Magnum Marine honors high-performance legend, Howard Arneson, a dear friend of Katrin Theodoli. Read below for a special message from Katrin Theodoli. As an icon who advanced the racing industry and revolutionized the performance boating world, Arneson will be greatly missed.
I liked Howard, very much, the moment I first met him in 1980. He had a wonderful smile, a twinkle in his eyes, and of course, he was a genius. He was also fun and ready for any challenge and adventure.
In 1980, we were, at Magnum Marine, trying to build our first high-performance yacht. A Magnum 53, with all the comforts of a luxurious yacht, but with the speed of a race boat. We heard about the new surface drives, with their oversized propellers running partially out of the water, which was being installed on small race boats; the concept of the surface drive was convincing: no more drag; pure thrust; but such a drive had never been built for a large yacht. So we called Howard Arneson and asked him to build us a big surface drive for our new Magnum, and he did.
“This drive” wrote Howard many years ago,” let the Magnums add extra speed to their sleek looks. They looked fast just tied up to the dock – now they would perform up to full potential.”
The Arneson surface drive revolutionized the performance boating world. Rarely has an inboard performance boat been built since, anywhere in the world, without Arneson surface Drives.
Of course, Howard did not only invent the Arneson surface Drives, he was the marine industry’s greatest innovator, with more than 45 patents. He also built at least six turbine-powered boats. The most recent one, a 46’ Skater powered by a 4,500 HP Lycoming turbojet engine that he was seen running at 170 MPH across San Francisco Bay.
“No one,” said Howard, “ has more fun than me”. I think that was certainly true. He inspired us all and brought joy and excitement into our lives. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.
Katrin Theodoli