Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
CenterConsoleSCOUT 400 LXF SOLACE 32 CS INSTALL YOUR OWN T-TOP REPOWERING MADE EASY VISION MARINE MAKING WAVES SHARKS: MYTHS VS. REALITY FIND YOUR PERFECT MARINA LIFE Volume 3 Number 1 | 2022$5.99 www.centerconsolelifemag.com 8 NEW CENTER CONSOLES CIGARETTE RACING’S NEW CEO SPRING EDITION Pursuit S 268 CCL Cover 3-1.indd 1CCL Cover 3-1.indd 12022-03-23 11:22 AM2022-03-23 11:22 AMTHE ALTERNATIVE TO BUYING A NEW BOAT Request a quote! • suzukirepower.com • 1-800-545-4574 Mastry Engine Center Clearwater COMING SOON Volsuia County Atlantic Marine Store Hialeah Calusa Certied Marine Cape Coral Bayfront Yacht Works Siesta Key On-Site Marine Ruskin Innovation Marine Corp. Sarasota Lou’s Marine, Inc. Gulf Breeze Marina One Deerfield Beach Boat Services Group Key West St. Augustine Marine Center St. Augustine Twin Screws Marine Service Fort Myers Custom Marine Service Panama City Oyster City Suzuki Apalachicola Mastry Engine Center has received the 2018 Suzuki Marine Super Service Award and has been ranked #1 in Suzuki Marine US Sales! 58 YEARS OF REPOWER EXPERIENCE! Repower packages designed to best fit your needs and not stretch your budget. Financing available. All Suzuki repowers come with the new Suzuki 5-year factory warranty. Suzuki RePower Centers are stationed around the southeast to help with your Suzuki service and repower needs. Performance Bulletin Available Untitled-5 1Untitled-5 12022-03-17 10:54 AM2022-03-17 10:54 AMTHE EXCITEMENT COMES STANDARD 227 Power Court Sanford FL 32771 www.velocityboats.com 877-354-1159 We Welcome Dealer Inquires TM THE ALL NEW 2022 VELOCITY 262CCVELOCITY 262CC The newly designed Velocity 262CC gives you the best of all worlds including luxury, fishing, and performance. TM NEW NEW 33’ CENTER 33’ CENTER CONSOLE CONSOLE COMING SOON Velocity Ad CCL3-1.indd 1Velocity Ad CCL3-1.indd 12022-03-23 1:14 PM2022-03-23 1:14 PM4 Center Console Life | Volume 3 Number 1 BILL TAYLOR What better place to be today than in the southern states, where we can enjoy the excitement as boat manufacturers and marine accessory suppliers showcase some of their latest products. It was just a few weeks ago, when we had the chance to cover the Miami International Boat Show, which was an outstanding success as the event returned to the Convention Center in Downtown Miami. Now, we’re on our way to the annual Palm Beach Boat Show - where this year they’re staging over $1.2 billion dollars’ worth of boats and accessories. ranging from 8-ft inflatables all the way up to 300-ft Superyachts. Center Console Life is designed to provide readers with all the information they need to choose the ideal boat, and how to use it. Whether you are a pro fisherman, a family fisherman, or just enjoy the acceleration of big horsepower in a boat designed for family fun, the center console boats are your answer today. Thinking about getting into a brand-new boat? If for any reason this is not the year for you to purchase your new boat, then you could refurbish your existing boat, we have an excellent article on re-powering your boat which puts you right back up on top and rigging new engines is almost as exciting a new one. In this issue, Barry Gibson, with his On the Reel column, shows you why sharks aren’t always the dangerous eating machines they are portrayed as in the movies. Some of the latest breaking news in this issue includes a story on Formula Boats - now back in full force building Center Consoles, with the new 387CCS Mode. Nor Tech is in full flight, as usual, with their Center Console line-up and their latest creation - the 400 Sport that made its debut during the Miami International Boat Show last month, and is now available in triple or quad configuration. Our feature boating personality profile “Start ‘Em Young” introduces the youngest CEO in the marine Industry – Alex Ruiz, who leads the famous Cigarette Racing team into a whole new era with Center Console and high-performance boats. Let’s talk Big Boats! Valhalla Boat Works hits the waves with a new monster Center Console, the 55-ft flagship of their V series… Viking Yachts President, Pat Healey, believes this new model will be a real leader in the Center Console world. In the spotlight this issue we have the Pursuit S268, swinging four hundred horsepower on its transom, with a base price in the $163,000 range. Boating is always an adventure, especially when you discover new waters to explore. Among the most spectacular areas in north America is the magnificent Florida Keys, located south of Miami. The Keys are divided into 5 regions – Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine, and the Lower Keys. In this issue, you’ll read about each region and discover its own special flavor of attractions. Looking for a marina, editor Gregg Mansfield has made your shopping easier with his article as he answers some of your basic questions on choosing the right marina. Bill Taylor Barry Gibson Co-Publishers It’s Boat Show time! © 2022 CENTER CONSOLE LIFE POSTMASTER Send all returns to Center Console Life 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Center Console Life is published four times a year. Material in this magazine may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photographs, or manuscripts. Center Console Life reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statement of facts made by its advertisers or independent columnists. LIFE Center Console Volume 3 Number 1 Co-Publishers William E. Taylor btaylor@taylorpublishinggoup.com Barry Gibson barrygibson6@aol.com Editor Gregg Mansfield greggmansfield@gmail.com Art/Production Manager Giselle Bansal gbansal@taylorpublishinggroup.com Design Tamara Taylor tmtaylor@taylorpublishinggroup.com Contributing Writers Barry Gibson Gregg Mansfield Chris Kourtakis Walt Jennings Zenon Bilas Tim Banse Contributing Photographers Randy Nuzzo Jeff Gerardi Duane Adams ADVERTISING SALES Todd Taylor ttaylor@taylorpublishinggroup.com Kevin Peterson k7peterson@msn.com Jimmy Loirmer jlorimer@aol.com ADMINISTRATION President /CEO William E. Taylor Group Publisher Melanie Taylor-Wallis VP/Marketing Sales Todd Taylor VP/Special Projects Norm Rosen Accounting Nancy Mueller EXECUTIVE AND EDITORIAL OFFICES New York: 777 East Park Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Tel: 1-800-354-9145 Florida: 131 Brandiwood Court, Debary, FL, 32713 Tel: 407-402-0300 Toll Free: 1-800-354-9145 Toronto: 268-44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032 Subscription Inquiries Call: 1-800-354-9145 From Miami to Palm Beach – BARRY GIBSON www.centerconsolelifemag.com pub page new.indd 4pub page new.indd 42022-03-22 4:29 PM2022-03-22 4:29 PMSport Consoles. Center Consoles. Performance Cruisers. Tournament Fishing Boats. V-Bottoms. Cats. Outboards. Stern Drives. The World's Fastest, Safest, Smoothest, and Best Handling Boats. Fountain Powerboats...Nothing Else Comes Close. SPEED MEETS LUXURY WWW. FOUNTAINPOWERBOATS.COM SPEEDBOAT_FTN.qxp_Layout 1 2/8/22 2:52 AM Page 16 Center Console Life | Volume 3 Number 1 www.centerconsolelifemag.com he marine industry continues to enjoy record sales and after attending the Miami International Boat Show in February, there’s no signs that it’s slowing up anytime soon. Some builders have a wait of more than two years, thanks to insatiable demand, supply constraints and not enough workers. The start of the pandemic two years ago supercharged the boating industry, when Americans faced with a summer of canceled youth sports and working at home turned to the great outdoors and snapped up boats and RVs. Boating at the local lake or head out to the ocean was one of the few places that didn’t have Covid-19-imposed restrictions. It was the perfect getaway for family and close friends. When I spoke to National Marine Manufacturer Association President Frank Hugelmeyer last year about the booming marine industry, he was impressed how sales continued to grow. “Unlike previous economic downturns, there has been a shift in how consumers make choices related to spending, spurred by pandemic-related guidelines and restrictions,” Hugelmeyer said in an email. “Americans have been forced to decide what is most important in their lives, and boating and fishing have made the cut as a highly sought-after and preferred activity. “In the heart of the pandemic, there was an acceleration of first-time boat buyers for the first time in 10 years, helping to spur sales and in turn help boatbuilders, dealers and other marine businesses recover from pandemic- related losses.” While sales in 2021 were an estimated 4 to 6 percent below record highs in 2020, it was still 7 percent above the five-year sales average. In talking with several center-console manufacturers, the companies already had a backlog of orders stretching 12 to 15 months before the pandemic disrupted our lives. The shutdowns to protect employees’ health and disruptions in the supply chain have only added to the backlog. Even before the economic downturn and slow recovery, boatbuilders and related companies were having a tough time finding enough workers to keep up with demand. Visit most center-console builders and you’ll find a help wanted sign at the front of the building. Builders simply can’t hire enough employees to keep up with demand, let alone cut down the wait time. The experienced marine labor force isn’t there, so builders are offering their own job training programs or partner with government agencies for career training. Marine Technology Inc. builds performance center-console boats and high-performance boats in Missouri with operations with Wisconsin and Florida. Company founder and owner Randy Scism is always on the hunt for new employees. “We’d like to find another 20 (workers) if you’re asking,” Scism said. “We spend a lot more time on our boats than most people in the build process. My new 50 is 9,000 hours to build and I’m sure my competitors do it in half that time, but not to the level we’re at.” Some companies continue to run lean with the ghost of past recessions still fresh. Though signs of that have been fading. Outboard builders such Mercury Marine, Yamaha and Suzuki have added capacity to keep up with the unprecedented demand. Builders are acquiring more manufacturing facilities to keep up the pace. The NMMA’s Hugelmeyer said the marine industry is smarter after having through the inevitable economic downturns. “Historically, when faced with headwinds and crisis, the marine industry has adapted, innovating when change is necessary,” he said. As the sales numbers coming out of the Miami Boat Show indicate, customers are still willing to wait for a new boat. That’s a good sign for the industry, especially with an influx of new boaters since the start of the pandemic. If you at a new center-console boat, get in line now because the wait time only seems to be growing. Gregg Mansfield Editor One for the Books The boating industry continues to have an incredible run. T EDI T OR ’S P A GE GREGG MANSFIELD pub page new.indd 6pub page new.indd 62022-03-18 1:06 PM2022-03-18 1:06 PMConsider A Mastry Suzuki RePower It Simply Makes Sense R epowering your boat with Mastry Suzuki outboards gives you an effective blend of pure power and rugged durability. Suzuki’s extensive lineup of four-stroke outboards are built for long life, reliable performance, fuel effi ciency, quiet operation, ease of access to major parts, and simplifi ed integration. Plus, with Mastry Suzuki’s reputation for high-quality, customer service and extensive marine dealer network — including genuine Suzuki parts and service — we are prepared to support you wherever your adventures lead. *When you purchase a new Suzuki outboard from an authorized Marstry RePower Center you qualify to become a member of the Mastry Suzuki Owner’s Edge. Owners receive an identifi cation card that provides them with important information about their Suzuki outboard motor as well as a passport to additional benefi ts during ownership. Members enjoy a detailed engine maintenance schedule, Mastry Suzuki RePower Trade Program and special pricing from Mastry Suzuki Partners. When Considering A Repower, Consider These Factors: • Mastry Suzuki RePower exclusive Owner’s Edge Program* • Mastry Suzuki RePower Centers are located throughout the southeast • Mastry has over 5-decades of repower experience for proper rigging, controls, propeller matching and in water testing • With Mastry Suzuki RePower owners gain improved performance, less noise and greater reliability • Options that will fi t most any budget • Financing available • All Suzuki RePowers come with Suzuki’s “Gimme 6” 6-years of protection suzukirepower.com 1-800-545-4574 Get with the Program! Consider Ad for CCL.indd 13/18/22 12:48 PM8 Center Console Life | Volume 3 Number 1 www.centerconsolelifemag.com Contents COLUMNS: 10 IN THE NEWS 18 ON THE REEL with Barry Gibson. Man eating sharks are not as dangerous as you think. 20 PURSUIT TEST Pursuit S 268 24 ELECTRONICS On the wave with electroincs. FEATURES: 22 BRING ON THE SHADE Adding an aftermarket T-top is easy and affordable. 26 POWER UP Transforming you boat new again. 30 TASTY TREATS Get the center-console boat out and visit these frour waterfront restaurants. 36 START ‘EM YOUNG Alex Ruiz is the Cigarette Racing Teams’ new CEO. 40 SOLACE 32 CS New 32 CS from Solace Boats. 44 SCOUT 400 LXF New 400 LXF joins Scout Boats lineup. 46 STINGRAY 273CC / 173CC Stingray Boats unleashes two new center-console models. 48 POWERING THE FUTURE Vision Marine Technologies new electric outboard. 50 8 NEW CENTER-CONSOLE BOATS 56 FIND YOUR MARINA Use these tips to land the perfect marina slip. 46 10 18 36 @centerconsolelifemag @cclifemag www.centerconsolelifemag.com FOLLOW CENTER CONSOLE LIFE: 48 24 contents.indd 8contents.indd 82022-03-23 1:57 PM2022-03-23 1:57 PMSOME PEOPLE SEARCH THEIR WHOLE LIVES FOR A LIFE LIKE THIS. MercuryMarine.com Every day on the water is a blank canvas. A chance to seek new horizons and ride endless waves. So drop the hammer. Or the anchor. And let adventure be your guide. MERCURY ENGINES ARE MADE FOR EXPLORING. SO ARE YOU. GO BOLDLY. Untitled-9 1Untitled-9 12022-03-21 12:18 PM2022-03-21 12:18 PMNext >