With its first Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engine-powered 318 catamaran complete, Skater Powerboats of Douglas, Mich., has sets its sights on something bigger tapping the Fond du Lac, Wis., high-performance marine company’s most powerful outboard offerings. The build of a Skater 368 cat to be powered by pair of the 400-hp outboards is underway.
Skater Building First Verado Outboard-Powered 368 Catamaran
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Seven Marine 627 Outboard-Powered 28-Foot Sportboat Coming To Miami
Dubbed “the world’s first fully exposed carbon fiber production hull” by its Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer, the Paragon Super Sport 28 from Carbon Marine will be on display at the 2016 Miami International Boat Show (Feb. 11-15). The 28-footer is powered by a 627-hp V-8 outboard engine from Seven Marine and has space for 11 passengers, according specifications supplied by the company.
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Chris-Craft 25-Footer Making U.S. Debut In Miami
Despite that Chris-Craft doesn’t build high-performance boats, the Sarasota, Fla.-based company’s retro-stylish offerings still hold serious appeal for many go-fast powerboat enthusiasts. And those who attend the Miami International Boat Show Feb. 11-15 will get their first look—at least in the United States—at the new Capri 25 in the Chris-Craft tent.
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Pilini Marine Starting Construction On New 34 XCS Catamaran
Jay Pilini of Pilini Marine has finished the hull mold for his new 34 XCS catamaran and is beginning construction of the first model. According to the well-known Clearwater, Fla.-based boat builder, he already has five orders for the 34-footer, all of which will be powered by twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engines. The cat also is available with stern drive power packages.
In addition to an overall running surface of 34 feet 3 inches, five-step sponsons and a 59-inch-wide tunnel, the 34 XCS boasts a trailering friendly 10-foot beam.
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Predator Powerboats C306 Catamaran Debuting In Miami
Predator is keeping overall images of its new 30-footer under wraps until its unveiling at the upcoming Miami International Boat Show.
The first Predator Powerboats C306 catamaran will be unveiled next week—in Tent L-1730—at the Miami International Boat Show Feb. 11-15. Hull No. 1 is powered by pair of 500- to 550-hp custom-built General Motors LS3 engines with and Bravo XR ITS drives and Sportmaster lower units. The 30-footer, which has an 8’6” beam, was designed by Doug Wright, who also built the tooling.
Marine industry lamination veteran Arnaldo Alvarado and his team at Predator Powerboats, which is based in Long Island, N.Y., handled the construction of vacuum-bagged cat. According to the builder, lamination ingredients included multiple layers of fiberglass, as well as foam coring its stringers, hull sides and flat deck. The deck is outfitted with a wraparound windshield with Lee Aerospace glass.
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Nor-Tech 390 Sport CC Hull No. 100 Tops 100 MPH
Nor-Tech's Trond Schou (right) and Double-R's Raymond Roberts ran this Nor-Tech Sport 390 CC to more than 100 mph.
Wanting something that would make a big splash at this week’s Miami International Boat Show, the people at Nor-Tech and Double R Performance, the performance boat-builder’s well-known dealer in Ontario, Canada, set out to produce the first outboard engine-powered center console to break the 100-mph barrier. And with a new 390 Sport CC—hull No. 100 since the model was introduced in 2010—powered by quad Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboards on jack plates, they did exactly that during their final run that saw the boat top out at a GPS-recorded 101 mph last Friday.
Nor-Tech principal Trond Schou and Raymond Roberts, who co-owns the full service Double R dealership with his brother, Peter, were on board the 39-footer, which was fully equipped with a full T-top, a stereo system, an additional row of bolsters and a sliding cooler/seat and a host of other amenities.
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Mercury Racing Adding Performance Active Trim Across Engine Platforms
The push-button activated Performance Active Trim system will be available on all Mercury Racing engines in 2016.
At a press conference this evening in Miami, Mercury Racing’s general manager Erik Christiansen released the details of the company's new Performance Active Trim system—“ an integrated boat speed-based engine trim system specifically for performance applications where the gearcases are running partially surfaced”—in advance of the system’s debut tomorrow during the opening day of the Miami International Boat Show. The system is available for the 400R Verado engine, the 520, 540, 565 and 700 SCi engines and the QC4v 1100, 1350 and 1550 engines.
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Cigarette-AMG 41’ SD GT3 is World’s Most Powerful Stern Drive Center Console
With a combined 2,200 hp, the Cigarette Racing Team-Mercedes AMG 41’ SD GT3 should top out at more than 100 mph, according to its manufacturer. All photos courtesy/copyright Cigarette Racing Team.
Powered by twin 1,100-hp turbocharged engines, the Cigarette Racing Team-Mercedes AMG 41’ SD GT3 performance center console, which was unveiled alongside the Mercedes-AMG GT3 racecar that inspired it, isn’t just the sixth collaborative marketing effort between the iconic boat and automobile builders. The 41-footer is the world's most powerful stern drive center console offering released to date.
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Mercury Racing Offering Custom-Color K-Planes
A staple of high-performance V-bottoms, Mercury Racing’s 280-S and 380-S K-Planes will be offered in custom colors for 2016. Samples currently are on display in the Mercury Marine tent at the Miami International Boat Show, which opens this morning and will run through Feb. 15.
The Fond du Lac, Wis., company is offering 12 custom colors for the 280-S and 380-S units—both of which are designed for boats 31 feet and longer—to enable customers to color match them to their NXT6 and M8 drives, as well as the graphics of their boats. Manufactured from corrosion-resistant aluminum, K-planes are equipped with heavy-duty hydraulic pumps and electronic trim senders that provide real-time trim-position information via Mercury Marine Vessel View and other NMEA compliant systems.
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Mercury Racing Showcasing Tie Bar Kit For Verado 400R Outboard
Mercury Racing Adding Performance Active Trim Across Engine Platforms
Countdown to Miami: Inside the 2016 Boat Show
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Mercury Racing Showcasing Tie Bar Kit For Verado 400R Outboard
“The unique design of Mercury Racing’s factory-installed rear tie bar kits on Verado 400Rs provides a seamless, integrated performance solution while maintaining full factory warranty coverage.”—Mercury Racing
While Mercury Racing won’t unveil any new engines today as the Miami International Boat Show gets underway, the company will be showcasing a new custom-designed tie bar kit for its popular Verado 400R outboard in catamaran applications. The factory-installed kit includes custom rear engine mounts and a heavy duty, stainless steel tie bar wing plate. The engine mounts feature an addendum for the mounting of the wing plate. Tie bars must be sourced—from companies such as Latham Marine—through the boat builder or dealer, according to a press release from the Fond du Lac, Wis., company.
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Ilmor Unveils ‘One Drive’ Propulsion Package
A pair of Ilmor Marine’s creations dubbed the One Drive propulsion system are powering a Formula 350 CBR FX model this week in Miami (click image to enlarge).
With two units showcased in a Formula Boats 350 CBR FX model, Ilmor Marine officially unveiled its new One Drive propulsion package at the Miami International Boat Show this morning. While the engine-and-drive combo in the 35-footer pairs the company’s hydraulically shifted, twin-propeller One Drives with a pair of the company’s 430-hp 6.2L OPS engines, it's also going to be matched with Ilmor’s 382-hp 6.0L offering for single- and twin-engine applications.
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Quick Take: Smooth Shifting Defines Ilmor One Drive Package
Paul Ray, Bob Teague and other representatives from Ilmor and Formula joined the author for his demo ride on the Formula 350 CBR FX with twin Ilmor One Drive propulsion packages. Photos courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill.
Nothing about powerboat demo rides during today’s Miami International Boat Show was easy. Between a long no-wake zone and the multiple water taxis that seemed to ignore it, just getting to open water—the kind where you push the throttles as far forward as you like—was a chore.
But darn if the ride I took with Teague Custom Marine’s Bob Teague and Ilmor Marine’s Paul Ray on a Formula 350 CBR FX model this morning wasn’t worth every bit of the effort. That’s because the comfortable 35-footer, which has become Formula’s hottest seller, was powered by Ilmor’s amazing new One Drive propulsion packages.
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MTI Shares Sneak Peeks of New Models in Miami
Early next month, as in March 1, the public will get its first look at the new 57-foot center console from Marine Technology Inc., when the largest MTI model to date makes its debut at the Dubai International Boat Show.
MTI showed off a model of its forthcoming 34-foot catamaran at the Miami International Boat show. Photo by Jason Johnson
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New Outerlimits SL 50 Hits 144 MPH in Testing, Heads to Key West
As this article goes live, Canadian Dave Scotto is almost three hours into hauling his brand-new, all-carbon-fiber Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats SL 50 V-bottom powered by twin power-adjustable Mercury Racing 1350/1550 engines from the boat builder’s headquarters in Bristol, R.I., to Miami for the Florida Powerboat Club’s upcoming Key West Poker Run. In testing earlier this week, the stand-up cockpit, half-cabin 50-footer reached 144 mph with the engines in 1350 mode, according to Dan Kleitz of Outerlimits.
Dave Scotto: “It’s a beautiful boat, man. Now we’re just excited to go do the Key West Poker Run." Photos courtesy/copyright Outerlimits/Speedonthewater.com
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Mercury Racing Unveils X-Cat Outboard In Key West
While the buzz and chatter about the XCAT Racing version of the Mercury Racing Verado 400R have been more or less constant since the popular four-stroke outboard was introduced at the 2015 Miami International Boat Show in February, the public got its first look at the new engine moments ago in the Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run Village. Dubbed the Mercury Racing ROS—shorthand for Race Offshore—the supercharged outboard will see its official racing debut Nov. 19 during the 2015 XCAT World Series in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to a press release from the Fond du Lac, Wis., marine engine company, the XCAT series partnered with Mercury Racing in the development of the 2.6L engine that will “replace the existing fleet of Mercury Racing 2-stroke 2.5L EFI race outboards.”
Mercury Racing announced its new ROS outboard engine during the Key West Poker Run on Thursday.
“We are very excited to launch our new Race Offshore competition outboard," said Erik Christiansen, Mercury Racing's general manager, in the release. "The venerable 2.5 EFI 2-stroke Mercury’s have been a mainstay for many years and is still a solid product. The ROS builds on that foundation while using the four stroke technology today's market demands.”
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The Ultimate Statement: Campbell’s 38’ SUV Center of Attention
No offense to other Statement Marine owners, but the new 38’ SUV delivered to Houston performance boater Jeff Campbell in time for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run is the coolest one I’ve seen. The fact that there are four Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines powering the 38-foot center console was most definitely impressive, but I was more wowed by the details—inside and out.
Jeff Campbell of Texas drove his new 38' SUV from Statement in the Key West Poker Run. Photos courtesy Florida Powerboat Club
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Nevada Family Thankful for New Advantage 29 X-Flight
Although Gary Casteel and his family won’t be at home for Thanksgiving today, they have plenty to be thankful for as they’re currently enjoying a couple of extra days in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., after spending the last few days on the lake running around in their new Advantage Boats 29 X-Flight.
Powered by an 825-hp Teague Custom Marine engine, Advantage's latest 29 X-Flight was recently delivered to a customer from Nevada.
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Deep Impact to Debut New-Look 399 Models in Miami
Designed to be impressive, luxurious and purposeful, the 399 Sport and 399 Cabin models that Deep Impact Custom Boats is planning to debut in February at the Miami International Boat Show have company representatives beyond excited.
Deep Impact will show off its new 399 Sport at next year's Miami International Boat Show.
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Fountain Building Quad Verado 400R-Powered Center Console
Ordered during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October, the first Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engine-powered Fountain 38-foot center console reportedly is under construction. According to Johnny Walker of Baja Marine—the Washington, N.C., parent company of the Baja, Donzi and Fountain powerboat brands—the quad Verado 400R 38-footer is one of three Fountain center consoles that were ordered during the annual South Florida show. Each of the other angling-oriented models will be powered by triple 350-hp Verado outboards from Mercury Marine.
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Sneak Peek: Doug Wright Designs Finishing Up 28-Foot Catamaran Plug
Earlier this week, photographer Pete Boden stopped by the Doug Wright Designs shop in Melbourne, Fla., to catch up on a couple of ongoing projects including a new 32-footer that will be rigged at Grant’s Signature Racing and repairs on the 2015 Stock-class world championship-winning Talbot Excavating raceboat. While walking through the shop, Boden spied a deck plug for a new 28-foot catamaran taking final shape on the company’s CNC machine and he snapped a picture of it on his smart phone. Once finished, the deck plug will sent to Texas-based Fat Cat Boats. (The hull plug has already been completed and delivered.)
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