Omaha, NE-based Charlie Roll is every boatbuilder’s dream come true: a repeat customer who epitomizes loyalty. By his own accounting, he has owned eight different models from Marine Technology Inc.—a 42′ race/pleasure I/O-powered catamaran, two MTI V-42 center consoles, two 340X outboard cats, two 390X outboard cats and his latest ride, an MTI V-50 center console.
“I just love everything these boats offer,” he explains. “Their styling, their handling and every aspect of the MTIs are superior to practically every other boat out there. The handling alone is truly phenomenal.”
Roll is a uniquely qualified judge, as he’s familiar with all hull types and engine configurations that MTI makes available, and uses them actively. “We use our cat as a morning or lunch-run boat, depending on where we’re going. If we’re planning to spend the day on the water or hang out for an extended period of time, we’ll jump in the center console. It’s great to have the best of both worlds.”
Speedboat recently had the opportunity to photograph Roll’s MTI V-50 on the Lake of the Ozarks, where Roll and his wife Jenny Roll have a home. It’s an exquisite, luxurious and roomy boat, but equipped with quintuple Mercury Racing 450R outboards, it’s also satisfyingly nimble and fast.
“Their vees accelerate hard and run fast,” Roll says. “My boat runs in the upper 80s. It turns on a dime and handles perfectly.”
One aspect of the MTI that Roll says he’s especially fond of is how well-balanced and predictable the ride is. “They get on plane at about 16 or 17 mph, and you don’t even need trim tabs,” he says. “In a lot of other boats, you’re constantly trying to hold the boat level because it wants to list from one side to the other. You don’t have to do that in an MTI.”
In addition, he says, the MTI V-50 turns on a dime. “Someone could be sitting in the front lounge chair while the boat is going 50 mph, and if you turn the wheel all the way to the left, they’ll still have a smooth, comfortable ride. There’s no feeling of jerkiness or that they’ll be pitched out of their seat.”
Another terrific feature of the V-50 is its roomy cabin. “Jenny loves it,” he says. “She helped design it. She wanted modern and easy, without a lot of colors down there. She wanted all white and black.” The cabin features an enclosed head, along with a large bed and couch, refrigerator/freezer and other amenities.
“When you buy an MTI, it’s like you became part of the family,” Roll says. “At all of the events they do for their customers, it’s they just make you feel like one big family.”
Due to a publishing error, an incorrect version of this story appears in the June 2022 issue of Speedboat. Our editors regret the mistake. Check out this bonus gallery of images of Charlie Roll’s MTI V-50.