While DCB Performance Marine prepares for its annual DCB Regatta (Oct 3-4) in Lake Havasu, the Phoenix, AZ-based builder is set to deliver a brand-new M37R to first-time customer Daniel Kuhn of Cape Coral, FL.
Kuhn, a 54-year-old financial advisor, is planning to drive cross-country to Havasu to attend the regatta, then trailer the boat back to Florida's West Coast.
Not only is this Kuhn's first DCB, it's his first performance boat, so he's launching his muscleboat adventure by starting at the top. A former resident of Maryland, Kuhn relocated to the Sunshine State in 2016 and has owned mostly ski boats. For the last few years, he has been scouting for a go-fast craft to use in the Gulf of Mexico, and has considered boats by a few different manufacturers. Then, at the 2022 Miami Boat Show, he met Tony Chiaramonte of DCB and was blown away by the M37R on display, owned by Greg Harris and Yvonne Aleman.
"I loved how it had steps in the back that allow you to just walk down into the cockpit without having to step on the seats," he says. "It's just a spectacular boat."
In crafting his M37R, Kuhn says he worked closely with company owner Jeff Johnston, first sending him a sketch made with colored pencils for a basic design. "I sent it to him, then he made some changes to it, and ideas went back and forth, and that's how we came up with the design. He was great to work with."
During the build, DCB kept Kuhn up to date with the progress, sending him photos each step of the way. "They were great about keeping me in the loop," he says.
Kuhn's M37R features two front bolsters for the pilot and co-pilot, a second row of two bolsters behind them, and four side-by-side bolsters in the rear (separated in the middle by that cool staircase leading to the steps on the transom). The dash sports three large Garmin screens. The boat, which shrewdly incorporates the eye-catching green gelcoat colors into the interior, is powered by twin Mercury Racing 500R outboards. Kuhn's name for the boat, Weeee, has been painted into the transom steps.