Story and photos by DinaRella / Aerial images courtesy of MTI and Gilberts
If you were looking for a high-performance inboard-powered catamaran at the 2024 Miami Boat Show – the MTI booth was the ONLY PLACE to be. The second generation 48-footer (originally introduced in 2009) was the sole sterndrive piece of hardware to be found in the monstrous exhibition space spanning six city-wide locations.
Fitted with a pair of twin turbo Mercury Racing 1,100s, the next-level red and black 482 MTI anchoring the back corner of the Convention Center won over the hearts of all during its Valentine’s Day debut. But MTI didn’t stop there. Doubling visitors’ viewing pleasure, just a few feet away was an equally shiny red showstopper in the shape of a 2,500-hp V-50 center console. Let’s check them out!
482 MTI
Last May during its 25th anniversary celebration at Camden on the Lake Resort in LOTO, is when founder Randy Scism broke the news that the Missouri-based boat maker was going back to its roots and an all-new 48-footer, dubbed the 482 MTI, was on the way! Considering the last inboard-splashed-cat dates back a decade to the 2013 birthing of the 52-foot MTI Black Diamond; the anticipation and outpouring of attention the 482 received was riveting.
Sales manager Tom Stuart filled us in on the must-knows about the all-carbon-fiber $2 million dazzler explaining, “This is a brand-new, re-tooled hull; it’s completely CNC designed. The dash is similar to the 44 model, meaning you can basically go boat to boat and feel comfortable, but apart from that, nothing is the same.”
“The running surface is about 15 inches longer and the width is three inches wider. Usually the engine compartment is just an open cabin, but this time we re-did under the hatches. We wanted to hide the wiring and trim pumps, and finish it out with a show quality build that really dresses it up”
And dress it up, they did! The in-house rigging and workmanship of the gel-coated engine bays is a thing of beauty, right down to the logo branding and marine matting. Stuart continues, “We chose the Mercury Racing 1,100 package with #6 drives which are smaller and handle better than the #8 drives. The fact that, the 1,100s come with a 3-year warranty, technically you can run the boat for two years, and then sell it with one year still left.”
Cutting it down to the wire, en route to the show the MTI crew made a beeline to Central Florida with the finished boat for testing at Mercury’s legendary Lake X. Coaxing a top speed of 150 mph out of the box on day one means with more prop testing, digits will continue to climb as they most likely did during its debut at the Miami Boat Show Poker Run this past weekend.
“The 482 MTI handles better, runs faster, and is very reliable! It’s also really user-friendly and features three-inch suspension seats in the front row,” says Stuart before adding, “prior the show, six were already on order. People are fighting over this one which is on hold, because we will need to use it as a demo until June.”
Slotting between the V-42 and V-57 center consoles, up a few steps at the entrance to the MTI booth, the latest V-50 awaited. For a little history on the model, hull No. 1 first appeared at the 2021 Owners Fun Run in the Florida Keys after plans of the 50-footer were announced on the docks at the 2020 MIBS. Geared toward boaters wanting something a little bigger for Bahamas trips and running offshore in the big blue; within months of the launch, more than 20 orders were taken.
Today, the quint 450R outboard engine package has been replaced with a 2,500 punch of horsepower, by way of five Mercury Racing 500Rs… and as seen in the photos, the creature comforts keep on coming. Arriving to the show early, I had some one-on-one time alone onboard digesting the divineness on this hedonist people mover. All models are highly customizable, but the engineering and artistry behind each detail on this one were otherworldly.
Spellbinding, sparkly, bespoke, bad-ass, call it what you will – the starlight headliner was the standout attraction. You don’t feel like you’re in a boat cockpit. The twinkling ambient lighting experience brings to mind so many sensations from cruising around in a Rolls-Royce to being front row at the Las Vegas Sphere. I think the blue and green LED cup holders were the only elements on the V-50 that were not red, black and gray color-coordinated.
Head down below, and whether admiring the ultra plush upholstery or the marbling effect on the floor, walls and counter in the private head... for the new owners, Tyler and Lindsey Miller, and their guests, the lower cabin is equally inviting for chilling out sans sun.
If the Miller’s name sounds familiar, they used to own the Cigarette 41 Nighthawk made-to-match support boat for the M Con/Monster Energy Super Cat Skater, which Tyler owns and throttles. For the lucky Kansas couple, love was really in the air on February 14. Opening day at the show was also their first time locking eyes on their new stargazer MTI center console!
Next week, we take a look at another cat/console combo from newcomer American Marine Performance (AMP) and hear details from Vice President of Sales and Marketing Walt Braithwaite about the duo it had on the docks, which are taking the performance boating world by storm. RDP also caught up with Chris Schoenbohm, owner of Smart Performance Marine, for an interview about its strategic partnership with AMP.
If you were looking for a high-performance inboard-powered catamaran at the 2024 Miami Boat Show – the MTI booth was the ONLY PLACE to be. The second generation 48-footer (originally introduced in 2009) was the sole sterndrive piece of hardware to be found in the monstrous exhibition space spanning six city-wide locations.
Fitted with a pair of twin turbo Mercury Racing 1,100s, the next-level red and black 482 MTI anchoring the back corner of the Convention Center won over the hearts of all during its Valentine’s Day debut. But MTI didn’t stop there. Doubling visitors’ viewing pleasure, just a few feet away was an equally shiny red showstopper in the shape of a 2,500-hp V-50 center console. Let’s check them out!
482 MTI
Last May during its 25th anniversary celebration at Camden on the Lake Resort in LOTO, is when founder Randy Scism broke the news that the Missouri-based boat maker was going back to its roots and an all-new 48-footer, dubbed the 482 MTI, was on the way! Considering the last inboard-splashed-cat dates back a decade to the 2013 birthing of the 52-foot MTI Black Diamond; the anticipation and outpouring of attention the 482 received was riveting.
Sales manager Tom Stuart filled us in on the must-knows about the all-carbon-fiber $2 million dazzler explaining, “This is a brand-new, re-tooled hull; it’s completely CNC designed. The dash is similar to the 44 model, meaning you can basically go boat to boat and feel comfortable, but apart from that, nothing is the same.”
“The running surface is about 15 inches longer and the width is three inches wider. Usually the engine compartment is just an open cabin, but this time we re-did under the hatches. We wanted to hide the wiring and trim pumps, and finish it out with a show quality build that really dresses it up”
And dress it up, they did! The in-house rigging and workmanship of the gel-coated engine bays is a thing of beauty, right down to the logo branding and marine matting. Stuart continues, “We chose the Mercury Racing 1,100 package with #6 drives which are smaller and handle better than the #8 drives. The fact that, the 1,100s come with a 3-year warranty, technically you can run the boat for two years, and then sell it with one year still left.”
Cutting it down to the wire, en route to the show the MTI crew made a beeline to Central Florida with the finished boat for testing at Mercury’s legendary Lake X. Coaxing a top speed of 150 mph out of the box on day one means with more prop testing, digits will continue to climb as they most likely did during its debut at the Miami Boat Show Poker Run this past weekend.
“The 482 MTI handles better, runs faster, and is very reliable! It’s also really user-friendly and features three-inch suspension seats in the front row,” says Stuart before adding, “prior the show, six were already on order. People are fighting over this one which is on hold, because we will need to use it as a demo until June.”
V-50 Center Console
Slotting between the V-42 and V-57 center consoles, up a few steps at the entrance to the MTI booth, the latest V-50 awaited. For a little history on the model, hull No. 1 first appeared at the 2021 Owners Fun Run in the Florida Keys after plans of the 50-footer were announced on the docks at the 2020 MIBS. Geared toward boaters wanting something a little bigger for Bahamas trips and running offshore in the big blue; within months of the launch, more than 20 orders were taken.
Today, the quint 450R outboard engine package has been replaced with a 2,500 punch of horsepower, by way of five Mercury Racing 500Rs… and as seen in the photos, the creature comforts keep on coming. Arriving to the show early, I had some one-on-one time alone onboard digesting the divineness on this hedonist people mover. All models are highly customizable, but the engineering and artistry behind each detail on this one were otherworldly.
Spellbinding, sparkly, bespoke, bad-ass, call it what you will – the starlight headliner was the standout attraction. You don’t feel like you’re in a boat cockpit. The twinkling ambient lighting experience brings to mind so many sensations from cruising around in a Rolls-Royce to being front row at the Las Vegas Sphere. I think the blue and green LED cup holders were the only elements on the V-50 that were not red, black and gray color-coordinated.
Head down below, and whether admiring the ultra plush upholstery or the marbling effect on the floor, walls and counter in the private head... for the new owners, Tyler and Lindsey Miller, and their guests, the lower cabin is equally inviting for chilling out sans sun.
If the Miller’s name sounds familiar, they used to own the Cigarette 41 Nighthawk made-to-match support boat for the M Con/Monster Energy Super Cat Skater, which Tyler owns and throttles. For the lucky Kansas couple, love was really in the air on February 14. Opening day at the show was also their first time locking eyes on their new stargazer MTI center console!
Next week, we take a look at another cat/console combo from newcomer American Marine Performance (AMP) and hear details from Vice President of Sales and Marketing Walt Braithwaite about the duo it had on the docks, which are taking the performance boating world by storm. RDP also caught up with Chris Schoenbohm, owner of Smart Performance Marine, for an interview about its strategic partnership with AMP.
