MTI Springs To The Keys In Record-Setting Style

For most poker runs, fun runs and the like, 60 boats is a strong showing. There are notable exceptions of course. Though in no danger of happening, 60 registered boats for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run and the Boyne Thunder and 1,000 Islands Charity poker runs, for example, would be a remarkably low turnout.

Gino Gargiulo ran Spooled Up, his new-to-him 52-foot MTI catamaran, in the event. Photos by Tom Leigh copyright Tommy Gun Images.

But 60 boats of the same brand making a four-day fun run to the Florida Keys? That’s unprecedented.

It’s also what MTI pulled off last week. As previously reported, it is the largest event the Wentzville, Mo., company has ever produced.

MTI founder Randy Scism and his team have created a community of clients who enjoy spending time with one another.

Taylor Scism, MTI’s vice president, and her crew weren’t “worried” heading into the trek from Haulover Marine Center in North Miami to Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key. Still, they knew that adding 15 entries to last year’s event-total would, of course, make logistics more complicated. So they prepped early and were ready to accommodate the larger group.

“The event has been really good,” Scism said yesterday as the event was winding down. “We had great weather coming down and for our sandbar day. Everyone did lunch runs yesterday.”

“Some are heading home today,” she added. “For others it’s a free day to hang out at the resort or go for a boat ride to lunch.”

Grant and Kellie Bruggemann enjoyed the weekend with the Cabeza family.

The powerhouse duo behind Grant’s Signature Racing in Bradenton, Fla., Grant and Kellie Bruggemann joined MTI client Willy Cabeza and his family for the event. Because they have other hobbies and work in the high-performance marine industry, the couple rarely participates in recreational boating events.

But this time, they were glad they did.

Enjoy more images from last record-setting weekend’s event.

“It was great—MTI always puts on a first-class event,” said Grant Bruggemann, who will share the cockpit of the new MTI Pro Class 1 raceboat with Cabeza this season. “The weather was perfect, and we had a lot of fun with Willy and his family.

“We brought the GC Racing cat and his 42-foot center console, so we did plenty of boating too,” he added, then chuckled.

Several female members of the MTI group shared a moment during the raft-up at the Islamorada Sandbar.

But no one was more impressed than longtime MTI client Gino Gargiulo, who ran his new-to-him 52-foot catamaran Spooled Up in the event.

“I was talking with Randy, and it brought back memories of the early days when he built the Scism Victory boat,” he said. “To see how far he has come and what he has built today is truly remarkable.

“Beyond the boats, what Randy has created is something truly special,” he continued. “The incredible runs he organizes, the way he has brought so many of us together and the lives he has impacted through these beautiful machines is something I’m sure he never could have imagined when he first started. Randy, his wonderful family and the entire MTI team go above and beyond to make sure every one of us is comfortable and happy. Their dedication, passion and attention to detail do not go unnoticed, and I just want to say how much we all appreciate everything they do.”