Speed On The Water

Without question, the catamarans and V-bottoms running at “ludicrous speeds”—OK, I confess, I saw and actually liked “Spaceballs”—are the highlight of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, set this year for August 23-29. Next up in terms of sights to see is the fleet lining the course. For more than a mile, you could walk from spectator boat to spectator boat without dipping a toe in the water, and maybe even get a cold one or two along the way.

But according to Ron Duggan, the principal organize of the event, there are a whole bunch of new things to keep you busy before speed the runs on Saturday and Sunday. They include:

•Monday: Personal watercraft run to the dam.

•Tuesday: The Great Shootout Treasure Hunt, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Captain Ron’s.

•Wednesday: The Mini-Shootout at Captain Ron’s from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. with radio-controlled boats. Designated boat drivers probably aren’t required.

•Wednesday: Shootout on the Strip Street Party on Bagnell Dam Strip, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

•Thursday: Make A Wish Foundation Powerboat Rides 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., departing from and returning to Captain Ron's

•Thursday: Low-Profile Celebrity Volleyball Tournament, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Captain Ron's

•Friday: Fireworks Display, 9:30 p.m., at Captain Ron's.

If memory serves—and I have to admit it does less and less these days—the first “SkaterFest” happened and was spearheaded by Rich Luhrs, a true Skater catamaran aficionado. No stranger to the high-performance boat business—Luhrs built the successful Shadow Cat line for several years—Luhrs owns a 24-foot-long Skater, the classic model that for all intents and purposes put Skater founder Peter Hledin’s vaunted line on the map.

What started small has become something big. When SkaterFest kicks off Friday, August 29, as a compelling sideline to the The Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, more than 30 Skater catamarans—and their owners—will be on display from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Camden on the Lake Resort. What’s more, there will be guest “seminars” from Hledin, Mike D’Annaballe of Sterling Performance, Bob Teague of Teague Custom Marine, Team Geico rigger Gary Stray and many others.

Hundreds of spectators are expected.

Coverage of the event will appear in Powerboat magazine, as well as on Boatermouth.com/speedonthewater.com. (You’ll find the links to those sites exclusively on offshoreonly.com when the stories appear.) I know because I am covering the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout for Powerboat and both web sites, and SkaterFest is one of the events I’m really looking forward to.

Blazing-fast catamarans from Marine Technology, Inc., are something of a tradition at the speed runs for Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, which will happen this year August 29-30. Plus, as MTI is based in Wentzville, Mo., a couple of hours from the lake, they—like company principal Randy Scism—tend to be hometown favorites.

The bad—or at least not-so-good—new this year? Neither of Bob Bull’s new and much-anticipated 48-foot-long MTIs are likely to make it. Both are waiting on engines—1,700-hp Sterlings for Bull’s racing catamaran and Mercury Racing 1,350-hp mills for his pleasure cat.

“To be honest, it doesn’t look like we’ll have the power for either boat in time,” said Scism. “We knew the 1350s would be a push, but we thought we might have the 1700s. We may be sitting on the beach.”

The good news? Gino Gargiulo is bringing Mercedes, his 44-foot-long MTI powered by twin 1,550-hp Sterling engines and throttled by Larry Goldman. Of course, he’ll be going head to head, at least in spirit, with arch rival Bill Pyburn in his 388 Skater, Pure Platinum.

“We’re headed up there for sure, but we have no clue about how we’ll run,” said Gargiulo during a telephone interview this afternoon. “We had a problem last year—one motor kept shutting off, so we’re pretty much in the same boat as far as knowing what to expect. But it should be a great weekend."

Caught up with Bill Pyburn via email a few days ago. Well-known to poker-run enthusiasts around the country for his ongoing top-speed battle with Gino Gargiulo, who owns and drives the 44-foot-long Marine Technology, Inc., Mercedes, catamaran, Pyburn said that he will defend his Class 4 title at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, August 28-29 in Missouri.

Pyburn’s 388 Skater catamaran, Pure Platinum, is powered by twin 1,350-hp Chief engines.

“It should run in the mid-175-mph range,” Pyburn said.

Yet another aquatic rocket to look forward at this year’s Shootout.