When Mike Fiore started Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in 1993, the company only offered brawny high-performance V-bottoms and was located in Long Island, N.Y. That Fiore launched the brand with V-bottoms in mind made perfect sense, at least at the time. The son of Hustler Boats founder Paul Fiore, he grew up running his father’s stepped-hull V-bottoms.
Like father, like son—as the saying goes.
Sadly, both Mike and Paul Fiore are gone. So, too, is anything resembling strong demand for closed-deck V-bottom sportboats with stern-drive-engine power. Though Outerlimits, which long ago relocated to Bristol, R.I., still offers its SV and SL V-bottoms, orders are few and far between. Performance-oriented center consoles and catamarans with outboard engine power have largely replaced their once-coveted traditional V-bottom counterparts.
Much as diehard stern-drive cat and V-bottom hate to hear that, it’s the simple truth. The sales numbers don’t lie.
Fortunately for the company, Mike Fiore added 48- and 46-foot catamarans in Outerlimits’ SC line long before he died following an accident at the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Fiore dabbled in the outboard-powered center console realm a bit—as did the company’s subsequent leadership/ownership—but his heart wasn’t in it. So nothing of consequence materialized. Yet the cats found an audience.
The 48-footer, which was released in 2007, has gone by the wayside. But the SC 46 still exists in canopied and open-cockpit form. In fact, Outerlimits just finished its first eight-seat, open-cockpit 46-footer using new dedicated deck tooling created in house.
Painted by Stephen Miles Design, another SC 46 with the same cockpit layout is slated to arrive at the company next week for engine and interior installation.
In 2022, Outerlimits introduced its SC 37 catamaran in open-cockpit dress. It was the first dedicated outboard-powered model—the company dabbled with outboard propulsion for its SV 29 and SL 41 V-bottoms, but they never took off. The 37-foot cat, on the other hand, found solid footing with brand-loyal clients as well as a few newcomers to the Outerlimits fold.
Now the company has its first canopied SC 37 almost complete. Built for pleasure use rather than offshore racing, the new offering was a natural step for the builder, which has long attracted buyers who appreciate such protection from the elements.
Outerlimits won’t ever stop offering stout custom V-bottoms with stern-drive power. No company does it better.
But Outerlimits cats are most definitely out of the bag—and on the prowl.—Matt Trulio
