Commentary: Teague Joins Speedonthewater.com—Putting the Band Back Together

ByMatt Trulio

Bob TeagueBob Teague

After days of missed calls and endless phone tag, I’m thrilled to announce that Bob Teague has agreed to join speedonthewater.com as a contributor. The principal of Teague Custom Marine, a well-known high-performance engine, rigging and parts outfit in Valencia, Calif., Teague was Powerboat magazine’s technical editor and lead test driver for decades before the magazine was discontinued—for the second time—in December 2011.

Teague’s first article for the site will cover the challenges high-performance marine engine builders will face in 2013, the first year of mandatory nationwide compliance with the strictest emission standards in history. No custom engine builder is in a better position to address this topic than Teague.

Like fellow contributor Jason Johnson, Teague is a former co-worker of mine from Powerboat magazine—I worked closely with him testing more than 700 boats in my 16 years with the magazine. Like fellow contributor Rich Luhrs, Teague is among the most knowledgable and—at times—controversial figures in the industry, and he will be an “at-will” contributor, which means he will write when the spirit moves him. Like Johnson and Luhrs, Teague is a respected and cherished friend.

Also contributing to speedonthewater.com is former Powerboat magazine blogger Tank Sears—yet another friend. His first news story for the site, “Desert Storm Preview: Bigger, Badder—And Longer,” appeared earlier this week. In April, Sears will provide real-time coverage from the Desert Storm.

So with the exception of Luhrs, everyone currently contributing to speedonthewater.com is a Powerboat alumnus. And I couldn’t be happier about that. Working with people you respect on a professional level and enjoy on a personal level is a rare and wonderful thing.

That said, we are not and will not become a digital version of the magazine that was a big part of all our lives. Sure, our experiences at Powerboat inform what we do now to some degree. But as a daily news and features content site, speedonthewater.com is a completely different animal. We have an opportunity to create something unique and we’ve already begun.

Putting the band back together? Absolutely. But the music will be different. It already is.

I started this site two years ago from scratch and it’s grown steadily. But I have to admit, it’s nice to have help. Especially from a few really talented friends.