Synergy Green Renegade 38’ Open Shines In ‘Year In Review’ Spotlight

Whether you agree that the Renegade Powerboats 38’ Open that Randy Kent delivered in August during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Missouri was the most beautiful boat to come out of the Hialeah, Fla., factory this year is subjective, I know, but no one will argue that it’s not the best one highlighted in the Speed On The Water 2024 Year In Review magazine coming out next month.

The Burco family took delivery of a new Renegade 38′ Open in August at Lake of the Ozarks. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

That’s because chief photographer Pete Boden got the opportunity to capture the 38-footer running on Lake of the Ozarks a few months ago during our annual helicopter shoot for the Year In Review magazine. It’s also the only Renegade spotlighted in the Boats section of the upcoming 10th annual edition. No matter, I’m hopeful the Iowa-based Burco family enjoys seeing the boat in print. Although looking at it here on speedonthewater.com is cool enough, right? Wink, wink.

Seriously though, Darin Burco and his family were blown away by the new 38’ Open when they got to see it finished and run it for the first time at the lake. I witnessed their grins upon meeting Darin Burco and his son, Dustin, during the Shootout On The Strip event where the striking Visual Imagination-painted boat and its three color-matched Mercury Racing 500R engines were on display on a trailer from CTS Custom Trailers.

The 38-foot Renegade center console was on display during the 2024 Shootout On The Strip during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Photos

The boat, courtesy of the Burcos, also ended up on display in Poker Run Village during the Florida Powerboat Club’s 32nd annual Key West Poker Run in November. The Burcos, who used to have a 27-foot PlayCraft pontoon with two 300-hp outboard engines and have owned Baja Marine sportboats in the past, couldn’t make that event with their harvest business season in full swing. They did, however, get a chance to run the boat a few times at home on the Mississippi River before it got too cold and it left for Florida—and they were impressed.

All in all, considering the family had never owned a performance center console or driven one for themselves prior to ordering the 38-footer from Kent, the Burcos do not question the decision at all. They are pleased with the boat’s performance, amenities and fit and finish. And they especially love the paintjob and its complementary colors around the primary Camaro Synergy Special Edition green that matches the Burcos’ 2011 Chevrolet musclecar and the Iridium Twilight Metallic (think dark charcoal) from a GMC pickup they own.

“One thing we really liked about the boat right away is that it had the dual row standing bolster setup that isn’t available on a lot of boats in that size without getting too wide to tow,” Dustin Burco said. “We are always taking our boats in and out on a trailer so we were looking for something easy to tow. The Renegade was ideal because it can easily handle rough water like we encounter at Lake of the Ozarks, one of our favorite places to boat.

“At home, with the locks and dams, it doesn’t get too rough, but this boat is going to be perfect because up here on the river we always have a dozen people who want to go with us,” he continued then laughed, saying, “Now we can take everyone with us.”

The Burco family enjoys boating on Lake of the Ozarks as much as possible.

Dustin Burco commented that he’d never been on a center console before meeting with Kent during Shootout week two years ago.

“We saw the Poly Lift boat on display so we reached out to Randy, and by the end of that evening—and into the next morning—we had met with him and got his full history, Renegade’s history and a demo ride lined up for while we were in town,” he said. “At that point we knew a center console boat was what we needed, not another pontoon or Baja or Fountain sportboat.”

He added that they really liked the cabin features, the seating ahead of and behind the helm station, the storage space, the roominess and how it easy it was to move around, tie up and converse with friends.

The Burcos, who ordered the boat in the fall of 2022, were fortunate that production didn’t start on the boat right away because they originally priced it with twin Mercury Racing 450Rs but were able to change the power package after the Fond du Lac, Wis., company announced its new 500R engine in June 2023 and started producing them in a timely fashion a few months later.

Check out the slideshow above for more images of the 38-footer on of its first outings. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

“We were lucky the boat was still in the early stages to have the option to switch to the 500Rs,” Dustin Burco said. “Renegade was able to get the 500s in on time to mount on there and we’re so happy we went with them. When we asked Randy if we should do it, he said, ‘You’re building this boat to be a beautiful dream boat. You might as well go with the 500s and have the best of the best.’ He was right.

“I can’t say we have another boat to compare it to, but we’re happy with the boat’s performance,” he continued. “The holeshot is great and so is the midrange, but we might try to play around the props next year and try to get a little more top-end out of it because, honestly, it’s hardly working the engines at speed.”

The Burcos are planning to use the 38’ Open as frequently as they can at Lake of the Ozarks next year and are likely to hit some of the fun runs in Iowa. They aren’t sure if they will venture to other poker runs, even though they know the boat would be enjoyable to take elsewhere.

“It’s an amazing boat and we’re excited to use it more,” Dustin Burco said. “The experience was great. Manny (Oses) and everyone at Renegade were awesome to work with. The same for Randy—he was on top of it and if he didn’t have an answer to any questions we had, he found out the answer. The guys at Visual Imagination went above and beyond, too, with the paintjob. So did the team at CTS—I heard we were there first trailer made in Iowa that is staying in Iowa.”

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