Have you ever asked a good friend a question when you already knew the answer just because you enjoy getting a rise out of him or her?
Come on, be honest. I can’t be the only one.
MTI will have its typically impressive presence at the Shootout On The Strip affair next Wednesday. Image from the 2024 Shootout On The Strip by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.
I did it just a few days ago when I asked Ron Szolack if he planned to exhibit his new Skater 388 catamaran in next Wednesday’s Shootout On The Strip event presented by Waves and Wheels during the 38th annual Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.
“Hell no,” he said. “I’m definitely not sitting down there all day babysitting my boat in the heat.”
As I said, I knew the answer before I asked the question.
Fortunately for visiting and local performance-boating fans at the Central Missouri event, dozens of manufacturers—from DWR to Sunsation—will have their latest and greatest creations displayed in the mile-long exhibit on Bagnell Dam. MTI will have its always impressive showcase as the lake is home-water for center console and catamaran builder. So, too, will Performance Boat Center, another home-grown powerhouse, with its multiple brands including the Performance Powerboats catamaran line.
Looking for fresh models to ogle? Here are a several:
• American Marine Performance is bringing its first 41-foot catamaran.
• Deep Impact Custom Boats will showcase its first 449 Poker Run Edition equipped with three rows of bolsters and powered by six 500-hp outboard engines from Mercury Racing.
• The 39-foot, outboard-engine-powered DWR catamaran themed Iron Man II will be front and center in the combined DWR/Waves and Wheels display. The first Iron Man was an impeccably detailed Hustler/Talon 377 cat. According to DWR/Wave and Wheels, the second version is even more impressive.
• M CON Offshore Racing team will showcase its new Class 1 Skater 419 and Factory Stock-class MTI 390XR catamarans.
Of course, there will be more than a few boats slated to compete in the Shootout that weekend on display, such as American Ethanol. No matter many times you see the dominant, 10,000-hp 51-foot Mystic catamaran, it never fails to impress. As does the Skater 438 Dirty Duck catamaran owned by Bob Morgan Memorial Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Hall of Fame member Slug Hefner.
“If nothing blows up, we’ll be there,” Hefner quipped, then laughed.
I’m looking forward to seeing all that and more. And just for fun, I’m going to ask Szolack if he’ll pick me up at Springfield/Branson National Airport in one of his vintage exotic automobiles when I arrive next Monday morning. I’m thinking his 1965 GT 40 or 1969 Camaro.
Even though I already know the answer, his reaction will be worth it.
Three rides to the Lake of the Ozarks that definitely won’t be coming.