Super Cat Teams Step Up For Fort Myers Beach Recovery With Plywood Donation

The most common items of everyday life become precious after a natural a disaster such as Hurricane Ian, which obliterated Fort Myers Beach and sections of nearby cities in Southwest Florida. Plywood is typically among those much-needed items, and thanks to Chris Grant of the Canada-based Super Cat-class Graydel team and his fellow Super Cat team owners, Fort Myers Beach has received more than 42,500 square feet of it in the form of 1,332 half-inch-thick sheets.

Chris Grant, the owner and driver of the Super Cat-class Graydel raceboat he shares with team throttleman Billy Moore, spearheaded the plywood acquisition and delivery effort. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The plywood has been delivered to Southern Marine and RV Sales in Fort Myers. The business is owned by Raymond Roberts, who also co-owns Double R Performance, a full-service Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats dealer in Canada. Roberts also played a role in helping Grant make the donation happen.

“We are currently making arrangements to have the plywood taken to Fort Myers Beach on Thursday for distribution,” said Tim Hill, the president of the nonprofit Fort Myers Offshore powerboat club and chief organizer of Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach, which was canceled this year after Hurricane Ian. “We’re sending out a huge thank-you to Chris Grant and the Super Cat owners. That’s enough plywood to build a small sub-division.”

Grant, whose Graydel team finished third in the 2022 American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series and is headed to the world championships next week in Key West, Fla., saw a need and stepped in to help fill it through his construction business.

“The Monday after the hurricane, one of my tenants asked me if I needed any plywood at a great price for my construction company and the light bulb went off—‘Florida is going to need a lot of plywood for boarding and roofing,’” he explained. “So I reached out to the Super Cat owners for help. It was a combined effort.

Thanks to the leadership of Chris Grant, the Super Cat owners group is making a difference in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., which was to be home to the final race of the 2022 APBA Offshore National Championship Series. Photo by Cole McGowan copyright P1 Offshore/Powerboat P1.

“Then I arranged to purchase the 1,332 sheets and set up transportation for them to Southern Marine and RV, which is where I keep my raceboat,” he added. “It’s an awesome feeling, knowing it’s all going to people who really need it.”

Said M CON team owner/throttleman and Super Cat owners group representative Tyler Miller, “That was 100-percent, all Chris Grant from Graydel. All I’m doing is handing him a check for my part of the donation when I see him in Key West.”

Grant deflected the praise. “The Super Cat teams are the ones that made it happen,” he said.

Super Cat Teams Step Up For Fort Myers Beach Recovery With Plywood Donation

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