Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from Jackie and Mark Wilson & boatracingfacts.com
This November, some of the sweetest speedboats in Key West were the smallest… the shiniest… and not sitting in slips on Stock Island or the Galleon, but instead, on the display table of Wilson Custom Marine in the Florida Powerboat Club Poker Run Village alongside exhibitors like Legend Marine Nor-Tech dealer, Fountain, Cigarette, Renegade and Mercury Marine.
Realizing the 92-year craftsman I was speaking to which fabricates the billet boats was the famous British racer Jackie Wilson, I stayed so long, my first stop on Thursday night became my final. In a slight screaming match competing over the on-stage entertainment beside us from the live band and final judging of Stu’s Body Paint Party competition (no doubt a good topic for another story), over the next two days, our conversation continued when I passed back multiple times for more of his firsthand accounts from the late 60s onward pushing the limits on the circuit powerboat racing courses in Parker, Lake Havasu and beyond.
His aquatic tales of victory and injury will soon be told, in the meantime, being that it's Black Friday, here's an gift idea for any powerboat owner or fastboat fanatic on your shopping list… guaranteed to bring cheer to any man cave, coffee table, hallway corridor or workshop!
With one month to go until Christmas, this is your chance to buy a meaningful keepsake for that special boater in your life, or even better, TREAT YOURSELF! Jackie builds the V-bottoms and catamarans according to personal preferences in size, shape and detailing at his shop in his home town Walberton (or village as he calls it) in West Sussex, United Kingdom.
One of the first billet boats he ever made was for fellow boat racing legend and long-time friend Rich Luhrs, currently serving since 2020 as the American Powerboat Association Offshore Commission chairman. Jackie said, ”I had lots of time on my hands, and I hate television and I hate sitting down. So, one day I went to the local scrap yard, got some aluminum and started playing around.
It takes between two to seven days to make a boat, and they ship out and can be delivered in just a few days from across the pond. Prices vary according to detailing, and start around $400. At this stage of his life, he does not have a website, but you can reach him by email at [email protected] and explain what you have in mind! Looking at his shop below, you can see the jolly soul specializes in autos and airplanes as well!
This November, some of the sweetest speedboats in Key West were the smallest… the shiniest… and not sitting in slips on Stock Island or the Galleon, but instead, on the display table of Wilson Custom Marine in the Florida Powerboat Club Poker Run Village alongside exhibitors like Legend Marine Nor-Tech dealer, Fountain, Cigarette, Renegade and Mercury Marine.
Realizing the 92-year craftsman I was speaking to which fabricates the billet boats was the famous British racer Jackie Wilson, I stayed so long, my first stop on Thursday night became my final. In a slight screaming match competing over the on-stage entertainment beside us from the live band and final judging of Stu’s Body Paint Party competition (no doubt a good topic for another story), over the next two days, our conversation continued when I passed back multiple times for more of his firsthand accounts from the late 60s onward pushing the limits on the circuit powerboat racing courses in Parker, Lake Havasu and beyond.
His aquatic tales of victory and injury will soon be told, in the meantime, being that it's Black Friday, here's an gift idea for any powerboat owner or fastboat fanatic on your shopping list… guaranteed to bring cheer to any man cave, coffee table, hallway corridor or workshop!
BBB: Buy Billet Boats
With one month to go until Christmas, this is your chance to buy a meaningful keepsake for that special boater in your life, or even better, TREAT YOURSELF! Jackie builds the V-bottoms and catamarans according to personal preferences in size, shape and detailing at his shop in his home town Walberton (or village as he calls it) in West Sussex, United Kingdom.
One of the first billet boats he ever made was for fellow boat racing legend and long-time friend Rich Luhrs, currently serving since 2020 as the American Powerboat Association Offshore Commission chairman. Jackie said, ”I had lots of time on my hands, and I hate television and I hate sitting down. So, one day I went to the local scrap yard, got some aluminum and started playing around.
It takes between two to seven days to make a boat, and they ship out and can be delivered in just a few days from across the pond. Prices vary according to detailing, and start around $400. At this stage of his life, he does not have a website, but you can reach him by email at [email protected] and explain what you have in mind! Looking at his shop below, you can see the jolly soul specializes in autos and airplanes as well!
