DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, has delivered hull #8 of its M33R catamaran—the first to feature a walk-through open-bow configuration.

The boat was built for Tony Monroe of Pomona, CA, a longtime performance boater, although this is his first DCB.

“I like building new projects every couple of years,” Monroe tells Speedboat. “We went to the Los Angeles Boat Show looking at a different manufacturer in mind. I wasn’t necessarily in a buying mood, but when I walked over to the DCB display and started looking at their boats, their attention to detail really impressed me. The quality of their products was on an entirely different level, and it kept me hanging around their booth. Then I started talking to their crew, and that made me want to stay there even more. I guess it was just kind of meant to be.”

That proved to be a harbinger of the great friendship that developed between the Monroes and the crew at DCB, who were exceedingly friendly, helpful and eager to please.

“I can’t say one negative thing about those guys,” Monroe says. “Working with Jeff Johnston was great. Every step of the way, they were super accommodating. It would be very hard for me to ever buy a boat from anywhere else after the experience I had with DCB.”

The Monroes took delivery on a recent Friday morning at the Nautical Resort in Lake Havasu. “Tony Chiaramonte was there waiting for us,” Monroe says. “He was awesome. He said, ‘I’m here for you guys, whatever you need.’ He taught me how to operate the boat and spent the whole day with us.”

That first time on Havasu was choppier than usual, but that didn’t present much of a problem for the DCB. “It was windy, and the water was rough,” Monroe says. “I couldn’t believe how well it ran over it. It went nice and smooth over the big water we were running into. The way the boat handles is just unbelievable. But the way the boat turns is what blows me away the most. It just sticks to the water.”

In addition to the M33R’s design and performance characteristics, Monroe was also profoundly impressed by the boat’s drivetrain. The M33R is the Monroes’ first outboard-powered boat, and they’ve started that journey with the top of the line—a pair of Mercury Racing 450Rs. “I had gotten really tired of hearing the I/Os in my previous boat,” he says. “But even though the 450Rs are packing a lot of power, they were super quiet, and that’s what I was into.”

Monroe, a structural steel contractor, uses the boat with his wife, Annike, and their five children.

2020 DCB M33R WIDEBODY SPECS:

Beam: 9’7”
Engines: Twin Mercury Racing 450Rs
• Billet foot shower at front, along with Fusion hard wired remote flushed into the inside front sponson for social distancing at the bow of the boat.
• Flip-up lumbar seats in open bow for ease of storage and access at the helm area.
• Two 85-gallon fuel tanks.
• Shaun Torrente Racing X-Act engine brackets.
• 50% Alcantara interior package, with 50% CHILL Cool Tech Marine Vinyl.
• Custom 3-color SeaDek kit
• Custom Isotta Carlotta steering wheel (black with Red stitching to match interior).
• Phase III gelcoat scheme
• Full 100% cap (no rubrail) upgrade.
• Vacuum-Infused Resin (VIR) process, foam-cored, with partial carbon-fiber layup.
• Two NSS12 Evo3 12” SIMRAD touch screen monitors.
• Interior Rigid LED lighting package (mood lighting, courtesy lighting, LED cupholders).
• 10” Shadow Caster underwater LED light, with Rigid tunnel lighting.
• Stage IV stereo – Fusion head unit; three hard-wired remotes, four JL Audio amplifiers, twelve JL Audio M6 midrange speakers with LED and four 12” JL Audio M7 free air subwoofers.
• Mercury DTS controls.
• Bimini top.
• Oversized 40” billet swim step with SeaDek lining and telescoping retractable ladder for easy boarding.
• Extreme Custom Trailer, tandem-axle with two-tone chrome & black 18” FUEL rims, SS fenders and triangular drive guard, front courtesy ladder, under carriage LED mood lighting, etc.
• MFR estimated top speed in optimum conditions: 115+ mph.
• Price: $469K

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