New Models to Highlight Havasu Show

ByMatt Trulio

On the heels of the most successful Miami International Boat Show in years, the high-performance marine industry is coming out strong again for the Lake Havasu Boat Show April 20-22. This year, as previously reported, the show has merged with the Desert Storm Poker Run, which translates to nine days of continuous go-fast boat action in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., as well as on the lake itself.

Bob Teague's Skater was one of many stellar boats at the 2011 Lake Havasu Boat Show.

Bob Teague’s Skater was one of many stellar boats at the 2011 Lake Havasu Boat Show.

One of the most awaited new introductions slated for the Havasu show is the M41 Widebody catamaran from Dave’s Custom Boats. At 41 feet long, it is the largest model in the DCB fleet. DCB also is reportedly working on its smallest Widebody cat dubbed the M285, which will be powered by Mercury Racing ‘s new 565 engine. The crew at DCB is hoping to unveil the new cat at the Havasu event, but at this point cannot guarantee the boat will be ready in time.

The general public also will get its first look at the new Doug Wright Poker Run Edition, a close cousin to the highly successful 32 Doug Wright offshore racing cat, at the Havasu event. With a completely restyled deck and a larger cockpit, the five-person 32-footer will be powered by a pair of Mercury Racing OptiMax 300XS outboard engines.

West Coast custom builders, Nordic Boats, Hallett Boats and Howard Custom Boats also are looking to grab plenty of attention with new models of their own. Nordic has a brand new 39-foot V-bottom, which will be unveiled at the boat show, plus another possible surprise in the smaller, less-than-25-foot sport catamaran category.

Hallett has a newly styled deckboat in its line-up for 2012 called the 285 Party Cruiser 2.0, which has already caught the attention of several buyers. Howard is putting the finishing touches on its new 28 SDS model, a modified 28-foot Sport Deck with a total deck redesign and a family-friendly cockpit reconfiguration.

Mystic’s spectacular 50-foot catamaran isn’t new. However, the first one to be equipped with twin Mercury Racing 1350 engines will make its debut at the Lake Havasu event. Having passed on the Miami show in February, fellow Florida builder Frisini Motorsports reportedly will show off its new 43-foot catamaran, 38-foot Hypersonic V-bottom, 39-foot center console, 32-foot Spectre cat and a new 30-foot Vendetta open-bow model.

With seven weeks to go before show time, the Havasu Boat Show is pushing the 120-exhibitor mark—more than twice the size it was in 2011. If typical spring Havasu weather prevails as expected, the dress code for the weekend will be shorts, tank tops and bikinis.