After a violent crash on a new 44 Outerlimits catamaran at the annual LOTO Shootout last Saturday, Canadian powerboater Joel Begin escaped with relatively minor injuries, while builder and throttleman Mike Fiore was airlifted with serious life-threatening injuries to a trauma unit in a Missouri hospital. Just three days later, after a surgery complication, the twenty-five year performance industry icon lost his battle to recover from these injuries. Fiore was known and respected by powerboating enthusiasts across the globe, as a visionary builder of some of the most highly advanced and stylish offshore race and poker run boats ever built. In the late nineties, then only his his twenties, Fiore left Hustler Powerboats to begin the Rhode Island-based Outerlimits Powerboats, releasing his first 37 Stiletto model. Many new models followed, and eventually the biggest, fastest v-bottoms available were showing up at poker runs and offshore races across the nation. Advanced contruction techiques, stylish lines and wild paint schemes by Dean Loukts at The Art of Design, made Outerlimits boats stand out from all the rest, and in a very short time Fiore won accolades from offshore journalists, industry professionals and poker run enthusiasts. Eventually, new catamarans arrived in the Outerlimits lineup, showing once again that Fiore always strived to build the fastest and most incredible offshore powerboats in the nation. A high-end client-base followed, and Outerlimits solified it’s very own loyal family circle. Many members of the Florida Powerboat Club have joined that very circle, which is why the loss of Mike Fiore, at the young age of 44, is such a tragedy not only for his immediate family, but for all of us who have come to know and respect Mike for his amazing accomplishments.
Rest in Peace Mike, We will sadly miss you!
Stu Jones