Page 46 - Poker Runs America 17-1

IN THE FIX:

By Steve Fennell

1992 CIGARETTE

TOP GUN

Refurbishing an offshore warrior is no

easy feat, but for Ron Potter of Potter

Performance Engines, Inc., attention to

detail for perfection and performance

comes naturally.

I

fthere are two things that haven’t Nor-Tech catamaran last year and is recog-

changed in the world of offshore boating nizing a growing trend among performance
its performance and good looks. For the boaters. This is something he takes seriously,

poker run crowd this is especially true, and leaves no stone unturned.
and it’s easy to get the fever. Ron Potter “We didn’t really pursue this type of
of Potter Performance Engines, Inc., an engine business, it came to us,” Potter told Poker

builder based in Sarasota, FL., has always deliv- Runs America. “The industry has had a lot
ered the speed, designing and building high- of changes. One of those changes is more

performance engines for the who’s who of the people are keeping the boats they have or
go-fast community.are buying older boats. Now, people want
In a time when many poker runners are con- to send us their boat so we can work on the

centrating efforts on refurbishing their current whole boat, not just the engines.”Interiors, Solo Painting, MYCO Trailers (of
boat models, or purchasing pre-owned models Potter explained that when a boat is in his Bradenton, FL.), and several other local

and making necessary modifications, Potter shop for an engine rebuild or upgrade, the marine businesses.
and his team have taken their skill set to a new customer will often ask his team to fix gashes, “We work with a lot of companies here
level, breathing new life into these models.chips or nicks in the gel coat, and do graphics that do soda blasting, sand blasting, anod-

Case in point is a just-completed 1992 work. Customers often ask if they have the izing, CNC fabrication, custom wood work,
Cigarette Top Gun, which was stripped bow to skills and the people to do more extensive upholstery and paint, with us overseeing

stern, port to starboard, and refurbished to the modifications. Without question, they do.the design and control of the project,” said
point where it looks as if it just rolled off Skip While all the work is done in-house at Potter. “These are companies that know their
Braver’s factory floor.Potter Performance’s facility, Potter does game, and they know the caliber of custom-

This is not Potter’s first refurbishing proj- subcontract more technical aspects of ers we work with. We also do sophisticated
ect to an existing boat model. He completed a project to performance boating’s elite powder coating that includes metallics with

an extensive project on Tom Gouzies’ 43’tradesmen, including Pacer Group, PPIclear coats.”

46 POKER RUNS AMERICA | Volume 17 Number 1WWW.POKERRUNSAMERICA.COM