Construction Log

Following is the log that appeared on our Schedules page while we were awaiting delivery of THRILLER 09.  The postings start from the latest and go to the earliest.  To read in the proper order go to the bottom of the page.

THRILLER Charleston is currently being built in Florida. We anticipate having her operational by the beginning of May 2008. Please check back for updates on her progress.

May 13, 2008
We received our Certificate of Inspection! The Charleston Fire Marshall signed-off on our marina slip! Now we just have to get our business license from the City of Charleston, which we should be able to get tomorrow morning. So what does that mean. We should be operating by 10:00am on Wednesday May 14th! Please call or check this site again if you plan on riding Thriller 09 tomorrow.

May 11, 2008
The filming on Thursday went well. We think the segment will air on Thursday the 15th. The Coast Guard inspection was cancelled due to the thunderstorms Friday morning. We have rescheduled for Monday around noon. We are also still waiting for electrical drawings to be approved by the Coast Guard in Washington. That was supposed to have happened last Thursday, so we are hoping that by Monday it will finally be done. Once we get the sign-off from the Coast Guard, then we need to have a fire inspection done by the City of Charleston.

May 07, 2008
Florida Boat Haulers delivered the Thriller 09 to Charleston Tuesday afternoon. Charleston Boat Works lifted Thriller 09 from the trailer to the water, then it was a quick trip to its new home at Ripley Light Marina. This morning the Charleston Sector Coast Guard took a ride on Thriller to assess a proposed route. We hope to have our final inspection and sign-off either Thursday or Friday. Thursday afternoon, ABC 4 will be bringing in a TV crew to film a segment for Lowcountry Live! We'll let you know how it goes.

May 05, 2008
The Coast Guard signed off on the in water test today. We should have the Certificate of Inspection from Sector Miami by Thursday.
We have scheduled a review with Sector Charleston on Wednesday to review routes. The boat was hauled at 3:00pm today and placed on a Florida Boat Hauler's Tractor Trailer. It will arrive in Charleston on Tuesday and be placed in the water by Charleston Boat Works. Unfortunately we are still waiting for BoatFloat to finish our lift (over 3 months and counting).

May 03, 2008
So far the sea trials have been going very well. We tested some modifications to the propellers today and we are extremely happy with the results. Another boat took pictures which we should get Monday.  If the pictures are any good, we will post them here.  The Coast Guard is scheduled to do their in water inspection on Monday at 8:30am. Once that is done all the tools get packed up and the boat placed on a trailer for its trip to Charleston. 

April 30, 2008
Thriller 09 went into the water today!  Initial tests were good, but one of the Arneson drives was leaking oil into the bilge.  The Thriller Powerboat Mechanics hauled the boat and had a new drive installed in less than 3 hours.  Click here for a video of our first off-shore test taken with a small digital camera in movie mode.  The seas were higher than what we would go out in on a tour (waves 4-6 feet), but even so, the boat was fast and as smooth as could be expected.

April 29, 2008
Everything is connected, tested and the boat was loaded onto a trailer this afternoon.  We are scheduled to launch the boat in Fort Pierce, Florida at 9:00 am tomorrow.  We will have 5 days of sea trials. If everything goes well she will be loaded by Florida Boat Haulers onto a tractor trailer and trucked to Charleston by Wednesday May 7th.

The special lift for the boat however is another story.  BoatFloat (BoatFloat is a registered trademark of BoatFloat, LLC of Boca Raton, Florida) was commissioned to build the float in January 2008.  On March 21st, Dan Vinnik owner of BoatFloat, e-mailed us that the float was being assembled for shipping.  Two and a half weeks later on April 7, Dan said the dock could be delivered on the 18th of April.  Then on the 9th he said it can't be delivered until the 21st which is was the first Monday after Charleston Race Week, so that was not a workable date.  On the 21st Dan called me and said they dropped the float and it needs to be rebuilt.  On the 28 he tells me they sold it to another customer, but he will have a new one build to ship on May 16th. Stay tuned for more updates on the BoatFloat.

April 25, 2008
We're back in Florida checking on the progress of Thriller 09!  The exhaust system has been installed.  This exhaust is totally different from all previous versions of the Supercat 55.  While the previous version had to meet stringent noise requirements for other operating areas, we felt even quieter would be better.  Mark and the builders designed a new system that will make Thriller 09 the quietest Supercat yet. Only about what seems like a million more wires need to be run and connected, then in the water she goes for sea trials.

April 15, 2008
She is almost done.  The engines and electronics are currently being installed.