Based off of their extremely popular outboard catamaran, the 390X, Marine Technology Inc. of Wentzville, MO, has announced the debut of the latest model to join its expansive fleet –– the 390XR Race/Poker Run closed-canopy outboard cat.

MTI principals Taylor and Randy Scism told Speedboat that the new model, will be virtually identical to the one that the company campaigns currently in the Factory Stock class in the offshore racing circuit. Taylor adds that Rusty Williams and the crew at Performance Boat Center were integral in facilitating the idea for the new models.

“It’s the exact same boat that Taylor and Johnny Tomlinson run now, because all of the boats in the class have to be homologated [officially sanctioned] to compete,” said MTI President Randy Scism. “The Race version will have seating for two, while the Poker Run version can be fitted for more.”

Scism said he believes this will help the industry, and the offshore racing circuit, by bringing the more casual boater into racing. “There might even be some new MTIs running at the World Championships,” he told Speedboat.

Despite the fact that the announcement was made today, four of these boats have already been ordered to some notable speedboaters in the industry—including Burton Kirsten and Adam Seraphine, both of whose 390XRs will feature the five-seat configuration and be very much the same, except for the paint scheme. (Their MTIs will be #1 and #2 out of the mold.) Seraphine says he was attracted to the idea of an outboard-powered canopied model for a variety of reasons: “All boats have issues, but outboards seem to be very, very reliable in relation to everything else,” he says. “And the canopy is attractive, because whether it’s 50 degrees out or 99 degrees with 80 percent humidity, all of the passengers can be comfortable, and nobody has to be hanging on for dear life when the water gets rough.”

When Burton and Seraphine set up a meeting with MTI to discuss the possibility of building such a boat, they went in with low expectations—and were impressed when the team was not only receptive to the idea, but came in with renderings, proposals and a path forward. “That was really cool,” Seraphine says. “Randy is very good at making you feel comfortable about buying a boat from him.”

Kirsten concurs: “After working with Rusty Williams at Performance Boat Center, I texted Taylor and Randy to ask about doing this project, they immediately responded with ‘When do you want to meet?’ It’s been a total joy to work with them, it really has.”

Kirsten previously owned one of MTI’s 340X outboard cats, but was keen to move to a canopied boat with more room. “I really loved the 340X—it handled great, but I wanted to get something a bit bigger. And the canopy appeals to me because of the air conditioning. The 390XR will have plenty of room, and MTI is going to make their top canopy piece 10 inches wider than the Race Boat configuration. I like the idea that on a perfect 80-degree day, I can just take the top off and leave it at my dock.” Kirsten’s and Seraphine’s boats are expected to be ready by July of 2022.

The Scisms also told Speedboat that the current Marine Technology / TS Motorsports race boat has already been sold to a future racer, but plan to continue racing it throughout the remainder of the season.

The 390XR will be the latest in the ever-growing list of catamarans that include the 340X and 390X outboard-powered cats, as well as the 38′, 40′, 43′ 48′ and 52′ cats––available in both race and pleasure versions. Their center console V-hulls include the 42-V, 50-V and the massive 57-V.

The Scisms told Speedboat that production of the new 390XR models will not interrupt the production of any of their current customer builds. Furthermore, they say, their interest in growing the sport of offshore racing will extend to developing and launching a new valet service.

“We’ll be offering a whole spectrum of different services for our clients, starting with the racer who shows up with his own crew,” Taylor said. “If something on the boat breaks, we’ll have our trailer on site completely stocked with parts, and we can provide anything from a spark plug to props. From there, we will offer more substantial types of support, including the trailering and maintenance of boats. And our full service would be to handle everything so that you can just fly in, test your boat and drive it on race day, and then fly back out. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to be involved in competition.”

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