Making a Statement

While it was quieter than usual, there was no shortage of interesting new boats at the Miami International Boat Show. One of the new kids on the block was Statement Marine, a high-performance boat builder with a 50-foot catamaran and 42-foot monohull, both looking like pure adrenaline. The 42 Ultimate had a sleek carbon-fiber silver hull with black and red accents and a brown leather cockpit with five custom-fitted riding seats. Anyone who has ever cruised on the water at speeds approaching 100 mph knows it’s essential to stand up and let your knees take the jumps to save your spine, and Statement has created an innovative “air-cushioned” cockpit to turn a bumpy ocean jaunt into a joy ride. Essentially, the entire cockpit absorbs any blows on the water. I didn’t get a chance to run the Ultimate at the show, which has twin Mercury Racing 1075-hp Superchargers, but I’ll be back to check out how it operates on the open Atlantic. Among the many hundreds of boats at the Miami show, this was one of the most exciting new offerings. It definitely made a loud statement among the ocean of vanilla hulls around it.