Marine Technology Inc. of Wentzville, MO, announced that it is tooling a new 48-foot sterndrive pleasure catamaran, with reimagined designs––providing an updated and contemporary look of the popular model. The MTI team made the announcement of their new MTI 480 this evening at an elaborate, semi-formal dinner party at the Camden on the Lake Resort, celebrating the company's 25th Anniversary in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. They hosted a three-day owners run weekend in LOTO, with run stops at the Fish and Co., The Cave, Performance Boat Center, Coconuts Resort and Backwater Jack's.
Built and designed from the ground up, the 480 will replace MTI's current 48' pleasure catamaran. The new model features completely new tooling and molds, a longer running surface, wider tunnel, shorter bustle, a new deck and a completely new cockpit design––highlighted by seating for eight. The 480 will also surpass the previous 48' in handling and performance, according to MTI's Director of Customer Relations, Taylor Scism. "We didn't modify the old 48' whatsoever," she told Speedboat. "It's all completely brand new." The 480 will typically be powered by Mercury Racing's dual-fuel calibration 1350/1100 sterndrive engines.
Scism said that this new I/O was timed to coincide with the company's 25th Anniversary milestone.
"Our roots are inboards, so we want to keep that segment alive," she said. "We've always loved building the inboards—those have been some of our favorite projects every year. I think the new 480 will help revamp that market. At the same time, I believe the Mercury Racing QC4v engines are going through revamps as well. So I think it'll be a great package, and people can go out there and have a little bit of extra warranty on the inboards and really enjoy themselves."
Company founder Randy Scism added: "When you have a boat recognized by so many owners as a benchmark, you have to study every detail and push the boundaries to raise the bar again. With this model, we are taking inboard power to the next level. The new MTI 480 will enable customers to take full advantage of the reliable, warrantied power offered by Mercury Racing, and go further in their own boating experience.”
The boat is expected to debut at the 2024 Miami International Boat Show.