Wyoming’s Budge Ecstatic After Taking Delivery Of New 450R-Powered DCB M33 Widebody

For Wyoming-based performance boaters Chad and Dianne Budge, who spend a lot of time at their vacation home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., taking delivery of their second new M33R Widebody catamaran from DCB Performance Boats in as many years on Friday was a bright spot that most definitely took their minds off the country’s doom-and-gloom state of affairs of late.

Wyoming’s Chad Budge was beyond thrilled with the new DCB M33R Widebody catamaran powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R engines he took delivery of this week. Running photos by Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images and interior images by Jeff Johnston/DCB

“We had a great time running the boat yesterday for photos—that’s the first time I’ve ever done a photo shoot like that with one of my boats,” said Chad Budge, who was beyond thrilled with his fourth boat from the El Cajon, Calif., boatbuilder. “That was pretty cool and then Tony (Chiaramonte) and I spent some more time in it today before he went back home. We have some more dialing in to do, but we ran it 131 mph on the lake this morning, which is faster than I expected it to go so I’m very happy.

“The most important thing,” Budge added. “Is that my wife is happy.”

The Budges, who owned a 2018 M33R Widebody with twin Mercury Racing 400R engines (read the story), a 2012 M31 Widebody with twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines and a 2010 M31 Widebody with twin Mercury Racing 700SCi engines, plan to spend some more time at the lake enjoying the boat, which is powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R engines, and are hopeful they can show it off at next month’s Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu City.

“All I can say is the team at DCB continues to step up their builds—I don’t know how, but they continue to raise the bar,” Budge said. “I’m blown away, I really am. And if I wasn’t impressed they would hear about it. I’m not easy to please and they know that. They did everything I asked them to do and then some.”

Budge admitted he loved his 400R-powered 33-footer but that when he took a ride in his friend Greg Timmons’ new M33R with twin 450Rs engines at the Lake Powell Challenge in September that he wanted a new boat with the new outboard motors.

Upon ordering the 33-footer, Budge decided to go with a cleaner, simpler look opting for a white boat with a black hull and minimal black and blue accents throughout, as well as white cowlings for the Mercury Racing engines. As usual, the DCB interior department knocked it out of the park with the stunning black, gray and blue 100-percent Alcantara upholstery in the six-seat cockpit and matching under cuddy. A custom-matched carpet kit with shaved diamonds in the fabric was installed on the floor and the latest and greatest features from the Mercury DTS controls, twin 12-inch Simrad displays, a Garmin 8612 center chartplotter and Isotta Carlotta steering wheel were utilized in the cockpit.

The boat, which features a half cap with a stainless-steel rubrail painted black, was constructed with DCB’s Vacuum Infused Resin process and balsa-cored with aggressive carbon-fiber and carbon-Kevlar inlays. At approximately 5,300 pounds, the 9-foot 7-inch-beam catamaran was built with weight savings in mind as DCB went with a slightly thinner and lighter windshield that fit the boat’s receiver perfectly and eliminated weight with a slimmer swim step on the transom and a new aluminum tie bar from IMCO Marine.

Check out the slideshow above for more images of Chad and Dianne Budge’s new 33-foot DCB.

“The boat is absolutely gorgeous in person—it’s striking how bright it is with the white gelcoat and white motors,” Budge said. “I asked the guys at DCB to do the custom cowlings and at first they said no, but then they did it anyway. They also added an LED package within the cowlings, which is spectacular and different. The lighting throughout the boat is amazing. It is everywhere—in the speakers, the cupholders, the back of the front seats, you name it.

“DCB has a new guy leading the interior department and, to be honest, I really didn’t think that DCB could do it any better because their interiors have always been over the top, but this one is better than ever,” Budge added. “I don’t know how they did it, but they did. I was really surprised. They also updated the footrests—which before only had two settings, forward and back—so that they can be adjusted to several positions. That’s the thing with DCB, they always figure out a way to do whatever I, or any customer for that matter, throw at them. Like the rearview mirror on this boat. I didn’t even know I wanted one, but I saw it on Dave Magoo’s M44 and he told me how helpful it was so I told DCB I wanted one but that I wanted it a little different and they delivered with an awesome billet one that matches the rest of the hardware.”

While Budge loves all the custom touches and remarkable attention to detail between the interior and rigging, Budge said the most important part was the boat’s performance.

“The boat runs great, it’s so planted and smooth,” he said. “I put about 125 hours on my other M33R so I had a lot of seat time in it and knew what I was looking for in terms of handling. And I’ll tell you what, I think 450Rs make the M33R that much better. They really woke the boat up in my opinion. The boat cruises at 115 mph where my 400R boat cruised at 100 mph. For a boat with outboards, and I have to admit even five years ago I would have said outboards weren’t for me, the performance is absolutely incredible. I’m sold on the outboards now that’s for sure. They’ve made boating fun again, so to speak.”

Not that the 67-year-old Budge hasn’t had fun boating over the past four decades he’s been a performance boater. It’s just now he has the coolest boat he’s ever owned sitting on a radical triple-axle Adrenaline Custom Trailer with custom chrome 18-inch FUEL rims, stainless-steel fenders, a triangular drive guard and undercarriage LED lighting package.

Surely he and Dianne are in for a fun summer.

Wyoming’s Budge Ecstatic After Taking Delivery Of New 450R-Powered DCB M33 Widebody

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