The Ultimate Statement: Campbell’s 38’ SUV Center of Attention

No offense to other Statement Marine owners, but the new 38’ SUV delivered to Houston performance boater Jeff Campbell in time for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run is the coolest one I’ve seen. The fact that there are four Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines powering the 38-foot center console was most definitely impressive, but I was more wowed by the details—inside and out.

Jeff Campbell of Texas drove his new 38′ SUV from Statement in the Key West Poker Run. Photos courtesy Florida Powerboat Club

Starting with the statement-making, outrageous orange paint job handled by Boat Customs in Michigan, the boat screamed “look at me.” Makes sense with a name like Center of Attention. Campbell’s other boat—a Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats 427V with twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines—also was painted by Boat Customs and has a similar design. Campbell, who had never owned an outboard-powered boat, wanted a center console with a performance boat appearance and he got what he was looking for.

He also got the performance of a “performance boat” as the 1,600 hp worth of engines push the center console to a top speed of 88 mph. Campbell said the 38-footer handled great from Miami to Key West and that the whole trip, from running down on Thursday to boating around Key West on Friday and Saturday, was a learning experience.

“It’s going to take some more time to get used to—the center of gravity totally changes with an outboard boat and, oh yeah, 14 people on board,” Campbell laughed, adding that the boat’s acceleration picks it right up out of the water and pushes him back in his seat. “To that point, this boat isn’t really about going fast, it’s a party boat. We’re going to do some poker runs with it next year and we’re planning a trip to the Bahamas in June with a friend who is building a new 38-foot Statement.”

Center of Attention—the one with four Mercury Racing Verado 400R engines—was just that in Key West.

Back to the inside, which is what Campbell is referring to when he calls it a party boat. The interior of the 38’ SUV was as plush as the cockpit of his Nor-Tech with a similar black Alcantara upholstery accented beautifully with orange. To complement the booming stereo system comprised of four subwoofers and more than 20 speakers—10 of which are strategically located in the boat’s hardtop—Statement installed four-way directional LED lights into the top to up the wow factor.

The black Marine Mat decking material on the bow and along the sides was a nice touch, and the unique reclining lounger/sun pad in the bow gave the boat even more appeal from a passenger perspective.

“The boat is awesome—Statement did a really good job with everything and of course Boat Customs knocked it out of the park,” said Campbell, who enjoyed having his boat front and center at the Conch Republic Seafood Company in Key West. “This is going to be a fun boat, I can already tell.”

The Ultimate Statement: Campbell’s 38’ SUV Center of Attention

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