Miles-Owned MTI 340X Cat Getting Dressed To Represent

Most powerboat owners wouldn’t look down their noses at the original paintjob on a 2017 model-year MTI 340X catamaran. But then, most don’t deign and apply big-dollar powerboat paintjobs for a living, as said 340X owner Stephen Miles does at his shop in Owensboro, Ky., And none have his eye for graphic design and execution.

So when Miles gazes at his 34-footer powered by Mercury Racing 450R outboard engines, he sees a boat he loves to drive but hates to look at.

When a rare and brief window in his schedule appeared, powerboat painting wizard Stephen Miles filled it with a personal project he’s wanted to do for years.

“The opportunity to own this boat was a dream come true back when I first got it from Donnie McLeod, a great man and a dear friend whom I can’t say enough good things about,” Miles explained. “But I feel pretty ridiculous taking this boat, with its beat-up original MTI paintjob on it, to events with everybody knowing it’s mine.”

Miles paused to cackle. “But I’m such a damn enthusiast, that my passion for boating far exceeded my pride,” he added.

Miles has been waiting for a window in his professional boat-painting schedule to dress the 34-footer himself, which he bought in 2022, in a paintjob of his own. The problem—one he’s grateful to have—is that such windows are rare. He has a tiny one now, but it won’t last long.

Said Miles, “We are doing a complete makeover that I think will be cutting-edge, but also timeless.”

“While we had a little lull, I wanted to paint the bottom black, just to keep my guys busy,” he said. “I know we are going to be running flat out from February on for the rest of the year. But Chris, my right-hand man, was like, ‘You’re going to have this boat looking brand-new from the rub rail down and it’s going to make the top look like crap. Are you sure you only want to do the bottom?’

“I decided right then that it was time to do the whole thing, and do it right,” he added.

Miles started with a clean sheet—he didn’t want to simply refresh the original paint design. But when he showed his new design to friends, he recalled, they told him they couldn’t see much difference between his concept and the cat’s original graphics.

Two nights ago, Miles’ son, Corey, pulled out a deck design his father had created for the cat a while back. He showed it to his dad.

Two perspectives of the complete design.

“I fell in love with it all over again,” the senior Miles admitted. “So here we are doing a complete makeover that I think will be cutting-edge, but also timeless.”

To make the finished product that much more contemporary, Miles has purchased hardware from Shaun Torrente Racing. In another modernizing move, the original stainless-steel rub rail will be powder-coated black to match the hull.

As for the catamaran’s interior, it needs no refreshment. It was renovated by MTI in 2023, just in time for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run.

Nor does the cat need fresh horses. Performance Boat Center repowered the cat with its current supercharged 450-hp V-8 outboards at its Fort Lauderdale, Fla., location last year.

Like the work he does for his clients, Miles’ own paintjob will boast next-level detail.

“Brett Manire at Performance gave me a smoking deal on the engines,” Miles said. “And Myrick Coil helped get it set up properly. I can’t thank them both enough.”

The paintjob will be done before the end of the month. It has to be, as paying projects will soon be upon Miles and his crew. For professional and personal reasons, he’s eager to finish.

And he’s even more eager to get the cat back on the water and show it off.

“Pretty soon, this amazing, all-carbon-fiber catamaran will be able to represent Stephen Miles Design properly,” he said.