DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, has just delivered its latest M35 catamaran to customer Mike Escalona—and, in the words of company President Jeff Johnston, it’s “probably the most extravagant M35 boat we’ve built to date, with all the upgrades and features.” Powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines, it’s first midcabin cuddy open-bow M35 that DCB has created.
Previously the owner of a 28′ Magic deckboat, Escalona has been dreaming of owning a DCB for quite a long time. In fact, he admired DCB’s styling so much that he initially made contact with the crew to see if they might consider working their magic on his Magic’s interior.
“I was trying to find someone to do my boat’s upholstery,” he recalls. “Finally, my wife suggested that I call DCB about it. I said no, there was no way they were going to work on my Magic. Why would they? But she kept saying that I should just call them. I felt uncomfortable calling them, but they totally welcomed the idea. They said, ‘Absolutely! Bring it over and tell us what you want to do!’ I was just so excited, because I love their boats.”
Indeed, the experience even more positive than Escalona could have dreamed. For one thing, photos of DCB’s renovation of the Magic went viral on Instagram. As a result, “Everywhere we went, people would say, ‘Oh, my God! This is the best Magic we’ve ever seen!’ and ‘We’ve never seen a Magic like this!’ It was incredible.” To no one’s surprise, it didn’t take long for Escalona to bite the bullet and order his own DCB. He sold the Magic and his new M35 went into production.
According to Escalona, his is the first midcabin cuddy open-bow M35 that DCB has created (although it previously built a walkthrough version). “It’s awesome,” he says of the design. “It gives us a place to get out of the sun when we need to. Jeff really did a great job underneath. He put a limo-style minibar underneath, along with an ice bin, so there’s a nice drink station for passengers to make cocktails and stuff.”
The boat’s twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines pack a lot of punch, another of Escalona’s favorite features. “It’s got great acceleration,” he says. “The twin drives give us really awesome control, and being able to use our shifters for turning and close quarters is incredibly simple. It’s very easy to control the boat.” DCB’s estimated top speed with this setup is 145+ mph.
Escalona is also a huge fan of DCB’s Stage 5 sound system, which employs four amplifiers, 14 midrange speakers with LED lighting, four 12” free air subwoofers and two 7.7 external speakers mounted under engine hatches, all by JL Audio. “The stereo is absolutely incredible,” he says. “Whether you’re inside or outside of the boat, it’s just an incredible sound—the bass, the subs, it’s all really top-notch.”
In addition, Escalona asked DCB to install Conductor’s Special 127H HornBlasters. “That’s something we talked about installing in the Magic for years,” he says. “They’re incredible as well. It helps when we need to get the attention of a jet skier ahead of us when we’re coming up on them. We just want an indication that they see us. Now, when we hit the horns, we get an immediate acknowledgement. They all turn their heads and they know we’re coming so we can pass safely. It works perfectly.”
Mike and his wife Kim are stoked to be part of the DCB family. “I’d like to give a shout-out to the whole DCB team for a truly spectacular experience Jeff Johnston and Tony Chiaramonte are just genuine guys—they really went above and beyond with everything they did.”
2022 M35 WIDEBODY – Open Bow