Eliminator Boats To Unveil New Catamaran On Lake Havasu In Three Weeks
In exactly three weeks, the Southern California-based team at Eliminator Boats is going to be in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with its first brand new model in recent years, and the new “big catamaran” (that’s all Eliminator wants to share for now) will be in the water and ready for demo rides. The on-water unveiling is a first for Eliminator, well at least a first in several decades, as the company normally shares renderings, in-progress pictures and more via social media and various media partners, prior to any new model debuts.
Eliminator Boats recently wrapped up its first 27 Speedster powered by twin Mercury Racing 500R engines. Photos by Jason Johnson
But not this time. Earlier this week, Eliminator Boats announced via Instagram an unveiling date for the cat—Saturday, Feb. 24—and I was glad to hear it since I got a sneak peek of the new boat during a visit to the Mira Loma builder a couple of weeks back but didn’t want to spoil any news by mentioning “it” in a story recapping my visit with one of the coolest general sales managers in the industry, Mark Baker.
Of course I’ve agreed not to disclose what said new model is, but because Baker and Eliminator shared it already, I can report that the new boat is powered by twin 1,100-hp Mercury Racing QC4v engines and M6 drives. I can also say that the cat is sure to catch a lot of attention with its stunning gelcoat graphics, pristine interior and first-rate rigging.
The new sterndrive model wasn’t the only good news coming out of the facility of the 55-year-old company. There were quite a few outboard-powered cats in various stages of production—no surprise—and several sterndrive-powered boats in the works as well, including a custom, walk-through 33X Speedster with a walk-off bow that is being rigged with a pair of Teague Custom Marine 1050 EFI engines.
Probably the coolest boat in the shop—or at least the most newsworthy—was the company’s first 27 Speedster with twin Mercury Racing 500R engines. When I was there, the boat had been in the water but was still being dialed in. Further testing has likely happened since then, so for anyone interested in results, give Baker a call, he is always happy to share performance details.
Check out the slideshow above for more images from the Eliminator facility.
Along with the twin 500R-powered 27-footer, there were a few Fun Deck models in the works, plus Speedster of all sizes with both inboard and outboard power choices. There was even a super-clean, fully capped, jet-powered 21 Daytona in the showroom waiting for rigging that Baker said was being built for longtime Eliminator customer Matt Laughlin.
Last but not least, I got to see the work-in-progress sterndrive-powered 255 Speedster and 28 Speedster models that are being retooled with extended bustles. Both of those cats, as Baker and company expected, have been well received by their customers.
The Eliminator team is expecting similar reactions from its customers in a few weeks when the company’s newest model is unveiled.
Baker said an on-water location for the unveiling is going to be announced on Eliminator’s social media in two weeks. He added that for those who can’t make it to Lake Havasu that the boat is going to be on display be at the Bart Hall Boat Show, March 1-3, at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.
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