If you are at the Boat Show in Miami this week or attended the Powerboat Nation Party, don’t forget to check out all the photos and join the discussion! We’ll be adding photos constantly throughout the weekend.

1 of 25

Cigarette and MTI have stolen the show so far with their stunning new introductions. Cigarette debuted its AMG Mercedes inspires Electric Powered 38′ Top Gun. The boat is powered by Twelve 138 kW electric motors. Many components of the SLS AMG Electric Coupe were fitted into the Cigarette. The car is the most powerful electric automobile in the world, can this new electric powered Cigarette become the fastest electric boat in the world? We can’t wait to see!

MTI unvieled new 38 and 52 foot Catamarans with the 52 foot “Black Diamond” being the centerpiece. Powered by twin 1350’s this stunning boat is equipped with an array of custom electronics and lighting. With sharp diamond shaped lines, this boat is a beauty to behold. Black Diamond has 6 seats, all of which are air-conditioned. Both the 38 and 52 Cats will be making their maiden voyages in the Miami Boat Show Poker Run.

1 of 5

The MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW and the YACHT AND BROKERAGE SHOW in Miami Beach are now open! Powerboat Nation has been reporting out from the Miami Beach Convention Center since last Friday showing you progression photo’s of the boat show set up. After all the preparation and planning it’s Show Time! The show is expected to attract more than 110,000 visitors from around the world and bring big business to Florida and the recreational boating industry.

This year’s shows, which run concurrently Feb. 14-18 in Miami Beach, have added optimism since the release from the National Marine Manufacturers
Association’s announcement that recreational boat sales were up 10 percent in 2012 and are projected to rise another 5 to 10 percent in 2013. This year’s Miami show is expected to bring about 1.1 Billion to the south Florida economy.

1 of 31

I have driven a few boats with surface drives some were Arenson Drives. My total time is much less than with outdrive boats. All my experiences with surface drives have been great but I think they remain a bit of a mystery to many. So rather than guess or speculate we asked Rik from Arneson to
answer a few questions.

PBN: What is a “Surface Drive”?

Arneson. A “Surface Drive” by definition is any propulsion that operates at the surface of the water. Be that a swimmer’s hand, a paddle for a canoe, a paddle wheel for an old steam ship, up to an Outboard on a Catamaran, or a Bravo on a fast Catamaran, a MK#3,4,5,6 &8 and of course an Arneson Surface Drive. All of these devices are setup to or meant to be run at or ABOVE the water’s surface level. Some by several inches even.

PBN: Is positive trim available in a “Surface Drive”?

Arneson. No… Why? Well in order to gain the leverage of pushing the stern down and in turn lifting the nose of the boat up, a propeller must be submerged in the water when the drive is trimmed. At the surface however, once the drive units are trimmed upward there is nothing there to meet the propeller other than air. A propeller pushing against air will not lift the bow of a boat no matter how high one trims.

PBN: Are Arnesons difficult to dock?

Arneson. No, while the reactions might not happen as fast in some relations they will be faster in others and this is the same for any surface drive not just an Arneson. When comparing an Arneson to any other Surface Drive with the propellers on the same centerline the results will be the same .

PBN: Are Arneson Surface Drives more expensive than an comparably rated I/O?

Arneson: Quite the opposite. Comparing comparable power ratings and equipment between them, an Arneson Surface Drive is less expensive than an I/O alternative. Example: Take our Bravo Conversion Kit which is priced at $24,500.00 each. That price includes a Standoff box, External Hydraulic Steering Cylinders with fitting/hoses/thru hulls, a Trim Cylinder with fitting/hoses/thru hulls, Trim Pump, a “Tri Starter” Bell-housing, HD Drive Plate, Transmission, Oil Cooler, Shift Bracket, Drive Line, Rear Engine Mount, Indicator Mount, Mounting Hardware, The #7M Drive Unit and even Propeller Nut with Washer.

Compare what an upgraded I/O cost, add in drive showers, standoff boxes, helm units, transom assemblies, upgraded gimbals, upgraded helmets and don’t forget external steering and you will see a price that is much higher than what the Arneson Bravo Conversion Kit cost by several thousand dollars and another important fact is the Arneson comes with a warranty and does not cost the boater speed.

Likewise, on the larger ASD8 Drive Units, these are priced less than the cost of a new Mercury MK6 or MK8 and the Arneson ASD8 has a higher hp rating.

PBN: You mentioned speeds?

Arneson: Yes, on a typical Bravo Conversion, the boater sees a 10-15 mph increase in mid-range and top speed. Not a bad value when you get reliably and speed increase for a lesser cost and lower maintenance.

PBN: What is the biggest obstacle for Arnesons?

Arneson: Getting consumers to realize that if they have a good boat now, an Arneson will only make it better by enhancing the handling and increasing the boats speed safely which is what it’s all about. Speed is nothing without control.

People think that their boats design is unique, and while certain aspects are unique to each boat made, there are only so many ways someone can successfully make a 38′ V bottom with a 102″ beam and 24 degree deadrise bottom. Try drawing it out on a piece of paper, the constraints alone make them very very similar to one another. So it goes back to the statement, if you have already got a good running boat, the Arnesons are only going to make it better.

PBN: Do Arnesons only work on Catamarans?

Arneson: 98% of the Arneson sales are on V bottoms, yet we all read on the internet when someone one ask if they will work on a V someone incorrectly states they only work on a cat, then when a catamaran owner ask if they will work on a cat, some know it all with no experience states they only work on a V bottom. This probably the biggest obstacle as asked above is mis-information.

We have Arnesons successfully running on Straight bottom Cigarette’s, Stepped bottom Cigarette’s, Straight bottom Scarab’s, Stepped bottom Skater’s, as well as both Straight bottom and Stepped bottom Hustlers, Profiles, Donzi’s Fountains (also stepped and non stepped). There is no specific requirement for Arnesons to work on a particular boat other than it be a good boat to start with.

Same can be said for Catamaran’s. We have all the major makes of Catamarans successfully with Arnesons. Skater, MTI, Mystic and so on.

PBN: What about notched transoms?

Arneson: Simply put, if it’s a V bottom with a notched transom, and it’s a side by side application the notch will not be an issue as the notch ends at the engine center line of the standard 35″ which is a normal side by side.

On a stagger V bottom with a notch there will be a small filler panel made to fill in the area where the Arneson mounts only which is usually only a few inches tall; the entire notch does not have to be filled in.

PBN: What new items are coming out from Arneson?

Arneson: Currently we are in the process of designing a new Drop Box Arneson ASD8 with a quick change ratio in them, we have a new Stainless Steel Thrust Tube for the fixed trim BPM style drive units and we are designing a new drive for a single engine application.

PBN: Does an Arneson need to have a separate rudder and fixed drive units on Catamarans?

Arneson: Absolutely not and this stems from the past and once again mis information. Historically, there was no way to put a mechanical tie bar onto an Arneson for catamaran applications due to mounting and geometry constraints; however, with our newest designs those two issues have been eliminated and we can run a mechanical tie bar assembly on the Arneson Surface Drives installed upon catamarans without any stress nor mounting issues.

We of course can and do make an external rudder assembly as well as the vertical trim cylinders (bottle jacks) and we can fix the Arneson Surface Drives so that they do not steer, but we only do that if the customer desires it that way as what it can give it also takes away in the form of slow speed handling and docking and for a pleasure boat application that is to large of a proportion to have to give up especially when they don’t have to.

Reports are coming in from Rhode Island, Michigan, and Missouri of late nights, last minute runs and a rush to get to Miami for the move in dates.

Larry Goldman from Xtremepowerboats.com is delivering the first all new MTI Sport Vessel [SV] at the Miami show to the new owner Mr. Hubert Wessingler. Hubert is terribly excited to finally be able to show the center console off in Miami.

Goldman recently traveled to MTI to oversee the final days of completion on the new boat from MTI. Larry told us the team at MTI is working overtime with three full shifts a day to complete this boat.

The new owner ordered this boat from the model that was on display at last year’s Miami Boat Show. He hails from France and has a waterfront home in Miami, he and his wife are very excited to see their new boat and then be able to cruise through the incredible Miami Beach
Waterways in their new ride!

Larry said he is convinced the boat will be a “Showstopper”He went on to say “Randy went crazy with extras to make this boat over the top, custom paint, trick interior finishes, and other surprises you will have to wait and see at the show.”

The 42 SV Prototype will be available for sea trials from the Boat Show in water display at the Biscayne Bay Marriott this year ,go see Larry Goldman at the MTI booth in the Miami Beach Convention Center booth #B31 to make an appointment for a on water test ride of this incredible
new Sport Vessel by MTI .

Larry said he is expecting to have a lot of cross over customers from performance catamarans owners who want to make their boating experience a little more open but aren’t wiling to fully compromise performance when buying a center console. MTI is believed to be the only true performance contender in the center console market. With this new 42 Sport Vessel from MTI, you can still have a performance boat that will run in the mid 70’s with a dozen friends, gear, and a cabin!

Florida and some other south eastern points may seems to have a strangle hold on the big powerboat events, but we can’t forget where a lot of these boaters come from. After a few dormant years of having speedboats running around Long Island Sound, the powerboats have returned to the infamous Port Washington LaMottas Restaurant and Manhasset Bay Marina, the home of many powerboat legends from yesterday. The NATIONAL POWERBOAT ASSOCIATION resumed producing one of its stellar events which fielded over 20 teams sporting the latest in hull and engine technology some of these boats are now running speeds in excess of 150 mph!

PARTYMASTER, the official NPBA Paceboat of Billy Frenz, a classic 10M Fountain lead the parade to the start line along with his daughter and Co-pilot, Allison and NPBA crewmembers.

Beginning at Buoy #27 off of Sands Point, located on the North shore of Long Island, at noon time, the fleet charted a course directly to Bridgeport, Connecticut, a mere 25 miles north, FOR Checkpoint #1.

Stu Hayim in his 2,700 HP Mercury powered 42 MTI Cat, FERRARI-MASERATI Special and Joe Castellana in his 2,400 HP Sterling powered 46 Skater Cat,AWESOME, immediately took the lead together, challenging our helicopter to keep up with them.

Bill Betz showed up in his 43 Outerlimits, QUICK GET AWAY and the Rifice/Ryan Team in their 32 Ilmor powered Skater Cat kept close company being just a few strides behind them. Joe Cibellis and Joe Sgro in their Ilmor powered 43 Outerlimits, quickly joined the leaders and eventually made it to Bridgeport ahead of all the other V-bottoms! By the way, this famous Outerlimits of Cibellis and Sgro, holds the V-bottom record of 3 hours and 5 minutes to circumnavigate Long Island, established on September 25, 2011 and of course Stu Hayim holds the overall record running the course in just 2 hours and 11 minutes.

The 2nd wave of the poker runners was lead by Tom Fancher of Full Throttle Marine in his tricked 37 Outerlimits powered by twin 557 inch blower motors and Mercury #5 Speedmasters, representing the old adage, There is no substitute for BIG cubic inches and BIG Horsepower.

At the other end of that scope, Sal Albanese, the fastest dentist from Westchester County, kept nipping at Full Throttle’s transom in his new, 35 Fountain, SABRINA, powered with staggered- Mercury 496/425HPs and Bravo XR Shorties with 5-blade Maximux props…yielding a whopping 84 MPH…all day long! The team from Mariner’s Cove Marina of Monstaaa Bo, Ronnie and Vinnie-deserve a lot of credit for preparing this machine and keep it going for so long and so fast! This boat represents the pinnacle of Reggie Fountains constant drive at research and development to produce the Fastest V-Bottom.

Joe Kashinsky followed closely in his 35 Fountain with Mercury 496/425 HP’s and 5 blade props on Bravo XR outdrives…to the tune of 80+ MPH…. another shining example of Reggie making boats go fast with stock, Mercury powerplants.

After picking up card number 1 at the Dolphin Cove Restaurant and Marina in Bridgeport harbor, the fleet headed for Cold Spring Harbor, inside of Oyster Bay, back on the North shoreline of Long Island to pick up card No. 2 at the Official Albin Marine Trawler of Fred Peters. Scott Carol blazed a trail in his 38 Cigarette, PATRIOT with Larry Broadbent navigating the way.

Professional poker runner, Fran Maryfark from Burlington, CT, came down to play and ran his 353 Formula, “YEAH BABY” with Merc 800 HPs reworked by Chris Cestarro’s Ocean Performance of Old Saybrook, Ct. Fran’s combination of pistons, gears and props produces almost 90 mph!…YEAH BABY!!!

A famous poker runner paid us a visit incognito in Oyster Bay, but not in his 42 MTI, instead using his tricked 40 center-console, manufactured by Johnny Tomlinson. Sporting triple outboards and a hard-top…we spotted lil Wesley first…then the illustrious Tommy Abraham appeared

John Durante in his 35 Sonic, HERE’S JOHNNY with Merc 575 HPs and XR drives , was the 1st boat to Port Chester Yacht Club on the Byram River, the border line between Connecticut and the State of New York. Future events will lead us up this river to the home of the SHOWBOAT RIVERBOAT, a dockside attraction in the new downtown waterfront redevelopment.

Sam Galasso in his 38 Fountain with 700 HP Mercs showed the fleet what 100+mph looks like on the way back to Checkpoint #4/LaMotta’s Restaurant. NXT outdrives and 17 by 39 Hering props ‘live’ at those triple digit speeds with no effort…kinda gives you that chill up the spine excitement!

Marshall May dazzled the crowd in his expertly restored (by Full Throttle Marine) 27 Magnum Marine Starfire , MAYHEM, powered by twin 550 HP blown big-blocks…another 80+mph classic v-bottom!

All in all an incredibly exciting group of powerboat enthusiasts tearing up Long Island Sound! We are looking forward to great news and events from Billy and his National Powerboat Association.

Florida and some other south eastern points may seems to have a strangle hold on the big powerboat events, but we can’t forget where a lot of these boaters come from. After a few dormant years of having speedboats running around Long Island Sound, the powerboats have returned to the infamous Port Washington LaMottas Restaurant and Manhasset Bay Marina, the home of many powerboat legends from yesterday. The NATIONAL POWERBOAT ASSOCIATION resumed producing one of its stellar events which fielded over 20 teams sporting the latest in hull and engine technology some of these boats are now running speeds in excess of 150 mph!

PARTYMASTER, the official NPBA Paceboat of Billy Frenz, a classic 10M Fountain lead the parade to the start line along with his daughter and Co-pilot, Allison and NPBA crewmembers.

Beginning at Buoy #27 off of Sands Point, located on the North shore of Long Island, at noon time, the fleet charted a course directly to Bridgeport, Connecticut, a mere 25 miles north, FOR Checkpoint #1.

Stu Hayim in his 2,700 HP Mercury powered 42 MTI Cat, FERRARI-MASERATI Special and Joe Castellana in his 2,400 HP Sterling powered 46 Skater Cat,AWESOME, immediately took the lead together, challenging our helicopter to keep up with them.

Bill Betz showed up in his 43 Outerlimits, QUICK GET AWAY and the Rifice/Ryan Team in their 32 Ilmor powered Skater Cat kept close company being just a few strides behind them. Joe Cibellis and Joe Sgro in their Ilmor powered 43 Outerlimits, quickly joined the leaders and eventually made it to Bridgeport ahead of all the other V-bottoms! By the way, this famous Outerlimits of Cibellis and Sgro, holds the V-bottom record of 3 hours and 5 minutes to circumnavigate Long Island, established on September 25, 2011 and of course Stu Hayim holds the overall record running the course in just 2 hours and 11 minutes.

The 2nd wave of the poker runners was lead by Tom Fancher of Full Throttle Marine in his tricked 37 Outerlimits powered by twin 557 inch blower motors and Mercury #5 Speedmasters, representing the old adage, There is no substitute for BIG cubic inches and BIG Horsepower.

At the other end of that scope, Sal Albanese, the fastest dentist from Westchester County, kept nipping at Full Throttle’s transom in his new, 35 Fountain, SABRINA, powered with staggered- Mercury 496/425HPs and Bravo XR Shorties with 5-blade Maximux props…yielding a whopping 84 MPH…all day long! The team from Mariner’s Cove Marina of Monstaaa Bo, Ronnie and Vinnie-deserve a lot of credit for preparing this machine and keep it going for so long and so fast! This boat represents the pinnacle of Reggie Fountains constant drive at research and development to produce the Fastest V-Bottom.

Joe Kashinsky followed closely in his 35 Fountain with Mercury 496/425 HP’s and 5 blade props on Bravo XR outdrives…to the tune of 80+ MPH…. another shining example of Reggie making boats go fast with stock, Mercury powerplants.

After picking up card number 1 at the Dolphin Cove Restaurant and Marina in Bridgeport harbor, the fleet headed for Cold Spring Harbor, inside of Oyster Bay, back on the North shoreline of Long Island to pick up card No. 2 at the Official Albin Marine Trawler of Fred Peters. Scott Carol blazed a trail in his 38 Cigarette, PATRIOT with Larry Broadbent navigating the way.

Professional poker runner, Fran Maryfark from Burlington, CT, came down to play and ran his 353 Formula, “YEAH BABY” with Merc 800 HPs reworked by Chris Cestarro’s Ocean Performance of Old Saybrook, Ct. Fran’s combination of pistons, gears and props produces almost 90 mph!…YEAH BABY!!!

A famous poker runner paid us a visit incognito in Oyster Bay, but not in his 42 MTI, instead using his tricked 40 center-console, manufactured by Johnny Tomlinson. Sporting triple outboards and a hard-top…we spotted lil Wesley first…then the illustrious Tommy Abraham appeared

John Durante in his 35 Sonic, HERE’S JOHNNY with Merc 575 HPs and XR drives , was the 1st boat to Port Chester Yacht Club on the Byram River, the border line between Connecticut and the State of New York. Future events will lead us up this river to the home of the SHOWBOAT RIVERBOAT, a dockside attraction in the new downtown waterfront redevelopment.

Sam Galasso in his 38 Fountain with 700 HP Mercs showed the fleet what 100+mph looks like on the way back to Checkpoint #4/LaMotta’s Restaurant. NXT outdrives and 17 by 39 Hering props ‘live’ at those triple digit speeds with no effort…kinda gives you that chill up the spine excitement!

Marshall May dazzled the crowd in his expertly restored (by Full Throttle Marine) 27 Magnum Marine Starfire , MAYHEM, powered by twin 550 HP blown big-blocks…another 80+mph classic v-bottom!

All in all an incredibly exciting group of powerboat enthusiasts tearing up Long Island Sound! We are looking forward to great news and events from Billy and his National Powerboat Association.

The new SV 43 Sit Down nears completion at Outerlimits Powerboats so it can be shipped south for the Miami Boat Show. This new design of the SV43 was built for, and in collaboration with Dustin Whipple of Whipple industries. After seeing the rendering we had to ask where the design came from and how it was developed. In a brief interview with Dustin, he explained he had a vision but wasn’t sure how to bring it to fruition. It needed to be unique, trend setting, and yet timeless. He didn’t want the boat to look like anyone else’s. He insisted is had to show individuality but also show the prominent Whipple Industries colors. Dustin explained “I refuse to stand for or accept anything but the very best in our products and I wouldn’t do anything different with the boat that is a flagship of Whipple industries. Just as we turn to our engineering staff for parts development I chose to turn to Thomas Kulesia of No-Coast designs located in Elkhart Indiana”. www.no-coastdesign.com Dustin explained that Thomas was amazing to work with and that they had gone through numerous revisions as Thomas patiently took the image of what was in Dustin’s head and turned it into the amazing graphics coming to life at Outerlimits for the new boat that will be displayed in Miami.

NO-Coast is not a new comer to the custom design and paint world. They have quite possibly been the best kept secret and hidden arsenal of custom boat, coach, and semi trailer painters in the country. Both corporate giants seeking branding excellence as well celebrity performers have chosen Thomas’s work for the vehicles of choice. So if you’re ever fortunate enough to order a new ride or have your present rides redone with the “Ultimate” look this might be where you will end up. If the sky is the limit for your new boat build what might it look like?

1 of 11

Even during the great depression of 1929 Yacht Builders continued to build yachts for the very wealthy. Then as now with great economic uncertainty, the one thing than remains true is the builders that build the very best products are still coveted and in high demand. No one needs to stand up and cheer for Peter Hledin’s Skater Powerboats as they have built a world class reputation for themselves. But what is exciting to see is the Armada of Incredible hardware he has slated to display in Miami.

The boats coming to Miami are just a small example of the product line and truly shows nearly nothing is out of the realm of possibility at Skater. These boats have been specifically customer tailored for performance boating elite customers. A new 388 “Dirty Duck” for Slug Hefner will debut as well as Gary College’s enclosed top 388 and a new and Incredible 50′ catamaran, all of these boats are powered by a standard Mercury Racing 1350/M8 package.

While we are all anxious to see these new rides at the boat show, I am really looking forward to see them around the country running on the water!

1 of 13

If only I had enough time and money to attend all the great boating events around the country.This past weekend we missed a great event on the west coast of Florida with the Fort Myers Offshore Club http://ftmyersoffshore.com/ at their 2nd Annual run to the Sarasota Hyatt. With over 30 boats in attendance, perfect weather accompanied the Powerboat Flotilla on a 82 mile one way run from Fort Myers to Sarasota on Friday and then back again on Sunday.

The Fort Myers Offshore Club is a registered 501 (c) 3 not for profit and raises money for a variety of charitable organizations and has raised a bunch of money in a few short years. The clubs creator Mr. Bob Barnhart AKA BobtheBuilder is a serious adventure powerboater. He has run his Nor-Techs all the way to Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and is an official record holder. No distance or endurance challenge seems to be to great or too much for this incredible enthusiast who loves to go boating. I look forward to adding these events to next years calendar. Here is a rundown of the generous powerboaters who attended:

1) Bob Barnhart, 50 Nor Tech
2) Tom & Rhonda Derhammer, 37 Active Thunder
3)Steve & Laura Behnke, 37 Active Thunder
4) Eric & Keri Belisle, 32 Spectre
5) Andy Templeman, 43 Donzi
6)Alan Doherty, 38 Cig Top Gun
7) Sam & Joy Maye, 42 Fountain
8) Bill & Lori Lemanske,39 Nor Tech CC
9) Bob & Jane Burger, 39 Nor Tech
10) Don & Amanda Gardner, 32 Doug Wright
11) Rob D’Angelo, 38 Donzi
12) Bob & Betsy MacDonald;38 Awesome cat
13) Dennis Sinacola,43 Black Thunder
14) Pierre & Meghan Brousseau, 36 Nor Tech cat
15) Keith & Audrey Workman, 42 Fountain
16) Kenny Disturbing Behaviour Jensen, 44 Nor Tech Cat
17) Guy Poirier, Charlie Costa;
18) Stan & Inez Quinn 32 Sunsation
19) Don Messner,38 Cigarette
20) Gar and Phyllis Menafee, 33′ Fountain
21) Brad & Tami Sanders , Motion
22) Mike Case, IN , 37 Active Thunder *
23) Alec Cloke, 43 Nor Tech CC
24) Bob Martin, 39 Sutphen
25) Glen Fuller / Jeff Haylett, 47 Outerlimits
26) Brian & Jill Hoagg, 34 Hustler
27) Bill Buchanan, 29 Fountain
28) Ken & Karen Trelfa / FMB; MI
29) Martin Proulx, 39 Outerlimits
30) Ryan McClay, 34 Nor Tech CC
31) Bill Robbins/Scott Ryerson 40 Nor-Tech Roadster

All Photos courtesy of Naples Images