TNT Marine Setting Up 40’ MTI with Mercury Racing 1100s

TNT’s first installation of Mercury Racing 1100 engines is happening in a 40′ MTI catamaran.

Miami-based TNT Custom Marine will install and rig its first set of Mercury Racing 1100 turbocharged engines in a 40-foot-long Marine Technology, Inc., catamaran. According to John Tomlinson, the co-owner TNT, the cat arrived at his shop as a “bare hull and deck” a few weeks ago, and has been at Guardado Marine being painted for about two weeks.

“It will probably be there another ten days,” said Tomlinson. “Three weeks is actually pretty fast. Most of these paint guys take six or seven weeks. Three weeks is nothing.”

Tomlinson said he opted to have the boat painted prior to rigging it because he had not received the boat’s twin 1,100-hp turbocharged engines when the boat arrived. The engines arrived at TNT last week.

“Sending the painter—and I always use Eddie (Guardado)—a boat that isn’t rigged makes it a lot easier on them,” said Tomlinson. “A lot of time we’ll send a partially rigged boat to paint, but this time I didn’t want to lose ten days waiting on the engines.”

The new catamaran is going to an existing TNT client, a European who spends winters in South Florida.

“I want to have the boat ready from my customer when he comes back in September,” said Tomlinson. “We take care of his boats for him. This is his third MTI.”