New Platinum Powerboats Catamaran Is Precious Mettle For Grants And Scheer
A few years after he started painting high-performance boats in 2013, graphics-man Stephen Miles revealed that painting at least one model from every significant brand was among his long-term dreams. Lofty as that vision is, Miles is well on his way to making achieving it.
Yet the Owensboro, Ky.-headquartered artist never expect to paint—at least back then—the first model of a new brand. Now that’s exactly what he’s been doing with the first 42-foot long catamaran dubbed the 428 from Platinum Powerboats of O’Fallon, Mo.
Currently being painted at Stephen Miles Design, the Platinum Powerboats 428 catamaran is the new Missouri-based company’s first model.
For the record, Platinum Powerboats has zero connection to the long-gone brand of the same name that emerged and vanished in the early 2000s. Three years in the making, Platinum Powerboats of the Show Me state is the product of a collaboration of veteran offshore racers Scott Grants and Edwin L. Scheer, the former owner of Motion catamarans, and Grants who was a leading Motion dealer. The duo raced together in 1999 in the Super Cat Lite classes compiling an impressive string of victories. One of the Team Motion entries actually earned a world championship in Key West, Fla., that year.
A couple of lifelong powerboat enthusiasts, Grants, who lives in Oswego, N.Y., and North Miami-based Scheer have been friends ever since. A few years back, they started looking for a catamaran to rig themselves and campaign in offshore racing’s thriving 450R Factory Stock class. When they couldn’t find exactly what they wanted, they decided to build one themselves. That decision led to the current 42-footer cat currently in Miles’ paint booth.
The first three Platinum builds will be pleasure boats. Hull No. 4 will be a raceboat. The catamaran has a true 40-foot running surface and a 72-inch-wide tunnel, which makes it eligible for the power-updated 500R Factory Stock class.
The first 42-footer will be a pleasure boat.
“We started with a clean sheet,” explained Grants. “Our goal was and is to build the best quality boat on the market. We took a very scientific approach to it. We worked with naval architects and hydro-dynamic and aero-dynamics specialists. We even consulted with a company that builds carbon-fiber windmill blades, which can withstand 30-Gs’’.
“We’ve also been working with Mike Griffiths of Mercury Racing—he’s been super helpful and we look forward to expanding that relationship—and (former MTI interior man) Nick Mayden who’s brought some valuable insight to the project” he added.
The hull and deck plugs for the boat were created using a five-axis CNC router. The all-carbon-fiber-and-epoxy, post-cured cat was built with a proprietary vacuum-infusion process and other “highly advance technology and materials.” All future builds will boast the same materials and construction processes.
Performance Acrylics of Mansfield, Ohio, is building a single-piece front windscreen for the cat. Iowa-based CTS Custom Trailers is creating “one of the most tricked-out” tilt offerings to transport it, according to the company’s Jon Smiley.
“We’ve advanced the build process scientifically to the next level,” said Grants. “We’ve also brought in some the finest craftsmen in our industry who share the same goals as we do—to build the best boat on the market.”
The first build is the property of Jeff Azevedo, a performance enthusiast who has homes in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Laguna Beach, Calif. Azevedo will keep the catamaran near his South Florida residence.
The new owner learned of the new model through Jeremy Cohen of Seabound Yachts in Clayton. Cohen introduced him to Grants, and the then-would-be buyer of Platinum Powerboats hull No. 1 liked what he heard.
“I really appreciated their commitment they’ve made to construction technology and quality,” Azevedo explained. “I also like the level of customization available.
“Scott is fantastic,” he added. “He’s a great communicator and I really like him.”
Grants and Scheer are planning as “soft-launch” for the cat in June at the Lake of the Ozarks. Its first public debut is planned for 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run on the St. Lawrence River in Upstate New York. That’s home-water for Grants as Lake Oswego is just 72 miles from Clayton, the home-base for the ninth annual event.
Stephen Miles designed and is applying the catamaran’s pantjob.
“The boat has many very unique features you won’t find in any other manufacturer, said Grants. “Our goal is to build the absolute best-quality boat on the market, with limited production instead of mass production. All of this research has taken time, as the first boat is in its final stages now. The wait will absolutely be worth it.
“After three years of work and significant investment, we’re looking forward to showcasing are unique design and technological innovations,” he added.
Editor’s note: Like the first model itself, the website for Platinum Powerboats in under construction. Would-be buyers and others seeking more information can reach out to Scott Grants, 315-657-0865.
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