Deep Impact’s new 499 Sport is a 3,000-horsepower center console beast.
By Gregg Mansfield
Deep Impact has been building boats for more than 25 years, and it’s never built a center-console boat as large or with as much horsepower as the 499 Sport.
When the buyer was unable to accept delivery, Deep Impact decided to take the 499 Sport on a summer poker run tour to showcase the center console with six Mercury Racing 500R outboards. The boat will be joined by Simo Tusha’s 499 on the seven-stop tour that spans from Lake of the Ozarks Shootout to the Key West Poker Run.
No doubt the 499 Sport (50’ 4” LOA, 13’ beam) with 3,000 horsepower will be a head-turner on the tour, regardless who owns the boat.
“(The buyer) now finds himself residing in a new facility that unfortunately doesn’t allow boating or anything fun,” said Brianna Murray, factory direct rep for Deep Impact Boats.
The Opa-locka, Fla., builder debuted the first 499 Sport at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, showcasing the engineering and technology behind the high-performance design. The transom and hull were engineered to handle the weight and performance demands of six outboard engines.
The result is a 35,000-pound battlewagon that is expected to top 90 mph when the boat is fully dialed in. Deep Impact is currently propeller testing and hitting the rev-limiter at 86 mph with excess fuel and several people on board, Murray said. The boat cruises in the low 70-mph range and with 955 gallons of usable fuel on board, the 499 Sport is perfect for extended ocean journeys.
With a starting price of $2 million, base power for the 499 Sport is a quintet Mercury Racing 400R outboards. The 499 Sport is also offered with quad 600-hp Mercury Verado outboards.
For the 499 Sport with 3,000 horsepower heading out on the poker run tour, Wes Jones Design Works handled the custom paint job. The exceptional work continued into the cockpit and cabin with Deep Impact using only top-shelf hardware.
The cockpit features a deluxe summer kitchen that includes dual refrigerators and ice chests with a sink. The recessed wine bottle storage has an illuminated lid, a nice feature on the 499 Sport.
In the cabin, Deep Impact included a wraparound lounge, a full-size bed and a kitchenette. Included in the kitchenette is a stainless-steel refrigerator, microwave and a sink. The cabinets and countertops are customizable. A separate head features an electric toilet and a shower with hot water. For entertainment, the cabin has a flat-screen TV or enjoy the water view through the hullside windows.
The boat has seating for at least 16 guests, so no one is left behind at the dock. The 499 Sport can be configured with single, double or triple row seating. The helm seats feature drop-down bolsters for three people, and Deep Impact incorporated phone storage with a USB into the second-row bolsters. Second-row options include the deluxe summer kitchen or a rear-facing seat, in addition to a full transom seat. Deep Impact can install single or dual dive doors.
Protecting the helm is a sizable hardtop with tinted sun windows for added light. Both the hardtop and cabin have starlight headliners, featuring thousands of tiny fiber-optic lights to create ambiance. Deep Impact used Lumitec for the underwater and hardtop lighting, under the gunwale and boarding lights.
Other highlights include 14 LED cupholders, forward and aft spreader lights from Lumitec lights and a FLIR night vision camera. All of the technology can be controlled through the displays thanks to the Garmin EmpirBus Digital Switching System.
The model touring over the summer has six Garmin displays with the screen sizes from 10” to 27”. A neat feature is the Starlink satellite and smart TV can be mirrored on the Garmin screens. For the stereo system, Deep Impact installed an M-series system from JL Audio and integrated speakers into the hardtop.
Now the largest model in Deep Impact’s three-model lineup, the 499 Sport will be joined by 439 Sport center console at the 2025 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Both the 499 and the soon-to-be released are designed for big power.
Unlike other manufacturers, we specifically designed this boat, as well as her sistership the incoming 439, to accommodate six outboard engines,” Murray said. “It wasn’t an afterthought.”
Once Deep Impact completes the summer and fall tour, the 499 Sport is there for the taking.
Contact
www.deepimpactboats.com
305-203-2387
