American Offshore on the West Coast...

[Jesster]

I ran into Cliff Waters on Wednesday at the boat show and he said that he is the New General manager of AO. Being previous customers he took us to the new facility and showed us the new deck boat molds. They looked great they are now going to be offering both walk thru and full sun deck as well as a twin console option, that mold should be done by the end of the month. They made a number of other changes like the front swim step is part of the deck not an add in piece, and rear swim step is higher with a fold up stowable swim step.
The big one though is the will be offering all the gel options, now I wish we would have waited another year to purchase :D not really then we would have missed last season. :eek:
From what he said they are starting a new twin engine deck mold before years end and redoing the decks on the 2 26's and the 31'. Long time coming, those things were looking really dated IMHO.
They are moving facilities out here to take advantage of the talent available on the west coast. This is great news as far as I'm concerned American Offshore had a reputation as a great boat builder in the past, and it sounds like it may get that reputation back if everything works out the way Cliff is talking. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I'm a little biased. :D

[BoneDaddy]

I can't wait to see the final product!

[boatnam2]

I ran into Cliff Waters on Wednesday at the boat show and he said that he is the New General manager of AO. Being previous customers he took us to the new facility and showed us the new deck boat molds. They looked great they are now going to be offering both walk thru and full sun deck as well as a twin console option, that mold should be done by the end of the month. They made a number of other changes like the front swim step is part of the deck not an add in piece, and rear swim step is higher with a fold up stowable swim step.
The big one though is the will be offering all the gel options, now I wish we would have waited another year to purchase :D not really then we would have missed last season. :eek:
From what he said they are starting a new twin engine deck mold before years end and redoing the decks on the 2 26's and the 31'. Long time coming, those things were looking really dated IMHO.
They are moving facilities out here to take advantage of the talent available on the west coast. This is great news as far as I'm concerned American Offshore had a reputation as a great boat builder in the past, and it sounds like it may get that reputation back if everything works out the way Cliff is talking. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I'm a little biased. :D
so where is the new facility?who else is running it?

[BoneDaddy]

After having a white boat for awhile now, I don't know if I would go back to a full color gel coat....I am not dead set on this but it is nice to know I can change up the design every couple of years with out the expense of buying a new boat.

[Jesster]

so where is the new facility?who else is running it?
The new facility is in Riverside and Art is still the owner. So same setup but Cliff is the GM and they have moved the facilities from Texas to SoCal.
As soon as I get some pictures of the hull and redesigned deck I will post them. It should be a couple weeks. So far it looks like they are really going to step up and do things right. I’m anxious to see the 1st boats out of the mold. They obviously have a great hull in the 26 Talon as so many manufacturers are using it, :) but we will see how rigging comes along.

[boatnam2]

art......thats what i figured thanks but no thanks.

[909punk]

I dont know Cliff that well.. But he was very nice to me and my family last year on a demo at Pleasent. As the story goes, a friend of ours went on a demo ride with Cliff in Havi and wrote him a check on the spot.
=)

[Jesster]

art......thats what i figured thanks but no thanks.
Must be a back story there. Art has been great to us. :confused:

[boatnam2]

yea there is a back story all right,already told it a couple of times so no need to tell it again.it has been 9 years now since he has ripped me off sorry i mean since i have bought a boat from him so no need to go over it again.

[Jesster]

yea there is a back story all right,already told it a couple of times so no need to tell it again.it has been 9 years now since he has ripped me off sorry i mean since i have bought a boat from him so no need to go over it again.
Hey Boatnam2, I just went back through old threads to see what the story was. The Art that you bought from, was it the Art that is in Norco off the 15? If so he is not the owner of AO never has been. He buys a hull from them on occasion and puts in a motor. There was a thread last year regarding this same thing. He was selling a customer used AO as a demo. I have my doubts he will be selling anymore, new hulls anyway. The Art that owns AO is out of Texas.

[GABACHOS_LBC]

I've spoke to Cliff Waters about the new AO Deckboat and it sounds like it has the potential to be a very well put together machine, especially if he works out the details on the gel coat graphics. I think you are correct about the 2 ART's that are involved with AO. Art in Texas is the main dude, and the other ART is just a guy in Norco that would run out to Texas and drag AO's back on a galvanized trailer. Cliff Waters is a stand up guy and I hope everything works out.

[quest]

I am the Art from Texas. I have nothing to do with the Art from California. Please do not confuse us. To stop the confuson refer to me as Art D., Quest, or Art DiNick.
Besides the confusion between the two Arts there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding in the industry about where the bottom of the American Offshore 26 ft hull came from. Most believe it came from Talon as it looks very similar but it actually came from a plug that was purchased in 92 from a now defunct company called Python.

[GABACHOS_LBC]

I am the Art from Texas. I have nothing to do with the Art from California. Please do not confuse us. To stop the confuson refer to me as Art D., Quest, or DiNick.
So there you have it.. Way to clear things up Art D..

[Jesster]

I am the Art from Texas. I have nothing to do with the Art from California. Please do not confuse us. To stop the confuson refer to me as Art D., Quest, or Art DiNick.
Besides the confusion between the two Arts there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding in the industry about where the bottom of the American Offshore 26 ft hull came from. Most believe it came from Talon as it looks very similar but it actually came from a plug that was purchased in 92 from a now defunct company called Python.
That is interesting. :jawdrop: Common belief in here is the bottom is a Talon bottom. So, to clear it up further can you comment or do you know who is using a Talon bottom and who is using the Python bottom. You can refrain from answering that, as it may cause quite a debate among the know it all's that be, :D but in my opinion truth trumps assumption every time. :D

[acatitude]

The ARt in socal just bought pos AO's from Ed in texas and sold them. If Ed is still involved then I would just say buyer beware, Im sure ART(texas) doesn't want all the real stories coming out. AO made good fast boats in the early 90's, then went to shit and focked many people.... and ART in Texas was there thru it all......be very careful

[GABACHOS_LBC]

I think Cliff Waters is doing his own thing with AO in Riverside.. Suppose to be all new.. We will just have to wait and see.. Not that it matters since I went with the Conquest and stayed clear of the AO..

[seanv]

The ARt in socal just bought pos AO's from Ed in texas and sold them. If Ed is still involved then I would just say buyer beware, Im sure ART(texas) doesn't want all the real stories coming out. AO made good fast boats in the early 90's, then went to shit and focked many people.... and ART in Texas was there thru it all......be very careful
heh heh heh.....among other issues..:mad:
be very careful indeed!!!!!

[quest]

Ken, Ken.Ken( blown Carrera) why are you so bitter. I sold the business to Scott Hutchenson in 2001 for no money down and never received a penney from him. He also borrowed $700,000. from me to run the business. He screwed several people. I sued him in the Galveston County Tx Court system. One year later the court gave me back my molds, equipment, and the right to any unfinished boats that Hutchenson left behind when he disappeared in Sept of 2002. I was never able to recover any of the $700,000.00 that the court said I was entitled to collect from him. Although I was not leagually obligated to make good to any of the people that Hutchinson screwed I felt sorry for them and did my best to help them out. I cannot understand why none of the guys that got screwed by Hutchinson didn't sue him or file criminal charges against him.
Ken paid Hutchinson $55,000.00 for a $85,000. NSX with a 500 HP motor and had nothing when Hutchinson disapeared. After I donated a completed hull and motor, Ed finished Kens boat and charged him $ 15,000.00. Add it up. Ken got an 80+ MPH boat worth 85K for $70,000.00. I got nothing.
Ken still was not happy and complained about the quality control on his boat. The boat was surveyed by Dixie land Marine Surveyors and the only thing they found was that a small bonding tab was missing on the front bulkhead. not significant and was readly fixed by Ed. Ken however wanted a new boat and has complained about AO ever since. I never got so much as thank you for giving him the hull and motor and saving what could have been a complete loss for him.
All the other Guys that Hutchinson screwed got most of their boat gratus of me and paid very little to get them into running condition. They should be thankfull that they didn't loose their entire investment, but they are not. I guess that no matter how hard you try some people cant be pleased and cannot understand that I was the really big looser.
After I got the assets back from the court I licensed the rights to build AO boats to Ed. He borrowed a lot of money from me and never paid me a penney in licensing fees. He also ignored the customers and didn' t answer the phone. No way to run a business. He and I have now parted ways.
Cliff is a stand up honest guy and really cares about his customers. He is always available for them. He is really interrested in pleasing them and is into quaility control.
He will be in complete control of American Offshore. I will remain in the background as I always have. I will be available to answer techinical questions. I may not always get them correct but I try my best and have always been available to the customers.
So there you have it. I thank those of you that have stood by American Offshore and hope that the rest of you could maybe have a little sympathy for a guy who has lost so much chasing his dream.
Art from Texas or Quest

[3 daytona`s]

Ken, Ken.Ken( blown Carrera) why are you so bitter. I sold the business to Scott Hutchenson in 2001 for no money down and never received a penney from him. He also borrowed $700,000. from me to run the business. He screwed several people. I sued him in the Galveston County Tx Court system. One year later the court gave me back my molds, equipment, and the right to any unfinished boats that Hutchenson left behind when he disappeared in Sept of 2002. I was never able to recover any of the $700,000.00 that the court said I was entitled to collect from him. Although I was not leagually obligated to make good to any of the people that Hutchinson screwed I felt sorry for them and did my best to help them out. I cannot understand why none of the guys that got screwed by Hutchinson didn't sue him or file criminal charges against him.
Ken paid Hutchinson $55,000.00 for a $85,000. NSX with a 500 HP motor and had nothing when Hutchinson disapeared. After I donated a completed hull and motor, Ed finished Kens boat and charged him $ 15,000.00. Add it up. Ken got an 80+ MPH boat worth 85K for $70,000.00. I got nothing.
Ken still was not happy and complained about the quality control on his boat. The boat was surveyed by Dixie land Marine Surveyors and the only thing they found was that a small bonding tab was missing on the front bulkhead. not significant and was readly fixed by Ed. Ken however wanted a new boat and has complained about AO ever since. I never got so much as thank you for giving him the hull and motor and saving what could have been a complete loss for him.
All the other Guys that Hutchinson screwed got most of their boat gratus of me and paid very little to get them into running condition. They should be thankfull that they didn't loose their entire investment, but they are not. I guess that no matter how hard you try some people cant be pleased and cannot understand that I was the really big looser.
After I got the assets back from the court I licensed the rights to build AO boats to Ed. He borrowed a lot of money from me and never paid me a penney in licensing fees. He also ignored the customers and didn' t answer the phone. No way to run a business. He and I have now parted ways.
Cliff is a stand up honest guy and really cares about his customers. He is always available for them. He is really interrested in pleasing them and is into quaility control.
He will be in complete control of American Offshore. I will remain in the background as I always have. I will be available to answer techinical questions. I may not always get them correct but I try my best and have always been available to the customers.
So there you have it. I thank those of you that have stood by American Offshore and hope that the rest of you could maybe have a little sympathy for a guy who has lost so much chasing his dream.
Art from Texas or Quest
Thanks for the truth,funny how some take a tad of info. and bash:yuk:

[acatitude]

Thanks for the truth,funny how some take a tad of info. and bash:yuk:
well 3daytonas im glad you read a post and automatically know its the truth and we are bashing. it goes to show that you dont know your ass from a hole in the ground with that comment.
lets just say some of what ART just posted is semi true, some is far from true. what I spent is very close, what he states I got is not, a hard lesson I learned. The boat was a piece of shit from the beginning, deck was bubbling, I dont remember the exact word for it. the motor had 3 different kind of spark plugs in it and no grounds to gas dispensers amd I can go on but no need.
What art forgot to mention was that he promised me a new boat for my piece of shit and when i drove to houston he and Ed were no where to be found..... real stand up guy... remmeber that Art?? Yes I got at least something because I made it very clear to you and Ed that you might never see christmas again if I didnt get a boat, maybe the others should have been a little more exact in what they would do .... And if you read my post it states that if Ed is involved I.d be careful and that you Art were involved thru the whole process which you just pretty much admitted..I wont even start on the fact 1/2 the gauges didnt work and more things were focked up with the motor, what a deal. a survey on my boat.. what a crock of shit Art. that guy was blind, drunk or your brother in law so stfu

[Jesster]

I guess what stands out to me in this whole thing is that when you got screwed it was by Scott Hutchison and Art didn't have any obligation to really do anything at all since the company did not legally belong to him. It sounds like Art stepped up and tried to take care of something that was in no way his responsibility. He could have said, your business was with Scott, I'm already out 700K, sorry. :sqeyes:
I can understand the bitterness in that you spent a lot of money and things went south though. I can't imagine how I would have taken it. What did you do with the boat after all this happened? Sell it?
well 3daytonas im glad you read a post and automatically know its the truth and we are bashing. it goes to show that you dont know your ass from a hole in the ground with that comment.
lets just say some of what ART just posted is semi true, some is far from true. what I spent is very close, what he states I got is not, a hard lesson I learned. The boat was a piece of shit from the beginning, deck was bubbling, I dont remember the exact word for it. the motor had 3 different kind of spark plugs in it and no grounds to gas dispensers amd I can go on but no need.
What art forgot to mention was that he promised me a new boat for my piece of shit and when i drove to houston he and Ed were no where to be found..... real stand up guy... remmeber that Art?? Yes I got at least something because I made it very clear to you and Ed that you might never see christmas again if I didnt get a boat, maybe the others should have been a little more exact in what they would do .... And if you read my post it states that if Ed is involved I.d be careful and that you Art were involved thru the whole process which you just pretty much admitted..I wont even start on the fact 1/2 the gauges didnt work and more things were focked up with the motor, what a deal. a survey on my boat.. what a crock of shit Art. that guy was blind, drunk or your brother in law so stfu

[acatitude]

Thats Arts position now is that he didnt have anything to do with the company....... i wonder why he was always around and involved if he didnt have anything to do with it... and he got Ed involved when it wasnt his company??????? Ya know I get real upset even thinkin about it and I stand by my first post. I didnt get into all the bs until Art brought it up and believe me there are a few more folks who know the real story..... ya all can believe anything you want since you werent there and really dont know shit about it... ask someone who went thru it..... funny how ARt seems to know every detail about everything that went on in a company he had nothing to do with, don't ya think????????? I really don't give a damn at this point, and I wish all you guys well who buy boats from him......

[quest]

No Ken. It's not "funny" that I know every detail. I had $1,800,000.00 at stake in addition to $60 K in legal fees. I would have been a total fool to attempt to win a court case from a crook without learning every detail.
good night

[boatnam2]

[QUOTE=Jesster;2388988]Hey Boatnam2, I just went back through old threads to see what the story was. The Art that you bought from, was it the Art that is in Norco off the 15? If so he is not the owner of AO never has been. He buys a hull from them on occasion and puts in a motor. There was a thread last year regarding this same thing. He was selling a customer used AO as a demo. I have my doubts he will be selling anymore, new hulls anyway. The Art that owns AO is out of Texas.[/QUO yea he is off the 15,hopefully the other art will get a good name for the company the last guy not art was a theif also and went to jail i believe.

[DrewDown]

My A.O. KICKED ASS... That's all.

[CHAD1]

i hate that a fellow boater(blown) got screwed. sounds like when scott
owned the company everyone got screwed. my dealings with art and ed have
always been good. the deck boat and the nsx are great products when ed was building them.
i love my ao

[Infamous]

My A.O. KICKED ASS... That's all.
Yes Andrew it kicks ass! I have been enjoying it.

[lalhc]

Congrats to Cliff. I purchased my boat from Cliff (not an AO) a couple years ago and he is a stand-up, great guy.

[Bling Bling]

My A.O. KICKED ASS... That's all.
Bet your ass it does Homie!!!:D If your boatless your invited to Havasu with me anytime.;) Just not that Gay Tom Slick guy.:D Faulk
Python, Talon where ever the AOs came from, pound for pound best single engine 26 Cat to date. And belive me I've sold a few for Ed way back, and I know how things sometimes went.
Answer me this: Who had the fastest and one of the first AOs in Havasu?

[boatnam2]

i had one in 1998 with 750 ponies or so,which is no big deal today but dont remember getting spanked to many times back then.

[DrewDown]

Yes Andrew it kicks ass! I have been enjoying it.
That's awsome. I'm glad your enjoying it and I do miss it.

[DrewDown]

Bet your ass it does Homie!!!:D If your boatless your invited to Havasu with me anytime.;) Just not that Gay Tom Slick guy.:D Faulk
Python, Talon where ever the AOs came from, pound for pound best single engine 26 Cat to date. And belive me I've sold a few for Ed way back, and I know how things sometimes went.
Answer me this: Who had the fastest and one of the first AOs in Havasu?
Me, you and hottie Scotty on the center console??? Sounds like trouble. I'm in.