Check out this article about the introduction of center console boats into the world of poker runs, and why the MTI–V 42 is always such a strong performer in the poker run circuit!
About six years ago, Stu Jones, president of the Florida Powerboat Club, was facing a critical crossroad in the organization’s history. Should he restructure his poker runs to encourage owners of center console boats to participate or continue to cater to the faster, high-performance offshore go-fast boats that had traditionally made up the fleet at the events?
“I had to welcome them,” explains Jones. “I liked that they were coming around and the fact that they were accommodating more people at the events.”
Owners, he discovered, were buying center consoles because they could carry more friends. That, of course, was all good news to Jones because he could recruit more members to his club. Today, performance center consoles are commonplace on the poker run circuit. Here are seven fast center consoles that are upping the ante.
Marine Technology Inc. MTI-V 42
A strong performer on the poker run circuit, Marine Technology Inc.’s MTI-V 42 is the noted performance catamaran-maker’s first V-bottom. The 42-foot boat has an 11-foot-6-inch beam and weighs 15,000 pounds. When powered with quad Mercury Racing Verado 300R outboards, the V 42 can reach top speeds exceeding 70 mph. The hull is foam-cored and vacuum-bagged using epoxy resin for increased strength and a lighter weight. MTI also came out with a V 57, one of the largest center consoles around, powered by quad Mercury 400R outboards. The V 57 has a reported top speed of 68 mph, and the boat cruises at 50.6 mph and 0.9 mpg.
This article was orgionally posted on BoatingMag.com