The Art of Design Finishes Paint Job on New Chief 42 Warrior
Adorned with a remarkable paint job from The Art of Design in Elkhart, Ind., the new Chief Powerboats 42 Warrior is out of the snow and back in Florida where it’s being prepped for a pair of Ilmor Marine 725 engines and Indy drives.
When Eric Dorris of Fire Flys Performance Marine in Crown Point, Ind., decided to build a 42 Warrior from Chief Powerboats, he insisted on using The Art of Design in Elkhart, Ind. And after seeing the finished product in person last week, Dorris was almost at a loss for words when discussing the 42-footer’s fresh take on a classic design.
“It’s a piece of art not just a boat—I mean it’s incredible, and yeah I’m biased but I don’t care,” said Dorris, one of the latest dealers to sign on with Chief, which is owned by two brothers, Scott and Daryl Grady who are from Indiana as well. “I can’t wait to see people’s reactions in Miami.”
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With a little less than a month to go, the crew at the Chief assembly shop in Port Orange, Fla., received the boat on Monday and is dedicated to getting the boat finished in time for the Miami International Boat Show. The 42 Warrior, which will be on display outside in booth 3590 with the Warpath race boat from Chief, will include a pair of short-staggered Ilmor Marine 725 engines and Ilmor Indy drives.
Dorris, who said interested customers can reach him at 877-844-FIRE, doesn’t expect the boat to be ready for testing until sometime after the Miami show. He said he can’t wait to see the boat—with its one-of-a-kind paint job—on the water. Neither can Dean Loucks, the owner and founder of The Art of Design.
“For years I’ve wanted to paint a Chief or an Apache boat, and I finally got my chance,” Loucks said. “I always wondered what I would do with it. I’d seen so many bright colors with the headdress blowing down the side. I knew there had to be another way to tackle the project than with bright colors so we went with some cream and burnt red, along with a little black, gray and white.”
Loucks said he had a lot of fun with the boat and that there’s a ton of detail to it. It’s one of those boats that you have to see in person to truly appreciate.
“I really like the front,” Loucks said. “Almost like a tribal design, we went with straight lines and we used them really big and ghosted them into the background. Generally a design like that will ‘slow something down’ or make it look less racy. But I think it works here and looks very cool.
“And then there’s the deck,” he continued. “The detail in the arrowhead is incredible and the compass came out awesome. The eagle wings are neat, too, because they turn into the Indian with a headdress blowing back like the one on the side, which is a nod to the company’s heritage.”
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