2019 Miami Boat Show: The new reveals we know so far

This year, Miami will be host to around 1300 boats showcasing the best of what the US, and the international boat makers trying to make an impression in North America, can build.

But it’s not only the boat brands trying to make an impression; the Miami show also is the launching place for outboard engine makers keen to showcase their best and brightest innovations.

The Miami International Boat Show starts in the US on February 14. Here’s what we know so far about the surprise packages of the 2019 Miami International Boat Show – and some of the ones we hope will be there.

At 32 feet, this is NauticStar’s largest offshore model yet, moving the US bay, deck and offshore boatbuilder into the 30-foot plus market for the first time. Built for fishing without the hardship, the 32 XS Offshore will provide what NauticStar promises is a “smooth, dry, comfortable ride with cutting edge styling and comfort features never before seen in a boat of this style and size”.

Beamy – it measures 3.2 metres side-to-side – the NauticStar 32 XS Offshore features a big bow lounge with armrests, wrap-around bow seating, and a head with an electric-flush toilet.

Down the rear, the jump seats fold down to open up a large fishing deck with in-floor fish boxes and large dive door to port. You can even option a fold-down television for the cockpit.

Fitted with a pair of Yamaha 425 XTOs, the 32 XS Offshore has hit a jaw-dropping top speed of more than 100km/h in testing. According to NauticStar, it "cornered like a Ferrari".

NauticStar’s sister brand, Fountain Powerboats, will reveal its new 43NX Luxury Performance Center Console at Miami. The “luxury” part of the name refers to full the berth and a private head tucked in underneath the console, while the “performance” bit relates to the 43NX Luxury Performance’s quad rig of Mercury Racing 400R Verado outboards, providing a hefty 1600hp of shove.

Other features include a triple-seat helm station, and the default galley can expand from a fridge and microwave to include another fridge, freezer, grill and sink at the tick of an options box.

At its high end, Donzi Marine builds performance power boats made for the sole purpose of getting places fast. But not everyone wants speed without the creature comforts – which is where the more classically lined monohull Donzi 41GT comes to the fore.

Out goes a stern drive for twin Mercury 400R Verado outboards to deliver performance in spades. the 41GT features an open concept cockpit and a day cabin complete with head and wraparound seating.

If you find the idea of a floating lounge room a bit boring, Donzi will also have its all-new carbon-fibre and composite Donzi Icon 44 Cat hanging four Mercury Racing 400R Verado outboards off the transom. It will seat six, and even has a settee in the aft cockpit.

Shopping around for 45 feet of luxury centre console mega RIB powered by up to four 400hp outboards with an 85mph top speed hanging off the back? The Greek-made Technohull Omega 45 is built to eat up the nautical miles, all the while looking ultra Euro-chic.

The quad rig is included in what Technohull says is the “radical” pack for the Omega 45 – does that name sound more like a vitamin tablet than a boat? By default, the boat comes triple-rigged with either 300hp, 350hp or 400hp options.

The centre console has four seats, meaning that even while humming along at the boat’s 55mph cruising speed, eating up the miles can be a social occasion.

We’ve seen it revealed in cyberspace at Fort Lauderdale, but at Miami we get to see the smallest Ocean Alexander model in the real world. The smallest model – by a big margin – to join the luxury yacht maker’s portfolio is a craft featuring the luxury of a yacht, but the “size, performance and accessibility” of a sports boat.

Available in either fishing or diving configurations, the 45 Divergence has more than 400 cosmetic options available to it ranging from a live-bait well to rod holders or storage for diving accessories. A quad-rig of 350hp Mercury outboards can provide up to 1400hp of rated power.

Bad news if you want one of these bad boys – despite slotting in a global reveal at Miami, there has been so much interest in this centre console fishing palace that Scout Boats says it has already sold out for the first year of production.

Part of the appeal is in the fact that the Scout 530 LXF can carry up to five outboard engines adding around another 2.2 tonnes to the back of the 12-tonne dry weighted hull in quint-rigged Mercury 425 configurations – that’s more than 2100hp.

How luxurious? It has an articulating rod holder, so if you want to run out a shade sail, the rod holder flips horizontal at the press of a button. Beach platforms to either side of the rear cockpit flip down to create a 5.3-metre wide space for fishing or playing in the water.

Apart from a single image teased on social media, no details have dropped on what the Florida-based boatbuilder has in store for Miami.

The teaser image shows the silhouette of a hard-topped centre console that is long and low, and potentially filling a future role as the brand’s biggest flagship day boat – stretching beyond the current 56-foot limit.

The Regulator 26XO is a center console crossover, a boat “built for adventures, giving you easy access to lakes, bays, and skinny waters, as well as the capability to head off shore when the time is right”.

The 26XO will come fitted with a Yamaha F300 outboard engine, and heaps of deck space, seating, and storage. Other features include built-in coolers, flush-folding rear cockpit seats to convert the space into a fishing deck, and a stand-up head compartment. Options include an anchoring pole, and removable watersport tow bar.

MasterCraft, the company behind longstanding marques including NauticStar and Crest, will launch an all-new luxury recreational day boat brand called Aviara.

Announced last year, the new brand's first model announced for a Miami reveal is the AV32. What's the brand's focus? According to the press release: "On an Aviara, captains become hosts and entertainment is top priority."

Aviara has already teased its first design, showing a long, low centre console with a hard targa top. The release promises Mercury power, and a "digital-forward" helm, which we read to mean it gets all the latest cutting-edge electronics. We think.

Mercury is rumoured to be preparing the reveal of a new generation of Verado performance outboard engines at Miami. However, the scale of this change has the potential to blow everyone off the water; the group is believed to be retiring its range of supercharged V6s for a new generation of turbocharged V8s. We’ll have to wait and see if there’s a ring of truth to the turbocharged rumbles.

Gold coast-based boatbuilders Maritimo and Riviera will both have selected models on show at Miami.

Maritimo will hit Florida with an enclosed bridge version of the M64 and the new optional layout for the M54 in response to public feedback it gained from the 2018 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. The boatbuilder will also have the US debut of two versions of the X60 – one with the aft beach club and the other with the Regency Suite accommodations.

Riviera, meanwhile, will roll out the red carpet for its Belize 66 Sedan that had its US debut at the Fort Lauderdale show. Other featured boats include the Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht, the 39 Sports Motor Yacht and the 395 SUV.