No matter how hard the high-performance industry works to bring new blood into the marketplace, the next generation of go-fast boat lovers will come from the current generation of performance-boat owners. That’s just the way it is. If you grow up around boats, especially if you’re lucky enough to live near the water, you’re more likely to fall in love with boats and being on the water than if you’re coming to the experience with no prior exposure.

Meet the new boss—Daniel David Johnson, the young heir apparent to the River Dave’s Place kingdom. (Click image to enlarge for the full frame.)

No one knows this better than Dave Johnson, the founder of River Dave’s Place, the most popular online community west of the Mississippi and one of the most popular in the nation. That’s why he’s starting his two-year-old son, Daniel David Johnson, named for the late Daniel Donahue of Donahue Custom Marine, as early as possible.

Based in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Johnson and his wife, Stacy, captured this image of their lad “driving” their 2003 21-foot Schiada sportboat on the Colorado River. According to Stacy, their son has “been driving on dad’s lap since last season.”

“I didn’t expect this, but this picture has gone absolutely viral on Facebook in the performance boating community,” Dave Johnson said. “It started on the West Coast, but now it’s made its way to the East Coast.”

We can see why. With Daniel David Johnson at the helm there’s hope for the future.