First Twin V-10 Outboard-Powered Tritoon Showcased In Englewood Beach

Racers and fans in Englewood Beach, Fla., this weekend for the Offshore Powerboat Association Englewood Beach Waterfest World Championships will have brand-new—and at this point unique—engines to ogle before and after races. WMF Watercraft and Marine, an Avalon/Tahoe pontoon dealer that is based in Delaware but opened a new location in Cape Coral, Fla., a couple of months ago, has the twin Mercury Marine Verado V-10 outboard engines on display in the dry pits.

Equipped with a pair of 400-hp naturally aspirated V-10 outboards from Mercury Marine, this 25-foot Avalon pontoon topped out at 72 mph.

An Avalon 2585 Catalina Windshield Quad-Lounge Platinum Tritoon model, the 25-footer pulled demo duty earlier this week at Lake X in St. Cloud, Fla., where Mercury Marine introduced the 400-hp V-10 outboard and its 350-hp sibling to members of the media. WMF Watercraft owner Bill Forenski and his team spent a full day taking out reporters on the boat.

“Avalon sent me as their dealer representative to Lake X and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Forenski said. “And I think that the press people really liked that I was a dealer, which gave them a different perspective than, say, a manufacturer taking them for a boat ride might.

“We started giving rides at 9 a.m. and never stopped,” he continued. “The Avalon was the most popular demo boat there. Some of the writers came back two and three times for rides.”

Earlier this week at Lake X, WMF Watercraft’s Bill Forenski and company spent the day giving demo rides to members of the marine media.

The trip was Forenski’s first to Lake X and was particularly captivating for him as he owns an MTI 390X catamaran and has owned a handful of Cigarette Racing Team V-bottoms and more during the years. His penchant for performance explains why his dealership has been at the tip of the Avalon spear when it comes to equipping pontoons with big outboards from Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing.

As for the V-10 engines on the back of the 25-foot Avalon, they dazzled the longtime powerboat enthusiast.

With four passengers on board and 75 gallons of fuel in the tank, the boat topped out at 72 mph.

“The new engines are amazing,” said Forenski. “They are going to be game-changers.”

Related stories
Mercury Marine Launching V-10 Verado Outboards
OPA Englewood Beach World Championship Essentials
Performance-Oriented Pontoon Dealership Opens Southwest Florida Location
Inside The SOTW Mag 2022 Interview Issue—Bill And Patience Forenski
Avalon Returning As Official Pontoon Of Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach
Avalon Pushes The Performance Pontoon Edge