Wild Generosity
Few if any members of the high-performance powerboating community know the waters of Lake Powell as well as Utah’s Nick Child. That’s because Child, who owns a 2021 model-year DCB Performance Marine M37R catamaran called Wild Child and a brand-new Deep Impact 399 center console, spent his formative years exploring the spectacular Colorado River-fed waterway.
You could do worse for a guide, as I learned firsthand during last year’s Lake Powell Challenge, but you couldn’t do better. And now that he has a 39-foot center console from the Miami-based builder, the 34-year-old Child will be able to show select guests in addition to his wife, Monnica, and their two boys his favorite wonders of the lake.
The owner of Toole Valley Motorsports in Erda, Utah, Child also happens to be among the warmest and most down-to-earth guys in the go-fast boating world. You can add “generous” to his personal resume, as he is putting up a new four-seat Can-Am Maverick R Max XRS off-road vehicle for auction during the April 10-13 Super Cat Fest West event in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Out the door, the Smart Shox-equipped, terrain-devouring beast lists for $75,000.
“It’s the absolute top-of-the-line machine you can buy in the industry right now,” said Child, who established his powersports dealership in 2015 and holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Utah. “It has the most horsepower at 240 and an exclusive DCT transmission. So there is no belt-drive on this machine, which makes it very different very desirable in the industry.
“My in-house accessory team, of course, took it a step further and we customized the machine to a high level,” he continued. “It’s got a Stage 6 stereo system, custom under-glow lighting, lighted whips, an LED under-hood light bar, Baja Design LP6 LED lights, a full-glass windshield, 35-inch tires all the way around with a matched spare rolling on bead-lock wheels. It’s a gorgeous machine with a spec to match its looks.”
Not that spending most of your boating life on Lake Powell is anything to complain about, but before he took delivery of his center console in time for the Florida Powerboat Club Miami Boat Show Poker Run to Hawks Cay Resort, Child had never been to the Florida Keys.
He returned from the trip with his typical level of stoke-dom.
“It was such a cool experience,” he recalled. “We had a blast, and we definitely want to get down there and boat more frequently when we can. It is a big logistical challenge to get the boat back-and-forth across the country, so that will be interesting to figure out. But we would definitely like to get down there more often.
“It is also a lot different than I thought it was going to be with how shallow the water is and how precise you have to be to get through certain areas as you run south through the Keys,” he added. “Getting out on the ocean side was wild, and I was surprised how big the water gets so quickly. But the color of the water is absolutely incredible and makes you want to see more of it.”
Child may get his wish in November as he’s considering running the 39-footer in the club’s Key West Poker Run. But his home-water remains his happiest place.
“Boating in the Keys is definitely a big departure from what I’m used to here,” he said. “But I will say that my heart is still in Lake Powell.”
