Story by DinaRella / Photos sourced from NBC-Universal, Wellcraft, Wayne Kolb, imdb, 38scarabkv & MB Mayor’s Office media
Part One
On Monday, September 16, 2024, Miami Vice celebrated its 40-Year Anniversary! Standing in front of the Avalon Hotel at 700 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach Mayor Steve Meiner proclaimed it Miami Vice Day. Prior to the Magic City’s special acknowledgment, a reunion was to be hosted on South Beach with the boats, cars, TV show screenings and much more. Due to egos, attitudes and unprofessional keyboard bickering between organizers, except for a gathering of cast and crew, the event was 86’d just days before. Leaving us last minute with no story, RDP put together our own tribute and will post a short series of stories over the next month.
It’s been said a million times, the premiere season blue and white Stinger 390X and the slew of Scarabs to follow were the unifying force that brought so many to the sport. But how well do you really know the show’s Scarabs? Let’s check out the Stars, as they were literally called!
When Miami Vice writer/director Michael Mann banned earth-tone colors on set, season one plans abruptly changed. A blue and white 390X with dual stock 400-hp Mercruisers replaced the original red Chris-Craft Stinger. Season two premiered September 27, 1985, with another change. The Stinger was gone.
A pastel-painted, Miami Viced-out Larry Smith 38 Scarab similar to the world championship winning KAAMA campaigned by Betty Cook (who developed the KAAMA surface drive with her husband Paul) and John Conner was its replacement. The KAAMA Marine Racing Team featured a 36’ Cigarette, 38’ Cougar and 38’ Formula, and became one of the most triumphant offshore racing teams in history.
The following year, the model sported a fresh KV moniker – the “K’ paid homage to KAAMA and the “V” was for VICE. Statistics taken from the superb 38scarabkv website state, “Over a period of five years, 103 units of the 38 Scarab KV were crafted. From those, 61 were standard versions and 42 were Vice editions. Nine went to Universal Studios, six were for filming and Don Johnson was given one per model year on loan. The remaining 33 were sold to the public.”
For many, the second season when the Scarabs arrived “on scene” topped all others. Its synthesis of style and substance… the mood, the music, and of course, the on-water action sequences, were like nothing we’d ever seen.
Stars and Stripes
During filming, two boats were required to be on location. To avoid confusion on the radios, the crew named them Star 1 and Star 2. Both had narrow cockpit seats; 4 stick race controls dividing transmission and throttles; and were fitted with a radar arch and race hatch engine covers. The pair in the second season had Mercury Cyclone 454/400s and the remainder had 420s or 370s.
For unraveling the differences, as well as the model year changes in 1986, 1987 and 1988, we reached out to Wisconsin trucker Wayne Kolb. The walking, talking MV Wikipedian has been chasing Scarabs and their histories his whole life… and is proud to call the second season’s prized Star 2, his own.
Since first watching it scream across the TV screen, Wayne always said, someday he’d own that exact craft. When finding out it was the only filming boat built with butterfly hatches like his Vice edition, only made him want it more.
Others in his Scarab stable include: the 1987 George Barris 21 Scarab 1 powered by a 350/260 hp and Alpha drive used for Universal Studios Miami Vice stunt show promotions; and two KV hulls, Blown Cover and the former Snap-On (first purchased by Bill Taylor of Poker Runs America, then sold to offshore racers Brian and Wilma Ross whom did away with the Vice colors.) I might add Wayne also holds the keys to a Ferrari Daytona Spider replica.
Crediting Bill Erickson, VP of marketing at Wellcraft, for sharing his infinite knowledge, Wayne says, “I was told the 377 was slated to be discontinued, but when Vice was given the nod and the KV was born, line drawings were sent to the graphic artist in California. Most boats were straight primary colors. It came back with the paint scheme sketched out with colored pencils.”
Elucidating how Star 2 came his way, he continues, “I had been searching for the boat for 15 years. In 2014, Brett, the son of the original owner Bruce Allender happened to send a random message to our 38 Scarab KV registry group, saying his dad purchased the boat from Abbot and Gilmore, the dealership that handled the sales after the filming boats were released.”
“It took a few years of coaxing for him to sell it. The fact I knew the meaning of the No. 2 (confirming it was a filming boat) on the transom sealed the deal! Shortly after I got it back home from Maryland, the Volo Auto Museum invited me to attend a meet-and-greet being hosted with Michael Talbott (detective Stan Switek). I surprised him and showed up with the boat. What a great guy!”
Star Spotting
Explaining the notable variations, Wayne starts with, “Star 1 with the camera platform was used for deck and cockpit shots, and appeared in early Wellcraft advertising like the “Believe It!” ad. It had a KAAMA dry exhaust with switchable noise suppression and a clam shell engine hatch. Cabin door logos differed on each, as did the color fade on the hatches which went from teal to purple (front to back), and in the opposite direction on Star 2.”
Star 2 was the first on-screen Scarab seen in the premiere episode “Prodigal Son, verified by HD Blue-ray showing the stripes and rails when idling through the bay to Gene Simmon’s yacht. It had a full wet exhaust and the butterfly engine hatches had the full-length piano style hinge on both sides with rails between the intakes.
Thanks to the railings, you can pick out which boat was used on a lot of shots. In “Back in the World” you see the intakes and on “Payback,” when drug lord Mario Fuente, played by Frank Zappa, is on the boat, you see the bi-fold wooden doors up against the sideboards and the grab rails. The only exception is when he jumps off the back, that was Star 1.
The original Shakespeare antenna coil and mount were still intact when Wayne got the boat. Only one time during “Junk Love” is the antenna whip ever seen in the coil. He thinks, maybe it was removed for the crew’s safety while working around boat when docked or tied to the camera barge?
Don’s last loaner with the padded hatch also appeared just once in season four episode eight “Like a Hurricane.” Caitlin aka Sheena Easton slid across it when she and Sonny are escaping the assassins in the restaurant. This show was also the only time registration numbers were ever visible.
The first two boats must have already been laid up for the 377 platform when the choice was made, and Wellcraft had only a short time to get the boats ready. Also don’t forget, Wellcraft had bought the Excalibur 40 Hawk, so two long decks were being built under the same roof competing for market share. Because of the 20 percent surge in sales from the Vice Scarabs, Excalibur got the axe.”
As for the changes: gunwale padding was removed, saddle tanks were pulled to make room for storage, side buddy bolsters were split, wooden bi-fold cabin doors were replaced with a plexiglass slider, navigation lights moved to the top of the deck, and the rear seat was more rounded and not squared off.
The cabin was replaced with the soon to be discontinued Raider cabin and deck hatches had to be moved 12 inches forward to accommodate a bulkhead. This is when the hatches were modified from four decorative bars to a sleeker-looking, beveled three-bar hatch. The arch also stood taller and had less rake.
On the same path as Mother Nature, Scarab colors changed with the seasons. The later years took on a darker tone like the plots and clothing. In the third and fourth seasons, the deck and hull were deeper silver. Black deck stripes were matched to the one between the blower intakes, color fades on the intakes were gone, and the arch and spotlights were added.
For the fifth and final season, the show returned to an aqua deck, added an arrowhead to the tip of the deck stripe and a black stripe to the arch. The black stripe between the intakes vanished and the color fades on the intakes reappeared. A meticulously detail-orientated friend of Wayne’s from Europe, Gijs Msknt, fabricated the models in the below photos which illustrate the changes best.
RDP thanks Wayne for his contributions to the story, and when the time comes, we’re excited for his future restoration projects. Next up, paint and fiber glass specialist “Glass Dave” Sikorski, commissioned to re-paint many of the restored Scarabs, spills his never before revealed secrets with us.
Part One
On Monday, September 16, 2024, Miami Vice celebrated its 40-Year Anniversary! Standing in front of the Avalon Hotel at 700 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach Mayor Steve Meiner proclaimed it Miami Vice Day. Prior to the Magic City’s special acknowledgment, a reunion was to be hosted on South Beach with the boats, cars, TV show screenings and much more. Due to egos, attitudes and unprofessional keyboard bickering between organizers, except for a gathering of cast and crew, the event was 86’d just days before. Leaving us last minute with no story, RDP put together our own tribute and will post a short series of stories over the next month.
It’s been said a million times, the premiere season blue and white Stinger 390X and the slew of Scarabs to follow were the unifying force that brought so many to the sport. But how well do you really know the show’s Scarabs? Let’s check out the Stars, as they were literally called!
In The Beginning
When Miami Vice writer/director Michael Mann banned earth-tone colors on set, season one plans abruptly changed. A blue and white 390X with dual stock 400-hp Mercruisers replaced the original red Chris-Craft Stinger. Season two premiered September 27, 1985, with another change. The Stinger was gone.
A pastel-painted, Miami Viced-out Larry Smith 38 Scarab similar to the world championship winning KAAMA campaigned by Betty Cook (who developed the KAAMA surface drive with her husband Paul) and John Conner was its replacement. The KAAMA Marine Racing Team featured a 36’ Cigarette, 38’ Cougar and 38’ Formula, and became one of the most triumphant offshore racing teams in history.
The following year, the model sported a fresh KV moniker – the “K’ paid homage to KAAMA and the “V” was for VICE. Statistics taken from the superb 38scarabkv website state, “Over a period of five years, 103 units of the 38 Scarab KV were crafted. From those, 61 were standard versions and 42 were Vice editions. Nine went to Universal Studios, six were for filming and Don Johnson was given one per model year on loan. The remaining 33 were sold to the public.”
For many, the second season when the Scarabs arrived “on scene” topped all others. Its synthesis of style and substance… the mood, the music, and of course, the on-water action sequences, were like nothing we’d ever seen.
Stars and Stripes
During filming, two boats were required to be on location. To avoid confusion on the radios, the crew named them Star 1 and Star 2. Both had narrow cockpit seats; 4 stick race controls dividing transmission and throttles; and were fitted with a radar arch and race hatch engine covers. The pair in the second season had Mercury Cyclone 454/400s and the remainder had 420s or 370s.
For unraveling the differences, as well as the model year changes in 1986, 1987 and 1988, we reached out to Wisconsin trucker Wayne Kolb. The walking, talking MV Wikipedian has been chasing Scarabs and their histories his whole life… and is proud to call the second season’s prized Star 2, his own.
Since first watching it scream across the TV screen, Wayne always said, someday he’d own that exact craft. When finding out it was the only filming boat built with butterfly hatches like his Vice edition, only made him want it more.
Others in his Scarab stable include: the 1987 George Barris 21 Scarab 1 powered by a 350/260 hp and Alpha drive used for Universal Studios Miami Vice stunt show promotions; and two KV hulls, Blown Cover and the former Snap-On (first purchased by Bill Taylor of Poker Runs America, then sold to offshore racers Brian and Wilma Ross whom did away with the Vice colors.) I might add Wayne also holds the keys to a Ferrari Daytona Spider replica.
Crediting Bill Erickson, VP of marketing at Wellcraft, for sharing his infinite knowledge, Wayne says, “I was told the 377 was slated to be discontinued, but when Vice was given the nod and the KV was born, line drawings were sent to the graphic artist in California. Most boats were straight primary colors. It came back with the paint scheme sketched out with colored pencils.”
Elucidating how Star 2 came his way, he continues, “I had been searching for the boat for 15 years. In 2014, Brett, the son of the original owner Bruce Allender happened to send a random message to our 38 Scarab KV registry group, saying his dad purchased the boat from Abbot and Gilmore, the dealership that handled the sales after the filming boats were released.”
“It took a few years of coaxing for him to sell it. The fact I knew the meaning of the No. 2 (confirming it was a filming boat) on the transom sealed the deal! Shortly after I got it back home from Maryland, the Volo Auto Museum invited me to attend a meet-and-greet being hosted with Michael Talbott (detective Stan Switek). I surprised him and showed up with the boat. What a great guy!”
Star Spotting
Star 2 was the first on-screen Scarab seen in the premiere episode “Prodigal Son, verified by HD Blue-ray showing the stripes and rails when idling through the bay to Gene Simmon’s yacht. It had a full wet exhaust and the butterfly engine hatches had the full-length piano style hinge on both sides with rails between the intakes.
Thanks to the railings, you can pick out which boat was used on a lot of shots. In “Back in the World” you see the intakes and on “Payback,” when drug lord Mario Fuente, played by Frank Zappa, is on the boat, you see the bi-fold wooden doors up against the sideboards and the grab rails. The only exception is when he jumps off the back, that was Star 1.
The original Shakespeare antenna coil and mount were still intact when Wayne got the boat. Only one time during “Junk Love” is the antenna whip ever seen in the coil. He thinks, maybe it was removed for the crew’s safety while working around boat when docked or tied to the camera barge?
Don’s last loaner with the padded hatch also appeared just once in season four episode eight “Like a Hurricane.” Caitlin aka Sheena Easton slid across it when she and Sonny are escaping the assassins in the restaurant. This show was also the only time registration numbers were ever visible.
Farewell 377 Hello 38 KV
“Wayne goes on to say why his Star 2 is stamped a 1985-model 377, while his 86 model Vice edition hull is marked a 38 KV, “The flat deck 377 was only for race programs. Later it became available for general purchase under the 377 KAAMA name, then got the green light for Miami Vice, and was re-monikered the KV. My boat and Star 1 are technically 377s by cabin layout, doors and deck hatch location.”
The first two boats must have already been laid up for the 377 platform when the choice was made, and Wellcraft had only a short time to get the boats ready. Also don’t forget, Wellcraft had bought the Excalibur 40 Hawk, so two long decks were being built under the same roof competing for market share. Because of the 20 percent surge in sales from the Vice Scarabs, Excalibur got the axe.”
As for the changes: gunwale padding was removed, saddle tanks were pulled to make room for storage, side buddy bolsters were split, wooden bi-fold cabin doors were replaced with a plexiglass slider, navigation lights moved to the top of the deck, and the rear seat was more rounded and not squared off.
The cabin was replaced with the soon to be discontinued Raider cabin and deck hatches had to be moved 12 inches forward to accommodate a bulkhead. This is when the hatches were modified from four decorative bars to a sleeker-looking, beveled three-bar hatch. The arch also stood taller and had less rake.
Seasons Change
On the same path as Mother Nature, Scarab colors changed with the seasons. The later years took on a darker tone like the plots and clothing. In the third and fourth seasons, the deck and hull were deeper silver. Black deck stripes were matched to the one between the blower intakes, color fades on the intakes were gone, and the arch and spotlights were added.
For the fifth and final season, the show returned to an aqua deck, added an arrowhead to the tip of the deck stripe and a black stripe to the arch. The black stripe between the intakes vanished and the color fades on the intakes reappeared. A meticulously detail-orientated friend of Wayne’s from Europe, Gijs Msknt, fabricated the models in the below photos which illustrate the changes best.
RDP thanks Wayne for his contributions to the story, and when the time comes, we’re excited for his future restoration projects. Next up, paint and fiber glass specialist “Glass Dave” Sikorski, commissioned to re-paint many of the restored Scarabs, spills his never before revealed secrets with us.
