Coming To Miami: Wright Performance 420 Catamaran Hits 116 MPH

Currently in transit to the Miami International Boat Show, which opens Thursday at Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key, the first Wright Performance 420 catamaran reached 116 mph in its initial test sessions last weekend. The 42-footer, which has an 11-plus-foot beam and a dry weight of approximately 6,800 pounds, is powered by two Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engines on adjustable STR X-ACT brackets. For demo rides during the show, the boat has been set up to cruise at 100 mph and top out at 110 mph.

On display and available for demo rides Feb. 14-18 at the Miami International Boat Show, Performance Boat Center‘s Wright 420 catamaran will be part of the Florida Powerboat Club‘s Miami Boat Show Poker Run fleet the following weekend (click image to enlarge).

“We were still working with propellers and setup but we ran out of time and had to get on the road for Miami,” said Myrick Coil of Performance Boat Center, the multi-brand, Osage Beach, Mo.-based powerboat dealership that handled rigging and interior installation for the new 42-foot cat as well as all Wright Performance 360 sport catamarans. “But we started testing again today in St. Cloud, Fla. It goes pretty quick—out of the box it went right to 114 mph. Acceleration is really good.

“With twin 400Rs this boat is for the guy who is all about the ride,” said Coil. “We went through some nasty stuff on the Lake of the Ozarks, 25-mph winds with white-capped, one-and-a-half footers last weekend and we couldn’t even feel it. And the cockpit is almost five inches deeper than the cockpit of the Wright Performance 360 cat so it’s even less windy than than that boat.”

The 42-footer’s six-seat cockpit is loaded with amenities (click image for full frame).

Constructed of E-glass and epoxy with carbon-fiber reinforcement in the stringers, the six-seat Wright 420 will be on display at the Mercury Marine docks in Miami.

“This boat is completely loaded—we pulled out all the stops with this one,” said Brett Manire, who co-owns Performance Boat Center with Mark Waddington. “It has multidirectional power-adjustable bucket seats, Active Trim, night vision, Garmin VRIB, underwater LED lighting, color-matched SeaDek flooring on the cockpit sole and in the all of the lockers, a JL Audio system with the larger 8.8-inch speakers and more. It’s a creature-comfort boat, for sure. It’s like a Chevy Tahoe or an Escalade—it’s very luxurious and docile compared to other boats it in its class.

“Water pressure is perfect when the boat is ripping turns with lights loads and heavy loads,” he continued. “We did the whole setup with stock ECMs in the outboards and Mercury Racing CNC propellers. It’s not going to have the blistering 126-mph top-end we’ve seen with Wright Performance 360, but the ride is beautiful, there’s no porpoise and the acceleration is great.”

For a closer look at the Wright Performance 420 catamaran check out the slidewshow above.

Coming To Miami: Wright Performance 420 Catamaran Hits 116 MPH

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