Once upon a time, Jeff Johnston, Jason Johnson and I worked for Powerboat magazine. Johnston was an advertising salesman—a damn good one—and Johnson and I were editors/writers. For about three weeks out of the year, the three of us became part of the Powerboat test team. Johnston drove boats for photos, assisted his customers and helped photographer Tom Newby at the docks. Johnson and I handled inspections and rode with either Bob Teague or John Tomlinson—our well-known test drivers—to help gather the data we would forge into Performance Reports.

In 2007, a DCB Performance Boats F32 catamaran dazzled the Powerboat magazine test team. Thanks to a makeover this year, the 32-footer is now better than new. Photo courtesy/copyright DCB Performance Boats.

Powerboat stopped publishing in 2011 (much to the dismay of Teague, a longtime Powerboat associate), and by then Johnston had moved on to Hering Propellers and eventually DCB Performance Boats, where he would become part owner of the vaunted El Cajon, Calif.-based custom high-performance catamaran builder. Johnson and I started speedonthewater.com, among the by-products of which is this bi-monthly digital magazine, which includes a rotating column from Teague and Tomlinson.

We’ve managed to stay close during the years. Maybe the death of Powerboat magazine photographer Tom Newby in 2007 galvanized and bonded us forever. Or maybe it was the long hours we spent together on the road during our annual Performance Trials at various sites around the country. Whatever created it, our lasting brotherhood was formed during our years working and playing hard at Powerboat.