LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- In their quest for speed, the world’s top boat racers win something else: immortality. The mention of their names holds the power to inspire awe and admiration among powerboating fans.
Dave Scott, Bill Tomlinson, and Dave Callan—these men in particular have cemented their legendary status by setting or tying top speed records at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.
But these three share something else in common. They all hit top speeds while driving Mystics.
Mystic Powerboats is arguably the top performance boat manufacturer in the world. Mystics are consistent record-breakers, and they point to the genius of one man whose name and legacy is also set to be immortalized: John Cosker.
Cosker started Mystic in 1996, originally with a focus on engineering. But in 1998, he met Dave Callan, and that changed everything.
Callan’s need for speed drove Cosker and Mystic to design ever-faster boats, and in 2002, they raced at the Shootout. Callan drove, Cosker throttled, and though competitor Dave Villwock took the Top Gun trophy that year, Mystic’s trajectory was set.
In 2003, the pair won Top Gun. Villwock snatched the trophy for the last time in 2004, and in 2007, Callan set the Shootout record that has yet to be broken: 209 mph.
From 2005 – 2011, the fastest boat at the Shootout was always a Mystic. In 2012, most people figured Bill Tomlinson’s Mystic turbine-driven My Way would take Top Gun. But My Way crashed just weeks before the event, opening up the opportunity for Greg Olsen.
For 2013, barring any surprising circumstances, Tomlinson’s Mystic seems poised to set records.
“I think if the boat’s set up right, they can come through with the first pass in the 200-teens and be done,” Cosker said of the My Way team.
In 2011, My Way amazed crowds with three runs clocked at 208 mph—the course record set in 2010 by Dave Scott in his piston-powered Mystic, Nauti Marine. Tomlinson said his GPS showed even higher speeds, and while updated radar guns may set the record straight in 2013, one fact is undeniable. It is Mystic boats that are making all the waves.
On those consecutive runs in 2011, Tomlinson was at the throttle, and sitting next to him—driving My Way—was Cosker. That, Cosker said, is one of his most memorable races.
But even in remembering the excitement and adrenaline of those high-speed passes, Cosker’s mind went to the design of his boat.
“[The radar gun operators] would say, ‘Well, get more to the center,’ or ‘Get more to the side.’ And we would do that on every run... it showed how controllable the boat was at extreme speeds. It was not just, ‘Light it up and close your eyes.’ It was really driving a boat at 200-plus... That really showed the durability of the turbines,” he said.
That last notion compelled him to speak about another topic in boat racing—one that is relevant to Mystic and that inspires passionate debates among racing fans...
Which is better: piston power or turbines?
Pistons vs. Turbines
Piston engines are classic. They often appeal to racers and fans from the old school, and they certainly make a lasting impression on spectators. Few will forget hearing Dave Scott’s Nauti Marine roaring off the starting line in 2010. And for that matter, off the line, pistons seem to offer a clear advantage.
But many racers are turning to turbines in the search for speed. These newer engines are proven competitors, and it seems likely this year’s Shootout will be won with them. But for Cosker, one of the most attractive features of turbines is their reliability.
“I think horsepower-wise and torque-wise, they’re comparable,” he said. “The challenge of it is the longevity.”
Nauti Marine’s piston engines are capable of one good run, Cosker explained, and then Scott could maybe hope for a second one. That would normally sound like banter between rivals, except Cosker built Nauti Marine.
“With the turbines, you can just do run after run after run... it gives you those opportunities to adjust the boat and change your pattern on the course. I think that’s the advantage to the turbines: not just the raw speed, but the ability to do multiple runs,” he said.
However, turbines come with their own downsides. Extensive testing and tweaking is required to ensure a boat’s multiple engines are perfectly in sync. That was a lesson Cosker learned at his first Shootout. One turbine was cranking out significantly more power than the other, and the result was not pretty.
“I can remember hitting 135 mph and the boat just walking sideways,” he said.
And even with My Way’s dramatic show at the 2011 Shootout, Cosker said the boat was not tuned up as much as it could have been. With the boat having spent a lot of time in the shop last winter, Cosker expects even better performance in 2013.
Though Mystic is often associated with turbine boats, Cosker said about half of the boats he designs are actually piston-powered.
In the end, the answer to the question of whether piston engines or turbines make better racing boats might be: Both. As long as they are both running in Mystics.
Building for speed
The difference with Mystic boats is all in the design.
Cosker explained that most boats are built with horizontal and vertical frame reinforcements. But Mystic adds diagonal structural elements across boats, making them more rigid and capable of skimming across the surface of the water.
But with top speeds presently in the low 200s, testing is more difficult, and the increases are incremental. To run diagnostics Cosker’s team needs a considerable expanse of water, with prime wind and surface conditions, as well as all the effort and tuning that goes into preparing a boat to hit those speeds. With that list of requirements, the Shootout fits the bill. Cosker said the annual race serves as a source for large amounts of diagnostic data his crew can use to make Mystic boats faster.
Safety is another concern as race boats reach speeds that were unfathomable only a decade ago. No one wants to think about a crash, but Cosker said Mystic does not have that luxury.
“We have a great focus on safety,” he said. “All of our cockpits are the evolution of making every boat as safe as possible... I don’t have worries about my own canopy race boats going and doing this. It’s what we build them to do. They’re built to go this fast, and they’re built to crash at these speeds.”
Queuing for the Shootout
Two new projects have been on Cosker’s mind this year, and from both of them he expects the capacity for new levels of speed.
Mystic recently finished a powerboat for the famous racer and defending Key West World Champion from Qatar, Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani. Sheikh Hassan’s new Mystic Spirit of Qatar debuted this summer, sporting a pair of T53 turbine engines, with each testing at 1,600 HP, and together capable of thrusting the boat into the 200s. There is a chance Sheikh Hassan could bring his Spirit of Qatar to the Shootout, Cosker hinted.
Cosker spoke of another project—a 50-footer commissioned by Don Onken, co-owner of Lightning Performance Group. The power Cosker reported for this vessel is staggering: four V-8 piston engines, showing 1,700 HP apiece.
“So, it’s going to be an extremely powerful boat,” he mused, predicting a capacity for 220 mph.
The new Onken boat could conceivably make it to the Lake this year, but it seems more likely that the roar of 6,800 HP is still a year away for Shootout spectators. When the boat does show up, whether this year or next, Cosker said it might possibly be driven by Shootout legend Dave Callan. And with a capacity for 220 mph, if Callan does race it, he would undoubtedly be poised to set another record.
For a decade, Mystic Powerboats have made the Shootout faster, with John Cosker sometimes throttling, sometimes driving, but always designing for performance. Cosker said regardless of whether or not he is racing a boat, he will not miss the Shootout this year. Since his first Shootout, he explained, he has been hooked.
“When Dave [Callan] first talked about [the Shootout], I’d never heard of it... We’re driving from St. Louis to the Lake, and I’m thinking, ‘Where are we going with these boats?’ I’m picturing this little mud puddle... Then we came up over one bluff and there was this gorgeous, big Lake. I’ve been back every year but two since then.”
