Renegade Wraps Up Radical 38' Open With Triple Mercury Racing 450R Engines

Featuring the company’s new hardtop design, which was requested by Pennsylvania performance boater Ron Schwartz when ordering the new center console, the latest 38’ Open from Renegade Powerboats appears to be a real head-turner. The Hialeah, Fla., company unveiled Schwartz’s new boat during the Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run, and then Renegade owner Manny Oses and his team wrapped up a few more details afterward before sending it over to TNT Custom Marine in North Miami, where it will spend its time until Schwartz heads south to give it a whirl or until someone buys it.

Powered by triple Mercury Racing 450R engines, the new Renegade Powerboats 38′ Open is a hot rod. Photos courtesy TNT Custom Marine and Ron Schwartz

Yes, the new blue, red, gray and white beauty is for sale—primarily because Schwartz isn’t sure when he’s going to have the time to use it. Between an incredibly busy workload at his automotive dealership, Colonial Nissan, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Schwartz, who keeps his boats at either TNT Custom Marine or Haulover Marine Center in Miami and does most of his boating in South Florida, doesn’t envision using the triple Mercury Racing 450R-powered 38-footer in the near future.

“It’ll be bittersweet but I’ll sell it if it’s the right deal,” said Schwartz, who has owned two Fountains, a Cigarette, a Nor-Tech, an Intrepid and a couple of MTIs. “I really enjoy the build process and I’d build another one with Manny again, in a second. The experience was great. I really enjoyed working with Manny and his team. He puts his whole heart and soul into every build. He’s hands-on and he’s not trying to nickel and dime anyone.

“I took my time ordering this boat—I wanted something in the 38- to 40-foot range that was easy to jump on and run down to the Keys for lunch,” he continued. “I’d seen the Renegade 33 before and I liked the look of it, but it wasn’t until I found out the company was building a 38 did I even consider one. After visiting the shop and seeing how the boats were made and that it was a family-style business, I made my decision. Renegade’s 38’ Open checked all the boxes.”

No. 1 on his list was seaworthiness and No. 2 was pretty much a tie between build quality and uniqueness. Features and amenities were next on the list; and Schwartz’s boat is loaded with those.

“Between the stereo, the windlass, the bow thruster, the electronics and the cabin, which has air conditioning, the boat has the nicest of everything—and all at a very competitive price point,” said Schwartz, who enjoys boating with his wife, Dina, and their family. “I like the automotive-style windshield in the frame and I like the configuration with the two rows of seating under the gunwale-to-gunwale hardtop, the rear bench seat and the openness up front.

“Originally I was going to do 400Rs, but I splurged and went with the 450Rs mainly because I like my boats to be fast and I know the 450Rs have some serious torque,” he added. “The boat should be a hot rod. It’s certainly sexy—the lines are nice, the upholstery is high-quality and the lighting is high-tech. It’s just an all-around clean boat.”

Check out the slideshow above for several more images of the 38-foot center console from Renegade Powerboats.

John Tomlinson, who co-owns TNT with Mike Thomas, got a chance to run the boat on Tuesday and was pretty impressed.

“I didn’t get to run the boat offshore but we took it out in the bay for a drone shoot and it rides nice,” Tomlinson said. “I cruised at exactly 50 mph and it was burning 50 gph so it’s pretty efficient at that speed with the 450Rs. It gets on plane fine and has a soft ride. The GPS recall showed 75 mph and that’s what I ran it up to. It probably has a little more in it with some more setup time.

“Overall, it’s a great boat—especially for the price,” he continued. “The SeaDek seems nice and so does the custom upholstery. It’s a little windier than some of the other center consoles out there, but it’s one of the first ones so there’s room for improvement.”

For Schwartz, at least from what he’s seen of it, he’s utterly impressed with how the boat came out.

“It’s a classy-looking boat—I like that it’s not as over the top as some of the other boats I’ve owned,” he said. “What helps make this boat unique is its paint. It has a black bottom and pearl white base with pops of blue, red and charcoal.”

Schwartz said if anyone is interested in the boat, which is priced at $499,950, to contact Steven Fernandez at TNT Marine Sales at 954-655-6498.

Renegade Wraps Up Radical 38′ Open With Triple Mercury Racing 450R Engines

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