DCB Combining Talents With Stephen Miles Design For M37R No. 6

In advance of gelcoat application this weekend, DCB Performance Boats is starting the taping process for a new M37R Widebody catamaran, which was ordered by first-time DCB owner Ken Lalonde of Upstate New York. But the build, hull No. 6 for the El Cajon, Calif., custom high-performance boat company, has an intriguing wrinkle.

Stephen Miles, the owner of the trend-setting powerboat paint shop in Owensboro, Ky., that carries his name, designed the graphics for the 37-footer, which will be powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards. The project is a first for Miles as well as the DCB team and Jamie Reyes, the outfit’s lead gelcoat man.

From gelcoat graphics design to execution, Ken Lalonde’s DCB M37R Widebody catamaran will be a build of firsts. Rendering courtesy/copyright Stephen Miles Design.

“I have always wanted to paint a boat for DCB—their detail work is second to none and Jeff Johnson and Tony Chiaramonte are cool guys and they have been great to work with—and I will someday, but this is the first design I have done for a gelcoat application,” Miles said. “With gelcoat, you can’t do a lot of light to dark fades or ghosting. So I had to keep that in my mind with my design.”

“I had to send Steve some pretty extensive, and funny, notes on keeping the design simple,” Johnston said, then laughed.

For Lalonde, a member of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run committee and one of the event’s original founders who has owned several high-performance boats including catamarans, V-bottoms and a center console, the DCB M37R checked all the boxes for an outboard-powered cat. He wanted something with easy transom boarding and debarking access. He wanted four passenger seats, all high enough off the sole for good forward visibility but low enough for proper wind protection. And he wanted something with a true tunnel hull that delivers “respectable speed” with a full load of passengers and fuel.

“I wanted something different,” he said. “The detail of DCB and its fit and finish are in a league above. Jeff and (fellow DCB company owner) Tony Chiaramonte will listen and make changes to fit your needs. I am excited about this boat and to be working with Stephen Miles Design to take the design of the graphics to the next level in a gelcoat application. Steve used some concepts I had to dial it in.

“I also have a new Nor-Tech 390 with outboards that we ordered through American Custom Marine and I’m looking for delivery at the Boyne Thunder Poker Run (in Northern Michigan) this year,” he continued. “The boat paint for the Nor-Tech will complement the DCB’s gelcoat graphics—and our new Corvette C8.”

The DCB M37R molds are being prepped for gelcoat application this weekend.

Lalonde and his wife, Renee, who also is a 1,000 Islands Poker Run committee member and founder, are hoping to take delivery of their DCB creation in time for the Desert Storm Poker Run, April 21-25, in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. He’s looking forward to easy usability offered by the new sport catamaran.

“Now I feel I can boat anywhere anytime without a huge team effort with ease,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s just Renee and I. This just makes too much sense.”

DCB Combining Talents With Stephen Miles Design For M37R No. 6

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