November 5, 2010 - Congratulations to Brad Smith, who won First in Class at this year's Monster Bash Shootout with a 98 mph run!!

HUGE Thanks to Jim Nichols for putting together another amazing event!

Magic Powerboats, now also known as CMS (Cougar Magic Sleekcraft), has put out a plethora of quality boats over the past decades, the most popular being the 28’ Deck Boat.  Unfortunately mass production of this model was probably a contributing factor in the company’s demise.  Lucky for us performance pleasure boaters, prior to closing their doors in 2009, Magic revised their bottom by adding a second step, which took an already dependable hull design to the next level of performance. 

Enter Brad Smith of Huntington Beach, CA, who was fortunate enough to land one of the last 09 hulls off of the auction block.  His striking blue and gray 28’ Scepter was the perfect boat to put the new bottom to the test, as the hull, with its partial lack of bulkhead, weighs significantly less than the deck boat model. 

Most of the auctioned hulls were offered without motor and drive, so Brad didn’t mess around when it came to choosing a power plant for his new ride.  He drove it straight over to Paul Pfaff, also in Huntington Beach, and had it dressed to the nines with a 655 cubic inch monster that puts out 826 hp and 822 lbs of torque without the aid of a blower or supercharger.  Paul’s seasoned team pulled out all the stops when they put this Dart Big M 10.600 block together.  With a Lunati billet 4.875 stroke crank, Profiler 380 cc heads, Race Tec pistons, Oliver rods and Paul’s patented Pfaff hydraulic roller cam kit, this Magic was sure to fly – and best of all, on 91 octane pump gas. 

Prior to the maiden voyage we had a chance to really check this beauty out.  The gel coat work is typically “Magic”, flawlessly executed with classically streamlined graphics that curve in all the right places to enhance an already sexy silhouette.

Inside the boat there is plenty of room to move around due to the Scepter’s innovative open design.  The seats, in both the cockpit and bow, are deep enough to make passengers feel secure and beautifully matched to the exterior color scheme.  The cuddy appears more spacious than most, probably due to the lack of passenger console.  Crouching is a must if you plan to squeeze through to the bow area, but for anyone used to riding in fast deck boats, crawling on your knees is a small price to pay for all that wind protection.

Let’s face it; we spend more time lounging on our boats than we do driving them, so ambiance is definitely important.  When it comes to amenities, this particular Scepter has the competition beat with a 16 speaker JL Audio system and enough recessed LED courtesy lights to make you feel like you’re in a floating nightclub. 

Comfort aside, when we fired this baby up for the first time, the growl of a true predator was audible - even through the CMI e-top exhaust tips.  Paired with an Imco Xtreme SCX drive spinning a 34” prop, this smooth idling beauty/beast combination planed almost immediately with surprisingly little bow rise then eased effortlessly up to 80 mph while turning only 4000 rpm.  Cruising at 90 mph we encountered a typical patch of two-foot waves while passing the Whitsitt Pumping Plant which turned the boat’s attitude a bit skittish, most likely attributable to the outstanding aeration of the second step coupled with the low profile drive.  Despite the chop, the ride remained steady and dry as we made sweeping turns that had us feeling like the hull was riding rails beneath the water.  Sadly, with plenty of throttle left, we turned toward home and jogged back to The Springs, taking it easy on the fresh motor.

Overall, I’d say this 28’ Magic Scepter is the perfect lake boat.  It looks great, rides even better, can handle any kind of chop Lake Havasu can whip up, and most importantly, makes passengers feel safe thanks to its rock solid ride and comfortably deep cockpit. 

Give the engine a few more hours under its belt and we’ll revisit this beautiful beast to determine if this cat can claw out some triple digits.

Article by : Cindy Bell

If you are interested in turning your casual cat into a ferocious tiger, why wait?  Contact the team at Paul Pfaff who have been building quality, dependable engines for the past 40 years.  From 500 to 1300 hp, they've got you covered.

PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY

JULY 3rd HIT-AND-RUN BOAT DRIVER!

Unfortunately for one Huntington Beach Family, this Fourth of July weekend spelled incomprehensible tragedy when 20 year old father, Eric Norris, was killed by a hit and run boater near Havasu Landing Casino at approximately 5:30 PM on Saturday July 3.  Eric had fallen off an inflatable and was waiting to be picked up when he was run over by what is described as a 25' red V-Hull with a white stripe.  Witnesses describe the driver as a heavy-set male with a moustache wearing a hat, and his passenger as a white female with blonde hair.  Bystanders tried unsuccessfully to revive him but he died from his injuries as the killers fled south towards Chalk Cliffs.

A memorial website has been set up by Eric's friends.  Please visit http://www.ericoctopusnorris.com/ to learn more about him and/or donate to help out with funeral costs.  Eric's friends and family implore anyone who may have information regarding this accident to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept Colorado River Station at 760-326-9200 and help bring Eric's killers to justice.