guy a live to be able to change the oil on a race boat. At the race site he let me drive his other boat from the crane to Jack Bakers. I thought I was on seventh heaven just being able to park the race boat. That same year I got the call from John on my family vacation to see if I was available to drive the boat in a real race. I asked my wife if I could leave the vacation to do my dream and she said ok. I was willing to leave my vacation and my wife was as well. I was amped and ready to leave and found out at the last min. I was replaced.
This is my 13th season racing now and I always remember the path it took to be here. I had no money but I had a desire to race boats. I FOUND A WAY to make it happen!!!
Team owners know who is willing to sacrifice what it takes to be a racer. If you have no money you better bring something to the table. Sorry for rehashing my adventure if its not for you. Same story for every racer I know. Notice I said racer. There is a difference between racer and someone who just has money and want's to be recognized as a racer. Man up and go after your dream. Call Henderson for details.
MD

Great post Randy!

That's a touching story!:kiss:

Good afternoon, wow, all of you have impressed me with your honesty and heartfelt responces; I really wasn't sure how I was going to be recieved. I appreciate the pasion in your answeres and I can feel the excitement in your reflection.

DriverofDonzi, I'm feelin you, when something is your pasion, you take every last little bit if measureable information and absorbe it like a golden sponge.. It makes me happy to hear your doing what makes you happy. Who is this Chris Reindl? Henderson?

Joker, thank you. I hoped to convey my dedication/enthusiasm, and desire in the OP. I'm confident with my mechanical abilities, I wouldn't be where I am today w/out them. That being said, I feel I could be an asset to a team, Im definitely humbled too; washing a boat isn't beneth me. I don't want to sound like a grean horn because I'm defenatly not (fished in alaska for 2 years) but I'd be as happy as a crab in sand just being involved... Sounds like I might have to change my geographic location to be closer to the frenzy..South Fla, or Long Island; hhhmmm?

I have no dilusions of grandure, I'm not jaded with the illusion that there is any money there for a guy like me; I've made some good money in my profession and thats not what I'm looking for. Not that I have a ton to show for it.. I've gone too long doing what really isn't making me happy about waking up and getting out of bed.. There really isn't any other thing I'd rather be doing than racing/maintaining/ working on race boats. To put it in perspective these are a few key boat addicted junky things I've done over the years;
I've googled just about all key phrases to find racing online, I downloaded all the historic pics off of HORBA/OSO for my rotating screen saver, Big Seas Productions are pretty much my favorite movies of all time.. I've watched the youtube of Bob Saccenti throtteling more times than I care to share.... I have framed Mag adds for classic Apache, Cig, Donzi, etc...Subd to powerboat mag for years..I'm a t-shirt collecter.. I had a Mistress ad blown up poster size and framed for over the head board of my bed, and I fall asleep reading SeaRace every night... And... I'm goin out on a limb here but the 38' flat deck Cig has got to be by far my all time favoriet, well except for a 47 Apache... I hope those are good prerequsites for dedication or at least addiction..
Joker, I'm right there with you, changing the oil and even "parking!!" the boat would be an overwhelming delight! So I too apologise for being long winded, I really could talk shop for a while..

Too all those who have responded if not formally thanked, I appreciate your help and at very least your kindness and generosity..

How old are you and where do you live?

I'm 36 and I live on the Island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands; originally from Maine, moved down here two years ago to take my current position with Hess. I was actually pondering moving back to Maine this spring and taking steps to do so, I've been looking at port engineer positions and shipboard positions for a couple months now but I havent seen anything that really appeals to me. I wouldn't mind getting back to NYC, I was there with K-Sea transportation as Cheif for 5 years and it treated me well, got a ton of friends there...
Skies the limmt though, I was thinking about south Fla., Crowley owns Titan Salvage and they have a main office in Pompano Beach; I've been looking at them.

Any time you would like to attend an OPA/Jersey Boyz event let us know and I'm sure any of the other racing associations would welcome you. It's Free and it's exciting. We all have a bunch of NUTZ that would sit down with you and talk about racing, driving, throttling or anything else. Soooooo, must be nice to live where it's warm in December? Welcome, Augie

Chris Reindl is the owner of 2 or 3 different Bat boats. Very common for anyone to rent bat boat from him for the race. When a person want to try offshore boat racing, they tend to rent a bat boat to see how it feels like at high speed. That's how Randy and many others got addicted with boat racing.

Chris

Pm me and I will give you Chris's # if you want it

Augie, thanks for the hospitality and invite; I just might have to take you up on that, makes me psyched just to ponder it. Not to mention I feel riiiight at home in NJ both my parents are from there, Dads from the Jersey Shore and Moms from Edison. We took a couple trips a year when I was younger to visite Grandma in Whiting... In recallection the most important aspect of the trip was racing gokarts in Atlantic City.. I remember looking from left to right all the way from Grandma's house to the shore; drooling over all the boats on the side of the road!
Anyway I'd be all over takin a trip to meet you guys; classes 2-5 look like some real sweet racing. Just out of curiosity does Sacred Ground clean up on big water days in class 4?

If you visit I live in Edison NJ
Randy

Nice Randy! The one thing I can remember about Edison is strangly enough, the air in the morning, it's that urban exhaust sub industrial close to the city type fume... To this day I remember that smell.. Makes me think of jumpin my BMX off dirveway curbs...Random.... And... the edge of my seat ride into the city for the annual F A O schwartz visit; one very special time I remember eating lunch in a resturant that had open wheel race cars hanging from the overhead and we sat in a car while we ate... I think I should plan my vacation for the Atlantic City opening round June 3rd-5th.....

Typhoon thats a great story. thanks for sharing it on how you got started. good luck in 2011 and stay safe

sounds like fun,

I met "Typhoon" a couple of years ago at the Lake of the Ozarks OSS race. Just walked up as he was tying up to the dock. He took the time to visit with us, show us the boat in detail, and answer all of our questions. Top notch kind of guy in my book.

Seeing Typhoon was one of the reasons that I bought, and am in the process of finishing up a complete repaint/repower of a 2000 BatBoat.

I have no plans to race, but will be at the Shootout this fall at LOTO!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3495226...7626326435654/

I have loads of great storys about my racing times and the people we meet. To me its about having a good time and meeting new people. I love the look of putting people in my boat in the pits and talking to them. Maybe just maybe they will get infected with the same bug that has brought me so much pleasue. Thankyou for going to the races. The cockpit hatch is always open to any kids that want to climb in or good looking moms.:eek:
MD

WHAT EVERY/??? lets go talkers///// :coolcowboy:

59 days. bring the wavings big water guys //;// see u in ac ***s lets go111

As a follow up, thank you everyone who replyed with positive feedback/ reinforcemnet! I appreciate all the kind words of wisdom. I'm working on getting up to AC for the first round!

Check Spirit Air and ATA. THose are the only two airlines that fly into ACY.

Randy, you must have been sober to remember those stories. :) I bet the Point Pleasant race is the cause for almost half of us getting involved with this sport.


http://www.lucidideefastboats.com/im...at_Point-1.wmv Here's a nice Tribute to Point Pleasant.

Ron arent you up past your bed time? You posted that at 7:59 PM. :lolhit:
MD

Thanks for the tip Ron!

Well, great work! You have helped me to improve my knowledge about this field. Thank you so much for sharing.


__________________
watch online movies

I'm happy to let you know I'll be in AC for the race weekend, real PITA to deal w Spirit though:argue:... I'm stoaked to meet some people, talk boats and learn as much as I can. Thanks again to everybody who had some input in this thread! P.S. I know it's awfully late but does anybody have a suggestion on a place to stay even way off the strip thats not totally booked?

The Comfort Inn on Rt. 30 is close to the pits(3-4 miles), and half the price of Trump Marina.

Thanks, I appreciate it!:coolcowboy:

Corey, you may not go home the same person who came to Jersey...but that could be a good thing. Just ask those Michigan Mafia guy's!

Warning The sport of offshore racing can;
 

**become real addictive
**turn you into a stalker (I just showed up at every race)
**make you famous (Ron P videos)
**take you to unique places (Ocean City & St. Clair, AC, OB Alabama)
**make you think your real family are your friends and your offshore friends are really your family
**make an honest man a liar (taking off work to attend a wedding or funeral knowing damn well your going to a boat race)
**put you in the photo eye of professional and craft mastered photograhers(Sharkey Images Tim, Imax Bruce and Freeze Frame Jeff)
**infect you with an overwhelming and incurable comraderie
**meet famous people (we have a God Father an Elvis, a Boomer Bieber, a Jimmy Winters and Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand and Travis Lofland of the deadliest catch)
**hear some great stories (half are lies the other half is totaly untrue)
**put you in hands on proximity of thousand and thousands of dollars worth of machinery that's fine tuned and well painted
** enhance your grammar(learning terms like stuck on stupid and rat bastid just to name a few)
** get you indulged in sponsor gifts (OPTIMA Batteries, Geico Bags & Bing energy drinks, posters, photos, and various T-Shirts)
** enhance family values (husband/wife, brother/brother, and father and son racing teams)
** enhance your international relations (teams from QATAR as well as Norway, Canada)
** put you within an earshot of some Michigan Mafia vs. Jersey Boyz banter(keep ya kids away this aint no Disney Channel $h!t)
** give you the chance to see marine vessels powered by Helicopter Turbines (Go Miss GEICO 113)
** see some good old fashion racing (some guy name Smitty chasing some guy name Louie, then that same guy Louie chasing that same fella Smitty)
** put you up close and personal with some of the most knowledgeable people in the offshore racing industy with thousands of hours of wheel and throttle experience anywhere. People who I greatly admire and proudly call FRIENDS(to sum it up "the CRAZIEST bunch of F@!king NUTZ that you can fit on any shoreline up and down the eastern seaboard")

And those are just our Bad Points ! And Then we have Big Bad Steve (The Cop From Miami) who watches over all of us.

:party-smiley-048:I'LL heed your words!! I'm totally demented anyways seeing as how my favorite sound is unmuffled Big Block I'm a partial addict anyways...

Anybody have anything good to say about Atlantic Palace Suites? I'm willing to pay up to say $700 for the five nights I'll be there in order to be close to the Trump and the action, festivites, ladies, drinks,..........

Chine, I don't know if you know... but the Atlantic City Race has been post-poned until Sept.