Dec 30

Dec 30 Rage Powerboats: Reactivated

If there is one thing you realize when you talk to Mark Schnepf of Rage Powerboats, it is that he has never lost his passion for building hardcore offshore performance boats. Mark, who lives and grew up in Long Island NY, has been around boats his entire life. When Mark found an old Sidewinder project boat as a teenager and fixed that up, he was hooked on building and customizing boats. Eventually, after working for other boat builders, he started Activator Boats and would go on to build numerous offshore championship hulls with the brand. Mark sold many 22’, 27’ and 30 Activators all over the country. At one point, in the eighties and nineties, Mark was making a lot of boats, which is why you see them around today. With many being refurbished recently, it seems like Activator has had a bit of resurgence. This coincides nicely with Mark updating his latest molds to build outboard and sterndrive versions of his latest 28 and 30 Rage Powerboats hull designs.

Mark has a beautiful 28’ that is a sleek low profile sport boat that uses a 22 degree deadrise, twin step hull, perfect for todays sport boat market. Twin 300Rs will move it really well. Another proven performer is the 30’ Rage, featuring a 24 degree hull, narrower beam at 7’4” and weighing in at 4,500 Lbs dry. This is an offshore machine that can run both outboard or big sterndrive power. Mark has already fulfilled a few orders for the 30’ and they look great. With Mark’s daughter Alexandria joining the team, expect to see more and more great projects coming.

A new 30’ Rage fresh out of the mold. Rage is well positioned in the twin engine sport boat market, with a sleek 28, and the larger more hardcore offshore 30.

Rage will also be building a nice 25’ center console with a generous freeboard and should fit really nicely with current market of general market and commercial center consoles. With a soft spot for the single engine crowd, he is also going to build a 25’ sport boat, built off the 28’ design, it will be a beautiful hull for today’s larger outboards. As always, the Rage boats have incredible attention to detail, full composite, vacuum bagged, and the finish work of a handmade custom builder like you would expect. Mark takes great pride in the boats he builds and it shows. Even when we took apart our 1990 22’ Activator, a boat that was used and abused, it was still very solid after 30 years.

Mark lowering Justin’s clean 22 Activator that was recently refreshed and repowered. Mark is one of the best guys in the business.

The original Activators had full length hulls, and later Mark incorporated steps, with the new Rages utilizing twin step designs. As far as pedigree and design, Rage Powerboats are built for rough water; very much in response to the big water around Long Island Sound, NY and Mark’s offshore racing history.

In the last few years I’ve seen a gang of 22’s get refurbished or restored. Not only is it great to see but many are younger guys that are breathing new life into the sport boat community. A beautiful white 22 was being refurbished at Rage when mine was being finished. And Nick Imprescia, offshore racer, former King of the Cut champion, has rigged quite a few Activators in the last couple years. Another Wave to Wave reader ended up finding and acquiring his fathers old 27’ Activator with twin 2.5 Mercs and he runs it in Florida. The brands legacy is alive and well.

Take a look at https://ragepowerboats.com/ for more information.

Contact Norwester Marine Group to order