The
Latest in Boats, Propulsion and Industry Happenings
[ Edited
by Matt Trulio ]
Big
Pull for Charity
Burned out on pre-dawn wakeup calls in often futile attempts to find
smooth water for slalom ski runs on Michigan's smaller lakes, Tim Flynn
took his ski act offshore. The 35-year-old law professor found he loved
running in big water at speeds above 45 mph on a giant slalom board,
so he and a group of friends formed Great Lakes Longboard Waterski
Club in Utica, Mich. Their objective? Pure fun.
Now Flynn and his team of skiers including Randy Miller, Laura
Hoskins, Jerry Hoskins, Tom Temmerman and Dr. Rick Youngs have a
loftier goal: to ski from Detroit to Chicago. In the process of their
675-mile journey, called the "Great Lakes Longboard Endurathon,"
they
hope to raise $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. Their route will
take them the length of Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinac,
down Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River before they finish their
journey in Lake Erie and arrive at the Motor City.
Flynn says he believes the journey, which is slated to begin July 22, will take four days if the weather and conditions are favorable. "There are some people out there who think it will take two weeks," he says, then laughs.
The team began training for the endurance run last
summer on Lake Huron. In total, they put in 1,000
miles of open-water skiing. At press time in May,
the team had resumed training for the event.
Yet the largest obstacle for the Chicago-to-Detroit run wasn't training,
skill or conditioning-it was securing a boat that could handle the rigorous
run. Through a contact in the Michigan Offshore Cruising Association,
Flynn got in touch with Scott Porter, president of Thunderbird Products
in Decatur, Ind. A soft touch with a sense of adventure, Porter agreed
to supply-and drive-a Formula 382 FAS3Tech as the towboat.
"It sounded like a good cause and a neat opportunity-I haven't been
boating much on the Great Lakes," says Porter. "It should be a hoot.
Of
course, that depends on the weather."
To power the boat, as well as provide an intriguing performance
wrinkle, Porter turned to the folks at the famed Lingenfelter
Performance shop, also in Decatur. Lingenfelter took twin MerCruiser
502 Magnum MPI engines and "stroked them out" to 540 cubic inches.
Although the final dyno sheets weren't complete at presstime, each
engine is estimated to pump out 580 hp to 600 hp. Other upgrades
include Stellings stand-off boxes and Bravo One drives with "Gold Tip"
upgrades (to handle the big power) from Dick Simon Marine in Dana
Point, Calif.
Flynn's success at securing financial support has been impressive.
Sponsors include Pepsi, which has donated funds and tied the project
into live radio remotes in the Detroit market. Marathon Oil will supply
the fuel for the trip. Bob Maher of Maherajah Skis in Hopland,
Calif.,
has donated one longboard for a raffle. The sponsor list continues to
grow, and the team may even exceed its $25,000 goal.
Flynn predicts that the most difficult leg of the journey will be through
the Straits of Mackinac, where gale force winds and high seas are not
uncommon. For safety's sake, there will be numerous chase boats.
"We know we can do it, especially if we get any kind of favorable
weather," says Flynn. "We're looking forward to it."
So are we. Look for the complete inside story in the October installment
of Watersports.