Ever since Christopher Columbus stopped in Seville, Spain, to stock up on canvas and hardtack before setting out to conquer the Atlantic, all boat cruises large and small have started with a shopping spree.

Yamaha's 300 hp VMax is a 2-stroke engine popular with boaters looking for a higher horsepower package.

"To boldly go where no man has gone before��� seemed much more benevolent than ���fools rush in where angels fear to tread.��� Either one seemed to fit one of the latest custom yacht projects we were involved in. Our customer was the kind we worry about. Although he had a reasonably high level of boating experience it was on the wrong stuff.

I'm the first to admit that I made a mistake. You see when jets first started to catch on with mainstream boaters; I dismissed them as a fad that would soon fad away. I tested a few initial jet designed boats and was not overly impressed by the handling characteristics. What was the problem?