As Seen In Miami

Last month the boating industry completely took over the Miami Beach area as the world came together in Florida for the five-day Miami International Boat Show. Each year buyers from around the globe descend upon southern Florida to shop the most comprehensive showcase of the newest boats, yachts, tech, gear and marine innovations. For us, it's an excuse to break away from cold temperatures and see what's new that pertains to the pontoon and deck boat world.

Hosted across six locations, there were an estimated 100,000 attendees and the show once again provided a platform for hundreds of debuts, spotlighting cutting-edge marine products and boats. From the pontoon perspective, Avalon, Bennington, Harris, Manitou, Montara, Sea-Doo, Starcraft, Sylvan, Ventura, Veranda and Viaggio each had at least one boat on display with some having boats in the water too. Here are the highlights from what we came across at the show.

Avalon's Performance Pairing
With twin 500R outboards from Mercury Racing on the back, I felt we had a chance to time travel if we reached 88 miles per hour in the DeLorean, ahem, Avalon Excalibur ELW. All Back to the Future references aside, this pontoon was extremely fast as we reached a top speed in the 80s! With that kind of performance it easily fit in with the Miami crowd.

It seems the pairing of Avalon with Mercury Racing has become a winning combination and this latest offering didn't disappoint. The Excalibur Elite Windshield is Avalon’s Flagship model that brings together exquisite design, sophistication and superior quality. The exterior includes the all-new carbon fiber construction that is lightweight, yet extremely durable that pairs well with the Waveglider 27-inch high performance triple pontoon system, and the latest technology for a complete package.

Hydrogen Outboard
The world’s first prototype hydrogen-combustion outboard motor by Yamaha was revealed, along with a prototype fuel system integrated into a vessel that the company plans to further refine for testing later this year. The effort is part of Yamaha’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality: deploying multiple technology solutions. And its booth sure attracted a lot of attention.

Besides Yamaha, other marine technologies including sustainable fuels, hybrid engines and electric options also debuted. This underscores the industry's dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship, which was illustrated during the Propelling Our Future event, which unveiled new research outlining multiple technologies needed to further propel recreational boating toward decarbonization. Sustainability partners at the show included Suzuki and Allini Water Filters.

“This year’s boat show was a hub to see some of the latest next gen marine technologies, from sustainable fuels to more efficient boat hull and engine designs, plus hundreds of boat debuts and new marine innovations,” said NMMA President & CEO, Frank Hugelmeyer. “We’re proud to showcase the best in boating, delivering an annual sales boon for boat and marine engine manufacturers and the thousands of marine businesses who exhibit year after year.”

Hurricane Dominance
For years Hurricane has had an overwhelming presence in the deck boat market in Florida and has been a regular at the Miami Boat Show. The SunDeck 2050 was on display in its new Intercoastal color (pictured) and we're guessing it would look just as good on the Great Lakes, but in the Florida region it appears to be a perfect match. Another popular Hurricane color includes its Pacific that we feel will really take off regardless of where it ends up.

Go Wide
The NSX ULTRAWIDE, the world's first fully-featured ultrawide marine display, was released at the show. The new Simrad unit provides all the benefits of dual screens but on a single display while offering increased functionality. For the first time, you can see apps as they were meant to be seen – uninterrupted by bezels or dead space while you experience perfectly optimized splits, unlocking more data, more controls, and more possibilities.

With high-end pontoon models trending, I would think we'll be seeing this NSX ULTRAWIDE on luxury models soon. It's actually wider than two 9-inch screens so it's going to take a little modification to most helm consoles but I'm sure it's coming. A manufacturer such as Harris Boats and its 250 Crowne would be a good possibility. Speaking of Harris, its 250 Crowne that is fresh off its 2024 NMMA Innovation Award from Minneapolis was on display in Miami.

Bennington Twins
It seems each year we pair up with Bennington's Greg Wyland aboard a 10-foot wide, twin engine Yamaha for an exhilarating ride with the Miami skyline in the background. This year we were on the Bennington 27 QX with the new Yamaha F350hp engines on the back. We couldn't quite top the 60 mph mark (59.2), but on a different day or possibly smoother water, I bet we could. It's always a fun ride, but it's the quality and versatility of the layout that seems to stand out the most. On the 27 QXSBWA X2 (QX line, 27-foot swingback model with windshield and arch with twin outboards) nothing appears to be an afterthought. As expected, this Bennington lived up to its reputation of being a high-end pontoon manufacturer.

Suzuki Goes Stealth
Suzuki Marine USA unveiled its new Stealth Line of outboards for 2024, designed to provide boaters and anglers with a bold yet “stealthy” look that sets any boat apart from the crowd. Brandon Cerka, Suzuki Marine USA general manager sales and marketing, introduced the Stealth Line (“Shinobi” in Japanese) that has a new, all matte black finish and matching chrome black graphics. With their “sneaky” good looks, this family of motors has a way of giving any boat an extra dose of attitude — whether sitting at the dock or racing across the water.

Golden Ticket
The Joe's Stone Crab experience is a true highlight and thanks to sponsors Yamaha Marine and The Florida Keys and Key West, a few select marine journalists get the invite each year. It's known among writers as the “Golden Ticket” if you get invited. For more than 100 years, no visit to Miami is said to be complete without stopping in at Joe's Stone Crab. From the beginning in 1913, it has always been the love of food, family, and friends that has brought in customers and kept them coming.

Pontoon Or Not?
Montara Boats is gaining in popularity and at the pavilion outside of the convention center it has a pontoon and a deck boat on display. Although similar looking, the manufacturer made up a couple of signs to let attendees know which boat was the pontoon and which one was not. The clever marketing ploy drove a lot of attention to their boats and showgoers were eager to take a peek.

Vertex Series
Known as the innovator of the patented, all-aluminum, all-welded, interlocking deck system, Veranda Luxury Pontoons introduced its re-envisioned iconic Vertex Series at the show. The new Vertex has a totally revamped exterior featuring a fluted top rail, beautifully sculpted fiberglass bow caps, stunning furniture, and the no-wood, no-rot guarantee.

You can package the Vertex with up to 450hp of Yamaha XTO outboard power and that's what was on the 27-foot VX27DCRC we took out on the water. With that kind of power we easily reached the 50 mph mark with ease at full throttle. We enjoyed the sporty ride, but took notice of the 360-degree audio system by Wet Sounds as well as the dual 9-inch Garmin flush-mount multi-function displays that highlighted the list of cool features.

Honda's Advanced Technologies
Looking into future technology, Honda is developing automation and intelligence-based technologies to improve safety and increase maneuverability on the water. These include 360-degree surround view cameras that help eliminate blind spots and autonomous docking and trailering, all of which reduce boater anxiety about maneuvering around fixed objects.

On the water at the Honda slips at the Venetian Marina was the Avalon 2585 Catalina Platinum Quad Lounger that was equipped with a new, ergonomic cockpit system and a multi-view camera system, powered by the Honda BF350 V8 outboard motor.

Honda Marine outboard motors have earned a reputation for fuel efficiency and reliability, and the Honda BF350 is the newest evolution in the company’s product line. Honda is planning to introduce six new models by 2030 and is also pilot testing small 4kW electric propulsion technology in Japan, using the same motors that power small Honda electric motorcycles. The company intends to apply the same proprietary electrification technology to small outboard motors.

Further, to reduce its environmental impact, Honda worldwide is working toward achieving carbon neutrality at the factories that produce these products. Mr. Tsuruzono explained that the Honda marine outboard factory aims to achieve carbon neutrality (100 percent of the electricity used in production) by FY2026.

Starcraft Success
With a solid mix of pontoons and deck boats, Starcraft once again had a booth full of boats on display at the convention center. It seems its versatile lineup of both Starcraft and Sylvan pontoons attracted a lot of attention, but this year the Starcraft SVX center console line of deck boats stole the show. The deck boats will continue to be a popular option on any body of water, but feel like a natural fit for the Florida market where center console models dominate the area.

Manitou
A lot of manufacturers offer twin engine pontoons, but for years Manitou was arguably best known for it. At the Miami Show, Manitou had a pair of twin Mercury outboards in its booth at the convention center, but it was its other twin model that seemed to draw the most attention. The all-new Manitou Explore MAX dual engine models are being released in 24- and 26-foot lengths with twin Rotax S150 outboards. Above the partially submerged engines is the new MAX deck platform that is 2 feet longer than the original version and slightly elevated, providing more than 6 feet of usable, unobstructed space at the stern. It's an exclusive deck, only available on Manitou pontoons powered with Rotax outboard engines. This model was also on the water at the Venetian Marina location of the show along with traditional outboard models.

Miami Adventures
Since first releasing its Switch, an affordable pontoon with the heart and DNA of a personal watercraft, Sea-Doo has been a regular at the Miami Boat Show. With an expanding lineup of pontoons, those boats don't stay at the dock for very long as showgoers are eager to try out the handlebar steering as well as check out firsthand the versatile layouts.

Let Me Hear Ya
As usual, the top audio companies such as Fusion, JL Audio, KICKER, Rockford Fosgate, Wet Sounds, and others made their presence known at the show. In most cases when looking for their booths, you actually heard them before you saw them.

Ventura
With six different locations as part of the show, you never knew where you were going to spot a pontoon boat. The Herald Plaza location is known for being the part of the show that offers massive yachts yet we still found this Ventura model on display. Ventura Texas Marine had other types of boats in its booth, but naturally we were drawn to this pontoon.

Viaggio Expansion
Just outside the Miami Beach Convention Center, Viaggio Marine has a strong presence with multiple pontoons on display in the Pride Park location of the show. For model year 2024 its Lago line has been divided into three separate classes: the V, X and Z models. Lago, Italian for lake, now includes an entry-level (V), mid-line (X), as well as a luxurious version (Z) and on the water we had a chance to take out the Lago Z24S. Running next to a large cruise ship really put in perspective how big the other boats in this area really are.