NFL Star Delanie Walker Having Fun With His New 50-Foot Outerlimits

When NFL superstar Delanie Walker, a three-time Pro Bowl tight end formerly of the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans, decided to upgrade to a faster, more custom performance boat, he didn’t need to look much further than Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in Bristol, R.I. That’s because the highly custom V-bottom and catamaran company, which Walker said treated him like family immediately, had a 2020 SL 50 with twin Mercury Racing 1350/1100 engines that was readily available.

With Outerlimits Dan Kleitz showing him the ropes, Delanie Walker and his friends had a great time in the Miami Boat Show Poker Run and Exhibit in Walker’s 50-foot V-bottom. Photo courtesy Florida Powerboat Club

Walker, who owned a Baja Marine 36 Outlaw with a pair of 525-hp Mercury Racing engines and had dreamed of owning a Cigarette Racing Team V-bottom since boating with friends on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks during his collegiate days at the University of Central Missouri, received his 50-foot V-bottom just in time to participate in the Florida Powerboat Club’s Miami Boat Show Poker Run and Exhibit back in February.

Next week, Walker, who grew up in Southern California, is going to have his boat in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., for the 24th annual Desert Storm Poker Run.

“I’m looking forward to Desert Storm at Lake Havasu and getting more time to drive the boat,” said Walker, who also owns a 1984 Donzi Marine 22 Classic with a MerCruiser 440 Cyclone engine. “I’ve been there before with my old ski boat and it was crazy. I can only imagine what it’s going to be like for the poker run. We had a blast at the FPC run in Miami and we met a lot of cool people, but it seemed like everyone was there to sell boats so it wasn’t as social as I expected it to be.”

Because of the event’s new boat show atmosphere, Walker was able to get out on some other makes and models to see what else is out there and how different boats perform. During the weekend, he said he managed to coax the 50-footer, which tops out around 145 mph, up to 130 mph in some sporty conditions outside of Miami.

“The power in this thing is crazy,” Walker said, adding that he was thankful to have Outerlimits’ Dan Kleitz with him for his first big poker run. “It’s such a smooth ride. Everything about the boat is simple and straightforward. I like the look—I think it looks fast—and it was built with weight savings in mind, too, so it feels fast. They didn’t go crazy with the stereo components for that reason and the cabin has two lounges but no bed or anything else really.”

Check out the slideshow above for more images of Walker’s SL 50 V-bottom. Photos by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix and courtesy Delanie Walker

Walker, who plans to attend the Boyne Thunder Poker Run in Michigan in July and the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Missouri among other events, said he can’t wait to show off his boat.

“I think a beautiful boat like this needs to be shown off and surrounded by other beautiful boats,” Walker said. “That’s a big part of owning a boat like it and doing events with it. Of course it’s fun to drive fast, but it’s also enjoyable to show it off and meet cool people because of it. I find all of this to be pretty fun. I follow every boat brand on social media just to see what they’re working on and what ideas they come up with. This industry is pretty remarkable.

“I’ve been boating since the day I was able to finally buy a boat,” he continued, adding that he grew up fishing on lakes with his grandfather and knew hardly anything about boats. “At Central Missouri, I was introduced to Lake of the Ozarks and I told myself that I would get myself a boat as soon as I got enough money for one. The first boat I got was a ski boat to party on and it went from there. When I got my Baja, I thought 70 mph or more on the water was fast. Once I got to the point where I realized I could handle something more powerful, I started looking at Cigarettes and other bigger V-bottoms.”

And that’s why he ended up heading to Rhode Island to visit Outerlimits, where he got a glimpse at the manufacturing process and a thorough lesson on high-performance V-bottom characteristics.

“Delanie is an awesome guy,” Kleitz said. “He’s very down to earth and he really enjoys boating. We can’t wait to show him around at some events this summer.”

NFL Star Delanie Walker Having Fun With His New 50-Foot Outerlimits

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