Sneak Peek—Bob Nixon’s MTI 390X Almost Dressed

It’s been 10-1/2 years since Stephen Miles Design dressed a boat for Bob Nixon, a well-known figure in West Coast boating circles. That smoldering ride was an Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats SV 43 V-bottom powered by pair of 1,200-hp engines from Teague Custom Marine, and it turned heads everywhere it went. Nixon does most of his boating on Colorado River-fed waterways such as Lake Mead, where breathtaking 43-foot V-bottoms are a less-than-common sight.

Like his first boat painted by Stephen Miles Design, Nixon’s catamaran will be a head-turner.

Now Miles is a week-and-a half away from completing his second paintjob for Nixon. But this time around, he’s dressing an MTI 390X catamaran in similar hues—but different graphic lines—as Nixon’s 43-footer. The boat’s final layer of clear coat has been applied. All that remains to be done is sanding, buffing and polishing.

Another thing about Miles’ second project for Nixon that is decidedly different than the first? Miles painted the V-bottom at Outerlimits headquarters in Bristol, R.I. This time around, Miles and his team are handling the job at his shop in Owensboro, Ky.

The 39-foot catamaran will be completed in a week-and-a-half and then will be hauled to MTI in Wentzville, Mo., for interior installation and rigging.

“Bob is great customer, always a gentleman, who keep his boats for a long time,” he said. “Before he had the SV 43 I painted, he had a silver-blue-and-orange Outerlimits Legacy. Of course, I didn’t paint that one.

“Bob has been a pleasure to work with, once again,” he added.