If you own a Power Boat and want to experience a rush of adrenaline, check out Power Boat racing. You would find a host of venues, racing circuits, boat classes and racing levels – to suit your racing admiration levels. Power Boat racing is very much like car racing, with several variants. The different kinds of races are offshore racing, Time Trials, Classics, Regetta and yearly racing events in Canada, United States and some parts of United Kingdom and the country of Eurasia.

Primarily, Power Boat racing are of two types, namely, Inboard and Outboard. The names are indicative of the type and location of a Power Boat’s engine. Races are held separately for each of the type of Power Boats. There are associations that govern the two kinds of Boat races. Founded in 1913, The American Power Boat Association, called APBA, governs the Inboard Power Boat racing, besides also being associated with Outboard groups and clubs.

The APBA has a membership of 6000, a number which is growing. It is also affiliated, or even loosely associated, with Boat organizations in Australia and in New Zealand. The APBA has made divisions across the country, splitting it into regions for better administration. The Seattle Outboard Assocation (SOA), an association specializing in Outboard classes such as Stock Outboard, Professional Racing, Modified Outboard and Electric Outboard, is affiliated to the APBA.

Power Boat Races – Where, How And When Are Power Boat Races Held?

The associations conduct the races for different classes. These include “flyers” or Crackerbox, “runabout” the oldest in Inboard class, the rum running boats – Jersey Speed Skiff, Pro Stock Runabouts, National Modified and Super Stock. Power Boats, depending on the type and class, may reach speeds in excess of 170 Mph.

These racing events are held by the schedule of APBA, from March to November, with exciting names such as “Thunder On The Niagara”, which is a racing event held in the county of Tonawanda, in New York, or even the “Annual Run for Records”, which takes place in Yelm, Washington State. The APBA conducts over 200 authorised regattas every year in Canada and United States. The APBA is partnered in Canada by Canadian Boating Federation (CBF).

Interest in Power Boat Racing has been ever increasing over the years, with its popularity spreading into several circuits and Team Sponsored racing events. The other racing associations are the CBE, SOA, the Power Boat Association of Australia, Jersey Speed Skiffs and the Super Stock Association. Along with these clubs is the APBA which also directs the clubs, schedules and organizes events at various levels, classify or create the different classes. The APBA aims at providing the most visually spectacular event, with more thrills for the racers too.

Working with the APBA are numerous Power Boat racing clubs, associations, teams and, of course, the fans of Power Boat racing in the countries of United States, Canada and the rest of the World.

Today, Portsmouth, Rhode Island is the center of manufacture. Johnstone’s pioneering J-24 model has an LOA of 7.32 m, an LWL of 6.10 m, a beam of 2.71 m, a hull weight of 1,600 kg and a 261 sq ft sail area with a 100% headsail.

The very first regatta to feature J boat racing was Key West in 1978. 20 boats competed. Other J boats include the International J-22, which usually involves a crew of 3-4 and is of a fixed keel design which means that older boats can compete on equal terms with newer versions. Its “class jib” means that it possess a big spinnaker, a mainsail and a non-overlapping jib. The International J-22 can plane on runs and reaches. Since it was created in 1983, more than 1,600 J-22s have been built and sail in 65 fleets in 18 countries. The 2004 World Championship race was graced with the presence of a staggering 130 boats.

Rod Johnstone perfected his design for J boat racing with the J-27, manufactured between 1983 and 1992. Its overall length is 8.38 m, beam 2.6 m, displacement 3,800 lb, draft 1.5 m and length at the waterline 7 m. Its belowdecks headroom is 1.4 m, standard water capacity 5 gallons and lead keel of 1,530 lbs. The J-27 is still raced under the auspices of various regional fleet authorities covering parts of the USA, Canada and South Africa. The current class president is Louis Johnson and the treasurer is Doug Davies.

The current situation of J boat racing is very positive. Regatta management and racing regulations have been improved resulting in bigger and better events, such as those organised by Midwinters XX. Championship organisers have been returning to the old sailing venues that made the J boat great. San Francisco hosted the 1997 North American and 1998 World Championships. Corpus Christi in Texas and Newport, Rhode Island have both been awarded major competitions in recent years.

Older J boats, some them now over 30 years old, are being improved and fixed up so as to continue conforming to class specs. The comparatively low price of second hand boats has meant that less well-to-do people can get into the arena of competitive racing. Once upon a time, such a hobby was the strict demesne of the rich.

The J brand has expanded into many other areas, such as official merchandise, photography and art which capture beautifully the thrill of sailing the boats either for racing purposes or just for relaxation.