Gagliardis Enjoy New MTI 440X On East Coast, Then West Coast

During my 12-plus years at speedonthewater.com, I’ve documented some rather noteworthy Marine Technology Inc. boat deliveries. One that comes to mind was when I finished a demo ride on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks in the very first MTI 340X catamaran—yeah that’s how long ago it was—I caught a ride from the launch ramp with MTI founder Randy Scism during the delivery of a new 48-foot cat with twin Mercury Racing 1350 engines to Oklahoma’s Jake Nossaman. For the record, the year was 2016.

Arizona’s Vince and Tara Gagliardi are have no doubt they made the right choice with their new Mercury Racing 500R-powered MTI 440X catamaran. Photo by Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images

Another cool one followed a couple of years later when Mark and Jennifer Schouten, who are from Arizona, took delivery of El Gato Patrón—their 43-foot cat powered a pair of Mercury Racing 1350/1100 dual-calibration engines—in a rather out-of-place location for them and MTI—in Northern Michigan during the popular Boyne Thunder Poker Run. I got to see the showstopper in person at the event and later that summer, during the Lake Powell Challenge in Northern Arizona, I enjoyed an amazing day on the water in the 43-footer with the Schoutens.

And while I’ve yet to see the new 440X powered by twin Mercury Racing 500R engines that was delivered to Arizona’s Vince and Tara Gagliardi a few weeks ago during the MTI Owners Fun Run in the Florida Keys, this is another cool MTI delivery story because the repeat MTI customers are thrilled with the new 44-footer and the tilt trailer it arrived on from CTS Custom Trailers following its cross-country haul to Arizona.

I know this for certain because I interviewed Vince and Tara Gagliardi together the day after the boat arrived at their home outside of Phoenix and just a couple of days before they headed to Lake Havasu to run the boat in the fresh waters of the Colorado River with friends and family. That’s right—in one week, the Gagliardis were flying from Miami to Duck Key in the stunning 440X and the following week they were standing on the deck of the 44-foot cat while it was floating in front of the famous London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The Gagliardi family enjoyed its new MTI 440X in Florida one week and Arizona the next. Photo courtesy Tara Gagliardi

“This boat is just so impressive, it really is,” said Vince Gagliardi, who owned a 390X with a pair of Mercury Racing 450R engines that was recently repowered with twin 500R engines by Shaun Torrente Racing and sold to a customer in Russia. “The 440 is something else. Trust me, we loved our 390, but this boat is on another level. The 500R engines are incredible, and the boat feels significantly larger yet just as agile as the 390.

“Pretty much as soon as Randy (Scism) shared the news that he had a new model coming, I called him immediately and he put me on the list,” he added. “We wanted something a little larger and more comfortable for everyone in the boat, and that’s exactly what we got.”

The Gagliardis do have an MTI-V 42 luxury performance center console with quad Mercury Racing 450R engines that they took delivery of in April 2023 during the Desert Storm Poker Run on their home water, but it didn’t quite quench Vince Gagliardi’s need for speed. The 440X, which they will run in the upcoming Desert Storm Poker Run (April 24-27), sure does though.

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Check out the slideshow above for more images of the new 44-foot MTI and a couple on its new CTS Custom Trailers tilt trailer.

“I love the 42—that’s my boat,” said Tara Gagliardi, who calls the 42-footer Mama’s V. “Vince loves it, too, but this 440X is more his speed. It really is something else. We couldn’t be happier with the build process and the final product.

“Working with the entire team during the build was so much fun,” she continued. “Whether it was selecting the interior details or adjusting the paint design, everyone at MTI is so helpful, flexible and insightful. We loved working with Wes (Jones) and were sad to hear he left the company at the beginning of the year. They have other talented individuals in his place who we’re going to be happy to work with on our next build.”

Next build? I couldn’t help but ask. “Oh yeah, we have to get back in line, right?” she proclaimed with a smile. “Believe me when I say the build process really is that much enjoyable. They just make it so easy and fun.”

Vince Gagliardi, who owned various cats, V-bottoms and deck boats from the Lake Havasu City-based sister companies, Magic Powerboats and Sleekcraft Powerboats, before going with the MTIs, said he’s most excited about the performance of his new boat, although the overall appearance and the roominess of the eight-seat cockpit are not far behind on the list of things he loves about the new 440X.

“We were looking more for the room inside the cockpit because we have three grown boys who always want to bring a friend and the 390 was a little tight,” he said. “With the 440, we can comfortably, and I mean comfortably, put eight people on the boat now.

“The new CTS trailer also is very nice—it complements the boat so well,” he continued. “I’ve gotten to know Jason (Curry of CTS) over the past two years because he’s an MTI owner so when we decided to do the new build, we ordered a trailer from him, too.”

With a pair of the new Mercury Racing 500R engines on the transom, the 44-footer is a runner, according to Vince Gagliardi. Photo by Tom Leigh

Gagliardi added that he enjoyed running the new boat in the Florida Keys with the other MTI owners and that he’s looking forward to spending more time with it on Lake Havasu and on another one of his favorite lakes, Lake Powell, later this summer.

“We’re very happy for Vince and Tara,” said MTI vice president Taylor Scism. “They are really fun customers who are always willing to try new designs and schemes on each build.”