Avalon Pontoon And MTI Sport Cat Combo Presents The ‘Best Of Both Worlds’

Once a devout high-performance V-bottom man who couldn’t imagine owning anything else, Bill Forenski has mono-hulls out of his system for good. But his conversion didn’t start with the MTI 340X he bought this year and recently replaced with its larger 390X sibling. It actually began many years ago with pontoon boats, which Forenski sells through WMF Watercraft and Marine, his two-location Avalon and Tahoe pontoon dealership in Delaware.

For last weekend’s Roar Offshore Poker Run in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Forenski let his friend Bill Buchanon run his 27-foot Avalon pontoon boat while he tackled the run in his 39-foot MTI sport catamaran.

Forenski’s pontoon creations are—to be fair—sexier than most. His current ride called Absolut Madness is an Avalon model, a 2785 Excalibur Elite Windshield model with custom paint, twin Mercury Racing 450R outboard engines, a massive sound system and every bell and whistle a buyer could rightly expect for its $300,000 price tag. With its 78.9-mph run this summer during American Power Boat Association-sanctioned kilometers at Tiki Lees Dock Bar in Maryland, Forenski’s 27-footer officially became the world’s fastest Avalon pontoon.

To some degree, the pontoon-and-sport-cat combo parallels the increasingly popular pairing of performance-oriented center consoles and sport cat among buyers who can afford both.

“I see that happening, slowly but surely” said Forenski who has sold more than 1,500 pontoon boats, some 30 of which have been decked out at the level of Absolut Madness. “The gentleman I sold my 340X to in Arizona? He has a Harris pontoon boat.

Said Forenski, “What I love most about the MTI is its ride quality.”

“It’s the best of both worlds,” he continued. “If we’re going on a poker run, we take the MTI cat. The Avalon is for Sunday cruising with friends. But everyone I take on the pontoon cannot believe the performance and ride quality in rough water.”

For Forenski, running pontoons boats for years even made the transition from V-bottoms to catamarans easier. “They have a similar feel on the water,” he explained.

But as previously reported on speedonthewater.com, he also took Shaun Torrente’s catamaran driving course. So far, he’s piloted his Mercury Racing 450R outboard-powered 39-foot MTI to 117 mph. (Torrente, who sold him the boat, reportedly has run it to 134 mph.)

“It’s not really about the top speed for me—it never has been,” said Forenski. “It’s about comfort, ride quality and just enjoying myself. What I love most about the MTI is its ride quality.”

Bill and Patience Forenski have found the perfect pairing to meet their boating needs with their Avalon pontoon and MTI sport catamaran.

Avalon Pontoon And MTI Sport Cat Combo Presents The ‘Best Of Both Worlds’

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