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Moving to Florida from Long Island was somewhat bittersweet for me. I missed the friends that I grew up with, however I was suddenly in a much different world from New York, where the boating season is all year, and there were endless opportunities to cover events or just go boating. Once here, I wanted to begin working on feature articles for the website and I made some posts on the message board. Keep in mind that this was in the early days of Scream And Fly, I knew very few people in Florida.
Andy, who was registered on our forums as "Frostman" was the first to contact me, and his OMC-powered STV was definitely the kind of boat I was looking for. We agreed to meet up in Alva for a photo shoot, and along with Andy and I, we were joined by Mike Tyler and Greg Dunham. I was still learning as a photographer, and Andy was just so easy and fun to work with. He wanted to make sure I felt welcome in this new world that I now lived in, and he did just that. During the photo shoot, Andy's greatest concern was making sure I was able to get the photos I needed for the article. My experiences on that day boldly illustrated to me the kind of person Andy was, and I knew I had moved to the right place for both me and Scream And Fly's future.
It meant a great deal to me that somebody that was essentially a stranger to me at that time would be so willing to help me. Andy loved our community here and he was an active part of it right up until his passing. His last login on the Scream And Fly forums was February 1, 2023.
I was not aware that Andy's health had rapidly declined, and with sadness I wish that I could have just told him once more how much he has given us here on the forums, as well as the high-performance boating community at large. I will never forget how he helped to shape the community we are all a part of today, and into the future.
The below article was originally published on May 13, 2004
High performance boats are as unique as the owners that rig and run them. We come to know these people by how they setup, rig, and run their boats. We even remember these people by the events they attend. High performance boating is a culture in its own.
Most people who frequent performance boating events in Florida and Scream And Fly’s message forums have come to know Andy Frost, also known as “Frostman.” Andy has been building and racing high performance boats for over twenty years. “Frostman”, as he’s known on our forums, honed his skills in offshore racing, operating the throttles of a twin-outboard Skater 24 in 1986. Feeling the need to go even faster, Andy moved on to outboard drag racing in the 1980s.
Andy’s current boat is a 1993 STV Mod-VP tunnel boat, powered by a modified Evinrude 3-litre engine. The 500 pound lightweight competition race hull was rigged and setup by Frost. Instrumentation includes a full compliment of Livorsi Marine gauges to accurately oversee engine functions, while a Garmin GPS 168 handles the speed and mapping duties. The STV is dressed in a custom “ghost flame” paint scheme provided by veteran boat painter Bill Birchfield.
The modified Evinrude engine features a custom short shaft midsection crafted by Wayne Taylor of Taylor Marine and Machine. This shorter midsection lowers the STV’s center of gravity, while providing Andy the option to mate a Mercury Sportmaster lower unit to the OMC powerhead in the future as speeds increase.
Other engine refinements include an OMC lightweight V4 flywheel to reduce engine rotating mass for quicker acceleration, custom engine block porting and deck work, and lightened and balanced internal engine components. The top-speed tuned V6 is fed by a modified Holley fuel pump supplying the thirsty large-bore carburetors with high octane fuel at 8.5 psi. These modifications allow the engine the produce an estimated 300 horsepower, which translates to top speeds approaching 120 mph.
Future upgrades include the addition of a Mercury Sportmaster lower unit with a 1.75:1 gear ratio. The Sportmaster is much better suited to the extreme speeds Andy is attaining with the STV, and the higher gear ratio will allow the OMC to flex its muscles more efficiently.
Some images are courtesy of Mike Muscato.
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