2019 Miami International Boat Show: All the highlights

The US-based North American Marine Association revealed yesterday that new powerboat registrations for the region were up by 4.2 percent in 2018 compared with the previous year, with tow boats and PWCs the “growth leaders”.

These two classes of boats alone accounted for almost 30 per cent of US sales in 2018, the NMMA said.

What did the Miami show give us? Well, it definitely wasn’t jet skis or tow boats. Here’s the highlights of this year’s show.

After a few years in the wilderness, US sportfishing specialist Hatteras used the Miami boat show to relaunch its sub-brand, Cabo.

The brand’s first boat is the Cabo 41, an “easy-to-own” offshore express-style fishing boat that taps the performance of twin 626hp Volvo Penta D11 engines – although owners wanting a bit more straight-line speed can step that up to 725hp. As an alternative, prospective owners can also tick the box for a Cummins QSM11 drivetrain producing up to 715hp.

Options on the boat include a Seakeeper 6 stabilisation system, and full custom tower and outriggers.

This marks the 11th time that Mercedes-Benz’s go-fast division has teamed up with Cigarette Racing to produce a slightly more technically advanced, automotive themed project.

The AMG Carbon Edition takes the recently launched Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Sedan as its muse, whacks on 1600hp of Mercury Racing outboard engines, and sets a 130mph top speed target.

Fresh after the 320CC reveal at the Fort Lauderdale show, this outboard-powered model plugs a 25-foot-sized gap in Cobia’s dual-console model line-up, framed on either side by the 220DC and the 280DC.

Features include a fibreglass hard-top with rod holders, a 90-litre in-floor kill tank, and a live well, bait preparation table that includes a sink. Surprisingly few other details of the boat are available.

Florida-based boat-maker Contender has used the Miami show to launch its largest model yet, the 44 ST centre console offshore fishing boat. Drink it in!

Measuring 44 feet long by 12 feet wide, the clean-lined Contender 44 ST – the so-called “crown jewel” of the Contender line-up – is made for going places fast, capable of triple or quad rig engine configurations up to a maximum 2000hp. It’s a pure fishing weapon, featuring 1200-litre forward and 400-litre aft kill tanks, a transom-mounted 200-litre live well with two see-through lids, and two 3.0-metre rod lockers, a line rigging station and rod holders everywhere. There’s even a flybridge console high above the deck.

It also features one of the most selfishly indulgent centre consoles we’ve seen on a day boat – it’s all about the skipper.

The “GT” stands for “grand touring”, which is what this long, slender hull sets as its benchmark, with triple Mercury Verado 400 outboards delivering performance in spades (Donzi’s publicity ahead of the show almost spoiled Mercury’s Miami party by naming the outboard engines as “Mercury 400R Verado”).

It is set up as a day boat, with fridge and sink for entertaining everyone on board while you’re not tearing along at warp speed.

The twin-hull carbon-fibre Icon 44 from Donzi is a six-seat catamaran propelled across the top of the water via four Mercury racing 400R outboard engines. Seats are arranged in a two, four configuration to put the skipper and co-pilot at the head of the action, while behind the seats is a large cockpit for socialising.

The boat even features a swim ladder framed by the Mercury Racing outboards. Top speed? A little slow at 115mph, but the lightweight hull and long, sleek form will allow the boat to happily cruise along at 100mph.

NauticStar’s sister brand, Fountain Powerboats, has revealed 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.

US fishing brand Intrepid has reintroduced an old name with an entirely new hull and layout. Called the 200 Flats, it’s a pure enclosed water fishing specialist.

Long (20 feet, 6.0 inches) and beamy (8.0 feet, 6.0 inches), it’s a foam core sandwich hull that uses carbon-fibre weave to cut weight and build in strength. The show boat’s power comes from a Mercury Racing 300R outboard engine.

It’s a deck made for fishing, with no obstructions or snags apart from the compact centre console and a casting/poling platform built high above the outboard engine. It includes recirculating live bait wells with lights, a punting pole holder and a stowing electric trolling motor.

There’s a new power king for the Verado range. We sort of had a hint this new donk was coming – lots of pre-show images showed Mercury outboard engines hanging off transoms but missing the stickers that hint at performance – and Mercury says it had to happen because enough customers were asking for it.

The engine is due on sale in Australia later this year. Oh, and the Mercury Racing 400R? It still revs higher for more straight-line speed, and will continue to sell alongside the consumer-focussed Verado version.

Fibreglass bay boat specialist NauticStar has launched its largest model yet, the 32XS Offshore. According to the Mississippi-based boat-builder, the “outstanding saltwater performer delivers all the necessary fishing features for the serious angler with a smooth, dry, comfortable ride with cutting edge styling and comfort features never before seen in a boat of this style and size”.

That includes sculpted hull sides, a hinged dive door, and large insulated kill boxes hidden under the centre console boat’s cockpit floor. The NauticStar 32XS also uses a control system developed by Italian marine boat control technology specialists NaviOP, and an audio system sourced from US high-end sound system specialist Klipsch.

It’s the mullet of boats, with a U-shaped party lounge up front in the bow, and fold-up jump seats in the rear that make room for the business of fishing.

NauticStar also used Miami to announce it would add the 251 Hybrid to its line-up. Don’t be confused about the name, as the 25-foot boat uses the word “hybrid” to describe its dual personality of family-friendly pleasure boat and tournament-ready fishing platform.

Miami was the staging ground for the meatspace debut of the smallest Ocean Alexander model – by a big margin – to yet join the luxury yacht maker’s portfolio. Ocean Alexander says the Divergence is a craft featuring the luxury of a yacht, but the “size, performance and accessibility” of a sports boat, and a big paradigm shift for the brand – hence the name.

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 triple Mercury outboard rig provides up to 1400hp of rated power.

The newest dual-console model in the Pursuit range, the DC266 is a direct replacement for the now superseded DC365.

It features a fibreglass hard-top, roomy walkthrough and more than enough storage space, the boat is also made for the social set – the bow is filled a comfy U-shaped lounge for entertaining.

Similar to other boats in its class, once the drinks and canapes are done, the rear seats fold away to open up the cockpit to fishing space. The cockpit includes a 75-litre live well and a 110-litre kill tank.

The Pursuit DC266’s maximum horsepower rating is 400hp. Its fishing focus is classed as “casual”, hinting that it probably leans more to the social side of boating than the chase for dinner.

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”. That's enough of a split personality for regulator to tag the boat a "crossover" – not quite all fishing boat, and not quite all entertainer.

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 water sport tow bar.

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 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 six outboard engines – the show boat stacked six of the brand new Mercury Verado 400s hanging off the transom.

The Scout 530 LXF 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.

The big news from Tennessee pleasure boat maker Sea Ray was the launch of an all-new version of its SLX 350, a 34.5-foot bowrider that can carry up to 18 passengers.

The stern drive inboard-engined boat features a fibreglass hardtop, full wet bar and fridge, and joystick control to help with tricky low-speed maneuvers.

Also on show was a limited edition of the SLX-R 350 Outboard, a version of the SLX 350 with a Mercury Racing 400R engine hanging off the transom, and the SLX 400 with a row of three brand-new Mercury Verado 400s fitted.

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.

Inboard marine engine specialist Volvo penta made its first tentative foray into the world of outboard engines in 2017 by buying into V8-fuelled engine maker Seven Marine, a fellow Swede. At Miami, the two companies announced the first tie-in to come out of the joint venture; Volvo’s Electronic Vessel Control will now work with Seven Marine’s range of petrol powerplants.

The companies introduced the partnership via a S2 Yachts-built Tiara Sport 38 LS, fitted with dual Seven 527 6.2-litre V8 outboards, and wearing Volvo Penta DuoProp drives.

It means the Seven marine outboard engines are now compatible with Volvo Penta’s joystick driving and docking, Glass Cockpit, and other features such as the ability to heave to and hold station at the press of a button.