Quick Takes From Day No. 1 In Fort Lauderdale—Hellkats 32 And Deep Impact 499
Once the event for buyers looking for a yacht or fishing boat, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show has a solid display of offerings from the high-performance world. In fact, minus sterndrive go-fast catamarans and V-bottom sportboats and the ability to take demo rides in anything on site, the South Florida exhibit, which opened to the public today at noon, now rivals the Miami International Boat Show.
Brands on display here from the high-performance segment of the market include Cigarette Racing Team, Deep Impact Boats, Formula Boats, Hellkats Powerboat, MTI, Mystic Powerboats, Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats, Performance Powerboats and Sunsation Powerboats.
On display in Fort Lauderdale this week, the 499 is the new flagship of the Deep Impact center console line. Photos by Matt Trulio.
At least two companies, both Miami-based, unveiled new models today. Before the show opened for the public, Deep Impact unveiled its 499 center console for members of the media. Hellkats Powerboats also debuted its first 32-foot catamaran built under the company’s new owners.
Both are impressive machines.
Five Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines power the 49-footer, the new flagship of the Deep Impact center console line and—at least in this reporter’s perspective—the most attractive model the company has introduced to date. The length of boat creates the appearance of a lower-profile than most Deep Impact creations and its sculpted, mostly Alcantara seating adds to its sleek-and-sexy aesthetic. Florida Powerboat Club members who opted to leave with next Thursday’s fleet for club’s Key West Poker Run will get the first public look at the center console in action.
The 49-footer boasts plenty of seats in its Alcantara-upholstered interior.
Like the Deep Impact beauty, the slinky 32-foot Hellkats catamaran taps Mercury Racing 500R outboards—a pair of them—for power. As equipped, it comes with a $595,000 price tag.
An investor in the company, Todd Hays is pleased with the finished product and eager to keep developing the reborn brand.
“We are excited about,” he said. “We saw an opportunity to enhance and protect things and improve design. This boat actually has a carbon-fiber deck. We are experts in carbon fiber and we can do all kinds of customization.”
As equipped, the 32 Hellkats catamaran is priced at $595,000.
Conner Berg, the company’s marketing director, is equally pumped up and eager to showcase the 32-footer this week.
“With this boat there are three big things we’ve done,” he explained. “One the visual carbon-fiber aesthetic—that is something that we love in the automobile industry and that we wanted to bring to the maritime space. We provide more visual carbon fiber than anyone in the industry.
The helm station of the 32-footer includes a carbon-fiber steering wheel.
“Number two is what we are calling the HK Infusion Process,” he continued. “The stringers, hull and bulkheads are all infused as one solid structural piece. I like to say you could drop this thing from 30 feet and it would bounce. And the third thing is the vacuum infusion itself. We are infusing every piece of this boat with epoxy.”
Editor’s note: Look for more quick-takes on speedonthewater.com as the Fort Lauderdale event continues this week.
Related stories
Deep Impact Ready To Debut New 499 Sport At Fort Lauderdale Show
Big Thunder Marine Going All In With Fountain Center Consoles For Fort Lauderdale Show
New Formula Boats 457 Center Console Fish Ready For Fort Lauderdale Showcase
Performance Boat Center And MTI Taking Two-Prong Approach To Fort Lauderdale Show
Mystic Bringing The House To Fort Lauderdale Show
Nor-Tech Unveiling New Quad-Outboard Cat And More At Fort Lauderdale Show
Hellkats Planning To Unveil First 32-Foot Catamaran Under New Ownership At Lauderdale Show
The post Quick Takes From Day No. 1 In Fort Lauderdale—Hellkats 32 And Deep Impact 499 appeared first on Speed on the Water.
