Story by DinaRella / Photos courtesy of Tomas Velazquez, Ryan Beckley and Ocean Cup
Part Two:
"Thousands of horses invaded the Bahamas" for the Ocean Cup's 128-mile, open-water trot to the West End from Palm Beach and back, commented long-established, Apache boat builder Mark McManus online. Infiltrating that stampede was one Indian of "high-performance creed" that indeed McManus and many fastboat fans knew well — the first hull #001 of the iconic 1987 model Apache 47.
Originally belonging to the notorious Ben Kramer and to this day showing his name, as well as, partners Bob Saccenti and Bob Idoni on the sides... the history-making flagship once powered with triple 850-hp Keith Eickert engines, a pair of #4 drives on the outside and a #3 in the middle, was also the last to be set up for the behind-bars villain by meticulous, rigging legend Bobby Moore.
Today, as the Apache nears its 40th birthday, TNT Marine (where the boat is kept and maintained) was tasked with recent re-rigging duties in 2020, including, the rebuilding and painting and/or polishing of drives, gimbals, tabs, the steering system and the tie-bar assembly; to the complete inner re-plumbing of the fuel filter assembly, water hoses, sea strainers etc.
Want more? Add to all that, courtesy of Mike D'Anniballe from Sterling Performance Engines up in Michigan — a trio of screaming powerplants with bumped up horsepower (from modernizing the mechanical fuel injection process) under the old-school hatch, which opens manually with no power assist, but rather, by pulling out the pins!
Speaking of "pulling out the pins," on Saturday June 3, surrounded by a tribe of new-school hardware, the one classic tried-and-true champion pulled out of Palm Beach for the Gateway Marathon with throttles pinned plowing through the Straits of Florida, at times churning up seas to ten feet from that mean surface velocity.
Living up to its storied slice of history, under the command of Lorne Leibel (owner/driver), Bob Latham (throttleman) and Ryan Beckley (navigator), with an average speed of 79 mph — the #69 Apache danced to a world-record setting run in Class B V Hull over 45' in 1 hour 37 minutes.
As equally emblematic as the Apache and its completely unaltered red and yellow interior and string of analog gauges anchoring the dash... were the trio of chosen offshore combatants who united to take flight.
Lorne Leibel, the competitive motorsport's racer (fresh off a 2021 Super Cat world championship win next to his talented pal John Tomlinson) and founder of Canada Homes construction company, always fancied the Apache since first laying eyes on the long and lean yellow silhouette at Fort Apache circa 1986. The next year, when all Kramer's assets were seized by the feds, the 47-footer did a disappearing act, until its magical reappearance at a 1995 auction. Eventually, after much to-do, it landed in Leibel's possession, not once but twice. The Canadian ended up selling it, regretting it, and repurchasing it! (A story for another day.)
Founder of Latham Marine, the industry authority on expertly designed, engineered and fabricated marine parts, and master of countless innovations, Bob Latham locked in the throttleman's position. His last race was in Jesse James in 1989. Three years prior, he won the 1986 Apache Grand Prix alongside Leibel in his 38' Cigarette Molson Indy fitted with Coyote engines.
Third up, owner of Kinetic Animation and Super Stock-class hero Ryan Beckley, who currently controls the CELSUIS sticks with owner/driver Chris Hopgood, signed on to the navigator role, after the original teammate backed out. The perfect candidate for many reasons, not only does the Key West-born Beckley know Bahamas water from tackling the Gulf Stream during the 2010 Sunny Isles Beach to Bimini Offshore Challenge in his 30' Skater with the late Kyler Talbot... he too is the happy host behind the Offshore Vintage Facebook page. The historian is a walking encyclo"powerboat"pedia of facts, not to mention my go-to in the go-fast world, when in need of info.
Together, the team and the agile Apache with a natural instinct for speed and handling put on one more fearless powwow performance, adding yet another "feather" to its cap!
Link to Part One:https://www.riverdavesplace.com/for...cord-straight-twice-at-gateway-marathon.1105/
Part Two:
"Thousands of horses invaded the Bahamas" for the Ocean Cup's 128-mile, open-water trot to the West End from Palm Beach and back, commented long-established, Apache boat builder Mark McManus online. Infiltrating that stampede was one Indian of "high-performance creed" that indeed McManus and many fastboat fans knew well — the first hull #001 of the iconic 1987 model Apache 47.
Originally belonging to the notorious Ben Kramer and to this day showing his name, as well as, partners Bob Saccenti and Bob Idoni on the sides... the history-making flagship once powered with triple 850-hp Keith Eickert engines, a pair of #4 drives on the outside and a #3 in the middle, was also the last to be set up for the behind-bars villain by meticulous, rigging legend Bobby Moore.
Today, as the Apache nears its 40th birthday, TNT Marine (where the boat is kept and maintained) was tasked with recent re-rigging duties in 2020, including, the rebuilding and painting and/or polishing of drives, gimbals, tabs, the steering system and the tie-bar assembly; to the complete inner re-plumbing of the fuel filter assembly, water hoses, sea strainers etc.
Want more? Add to all that, courtesy of Mike D'Anniballe from Sterling Performance Engines up in Michigan — a trio of screaming powerplants with bumped up horsepower (from modernizing the mechanical fuel injection process) under the old-school hatch, which opens manually with no power assist, but rather, by pulling out the pins!
Speaking of "pulling out the pins," on Saturday June 3, surrounded by a tribe of new-school hardware, the one classic tried-and-true champion pulled out of Palm Beach for the Gateway Marathon with throttles pinned plowing through the Straits of Florida, at times churning up seas to ten feet from that mean surface velocity.
Living up to its storied slice of history, under the command of Lorne Leibel (owner/driver), Bob Latham (throttleman) and Ryan Beckley (navigator), with an average speed of 79 mph — the #69 Apache danced to a world-record setting run in Class B V Hull over 45' in 1 hour 37 minutes.
Leibel, Latham and Beckley Take Flight
As equally emblematic as the Apache and its completely unaltered red and yellow interior and string of analog gauges anchoring the dash... were the trio of chosen offshore combatants who united to take flight.
Lorne Leibel, the competitive motorsport's racer (fresh off a 2021 Super Cat world championship win next to his talented pal John Tomlinson) and founder of Canada Homes construction company, always fancied the Apache since first laying eyes on the long and lean yellow silhouette at Fort Apache circa 1986. The next year, when all Kramer's assets were seized by the feds, the 47-footer did a disappearing act, until its magical reappearance at a 1995 auction. Eventually, after much to-do, it landed in Leibel's possession, not once but twice. The Canadian ended up selling it, regretting it, and repurchasing it! (A story for another day.)
Founder of Latham Marine, the industry authority on expertly designed, engineered and fabricated marine parts, and master of countless innovations, Bob Latham locked in the throttleman's position. His last race was in Jesse James in 1989. Three years prior, he won the 1986 Apache Grand Prix alongside Leibel in his 38' Cigarette Molson Indy fitted with Coyote engines.
Third up, owner of Kinetic Animation and Super Stock-class hero Ryan Beckley, who currently controls the CELSUIS sticks with owner/driver Chris Hopgood, signed on to the navigator role, after the original teammate backed out. The perfect candidate for many reasons, not only does the Key West-born Beckley know Bahamas water from tackling the Gulf Stream during the 2010 Sunny Isles Beach to Bimini Offshore Challenge in his 30' Skater with the late Kyler Talbot... he too is the happy host behind the Offshore Vintage Facebook page. The historian is a walking encyclo"powerboat"pedia of facts, not to mention my go-to in the go-fast world, when in need of info.
Together, the team and the agile Apache with a natural instinct for speed and handling put on one more fearless powwow performance, adding yet another "feather" to its cap!
Link to Part One:https://www.riverdavesplace.com/for...cord-straight-twice-at-gateway-marathon.1105/
