Paul Fiore, the founder of Hustler Powerboats in New York, which kicked off the stepped V-bottom hull revolution that swept through the high-performance marine industry in the 1980s, died this morning after a four-week battle with an undisclosed illness. He was 76 years old.
Paul Fiore (with his wife, Diane) was one of the most influential boat builders of his era and the father of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats founder Mike Fiore (click to enlarge). Photo courtesy/copyright Halsey Fulton.
Fiore was the father of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats founder Mike Fiore, who died following an accident in the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Central Missouri.
“We are hanging in there,” said Dan Kleitz, the sales manager for Bristol, R.I.-based Outerlimits, which builds high-performance V-bottoms and catamarans. “We are at work—we have a lot of work to do. It’s just a really bad, really sad deal.”
Though Fiore often describe himself as “retired” from the boatbuilding world, he regularly consulted with the Outerlimits crews.
“We could call him anytime if we had a question, and he stopped by the shop every week,” Kleitz said.
Check out the slideshow above for more images of the legendary Paul Fiore.
Fiore is survived by his wife, Diane, and daughter, Donna, who works at Outerlimits; his former wife; Joyce, the mother of Mike and Donna; and grandchildren Nicole, Sophia, Jet and Moxie.
A celebration of life event will be held in his honor, and a date will be announced later this week.
Related story: Inside SOTW Mag: Family Reserve—Outerlimits Factory Fun Run
and then