Clark took
1986 off from racing to search for what he felt was the optimum
method for
construction. The method he developed resulted in his being named Offshore
designer of the year and tunnel-boat manufacturer of the year in
1987,
based on his 35-footer "Thriller", which he raced in the
Open Class in 1988 as "Coors Light Silver Bullet". This
was the
first boat constructed with Clark's new process. After that, Clark
produced
John D`Elia's Open Class speedster "Special Edition", which
won the US Open Class title in 1988 and 1989. "Special Edition"
also set an Open Class average speed record of 109.45 mph.
Clark
wasn't far off base in naming his boat thriller. During the Key
West
championships in November 1987, Clark, riding as throttleman, and Ed
Martinez, the driver, had the dubious distinction of proving that
it is
possible to barrel-roll an Offshore race boat at 115 mph and walk away
without a scratch. Clark later said it justified his faith in his
construction
and the fully enclosed canopies. The boat bounced off a wave, rose
up on its side and then rolled over upside down, skidding along
on its
top for several seconds before completing the flip and finishing upright.
"Ed
and I had practiced what we would do if this happened and when the time
came, it was amazing how we did what we were supposed to do without
thinking," he related. "Each of us grabbed our mouthpieces [from the
emergency air supply] and placed them in our mouths, all this as we
took hold of the grab rail to brace ourselves. The safety harnesses
worked perfectly and we were just waiting to pop the canopies and swim
out when the boat rolled back to an upright position.
After his two
earlier experiences, safety was a key factor for Clark in building
his boats.
He set out to build not just a fast boat but one that would be
highly resistant to sinking, even if severely damaged. To this day
all of his boats are built with safety in mind. He has also developed
and refined, a rotating mold system and a vacuum-bagging technique
using
an Airex
foam core
and
Core-Cell which makes his boats exceptionally light and strong.
.
Jack Clark owner of Jaguar Marine.
Jaguar
Marine is located in North Miami about 15 minutes south
of Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Jack Clark, the owner,
started racing in 1984 with a 30-foot Chris-Craft catamaran and
won the APBA Pro-Stock championship and APBA Southeast Divisional
Championship. He was also named 1984 rookie of the year. Jack
Clark's
success fueled his desire to design and build his own boat. The
following year he moved up to the Open Class in a boat of his
own
design and construction, the 35-foot wooden Jaguar tunnel hull.
"It was crude and people were skeptical but it was fast," Clark
said. The problem was that its wooden construction wasn't tough
enough said Clark, so he set out to find a better, lighter and
stronger material. 