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Yearly Archives: 2019

Rusty Williams and Myrick Coil (top right inset) and the GPS indicating 130 MPH (top left inset).

Offshore racer Myrick Coil of Performance Boat Center recently achieved a speed of 130 mph on GPS driving a Wright Performance 360 model powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. The boat was the first Wright Performance 360 outfitted with the new 450Rs.

The 360 is a collaboration between Melbourne, FL-based Doug Wright Designs and Performance Boat Center, the power gurus based in the Lake of the Ozarks. It debuted in 2017 at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, while a second model, the 420, was unveiled at this year’s Miami International Boat Show.

Coil was testing the boat with his Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert partner Rusty Williams at the Lake of the Ozarks. “Rusty and I were doing some initial testing on the boat last week. The customer (Charlie Mattingly of Maryland) was coming down for the weekend, and it was our first time out in it.”

Coil was recently radared at 205 mph at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout piloting his old 388 Skater, campaigned as Performance Boat Center/Jimmy John’s. The 2016 Skater 388 canopied four-seater raceboat was World Champion in 2016 and 2017 and National Champion in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

After running the boat all weekend, Mattingly left the 360 at Performance Boat Center, where he will be behind the wheel again this weekend for PBC’s Fun Run.

 

Dubai’s Victory Team, a major player in the world’s offshore racing circuit, is planning to mount a renewed challenge on the F1 competition schedule with a brand-new duo of drivers participating in a Chinese double-header competition.

Headed by Chairman Huraiz Bin Huraiz, the Victory Team’s Board of Directors have paved the way for Erik Stark and David Del Pin to race during the multiple world championships for the remainder of the F1 powerboating season, starting with Round 4 of the world championships in Xiamen, China in October. The double-header—the Grand Prix of Xiamen and Grand Prix of China—will be held from Oct. 18-20.

The two new drivers will replace Italy’s Alex Carella and Emirati Ahmed Al Hameli in the two Victory boats for the remaining three rounds of the F1H2O Championships. The next assignment for the F1 boats will be in Xiamen at the Grand Prix of Xiamen and the Grand Prix of China from Oct. 18-20, followed by the season finale at the Grand Prix of Sharjah from Dec. 18-21.

Heading into the second half of the season, there is a keen tussle for the drivers’ world crown with Team Abu Dhabi’s defending world champion Shaun Torrente and Team Amaravati’s Jonas Andersson with one win each.

The duo is separated by a mere three points with the American having 35 points followed by Andersson in second with 32, while Team Abu Dhabi’s second driver Thani Al Qamzi is third overall with 27 points.

The 28-year-old Stark is no novice on the watersport scene having started his career at the age of 12 in the Swedish S-250 class, after which he went on to win the F2 World title on four occasions. Racing for Maverick Team, Stark eased into the F1 category while making his debut in 2012. His first podium place came in China in 2014 and followed this up with another two podiums in 2015.

Del Pin also comes into the F1 world with loads of experience, having been associated with various watersports over the past few years. The Italian has won World Championships in the F1000 class in 2008 and 2010, while also briefly racing for Team Abu Dhabi. He also raced in the UIM F2 Championship in 2017 with his own team, and took the third spot at the European Championships held in Kupiskis, Lithuania.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for Victory now onwards,” Bin Huraiz said. “But in Erik and David we have a fine combination of ambition, experience and the will to succeed. I am surely looking forward to some exciting results for Victory Team in the near future.”

Located on the southeast coast of China, Xiamen is a tourist city of Fujian Province famous for its attractive seascape housing a circuit of 2,516 metres along the wide gulf with deep water. The city mainly consists of Xiamen Island, Gulangyu Island, the north bank area of the Jiulong River and Tong’an County connected with the mainland by the Gaoji Seawall and Xiamen Bridge.

Victory Team’s board members with the new F1 racers.

Iconic Marine Group, the builder of Fountain, Donzi and Baja brands, is getting the jump on boat-show season by staging its own show at its factory in Washington, NC.

Set for Oct. 9-11, the dealer network event is billed as The Boat Show Before The Boat Shows, and will feature more than a dozen models in the water from the company’s just-introduced 2020 Fountain, Donzi and Baja fleets. The boats will be available to test drive and pre-order from dealers attending the VIP event, which is closed to the general public and only accessible via dealer invitation.

“The day after dealers preview our 2020 lineup, we’re going to open up the marina and invite VIP customers to sea trial select models,” said IMG COO Jeff Harris. “This special event gives boaters the chance to avoid crowds at boat shows, where boats are usually on a trailer or tied up in the marina.”

Touring the factory gives buyers an X-ray look at what’s under the gelcoat and interior vinyl, Harris said. “Getting on the water and driving the boat yourself is the ultimate performance test.”

Harris said VIP customers will get the opportunity to tour the factory, and get an up-close look at how the boats are constructed, right down to the upholstery, and even get a chance to chat with Iconic’s engineers.

“This will be even better than a boat show,” Harris said. “You won’t need to stand in line forever to get a boat ride. You’ll be able to ask our staff all the questions you want. This is going to be more personal, more one-on-one. We’re gonna have just about everything here—plus, you’ll get a sneak peek at some of the cool stuff that we’re building that we can’t tell people about yet that’s not for public consumption. That’s a little bonus benefit that goes along with it.”

Harris added that the plant is adjacent to one impressive stretch of waterway: “Don’t forget, this is where all of those speed records have been set!”

As part of its complete line of fishing and luxury outboards, Team Fountain will feature five boats in the water, highlighted by the 39NX, the company’s first Bluewater center console powered by triple Mercury 450R engines.

New from Donzi is the next-generation 41GTZ, complete with a hardtop and all-new interior design. And loyalists will marvel at the stunning 55th Anniversary Edition 22′ Classic options package. (For the ultimate adrenaline rush, the revolutionary 125-mph all-carbon-fiber 44′ Icon will be available for select VIPs.)

Meanwhile, Team Baja features three Outlaws in the water, complete with new graphics and options packages.

VIPs will also get a chance to meet racing legend and company namesake Reggie Fountain. As an added incentive, IMG will reimburse up to $1,000 in travel expenses for anyone who orders a boat at the show.

Reservations are limited. Interested VIP buyers may call (252) 974-1638 for details and the location of the nearest IMG dealer.

Left: Buzzi at the Miami Boat Show in 2013. Right: Buzzi and driver Daniel Scioli at the 1996 Key West Offshore World Championship race.

World-famous Italian powerboat designer, engineer, boatbuilder and endurance record setter Fabio Buzzi was one of three people killed in an accident in Venice that occurred while Buzzi was attempting to set another in a long list of his world records.

Buzzi, 76, and two passengers perished when their boat struck a dam on Tuesday while trying to set a record from Monte Carlo to Venice, according to reports. Two British racers, whose names remain unknown, were also killed, while a fourth passenger sustained serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

A mechanical engineering student, Buzzi began racing boats in 1960, moving to offshore competition in the late 1970s. In 1979, he set a world speed record for diesel-powered boats, reaching a speed of 119.04 mph.

Buzzi created his iconic trademark, FB Design, in 1972. He designed the Seatek engine and built the high-performance diesel engines that helped him capture World Champion titles racing in Open class. FB Design boats have won a total of 52 World Championships and have set 40 world speed records; Buzzi himself won 10 World Championships.

Buzzi famously throttled the La Gran Argentina monohull (a Buzzi-designed 55-footer) at the Key West Offshore World Championships in 1996 with driver Daniel Scioli. Among his most notable wins was at the Pavia-Venice Race in 2004, where he achieved an average speed of 122.4 mph in La Gran Argentina.

His appearance at the Miami International Boat Show was commemorated in Speedboat Magazine’s March 2013 issue. He was in town to receive Boating Magazine’s award for having achieved another milestone, breaking the Bermuda Challenge record by 4.5 hours. Buzzi and a crew of four had set the record in one of his composite FB Design monohulls, powered by twin Fiat diesel engines.

 

 

DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, has delivered a new M33R to repeat customer Greg Timmons of Southern California. Previously the owner of a DCB M28 with Mercury Racing 400Rs, Timmons ran the boat for the first time during this past weekend’s Lake Powell Challenge. This is DCB’s first boat to be outfitted with the new 450R outboards from Mercury Racing.

The M33R is part of DCB’s Widebody family, due to the 9’7” beam it shares with the builder’s M31 and M35 models. “The Widebody aspect makes the 33 a very stable boat,” Timmons says. “DCB’s detail and fit and finish, I believe, are second to none.”

Not surprisingly, the 450R proves to be an idea powerplant for the M33R. “It has a quite a bit more punch to it, and a lot more torque,” Timmons says. “We have some friends with an M33R powered by the 400Rs. We ran up and down the lake together and I would pull away from them. Then he suggested that we start at an idle and do a drag race. I got on a plane faster, and then just kept pulling away from him. He was curious to see what it did.” (According to Timmons, his friends have ordered a new M33R with the 450R package.)

Still, the Lake Powell Challenge may not have been the ideal locale to measure the full extent of the M33R’s power. “The elevation there is about 4,000 feet, so you lose quite a bit up there,” he says. “Also, I had my two daughters and one of their boyfriends in the boat, so I wasn’t going for the big number. But Tony Chiaramonte at DCB ran it at Lake Elsinore at 125 mph. That speed is still on my GPS!”

The versatile Timmons, 59, became a loyal DCB customer after owning a number of boats, including both vees and cats—in both I/Os and outboard configurations—from builders on both coasts of the USA. His inroad to performance boating was launched with a Stoker 22 Sport Tunnel outboard; that was followed by a Hallett 270-S vee, then two Hustlers (a 41 Razor and a 388 Slingshot).

Nothing he’s owned so far can beat the outstanding performance of the M33R, and the great relationship he has forged with the team at DCB makes the experience all the sweeter. Timmons says he was “very involved” in customizing his new boat, including the graphics package. “At the beginning of the process, Jeff Johnson would talk to me about what colors I liked,” he says. “Then he’d go to his graphic artist and send me various images. We went back and forth maybe 10 times before we finalized the look of the boat.”

Timmons plans to run the DCB in Lake Havasu, and in the cooler months, he hopes to see 127-128 on the speedo. He’s the only designated driver of the DCB, although his other family members are free to take the wheel of the Timmons’ outboard-powered Bennington pontoon boat, which is the craft du jour during holiday weekends like Independence Day, Labor Day and Memorial Day. “We can fit all of our family and friends on it. It’s a great boat.”

The owner of a Long Beach, CA-based Volkswagen and Subaru dealership, Timmons boats with his wife, four kids and two grandchildren. Look for the M33R at next year’s Desert Storm Poker Run & Shootout, as well as the Big Cat Poker Run.

Nordic Boats of Lake Havasu City, AZ, has delivered a brand-new 35SS catamaran to repeat customer Paul Wallner—who had Nordic paint it to match the graphics on his 28SS. Wallner’s new boat—the third 35SS out of the mold—is powered by Mercury Racing’s new 450R outboards. It’s the first-ever Nordic to be equipped with that power package.

Readers of Speedboat Magazine will recognize Wallner’s red-and-orange 28SS as the one that adorned the two-page Nordic ad in recent years. The 35SS got wet for the first time last week, and its owner is over the moon about its look and its performance with the new outboards.

“The midrange is outstanding,” Wallner says. “You can definitely feel the 40% more torque in the middle. There’s tons of torque. On the top end, they’re probably about 6-10 mph faster, depending on the boat and the conditions. We got it to 115 in Havasu with 80 percent humidity—pretty ugly conditions. I tested the first 35SS at 117, but it’ll do in the 120s somewhere.”

Wallner describes the 450R as “an engineering marvel,” while the boat itself “welcomes the power. It’s a huge cat that’s hungry for a power. Its extremely deep tunnel makes it a true offshore-capable cat.”

Nordic General Manager Thane Tiemer says that his team had some very specific goals in developing the 35SS. “A pet peeve for a lot of people with cats is that they don’t always turn as well as a deep-vee,” he says. “I wanted to create a 35-footer that could turn exceptionally well. And this one does. It turns like a vee bottom.”

Among the 35’s other selling points, Tiemer adds, is that it handles impeccably, gets on plane in a jiffy and features an extremely deep tunnel. “It just does every single thing right,” he says.

According to Tiemer, Nordic is already hard at work putting together a 31SS, another full tunnel with wide sponsons that will feature the same beam as 35, but will be designed to accept outboards only.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Pete Boden

Race World Offshore (RWO), the sanctioning body selected to mount the offshore races in Key West this year, is only a few shorts weeks away from its second competition of the season: the 11th Annual Clearwater Hooters Offshore Nationals in Florida, scheduled for Sept. 27-29.

Following its second annual bout in Dunkirk, NY, which featured an anemic boat count, RWO has reason to be optimistic about the competition in Clearwater. “I think we’ll be fine,” RWO’s Larry Bliel says. “We’ve got our APBA sanctions now, and we have a lot of commitments and pre-registrations from Pro Stock and Super Cat competitors. WHS Motorsports will be there, along with M-CON and several others.” Additionally, he said, RWO will be sending out driver’s packets today for teams to official register.

For the past ten years, Clearwater Beach has been a highlight of the offshore race season as both national and international teams come together to put on an exciting race for the entire family; there will also be parties, great food and parades to complement a full day of racing.

Bliel is also working overtime to ensure a great turnout at the Race World Offshore Key West Championships, set for Nov. 3-10. “Key West is going to be great,” he predicts. “We’ve already got a whole bunch of teams pre-registered because we can only put 25 boats on Duvall Street for Saturday night. It’s first-come, first-served, and everybody wants to be on there for Friday night.”

Healthily attended events in Clearwater and Key West will go a long way to making up for RWO’s weak season opener in Dunkirk, NY. “That race had a low boat count because it immediately followed two races in a row, so it’s tough for everybody to get there,” Bliel says. “We had a low boat count last year as well. It’s just the timing. Going from St. Clair and Michigan City and then to upstate New York the next weekend is kind of tough.”

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: To make a donation via PayPal, please use the email address:
HTVFRDORIAN2019@GMAIL.com
This donation goes directly to the Hopetown Volunteer Fire Department in Elbow Cay.

Non-PayPal donations should be made to this GoFundMe page.

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian’s devastating wreckage through the Bahamas, a group of speedboat enthusiasts have joined forces to bring much-needed relief to the victims battered by the Category 5 storm.
Kristen Czeczil of Florida and Chuck Stark of South Carolina are two of the individuals spearheading an effort to bring food and supplies to those left homeless by Dorian, which first lashed out at the Northern Bahama Islands and is currently moving toward Florida.

In addition to making major donations of their own, including valuable time and resources, Stark and Czeczil have launched a massive grass-roots effort to gather supplies and have them transferred to the islands by both boat and plane. They are accepting donations at various drop-off locations in South Florida and are using a Facebook page (Relief Efforts for the Bahamas Community) to link to a GoFundMe page, to help you join the relief effort.

Czeczil, a Miami-based chef, active participant on the poker-run circuit and close friend of Windship owner John Woodruff, has been intensively coordinating a fleet of boats, yachts and barges to safely cross to Elbow Cay, an eight-mile-long cay in the Abaco Islands with numerous supplies that are desperately needed by Bahamians to survive. “We’re going to try and just go over there slowly because of the amount of debris in the water, and shifting sands are creating new shoals. We can’t just speed over,” she says. “We are figuring out a game plan now.” In addition to hauling supplies, Czeczil and her craft may need to help evacuate people and move them to other islands. At the time of this writing, more than $200,000 had already been collected by this particular relief effort.

As part of her effort, Czeczil reached out to powerboat aficionado Stark (owner of Palmetto Granite & Design of South Carolina), to facilitate the donation process and begin transporting emergency supplies as soon as this weekend. Both of them have participated in runs to the Bahamas and have friends there whose lives have been devastated by the storm.

“I told her I wanted to put something together to take supplies over there,” says Stark, who along with his wife has been involved in numerous charitable efforts. “We’ve got airplanes, we’ve got boats and other resources. My heart’s in the Bahamas. We’re going to get a plane and take supplies over there and bring a bunch of boats as well. I’m a man of God, and this just comes from the heart. I told my wife that we need to put some stuff together and work with these guys.” Stark is the owner of an Outerlimits 42 GTX powered by 1500 Competition Marine engines, as well as a Midnight Express center console.

Czeczil emphasized that those wanting to donate actual supplies are strongly urged to refer to this list of items that are most urgently needed:

Tarps
Leather work gloves
Work boots for construction building
Hammers, nails, crowbars, roofing hammers
Tools
Battery-operated drills
Staple guns, staples
Chainsaws with no fuel
Generators with no fuel
New fuel canisters
Water purification tablets
Batteries
Anything solar-powered
Sanitizing gel
Baby wipes
Feminine wipes
Non-perishable food
Flashlights
Epi Pens
Basic medical essentials
Tetanus shots
Crutches
Walkers
Bug spray

If you’re able to donate any of these items, you may do so at the following drop-off locations:

4765 NW 103rd Ave, Bay 21
Sunrise Fl 33351
(Note: You may drop off or ship to this warehouse any day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is secure and manned, and the staff will inventory all items accordingly. This organization is registered with NEMA and recognized by The Bahamas Consulate General, facilitated by National Association of The Bahamas and operated by Synergy Shipping LLC. Its run solely by private, trusted, non-government entities; however, it is government approved and recognized. 100% of proceeds will be hand delivered and inventoried to those affected by Dorian in the Northern Bahamas. All items will be either flown directly to Abaco/GB or will be shipped to Nassau. This location also accepts monetary donations that will go toward supplies and fuel.)

Ads Seafood
8195 NW 67 St.
Miami, FL 33166
(Note: This above warehouse location is donated by Eugino and Margarita Sanchez)

Plantation Boat Mart & Marina
2359 PGA Blvd. #101
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
954-809-5321

Allweather Patio Outdoor & Home Furniture
4940 NW First St.
Hialeah, FL 33014
Gaby Pacheco
305-978-4129

Miami Outboard Club
1099 MacArthur Causeway
Miami, FL 33137
Gaby Pacheco
305-978-4129

Crook & Crook
2795 SW 27th Ave.
Miami, FL 33133
Lily Crook
305-854-0555

American Custom Yachts
6800 SW Jack James Drive
Stuart, FL 34997
Cody Holcomb
772-370-2110

 

 

The Board of Directors at the UAE-based Victory Team will bolster the team’s chances for a world crown by adding a second boat in their lineup for the sixth and final round of the 2019 APBA Offshore Championship Series that will conclude in Fort Myers Beach, FL, next month.

With five of the six rounds gone, the Victory Team has shown fine form to stand within striking distance of yet another world crown in the annual trans-Atlantic championships that has the best of the best teams participating each year. After five rounds, Victory Team and 222 Offshore are tied at the top of the standings with two wins apiece, while Miss Geico has one win that came during the opening round on Cocoa Beach.

With everything to play for, the Victory Team’s Board of Directors (under the chairmanship of Huraiz Bin Huraiz) decided that a second boat piloted by Swedish driver Erik Stark, joined by John Tomlinson, in Victory 33 could add a fine cover for the pairing of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali in their Victory 3.

Going into the sixth and final round along the Fort Myers Beach, Victory Team will be battling against its two main challengers, with only the champion taking home the glory. The fight for the championship is a three-way tie with just that one round remaining before deciding a new world champion. 222 Offshore and Victory Team are tied for the top spot with an identical 82 points, while Miss Geico is in third place with 71 points and Lucas Oil a distant fourth with 18.

“The real side of the teams will be on show during the final round. Not only will it decide the new world champion, but a win will also be a real testimony on the grit and dedication of the drivers and other members of the team,” Bin Huraiz said. “While world champions Salem [Al Adidi] and Eisa [Al Ali] will be in #3, the second Boat #33 will be manned by Erik Stark alongside American world champion John Tomlinson as throttleman,” he added.

The Victory Team combination of Al Adidi and Al Ali started off slowly with a second place at the season opening round on Cocoa Beach. They followed this up with a first place at Lake Ozark only to slip into third at the third round in Sarasota. The men in blue recovered well to win Round Four in St Clair before a mechanical issue saw them take third place for the second time this season in Round Five in Michigan.

“We have to be realistic about our chances in such a demanding sport, where even a minor mistake can end up with bizarre results. At the Board level, we all felt that it’s best that we provide our team of champions with the opportunity to go all out for a record world title,” Bin Huraiz explained.

Nearly a year after swapping a 388 Skater for a new 43′ MTI Cat on the offshore circuit, Myrick Coil was back in his former race boat to participate in the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Central Missouri this past weekend.

The 2016 Skater 388 canopied four-seater raceboat, formerly campaigned as Performance Boat Center/Jimmy Johns, was World Champion in 2016 and 2017 and National Champion in 2016, 2017, and 2018. One of the most competitive Super Cat race boats ever built, the boat was raced by Coil on the wheel, with John Tomlinson on throttles. It was sold to super-enthusiast Ron Szolack, who had the crew at Performance Boat Center install 557-inch dual-fuel PSI supercharged Sterling engines that can run on either 110 octane or on E90 (the latter of which can deliver 1,700+hp at 7,200 rpm).

During the LOTO Shootout—which beginning in 2017 has featured a shortened 3/4-mile course—Coil and Szolack made several passes in the 388 Skater, as well as Coil and his driver Rusty Williams (who race together in the 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran Performance Boat Center/Auto Alert).

“I wanted to get 180 in the Shootout, but just never got it done,” Coil says. “The closest we got out of several passes was 176. That was the number. But I just thought, man, this thing really goes—I wished I could just let it fly one time.”

So he did. After the officially sanctioned timing was over, Coil and Williams decided to go WOT with the 388 Skater—and clocked a top speed of 205 mph, which is the fastest documented speed from a Skater.

“It’s crazy, the power difference when you turn it from 110 to E90,” Coil says. “So we put some Mercury Racing 1,550-hp rated 40”-pitch propellers on it, went out and burned some fuel.”

 

A new mobile app scheduled to debut Oct. 15 will revolutionize the process of buying a used boat, according to its developers.

r8tr (pronounced “rater”) is an application designed to aid potential customers who want pre purchase or pre offer information on a boat for sale in a remote locations. After downloading the app, the user selects a vehicle type (i.e., auto, boat, rv, motorcycle). A prospective boat buyer who finds an interesting model out of state can then hire a “r8tr” to inspect it remotely and report on every aspect of its condition.

“It’s similar to ordering an Uber,” explains co-developer Randy Wild. “You input all of your information, and our ‘r8trs’ get a ping that there’s a rating in their area. They grab it, just like an Uber driver would. Ideally, they’ll get to it within a couple of hours. Then they will provide photos and video, along with an itemized evaluation of the boat. This is perfect for people who don’t want to waste time and money to travel out of state just to inspect it. Our detailed checklist helps them decide if they want to make the purchase or not.”

The idea for the app came about because Wild himself has purchased several boats out of state—often with disastrous results. “Every time I’ve bought them sight unseen, they always show up in appreciably less-stellar quality than the dealer advertises it. We just got frustrated with the condition that they were reported versus the condition they were delivered.” r8tr optimizes and streamlines the experience, and giving the end users the detailed information they need to make an informed decision.

Within the app, a r8tr will move through a pre-loaded checklist, starting with the port side of the boat and moving around to every one of its features on the list—dash, interior, upholstery, cabin, trailer, engine, etc. “Everything will be graded on a scale of 1-8,” Wild says. “If the driver’s seat gets an 8, they don’t need to take a photo of it. But if it’s a 7 or less, they can’t move on to the next item on the list without taking a photo and providing a detailed explanation of the reason for the rating.”

Wild says he is having great success finding r8Trs, “because everybody wants to get paid to do what they love,” he explains. “I’m a boat guy, and if I can get paid to go look at boats for other people at my own leisure, on my own time, and I set my own hours, that’s great.”

The app will feature different categories and subcategories of r8trs. The main categories will be Auto, Boat, RV and Motorcycle. Boat subcategories will include Performance, Cruisers, Ski, Fish and Other.

Wild and his partner, Rocky Hauhe, happen to be automobile dealers who buy automobiles out of state and experience the same problem when the autos get delivered. Wild himself has owned numerous performance boats, including two Cigarettes and five MTIs, while Hauhe has had Cigarettes, an Outerlimits and 3 MTIs. Their goal is to help dealers of all vehicles by making a customer feel more comfortable about the purchase.

“I don’t want to waste time flying out of state just to look at something,” he says. “And sometimes a customer isn’t able to leave right away—maybe they can’t fly out for three weeks. Meanwhile, a dealer is sitting on the inventory waiting for the person to get there. We are hopeful going to help dealers move product faster by allowing our r8ters to evaluate a boat for them.”

To learn more about r8tr and get early access, visit r8tr.com.

DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA—builder of the popular “M” series of luxury go-fast catamarans—has announced plans to add another “M” to its growing stable that currently includes models 28 to 44 feet. In the works for more than a year, the new M37R will fill a void between the M35 and the M41.

“The M37R is a whole new design for us,” DCB’s Tony Chiaramonte told Powerboat Nation. “It’s a true tunnel, so there’s no center pod. It’s 10½ feet wide and 37 feet long. That’s kind of what everybody wants right now. We thought about it and realized we needed to get in the game here, so we did.”

Chiaramonte revealed that DCB had pondered the idea of doing a true tunnel in an inboard version a couple of years ago. But now, with the advent of Mercury Racing’s new 450R outboard, “it’s a whole new ballgame,” he said. “We’re going to have a 125-mph outboard boat, which is unheard of. The shift and throttle will be in the middle of the boat now, so it’s a whole new venture for us. We’re getting lots of good play on it.”

DCB has taken at least three orders for the M37R so far, with more surely to come quickly; the DCB crew hopes to have the boat completed in time for the 2020 Desert Storm. The first out of the mold will be purchased by repeat customer Brad Macaulay of British Columbia, Canada, who has owned M31 and M35 Widebody DCBs. “He’ll get the first one, and he’s going to let us use it when we need it to give demos and stuff like that,” Chiaramonte says.

Expect most M37R customers to opt for the Mercury Racing 450R outboards, although Chiaramonte says it’s feasible that some will go for the still-popular 400Rs.

As of this writing, Chiaramonte and Jeff Johnston of DCB are attending the 2019 Lake of the Ozarks Poker Run & Shootout. Also attending are Mauricio Vivanco (with his 2019 M31 Widebody Open Bow with twin Mercury Racing 700s), Dave Magoo (with his new M44 Bananas XL) and Brad Benson (with his new M33R Widebody). Chiaramonte, who traditionally participates in the Shootout, said he was unsure if he would get behind the wheel himself this year.

“I don’t know if I’m driving anything this year,” he says. “I’m trying to push the customers to do that more. They’ve got enough experience running these boats, and it’s quite an adrenaline rush. I think everyone should experience that.”

Some specs on the new M37R:

Overall length: 37’6”

Running surface: 36’2”

Beam: 10’6”

65” tunnel

Dry weight: 5,950 lbs.

True-tunnel (non-centerpod)

Center shifter/console configuration

Engine: Merc 450 x 2

Base price: +/-$470K adequately equipped on tandem trailer

Estimated top speed 120mph+

Estimated date of completion: first hull to debut at Desert Storm 2020 Poker Run (April 2020)

First two hull/slots sold, taking orders for hull #3+

Designed in collaboration with Franco Gianni (SFG Yacht Design)

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