Inside American Custom Marine
Without question, the Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats 51 GTX called Mamba is one the most—if not the most—photogenic V-bottoms in the high-performance boating world. Dressed in a snakeskin-themed paintjob from The Art Of Design and owned by American Custom Marine principal Michael Knoblock, the 51-footer is a showstopper.
Thanks to the passion of its dedicated owner, business is booming for a one-stop performance boat service and storage shop in Southeast Michigan. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
It’s also the perfect calling card for Knoblock’s business, which he started six-and-a-half years ago after a long career in the motorcycle world. Located in Kimball, Mich., American Custom Marine started as a simple high-performance powerboat storage facility. Since then, the company has expanded to include engine service and maintenance—American Custom Marine is a Premiere Mercury Marine Service Center—and well as fiberglass/carbon fiber and paint repair.
“About the only thing we don’t do are full engine rebuilds and complete paint jobs,” said Knoblock, who currently has six employees in the shop. “We pull engines, install new engines and do re-rigging, but we leave engine building and rebuilding to the engine guys. And if someone wants a whole boat painted, we let the whole-boat painters do it. Our fiberglass and paint repairs guys are really busy right now—they’re busier their our engine technicians.
For intents and purposes, American Custom Marine is a one-stop shop for high-performance V-bottoms, center consoles and catamarans.
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