Photo by Gary Gerard, Times-Union-
When Jim Franklin came from Rowlett, Texas, to visit his daughter, he brought an adult toy along with him. Franklin is president and CEO of Performance Boats Unlimited. Franklin has been involved in boat racing for years as a drag boat racer and engine builder. Franklin's daughter, Kory Horne, lives near Grassy Creek. Franklin started Performance Boats in Rowlett, a suburb of Dallas, from scratch and now sells a brisk 20 to 30 Eliminator boats per year. The boat pictured is a 33 Daytona. It is 33 feet long and has a beam of 9 feet. It holds 160 gallons of fuel. This particular model came with two 502-cubic inch Chevrolet engines generating 570 horsepower each. The engines are mated to Mercruiser outdrives. With the throttle wide open, the Daytona consumes 40 gallons of fuel per hour. Conditions on Lake Wawasee were a bit flat for the Daytona. It performs best in 2- to 3-foot chop, Franklin said. If skimming along your favorite Kosciusko County Lake at 110 mph is your goal and you have roughly a quarter million extra dollars lying around, the 33 Daytona may be just the ticket. Photo by Gary Gerard, Times-Union
