Yesterday, I dropped by MTI headquarters in Wentzville, Mo., to take company vice-president Taylor Scism and her husband, Shaun Peters to lunch. I had not seen the couple since April 2025, when I joined them for dinner with Scism’s parents Randy and Cherell and I learned—and later reported—that Taylor was pregnant and taking a break from offshore racing.
Scism gave birth to a girl, Pearl, in October, and went on maternity leave. She actually returned to her role at MTI on Monday. Before that, she and Peters joined the MTI group, with Pearl in two and decked out in the latest PFD fashion, for its New Year’s Fun Run to the Hawks Cay Resort in the upper Florida Keys.
Of course she hit the ground running this week.
“We had 10 boats for the New Year’s run, so we’re thinking about changing it up,” Scism told me as we strolled the MTI factory floor before we headed out to lunch at a nearby barbecue joint. “We already have 58 boats registered for our March run to Hawks Cay.
Scism paused, then laughed. “I had planned to cap it at 50 boats,” she admitted, then chuckled again. “But that didn’t happen.”
During our walk through the MTI plant, she pointed out the company’s new demo boat V-bottom and catamaran, as well as several other models in various stages of production. Take photos was forbidden, but for good and fair reason.
“Our customers haven’t seen them yet,” she explained, then smiled. “We try to make sure they get to see their boats in person before they go out in the media.”
As most offshore racing fans know, Scism blazed the first trail for offshore racing’s 450R Factory Stock catamaran class, now dubbed Factory Stock and carrying bigger power in the form of twin Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines. Minus her gumption and MTI’s strong and consistent early backing, the class does not exist.
Scism sat out the entire 2025 season and likely won’t be back.
“I do miss the racing,” she said. “I don’t miss the drama.
“But I am really excited to see what happens this season,” she added.
Talk of baby Pearl appropriately dominated lunch. The passion Scism and Peters bring to MTI and brought to offshore racing is dwarfed by that of being first-time parents. They are joyful and exhilarated—and didn’t seem particularly exhausted—by the experience so far.
“But I am still excited to be back at MTI,” Scism said. “We have a lot going on. And I have a lot of work to do.”