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Winter has set in and there's not much boating friendly activities, other than Challenger rebuilds and storytelling, so I thought I'd ask everyone their story.

Many years ago, growing up on Buckhorn lake, I had a few boats, but wasn't allowed to have anything performance oriented. I remember all the Hydrostreams and Chargers out on the lake, and my brothers and I would yell out our guesses when we heard a thru hull exhaust running up the lake (senza!!!phazar!!!!). I had friends with 'streams, chargers and Bajas, my fastest boat was an 18' Cadorette bowrider with a 4.3 4 barrel, 43mph top end. I couldn't keep up so I usually just rode with them. When I was 18 I moved away, bought a house, got married and had a family. When the time came I could get a toy for myself, my wife wasn't a fan of boats, so I bought a 1980 Corvette. I spent years fixing it up, suspension, interior, put in a 383 stroker and a 700r4 trans, loved the car. Years go by, wives become exes, and in the spring of '09 on the first run of the year it burned to the ground. I spent every spare second looking at cars, nothing interested me. Then I turned to bikes, sleds, nothing. Then I found a 26 foot Baja with twin GT 200s on it, and I wanted a boat. The Baja was too rotten for the price, kept looking at performance cuddies, couldn't find anything I liked. Then I had a bit of a flasback of a night at my Mom's place. Tom Jansen was over in his Charger with a Merc V6 on it. At 3 in the morning he decided it was time to go, he asked me to push him off and he'd fire it up out on the lake, so as not to piss off the neighbours. About 300 feet out he said "Ok, apologize to your neighbours for me!" And when he fired it up it felt like someone was beating me in the chest with a baseball bat. I was in love lol....

So I decided I needed a speed boat with a badass V6 on it. I spent the rest of the summer looking, then saw an E-mail one day titled your new boat. It looked beautiful, 1988 Hydrostream Vision with a 200 efi on it, clean as the day it was built. I was sold right away, and although it's not perfect, I've enjoyed it every minute, just like I did the 'Vette. I can't wait for next season!

So let's hear some stories, what got you here???

Horseshoe lake in the late 80's through early 90's.... Our parents 16' scorpion and our cousin's 21 Challenger!

first boat was a seaflea with a 9.9 Suzuki that sank violently one day on the big waters of Georgian bay i was about 8.... but not really a fast boat.. my first real ride in a fast boat was with Ricky when i was 10 in 1998 on my dad 50th birthday... we ripped down the long sue channel.... and it was the high light of my life..



then in 2004 My uncle mark bought his Vector back and we sat in it every saturday night listening to music because the motor wasnt ready for operation....

Got into it too meet chix ... of course

Ditto for me.

Then when Mitchie got his "last boat he would ever need" Baja 170 and went for a ride everything came flooding back. I immediately went on the hunt for my own boat.

Always had them as a kid and never looked back. 2 - Glastons, Kona, Sidewinder, 2 - Chargers and now the Triad.

I have to say that although I was very enthusiastic as a kid (had Sleekcraft pics on my wall and all the Mercury Swag I could find. And 100s of lbs of Hot Boat Magazines) I've learned the most about the sport in the last 3 years since I've been hanging out with all you folks.

Thank you to you all

Now i know enough to be dangerous. Still no expert by any stretch, but "some" people actually ask me for advice now.

Pfffft - what are they thinking?

LOL

I grew up watching a bue metalflake HST with a 225 Yamaha rip up and down my channel. I have no idea why but I was in love.
My family was never really all that appreciative of the fast boat thing but thanks to my wonderful dad I ended up with plans to build a Glen L hydroplane when I turned 12yrs old. We had a blast building it and I still have it strung up in the garage.
The next big step came when I met guys like Ted Biglow, Anthony SS, Sean G ect.
They got me involved in the PBCC and the rest was history.
My folks still aren't crazy about it lol

I was born into this...my dad was in the business and we always had a ski/performance boat. The first that I remember was a Chrysler Conquerer with a 140 Chrysler Charger, then a Disco Flake green J craft with a 140 Johnny then a 150 Johnny...then we got what my Mom refered to as "the limp dick"...a Hydrostream Viking.

I started my own fleet at the tender age of 3...with a seaflea that was dug out of the forest at my uncles cottage with a 3.5 erude...you can see the nose of the conquerer in this pic lol


The next boat worth mentioning was a Glen-L TNT (which is the boat James sank I believe...). My Dad surprised me with this one...I was 11 I think...we spent the summer refinishing it and I burn a quarter of a million gallons of fuel in that 9.9 Suzuki. For those of you that made it to my cottage...I used to run that little boat to town and back to pick up SuperDave. It even had a tape deck lol. The motor even came off in 5mile bay...wave jumping...

After the TNT I had a humber jewel.....worst boat ever.....BUT it lead me to the BIG leagues...

At 14 I was working at the local honda dealer washing new cars....I worked my ass off...and for only one reason...a VooDoo. My Dad was working for Suzuki at the time and they/he had a good connection with Tucker...I bought my then NEW voodoo for about half the price I paid for current voodoo that I had to build lol. Daddy also ahem..helped piece a Suzuki 55 together (which I later made into a 65). This boat hands down kicked ass and I thought pretty highly of myself I'm not gonna lie....



I sold the voodoo to buy my DL...which all of you are sick of hearing about (except for Dubber of course)





Then obviously I bought the SRV...then the Delta...then the playmate...then Big Blue...then the new Voodoo....OK...that's how I got into it...now how do I get OUT????

Nice little history lesson Richard.... Too bad Henry "just wants to dance!"

Sequin outfits are cheaper than cleavers....just ask Hydroid....