Every once in a while an “oldie turned goodie” story pops up and is an instant winner on speedonthewater.com, and this appears to be one of them. Why? Because the iconic Popeye—one of two, or three depending on who you ask, 47-foot Fountain Powerboats V-bottoms constructed at Douglas Marine in Douglas, Mich., by Peter Hledin and the talented team behind Skater Powerboats—is in the final stages of receiving an incredible makeover thanks to Ryan Retter, who purchased the former national and world championship-winning raceboat that was built in 1998 by owner Dominic Visconsi Jr., at the end of 2015.
Introducing the new Popeye—the full conversion Fountain/Skater pleasure boat is going to be on the water soon with a pair of turbocharged RED 900 engines hooked up with Arneson ASD-8 surface drive. Photo courtesy Chris Mills