Broken Arrow Apache Update: At Marine Performance for Rigging

brokenarrowrig

The restoration of Broken Arrow, a 47-foot Apache V-bottom, has reached its next phase with the boat’s arrival yesterday at Marine Performance, the Port Orange, Fla., shop of famed go-fast race and pleasure boat rigger John Pompi. The project is in the parts inventory and assessment stage, according to Marc Jacob, a Delray Beach, Fla., high-performance powerboat broker who is managing the project for the 47-footer’s owner in the Middle East.

“John takes what is good and makes it even better—he’s the best rigger in the high-performance industry,” said Jacob. “Now that the boat has arrived at his shop, we are getting all the parts together. The bilge is immaculate now and ready for John to do his work.”

At age 15, Pompi, now 54 years old, began rigging boats for Cigarette Racing Team founder Don Aronow, and he has been a top name in the rigging world ever since. Among his more recent projects is Warpath, a 42-foot Chief V-bottom with 725-hp Ilmor Marine engines and Arneson surface drives that will run in the 2,400-mile Venture Cup Offshore Endurance Race (read the story) in Europe this summer.

The re-rigging of Broken Arrow likely will require a combination of new and used parts.

“I’m still looking through boxes (of parts from the 47-footer)—it just got here last night,” said Pompi. “Some systems, like the battery system, will definitely change. You always need some new parts in a project like this, because some of the parts being made now are better than the parts that were made back then.

“I have another meeting (with Jacob) tomorrow night,” he added.

Blue Octane Marine Group transported the 47-footer, its triple 1,200-hp turbocharged Chief Peformance engines and the rest of the boat’s parts from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area to Port Orange.

“Pat and the rest of the crew at Blue Octane were marevelous to work with,” said Jacob. “I can’t say enough good things about them.”

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