Episode 47 - Powerboat Talk with Keith Eickert Offshore Race Engine Builder
Click here to listen to Episode 47
Click here to watch Episode 47 on youtube
Keith Eickert is one of the most renowned and successful high-performance engine builders in offshore racing history. Beginning his illustrious career at Mercury Racing in 1972, Eickert has crafted winning engines for 37 U.S., World, and International Champions.
Attracted to Mercury by his childhood friend Gary Garbrecht, the head of Mercury Racing, Eickert swiftly progressed from working on cylinder heads to becoming one of their premier engine builders.
In 1976, Eickert left Mercury to build engines exclusively for racers Rocky Aoki (Benihana) and Preston Hen (Natural Light), the owner of the famous Thunderbird Swap Shop.
As participation in the race team dwindled and Eickert’s popularity soared, he ventured into business in 1981 with Jerry Jacobi and Bob Saccenti, founding Hawk Marine Power. He later established KS&W Engines where he worked from 1982 to 1984, and then joined Ben Kramer at Apache Boats where he designed parts to marinize and race V12 Lamborghinis for the first time. Eickert subsequently founded Lightning Performance Products and Keith Eickert Power Products, introducing a comprehensive line of high-performance parts to his engine-building business.
Following two unsuccessful business partnerships, Eickert relaunched his original Lightning Performance line under the Don Onken group of companies. With Onken, Eickert developed and introduced his groundbreaking V-16 engine concept, which coupled two 540 cu. in. Big Block Chevy engines. He programmed the electronically fuel-injected assembly to operate as a single 16-cylinder engine. This powerhouse helped Onken’s Mystic American Ethanol achieve multiple Lake of the Ozarks Top Gun victories.
Now in his 80s, Keith Eickert is retired and resides in Florida. He occasionally builds engines to stay active and engaged in the field.
This episode is brought to you by: BoatLoanGuy.com your trusted source for Marine and RV Financing. BoatLoanGuy provides quick and easy stress-free financing for most types of boats including performance boats, pontoons, and center consoles. BoatLoanGuy offers loans from $20,000 to $5M with up to 20 year terms.
Visit BoatLoanGuy at www.boatloanguy.com On Instagram @rvboatloans and on Facebook @RV and Boat Loans Contact BoatLoanGuy.com (619) 699-9900 info@boatloanguy.com
This episode is also brought to you by: SoCal Jet Boats the #1 online performance boating community forum, manufacturers of the coolest River Attire, hosts of the the Summer Tour with 6+ events along the Colorado River, and owners of The SoCal Jet Boat SpeedShop.
Visit SoCal Jet Boats at www.socaljetboats.com on Instagram at @SoCalJetBoats and Facebook @SoCal Jet Boats Contact SoCal Jet Boats (702) 970-7252 orders@socaljetboats.com
View the video for this episode: www.youtube.com/@powerboat_talk
Follow us on Instagram @powerboattalk and Facebook @Powerboat Talk
Contact me: powerboattalk@gmail.com
You can listen to Powerboat Talk on most podcast players including Apple Podcasts, Youtube Music, Spotify Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Podcasts, Audible, iHeart Radio, Podtail, Audacy, Google Podcasts, Tune In Radio