MTI At 25—The Standard-Bearing Holy Cow!!

Before MTI introduced its outboard engine-powered the 340X catamaran in 2016, the smallest model produced by the Wentzville, Mo., company’s was a stern-drive engine-powered 36 footer launched in 2010. Though the 36-footer originally was designed to attract West Coast buyers, who tend to run on inland waterways such as Lake Havasu and Lake Powell, the best-known version landed in Upstate New York with Kelly and Julie O’Hara.

Owned by Kelly and Julie O’Hara, Holy Cow!! is the best-known 36-foot MTI catamaran on the water. Photo from the 2023 Kuttawa Cannonball Run by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The couple purchased the Mercury Racing 700 SCi engine-powered catamaran in 2017, dubbed it Holy Cow!! for the dairy farm operation, outfitted it with a sound system for the gods and began running it in poker runs around the country with their dog, Sally, usually along for the ride. (For the record, yes, Sally has her own PFD.)

An experienced and exceptionally skilled powerboat driver, Kelly O’Hara adores the 36-footer.

For Holy Cow!! owners Kelly and Julie O’Hara giving back, such as providing rides for Make-A-Wish of Central New York kids (above) during the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run in 2019, is an essential element of high-performance boating. Photo by Tim Sharkey copyright Sharkey Images.

“I love its look, style and performance with the mild and reliable 700 SCi engines,” he explained. “I also appreciate the cat’s excellent handling manners and ride quality in the waters where we typically run.”

Without question, O’Hara enjoys pushing the 36-footer when conditions and setting allow. He and his wife also appreciate the lifelong friends they’ve made through go-fasting events.

But if an event doesn’t benefit a worthy charity, O’Hara isn’t interested. That, plus a waterway he loves and knows well, has him headed back to the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run in Clayton, N.Y., next weekend. O’Hara has supported the event since it began in 2018.

“Poker runs might seem to be about boats, but they’re really about people—people we can help through charitable donations, people we share our boating passion with and people we genuinely enjoy spending time with and feel fortunate to call friends,” he said following the recent 2023 Hartwell Lake Poker Run.

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A staple of go-fast boat events around the country, Holly Cow!! is hard to miss. Photos by Pete Boden, Jeff Helmkamp and Tim Sharkey.

Earlier this month, the O’Hara’s took delivery of a new DCB Performance Marine M37R catamaran, powered by brand-spanking-new Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines, they co-own with their friends Kiran and Jessica Pinisetti of Indiana during the roll-out of the new outboards in Charleston, S.C. And it’s safe to say both couples are smitten with the 37-footer.

So what will become of Holy Cow!!?

“I plan to keep running both boats for now,” said O’Hara. “They are both incredible in their own way.”

Captured here with Julie O’Hara, Sally the wonder pooch has logged more seat-time in a 36-foot MTI catamaran than most of her human counterparts.

Editor’s note: “MTI At 25” is a weekly series on speedonthewater.com celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary. A new installment will go live every Wednesday on speedonthewater.com through the end of the year.