Phantom 9 Race Team Up For Sale

Following another successful season, which included a world championship in the Offshore Powerboat Association SLVX class in Englewood Beach, Fla., longtime Phantom 9 Racing team owner Mark Niemann said that he is putting the team up for sale.

The owner of the Phantom 9 offshore racing team, Mark Niemann, is selling the team. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

“This wasn’t an easy decision,” said Niemann, who owns Marker 1 Marine in Sarasota, Fla. “I’m not looking forward to selling Phantom 9, but I’m not going to keep trying to put together a professional team in a sport that is, at the moment, essentially a hobby. It’s an expensive hobby but it’s still a hobby. I’m not giving up on offshore racing—I never will, powerboating is in my blood—so this isn’t about calling it quits. For now though, it’s time to do something different so the team is for sale.

“I don’t have to sell it—this is a competitive boat and a great team so if someone is looking to get into the sport, in a relatively inexpensive way, the Phantom 9 is available,” he continued. “Offshore racing is pretty much a full-time job if you are serious about it, and I don’t want it to be a full-time job right now, especially when the organizations behind the races don’t treat it that way.”

While adding that the boat is race-ready, Niemann pointed out that it has finished on the podium in every race in Cocoa Beach, Fla.—the venue for next month’s season-opening race for Super Boat International—since he started competing there in 2011.

Along with the 30-foot Phantom, which is powered by a 525-hp Mercury Racing engine, Niemann said the team’s hauler, dually truck, scooters, propellers, parts, equipment, tools, helmets and more are available. It’s basically a race team in a box.

“I know our throttleman Tom (Maddalena) would jump in the boat with the new owner if necessary—he doesn’t want me to sell it—and I’d do the same thing if that is requested,” Niemann said. “But I need a break. I want to run my boat to Bimini or hang out with our friends at a poker run and not have to worry about getting the boat to the next race. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this country has to offer beyond the same cities—and the same parking lots—that we hang out in every year.”

Niemann asked that serious buyers only reach out to him about the boat via email (info@Marker1Marinecom) or at 941-951-2628.