The King Of Poker Runs - Florida Powerboat Club Founder Stu Jones

Published 2023-12-31
An ambitious Canadian with a flair for showmanship and contempt for the cold, Florida Powerboat Club founder Stu Jones arrived in the Sunshine State in the early 1990s and started an event-organizing business that has lasted more than 30 years. Jones and his wife, Jackie, haven't just produced poker runs for the go-fast boating crowd for the better part of three decades; they created lifestyle-experiences and that have helped support and build the high-performance marine industry, and in the process the Florida Powerboat Club became a brand. Long before the dawn of the Internet, the media-savvy Jones knew content was king and he maximized the clubโ€™s dramatic action photos and footage through his own magazine, videos and television program. His story is one of vision and the work it takes to build a successful event-production business. But after 30-plus years on the clock, Jones appears ready to take a few steps back from daily operations. The question is: Will he be able to let go?

Get to know Jones and his business better by watching โ€œIn The Lead with Stu Jones,โ€ episode No. 5 of the third-year video series that tells the stories of the most accomplished and innovative racers, builders, influencers and entrepreneurs in the high-performance powerboat industry. Special thanks to supporting sponsors, MYCO Trailers, Bluave Marine Audio, CP Performance, DEFCO Trucks, Hamilton Marine Finance, Hardin Marine and Race World Offshore.

Chapters
00:37 In The Lead with Stu Jones
01:16 Florida Powerboat Club
02:27 Canada, Eh?
03:10 Pursuing a powerboat dream
03:28 Key West
04:23 Sunny Isles Marine
04:57 Sunny Isles Powerboat Club
05:38 Reincorporating as Florida Powerboat Club
07:09 Early days of Florida Powerboat Club
07:44 Emerald Coast Powerboat Week
08:45 Powerboating in Paradise Magazines
10:20 Creating a TV Show
13:43 Manufacturers start getting involved
15:00 Summer Poker Run Tour - 1000 Islands Charity Poker Run
17:01 Next Chapter of FPC
17:39 Credits/Sponsors

In The Lead Season 3 features include:
Ep 1: Jeff Harris, Fountain Powerboats
Ep 2: Steve Curtis, Offshore Racing Throttleman
Ep 3: Michael Howe, Howe2Live / Howe & Howe
Ep 4: Kruis Retherford, GSX Powerboats/Glasstream

In The Lead Season 2 features include:
Ep 1: Peter Hledin, Skater Powerboats
Ep 2: Johnny Tomlinson, TNT Custom Marine
Ep 3: Randy Scism, Marine Technology Inc.
Ep 4: Tyler Miller, M CON Racing
Ep 5: Stephen Miles, Stephen Miles Design
Ep 6: Bob Teague, Teague Custom Marine

In The Lead Season 1 features include:
Ep 1: Grant Bruggemann, Grant's Signature Racing
Ep 2: Nils Johnsen & Trond Schou, Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats
Ep 3: Shaun Torrente, Shaun Torrente Racing
Ep 4: John Cosker, Mystic Powerboats
Ep 5: Mark Waddington & Brett Manire, Performance Boat Center
Ep 6: Tony Chiaramonte, DCB Performance Boats
Ep 7: Justin Wagner, Waves and Wheels

In partnership with:
MYCO Trailers: www.mycotrailers.com/
Bluave Marine Audio: bluaveaudio.com/
CP Performance: www.cpperformance.com/
DEFCO Trucks, www.defcotrucks.com/
Hardin Marine: www.hardin-marine.com/
Hamilton Marine Finance: www.facebook.com/HamiltonMarineFinance
Race World Offshore: raceworldoffshore.com/

Produced by:
Scrapyard Media: www.scrapyardmedia.com/

Follow SOTW
Website: www.speedonthewater.com/
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Instagram: www.instagram.com/speedonthewater

Subscribe to see the newest episode of In The Lead every month: youtube.com/user/speedonthewater

All Comments (21)
  • @jaybodner4189
    Keep going Stu! It will always be YOUR club!! It would never be the same without you.
  • @weselmendorf2195
    I remember calling and talking personally to Stu in 2008/2009 ish for the first time and telling him I wanted to do the KW Poker Run but I didnt want to pay the full membership because I wasnt sure how much I would need it because I maybe wasnt gonna being able to do other runs as a new broke high performance boater lol. He said "no problem ----> just pay straight entry fee and come on down and enjoy yourself with your friends" ... I took my ICBM and had the most awesome, memorable and wonderful time ever. We went down plenty after that because of the awesome laid back approach and experience. Thanks Stu & Jackie for all your hard work, dedication and vision. Enjoy your next chapter Stu !! GOD Bless
  • @Jassman3536
    Thank You Stu and Jackie. We did a lot of PR's with ya'll from 2003 to 2011 and enjoyed all of them. Thanks for keeping the sport alive... A true legend !!
  • Thanks for all you do for the powerboating world. I have been a video and magazine club member since the 90's, watching all the videos and getting so much enjoyment from them. I still have the early VHS tapes and all the DVD's. I never get tired of watching them. I also learned so much about boating and doing it safely from you.
  • @cigtiger4282
    Thanks for helping make this sport a great one Stu. If it wasn't for like minded and passionate people getting together at your events the sport may not have gotten as great as it has. Good luck with everything.
  • @joyhamilton3462
    Stu and Jackie ๐ŸŽ‰ love hearing the history behind all of this! ๐ŸŽ‰ well done!
  • @roberttanner4225
    Looking forward to rekindling my love for loud boats soon. Great job Stu & Jackie!! congrats on all your success!!
  • @grantahonen4752
    Fantastic Video Stu and an amazing accomplishment, Proud of you!
  • @johnlundgren5085
    Awesome video of your life Story Stu, and I know long ago I said I was going to join as a Non Boat owner??. Well right now I'm in the planning stages of building my own Tiny Houseboat that will be 100 % OFF GRID and Solar powered but like all things in my life right now I'm trying to take care of my 87 yr. Old Mother who has Dimentia,let's just say that I'm her driver and she currently lives in a Senior housing community about 8 miles from my house and I'm basically on call 24/7 365 days a year. And then about a week ago now my ex wife Tracy from Colorado Springs passed away she was only 59 and had alot of health issues ?. And I'm waiting to see the next Florida Powerboat Club Video on YouTube as I now have a nice Home Theater with THX surround sound as well as my Premium Membership to YouTube so NO MORE COMMERCIALS and or Neighbors lol. Have a wonderful season of Poker Runs and maybe you'll be at Boyne Thunder this year????????.
  • @chappymoody
    Thank You Stu , Had a great time 25 years ago back in 1999 Jacksonville poker run to Silver Glen ...Excellent job !!! Chappy Moody
  • @Thatboatdude
    Great video of Stu ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Greetings from Norway ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด
  • Great video about stu! Come up to the Battleship Poker Run in the Finger Lakes!
  • @blainesnider9089
    Stu is an amazing guy, at least from what I can see! I would like to do one poker run before he retires.
  • @simonchitty7376
    Hatโ€™s off to you Stu from the UK, we follow you ! Larry Goldman ( RIP ) built one of my boats, fastest thing in the UK at the time ( until we crashed ! ) currently running one of the two Pantera 41โ€™s
  • @tonychavez2083
    Thatโ€™s some life! Way to go Stu, keep up the good work ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ
  • @Cubano85full
    Stu, great video. I thought this channel had started with the 1080 project. But now I realize you have been doing this all your life. Now I appreciate even more what you do to make this great videos an eventful experience. Thanks for sharing your story, many thanks to Jackie for helping you to create this fun project.
  • @NOSCOPE-zb3hl
    BAD ASS,,,,, ONLY IN MY DREAMS ENJOY POWER ON BROTHER,, ENJOY THE H.P. BUDDY
  • @jamesparker6017
    Coral Gables ๐ŸŒด๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ We Summer in Vermilion Ohio on Lake Erie.. STILL waiting for restoration of the Miami Marine Stadium ? ? ? ๐Ÿ„