Harlan Orrin is a true legend in the West Coast performance boating world, with more than 60 years of hands-on experience designing and building molds, hulls, and custom wood decks. His roots in boat building trace back to World War II, when his father and uncle built wooden boats for the US military, an early influence that shaped Orrin's lifelong path.

From an early interest in drafting and sheet metal fabrication, Orrin got his start in 1957 at Mandella Boats after his uncle Ernie purchased the company. In just four years, they built 54 boats, and during that time Orrin even built Rayson-Craft founder Rudy Ramos his first race boat. From there, he went on to start his own company, Orrin Boats and did work with many of the most iconic builders in the industry, including Sanger, Hallett, Eliminator, Aqua Craft, Scarab, Tige, and Commander, contributing to numerous iconic and race-winning boats.

Known for innovations like the original Sanger bubble deck design and his unmatched craftsmanship, Orrin built his career designing by eye and experience rather than modern CAD tools. He also recreated the legendary "Banzai" drag hydro using only photos and historical references. Today, at 90 years old, he's still actively designing, restoring, and installing wood decks continuing a lifetime legacy in performance boating.

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In this episode of Powerboat Talk, we sit down with drag boat racing pioneer Mary Rife, the first woman ever licensed to drive a Blown Fuel Hydro and the only woman in history to surpass 200 mph in a boat. Long before women became common in motorsports, Rife was competing head-to-head against the sport's best drivers in one of the most dangerous classes in racing.

Often described as drag boat racing's answer to Shirley Muldowney, Rife built an extraordinary career spanning almost two decades without a major accident. In the episode, Rife talks about how the purchase she and her husband made of a 48-mph, 16-foot boat powered by an 85-hp Mercury outboard led to her quest for speed on the water.

The purchase of a Holman & Moody-powered Kindsvater flatbottom came next and led the Rifes to their first time on a liquid drag strip. When Rife outqualified her husband at that first race at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, California, it earned her a place in the driver's seat, one she never relinquished.

In 1973, the couple purchased a Howard hydro hull, rigged it in their garage, and named it Proud Mary after the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit song. The Rifes fit the boat with a blown 392 Chrysler Hemi and ran it on nitro, which Mary drove to its first pass of 155 mph.

An upgrade to a Keith Black 426 Hemi led Rife down the path to a list of career accomplishments that included a 206-mph pass, winning the 1978 NDBA Nationals at Firebird, earning Driver of the Year honors in 1977, appearing on national television with Billie Jean King, and even taking racing legend Mario Andretti for a 168-mph ride across Long Beach Marine Stadium.

Rife also shares the remarkable story of losing and later recovering Proud Mary, and the painstaking restoration that returned one of drag boat racing's most famous machines to its former glory.

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In this episode of Powerboat Talk, we sit down with offshore racing legend John Connor to explore a career that helped define the sport's golden era. As throttleman and crew chief for Paul and Betty Cook, Connor played a key role in Betty's rise to prominence as one of the most important figures in offshore racing history.

In 1977, Betty Cook became the first woman to win a world championship in offshore powerboat racing (her first of two), and just the second female in any major motorsport to achieve the feat, alongside drag racing's Shirley Muldowney. Remarkably, Cook and Muldowney each captured their first world titles just one month apart, marking a groundbreaking moment for women in motorsports.

Working alongside the Cooks, Connor helped push the limits of performance and reliability while driving innovation behind the scenes. The conversation dives into the team's development of the groundbreaking 38-foot Scarab and the KAAMA surface drive, technologies that helped reshape offshore boat design and propulsion.

Connor also shares insight into his time with Tom Gentry, where he served not only as throttleman but as project manager and lead engineering force behind the transatlantic record setting Gentry Eagle. He discusses the challenges of developing its turbine-assisted powertrain and advanced systems, culminating in the record-setting 1989 transatlantic crossing, where the team averaged remarkable speeds over more than 3,400 miles.

Like Connor's time with the Cooks, his partnership with Gentry produced world championships, record speeds, and cutting-edge technology, but it ultimately ended in tragedy following a devastating crash in Gentry's final race in 1994, which led to his death in 1998.

Connor is a fascinating and often underrecognized figure in offshore racing. This episode offers a firsthand look at the mindset and innovation that defined one of the sport's most influential contributors.

Visit John Conner online @ www.connormarine.com

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In this episode of Powerboat Talk, we sit down with Cade Wilson, the new owner of Sterling Engines, a name deeply rooted in offshore racing history. After a successful corporate career and a leadership foundation built through service in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Naval Academy, and as a Naval officer, Wilson set out to acquire and grow a business, ultimately landing in the one place he initially tried to avoid, racing.

We dig into how a calculated acquisition quickly became a hands-on rebuild of both operations and reputation, from restoring equipment and workflow to navigating early challenges like the loss of key Super Cat customers. Wilson also breaks down Sterling's technical direction, including partnerships with Ilmor Marine for marinized V-10 Viper engines, expanding work with Mercury QC4v and Outboard platforms, and the growing role of MoTeC electronic fuel injection across their builds.

From leadership and shop culture to race-day reliability and customer accountability, Wilson shares how that military mindset translates into the engine room and even into the cockpit through his unexpected partnership with Mike Howe and the Howe2Live Super Cat team, where he made his debut behind the wheel.

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In this episode of Powerboat Talk, we sit down with veteran flatbottom K-boat driver Ty Newton of Phoenix, Arizona, a multi-time national champion and member of the American Power Boat Association Hall of Champions (2009). With more than three decades behind the wheel and 15 years in K-boats, Newton brings a deep well of experience and perspective to the conversation.

Newton shares the story of his recent trip to Australia to compete in the BAD Boat Challenge, marking his third appearance in the event after first competing in 2019. He breaks down the unique challenges and joys of racing down under. The conversation dives into some of the technical differences between American K-boats and their Australian counterparts.

Newton reflects on the harsh realities of competition, recounting a difficult outing at the Australian event with the Mr. Big Stuff racing team that began with a violent flip and barrel roll and continued with another spin and multiple DNFs, ultimately falling out of contention.

Newton shared his future plans to return to Australia and drive the Mr. Big Stuff K640 looking for some retribution. The boat remains down under in the possession of new co-owner Craig Cook.

Newton discusses his new role as crew chief for his son Talon Newton and the challenges and joins of teaching his son. Talon competes in the SA 105mph class in Southern California Speedboat Club events on the west coast. The Newton's will also be hitting courses on the east coast this year competing in events in Decatur, IL, Hampton, VA, and Cambridge, MD.

You can follow Ty Newton on Instagram @tyracer61 and Facebook @Ty Newton

You can follow Talon Newton on Instagram @legacy.racing.61 and Facebook @Talon Newton

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In this episode, recorded before the 2025 racing season, we sit down with Dave Villwock, the most successful driver in Unlimited Hydroplane racing history. At the time, Villwock had amassed 67 career wins, 10 national championships, 10 APBA Gold Cups, and multiple world speed records. During the 2025 season, he added to that legacy with his 68th career win and 11th Gold Cup at age 71.

Villwock's story spans decades, from driving flat bottoms and wrenching in the pits to rising as a crew chief, becoming a dominant driver, and ultimately returning to the cockpit at age 70. His career reached another milestone with his 2025 induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame, joining a select group of boat racers to receive the honor. He retired following the 2025 season.

In this episode, Villwock reflects on his relationships with key figures who shaped his career, including owners Bill Bennett (Miss Circus Circus) and Bernie Little (Miss Budweiser), drivers Chip Hanauer and Andrew Tate, and legendary boat designers Ron Jones and Ron Jones Jr.

Whether you're a die-hard racing fan or a curious listener, Dave Villwock's story is built on hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to learning from the best, growing through the relationships that shaped his career. Tune in for an engaging conversation with one of the greatest in the sport.

Follow Dave Villwock on Facebook @Dave Villwock

Learn more about Unlimited Hydroplane Racing @ www.h1unlimited.com

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As the founder of Customer Marine, Inc. (CMI), Joe Zelinski stands as a central figure and true innovator in the high-performance marine world. For decades, CMI headers have set the benchmark for performance marine exhaust systems.

Raised by a father who was a plumbing contractor, Zelinski developed a strong work ethic early on, along with a natural curiosity for anything mechanical. While spending summers digging ditches for his father's business, he purchased his first boat, a Boston Whaler, at just 12 years old. Not long after, he landed a job at a local boat shop where he was paid in parts, eventually working his way into pit crew duties for the owner's son on the race circuit. It was there that Zelinski developed a passion for racing and began focusing on building components to go faster.

After graduating college, Zelinski joined Kiekhaefer Aeromarine, taking on a variety of roles within the company. While observing an effort to duplicate an existing set of stainless steel headers, he proposed that the company manufacture its own. The idea was met with resistance, and Fred Kiekhaefer challenged him directly: "If you want to build headers, go start your own company building headers!" Taking that challenge to heart, Zelinski left the company in 1986 and introduced CMI to the industry at the IMTEC show in Chicago in 1989.

In this episode, Zelinski reflects on the path that grew CMI into a dominant name in the marine industry, with its headers becoming standard equipment on Mercury Racing engines and a top choice for leading engine builders such as Sterling, Innovation, and Keith Eickert.

The conversation also traces Zelinski's later years with the company, including the sale in 2005, the transition into corporate ownership, and his eventual departure in 2012.

To learn more about Custom Marine, Inc visit them online @ www.custommarine.com

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In this episode, the 2nd of two parts, we talk with racer Tyler Speer following the 2025 drag boat racing season as he breaks down the continued progress of his A Fuel Nitro Hydro, Georgia Outlaw, through the 2025 season and his plans heading into 2026.

Speer, who works in the family boat business Proboat in Woodstock, GA with his father Tim, talks about an early-season change to a different clutch program that required the team to re-establish their baseline setup, which slowed progress as they worked through the learning curve and adjusted to the new combination.

We talk about his results competing in both the Southern Drag Boat Association and the Kentucky Drag Boat Association, where he finished second and third in season points, respectively. The conversation also covers the final race in Wheatland, Texas, where Speer and his team put things together to run a 4.22-second elapsed time, setting a class record and winning the event.

For 2026, Speer will continue to be the only naturally aspirated, nitro-burning boat on the circuit and will continue to work with A Fuel drag racing standout Randy Meyer. He will again rely on his FuelTech system for fuel management and data logging, using expanded data to evaluate clutch performance, fuel delivery, and run-to-run consistency.

Speer will continue to focus on the current A Fuel boat and resist the move back to Top Fuel. He also outlines plans to build two additional Warhawk hulls to serve as backup boats and support ongoing testing and development.

We also discuss expectations for the International Hot Rod Association and its involvement in drag boat racing, along with how that could impact participation and event structure moving forward.

Finally, we talk about the usefulness of running a marine engine on a dyno, as well as availability and quality control issues with high-performance racing parts.

Follow Tyler Speer on Instagram @TylerSpeerRacer on Facebook @Tyler Speer on Youtube @TylerSpeerRacer

Visit Tyler online @www.tylerspeer.com

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Tyler Speer is one of the most versatile racers in modern drag boat competition and a rising force in nitro-powered hydro racing. Today he campaigns an Injected Nitro Hydro in the Top Alcohol Hydro class, pushing the limits of performance while developing one of the most demanding boats in the sport.

Speer began racing motocross at age five, later moving through go-karts, the Allison Legacy Series, and stock cars, before making his ARCA Racing Series debut in 2010. After transitioning to drag boats in 2014, he quickly made his mark by winning the 2016 Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series Pro Modified World Championship and the 2018 Pro Outlaw World Championship.

Off the water, Tyler works alongside his father Tim, at Proboat in Woodstock, Georgia, the family's boat shop, building boats and tuning engines while developing their own race program.

In this episode, Tyler discusses the team's conversion from a single-prop to dual-prop set up in the hydro, the challenges of tuning an injected nitro boat, and working with NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster champion Randy Meyer to refine their program.

Look for our next episode where Tyler returns as he prepares for the 2026 IHRA Drag Boat season.

You can follow Tyler on Instagram @tylerspeerracer on Facebook @Tyler Speer and on you tube @tylerspeerracer

Visit Tyler online at www.tylerspeer.com

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This episode of Powerboat Talk is a recording of a livestream that we did at Eddie Marine in Rancho Cucamonga for Eddie's SoCal Performance Expo opening night party. We had the privilege of interviewing 23 marine and automotive industry leaders and personalities.

Eddie's SoCal Performance Expo brought together almost 300 cars and 90 performance boats for a great day in sunny Southern California.

The line up was INSANE!!

To learn more about Eddie's SoCal Performance Expo visit their website eddies-socalexpo.com

Clint Miglia- Eddie Marine / Eddie Motorsports

Ray Lee- Speedboat Magazine

Ken Johnson- Social Lab Media

Scott Walters- Cobra Performance Boats

Rob Torres- Barron Boats

Tony Chiaramonte- DCB Performance Boats

Jake Fraleigh- Eliminator Boats

Anna Frasier- Mercury Racing

Tom Leigh- Tommy Gun Images

Mike Wahl- FiTech Fuel Injection

Mitch Kelly- The Crazy Painters

Rob Lindsay- RJ Fab

JR Villarreal, Illicit Camaro

Frank Tabbakh- NextaSex

Adrian Barrett- Barrett Custom Marine

Leanne Shadlow- Demon Bikini

Chad Havens- Demon Bikini Racing

Greg Shoemaker- GS Marine

Carlos Ulloa- Good Boy Vodka

Bob and Cherilyn Teague- Teague Custom Marine

Travis and Summer Richardson- Swoop Motorsports

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