In 1984 Bobby Saccenti started construction on one of the most successful and iconic boats builds of all time. The 41 Apache called “Warpath”. With the tremendous success of the 41 Apache, Bobby went on to build many more boats of different sizes and flavors, based on the successful design of the 41 Apache. Perhaps one of the most successful versions was the iconic 47 Apache. The 41 and 47 Apaches dominated the offshore racing circuit in the eighties and nineties. The boats were known for their brute strength and incredible handling characteristics in rough open ocean conditions. 

Sadly, new technology made the heavy straight bottom Apaches somewhat obsolete in the early nineties.  Stepped bottomed boats came on the scene and seemingly overnight, the Apaches were no longer dominating the race circuit.  The new stepped bottom boats were very fast, but they were also very slippery and dangerous. 

While trying to keep a competitive edge, Bobby pondered the idea of making a stepped bottom Apache. He was not comfortable with the shortcomings of the typical designs that were being used and did not want to sacrifice the legendary ride and stability of the Apache. After some serious research, Bobby decided to get together with a naval architect from the Netherlands, who helped Bobby design a stepped bottom boat that had the stability of the Apache with the speed of a stepped bottom boat. Bobby first attempted this new design on his 36 Apache. The boat was 10 miles an hour faster right out of the box, with very docile handling characteristics. Bobby was instantly impressed and immediately made plans to build a bigger version. It was at this time that Bobby decided to use the 47 Apache molds to build a new stepped bottom version. It was decided to block the mold at 42 feet to make the plug for the new boat. A plug was pulled from the 47 Apache molds, then tooled with the new step design. 

At this point, there was a battle over the rights to the name Apache, so Bobby decided to call the new boat company “Newtech”. After building a few boats under the Newtech name, it was decided to change the name of the company to Chief, as it seemed to be a more fitting name for a boat company with Bob at the helm. The first 42 that Bob built under the Chief name was yet another iconic boat called “First Mohican”, keeping with the tribal theme. Mohican was a Poker Run/Pleasure boat that was a fan favorite. Built-in 2005, First Mohican featured a pair of Chief Performance Blower Motors rated at 950HP each. BAM Transmissions and Mercury Dry Sump #6 Drives finished off the drivetrain. The paint job was designed and painted by Mitcher T.  Interior was done by Fineline Interior in Miami. The boat went on to become the official SBI/APBA official pace boat.

Soon Bob was contacted by a customer who wanted a new Chief Race Boat. It was decided that the new boat would be a throwback to the original “Warpath” race boat that Bob raced and had so much success with. A new 42 Chief Race Boat called Warpath was born and immediately entered in an 800-mile endurance race called “Venture Cup”. The race team had tremendous success in the race and was very happy with the performance of the boat in the rough water.

Since then, the Chief Warpath has competed in many races on the European circuit, namely the infamous Cowes Torquay race.  In 2018, the Chief factory race team, and boat owner Ole Finholt, competed for the prestigious “Harmsworth Trophy”.  The outcome of that race is still in dispute as of this publication.  It is believed that Warpath is the rightful winner of the Harmsworth,  as the team is still fighting for their claim to the trophy.