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Powerplay Boats
Events and Luck!
Back in the late 70’s (after finishing a race with wet feet like up to my knees) encouraged me to take a very hard look at some alternate boat construction techniques and I had enough of the nobody uses or does that! OK I will learn the new systems on my own, now it is early 80’s and I had my system worked out with some material they were using in Europe for boats dropped into the sea from oil rigs and glass from the sailboat guys, Everything was in place except ONE thing, the opportunity and this is coming up. Low and behold I got a call from my old friend Anglo Meli(we worked together for years)that Leonard Codomo needed a 35’ Plug built ,I went to Leonard’s shop for a meeting and was hired, anyway the 35 turned into a 55’(I have pictures coming) finished that up and then started a fill in project a 17’ Flats boat ,this was a game changer in those days flats boats weighed 1200# this one bagged Airex weighed less than half that. And did everything right Poled easy and straight used small power and ran very good. During that boat project Tom Johansson who was the Airex distributor (Torin) sent his man down to check me out, (he had some problems with builders before these Shop related that they blamed of course on his material) This was Bruce Phund a real knowledgeable hands on guy and cool to work with always joking ,he gave a good report on me to Tom and I was in. Now at this same time there was a guy down a few warehouses who once a month backed a wood open class cat in his shop pouring out water through the bottom never gave it much thought! This was Jack Clark( a great guy and a family friend to this day)who was in my place everyday watching and I had fresh coffee and every Charlie Chip cookie imaginable for customers and Jack did not miss the opportunity. We became friends and he wanted a Mold of his Cat with some bottom changes, OK! I got the bay next-door put a door between the shops and had my brothers on it; we made the changes he wanted. And then tooled it. Then we built a bagged Airex Boat next, Tom gave me the material for that 35 and a 46 Jaguar as well. While we were building the 35 Jaguar Powerplay Dan would come by and check out the Cat going together, he was having his boats built in Hollywood in those days. And I was offered a position with him at Powerplay after I finished at Jaguar. This is the Story of my experiences at Powerplay. . |
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That Cougar Cat in 81, I was with Favya in Key west it was rafted up to our 38 Cat, Now race morning had the boat checked out and cleaned for the boss, Idoni was hurt from the lauderdale crash,so Anglo was in his slot on the boat and I was doing Anglos job.
Anyway I heard a Thump Thump Thump behind me and there was Danny with a busted foot in a cast, hopping into his Cat from the Fayva Cat after stamping black shoe prints across 12 feet of polished deck. I took off my shirt and quickly re cleaned the boat before the boss got there if he was going to run with a broke foot, I could wipe up the marks and gave him a thumbs up! |
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I settled in at powerplay ,Tooling was my main job and keeping the Glass operation giving Danny what he wanted, we made a lot of changes. This deck was my first job there and did 11 or 12 1/2 builds before Dan agreed with the profile.
http://i50.tinypic.com/vowrid.jpg |
25 Powerplay cockpit everything had to match the 33 look even the windscreen detail
http://i46.tinypic.com/15hbsb6.jpg |
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Early days,look at the graphics, that is one of the riggers named Hal in this photo then there was Brent and Chickenhead.
http://i49.tinypic.com/e1ff4z.jpg |
Key West 1983 Danny ran hard this made the wide world of sports intro.
http://i47.tinypic.com/m7dt2h.jpg |
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[B]Opps missed one,on That Mold we had a pneumatic control panel with ball valves and a air reservoir tank sequenced in exactly how I wanted the deck released you follow the rules and tooling lasts forever.
http://i50.tinypic.com/11wdlbn.jpg |
A picture from the early days 23 Years and way over 300 boats built.
http://i48.tinypic.com/2vubtyd.jpg |
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Those 33's with triples are the bomb!
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De ja vou !!!!!!! Powerplay Keywest 1984 There was a M-11 Cheetahcat 11 years later on as well
http://i48.tinypic.com/dnlx1e.jpg |
Originally Posted by Knot 4 Me
(Post 3114270)
Those 33's with triples are the bomb!
Danny built a bunch of them and those ran very well. |
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I really like the graphics they used at Powerplay. Who did they use?
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Originally Posted by glassdave
(Post 3114320)
I really like the graphics they used at Powerplay. Who did they use?
Joey Earls he also had Mike Nicholson,Billy Swartz,then Dave Hunter did a lot of the later boats |
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