Image of the Week: Boat on Boat Action

ByJason Johnson

Anyone doubting the die-hard mentality of offshore racers will think otherwise after seeing this week’s image of the week. We’ve all seen stacked trailers with personal watercraft and small boats, but when you see a pair of offshore race boats being towed on top of each other, now that’s hard core.

Nope this isn't Photoshop'd, it's a couple of stacked offshore race boats that are being campaigned by Simmons Marine in the OPA AMSOIL Powerboat Series. Photo by Dee Ungarten

Nope this isn’t Photoshop’d, it’s a couple of stacked offshore race boats that are being campaigned by Simmons Marine in the OPA AMSOIL Powerboat Series. Photo by Dee Ungarten/Lucididee Fast Boats

The man behind the setup is Jim Simmons, owner of Simmons Marine in Akron, Ohio. A multi-time national and world champion in his 34-foot Phantom Simmons Racing, Simmons purchased the 30-foot Phantom Team Octane after the 2010 season and raced it off and on last year.

After stripping the 30-footer in the offseason and eliminating about 300 pounds, the team is now campaigning both boats on the 2012 Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) AMSOIL Powerboat Series. The team also is planning to race in a few Super Boat International races. The image of the week, as well as the one below, were taken by Dee Ungarten of Lucididee Fast Boats at the Heritage Coast Offshore Grand Prix in East Tawas, Mich., in late June—the second race in the series.

According to Simmons, the stacked trailers weigh a combined 13,000 pounds and stand 12 feet, 6 inches tall, which is a little shorter than the toter-home he uses to haul both race boats. He said they have to use a crane to lift the 30-footer and its trailer off the white support posts, and once it’s on the ground it becomes a normal, usable trailer. Simmons designed the support posts so that they were easy to remove from the 34-footer’s trailer.

Getting the chance to showcase both race boats, Jim Simmons (center of photo) enjoyed the experience overall at the Heritage Coast Offshore Grand Prix in East Tawas, Mich. Photo by Dee Ungarten

Getting the chance to showcase both race boats, Jim Simmons (center of photo) enjoyed the experience overall at the Heritage Coast Offshore Grand Prix in East Tawas, Mich. Photo by Dee Ungarten/Lucididee Fast Boats

“It’s actually pretty easy to tow,” said Simmons, who races alongside driver Paul Rose. “It gets a lot of looks, too. We had a great time in East Tawas. I don’t know if I can remember a city being that open-armed to any race association in my life. It was a phenomenal town. There’s no doubt in my mind I will be back next year and I will certainly promote it wholeheartedly.”

The team fared well in the races on Tawas Bay—Simmons Racing took first in Class 4 and Team Octane finished second in Super Vee Lite. The next OPA race is in St. Clair, Mich., at the end of July.