Back Stage Perspective: A New Mystic C4000 Catamaran Finds A Havasu Home

On any given day, you’ll find an assortment of beautiful high-performance catamarans from the likes of DCB Performance Boats, Eliminator Boats, MTI, Skater Powerboats and other custom boat-builders on the clear waters of Lake Havasu in Arizona. That makes sense—the the 45-mile-long, Colorado River-fed waterway—home to the annual massive Desert Storm Poker Run—is a West Coast stronghold for go-fast boating action.

Though its first sea trial was in Florida, the Arizona side of Lake Havasu will be home-water to this new Mystic Powerboats C4000 catamaran—a first for the custom luxury center console and high-performance catamaran builder.

But until last weekend, there wasn’t a Mystic Powerboats catamaran, much less a brand-new carbon-fiber C4000 powered by Mercury Racing 450R outboard engines to be found on the Colorado River-fed waterway. And you can credit Roland Munoz and his fiancé, Alyson Freilich, for changing that.

Munoz lives in Riverside, Calif., and has a second home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. A longtime powerboat enthusiast, he has owned high-performance V-bottoms from a 34-foot Magic Sorcerer to a 43-foot Sunsation F4. Three years ago, he bought a Mystic M4200 and the luxury performance center console dubbed Center Stage has been a fixture on the lake ever since. The boat was even featured in the 2021 Desert Storm Poker Run street party the day before poker run.

Set to be married in early August, Munoz and Freilich wanted “something they could buy and design together.” So last year they ordered a catamaran—Munoz’s first—from the DeLand, Fla., company.

“We went through the whole design process at Mystic together,” Munoz said. “We’re both Pisces, we both love the water, so we wanted to combine some darker and lighter blues—with a touch of pink. But we wanted the interior to be lighter and more subtle.

“We did something little different,” he added, then chuckled. “Maybe going back to the ’80s.”

Enjoy more images of the new 40-footer, as well as Munoz’s Mystic M4200 center console, in the slideshow above.

Following a red-eye flight from California to Florida, Munoz and Freilich met with Doug Harrell, who handles all of Mystic’s paintwork. They spent a day-and-a-half working with Harrell before arriving at exactly what they wanted for the cat.

“We literally came straight from the flight and were exhausted,” Freilich said. “Doug was so patient with us. We sat with him from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and came back the next day. Another half-day really made it come together.”

Harrel said he had fun working with the couple.

“With this boat, we did get to do a fade of blues from front to back, which we haven’t had the opportunity to do since Bob Barnhart’s 42-foot center console,” Harrell said. “There’s also a lot of large flake in some areas, which we enjoy doing.”

Given the name of Munoz’s center console, the coupled decided that Back Stage Pass would be a perfect handle for their new catamaran.

Earlier this month, Munoz and Freilich returned to DeLand to take delivery of the cat. Mystic general manager Ryan Zivitski took the couple to nearby Lake Monroe to familiarize the couple with the boat.

From start to finish, Roland Munoz and Alyson Freilich collaborated on their Mystic C4000 catamaran build.

“This is their first catamaran and they did really well with it,” Zivitski said. “You know, it’s a pretty large boat that handles rough-water really well and isn’t windy. It feels safe. When a customer feels safe right away, it’s easier to learn.

“This is our first C4000 on Lake Havasu full-time,” he added. “It’s a big deal for us.”

The following day, they headed out of New Smyrna Beach into the Atlantic Ocean, where they encountered three- to four-foot seas. They started cautiously but eventually found themselves running 60 to 70 mph in those conditions.

“I have had big boats for more than 20 years—I know big boats—but there was a learning curve,” Munoz said. “There’s definitely a huge difference between a V-bottom and catamaran. But the smoothness of the cat in those conditions was incredible. It was a great experience and I was thinking, no wonder people run all the way to Key West from here.”

Added Freilich, “We looked at each other and it was like, wow. We could not believe how fast we were running and how smooth it was.”

When they were finished, Mystic Powerboats owner/founder John Cosker came to get them.

“They were great,” Cosker said. “And their boat came out really nice.”

Since getting their new Mystic home, Munoz and Freilich have run it once on Lake Havasu. The boat arrived on a loaner trailer from Mystic and has been transferred to a trailer for a DCB M44 Widebody catamaran while Lake Havasu City-based Adrenaline Trailers builds a custom platform for the 40-footer.

“We launched out of Windsor and went down to Havasu Springs,” Munoz said. “I couldn’t believe how fast we got there. I’ve never owned a cat before, and at 115 mph on the lake it was like driving a Rolls Royce with Lamborghini looks. And we hardly used any gas.

“We plan to use the catamaran as our Saturday boat on Lake Havasu, where we run all day and get too much sun,” Munoz added, then laughed. “The center console will be our Sunday boat, where can relax in the shade.”

Said Zivitski, “This is our first C4000 on Lake Havasu full-time. It’s a big deal for us.”

Related stories
Commentary: Mystic And Skater Will Survive Without Miami
Mystic Powerboats Wraps Up 25th Anniversary In ‘Post Card Beautiful’ Style