At the 2017 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout last month, Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats introduced its first SVX 50, a 50’ canopied V-bottom pleasureboat. The all-white boat with matte black hardware drew plenty of attention at the docks at Captain Ron’s Bar & Grill, the shootout headquarters.
“We morphed some of the SC 46 cat lines into this boat and made it edgy and angular compared to the smoother lines that some of the previous models had,” said Outerlimits general manager Dan Kleitz.
He added that the new deck design was something that Outerlimits founder, the late Mike Fiore, wanted to start working on before he died after an accident in an Outerlimits SC 46 catamaran while making a pass in the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. The boat flipped and Fiore and the driver survived the crash, but Fiore passed away from post-surgical complications at the age of 44.
“At that time, that’s something we were transitioning to so we’re carrying on what Mike would have wanted in a boat,” said Kleitz. The new model belongs to current Outerlimits owner Joe Sgro.
The SVX 50 is built on the same five-step bottom as an Outerlimits SV 50. The deck is all-new and, in addition to the edgier lines and angles, the windshield is moved about a foot farther aft for, as Kleitz put it, “fans of classic Apaches and Cigarettes who like that really long bow.”
As for the all-white paint job, Kleitz explained, “It just really accents the lines of the boat. Our boats look just as good in a single color as a $55,000 paint job.” As mentioned above, all the deck hardware including the engine hatch hinges, the cleats, the fender pins, are finished in flat black, similar to the blacked-out rims and grills you see on current high-performance cars.
Power for the SVX 50 is a pair of staggered Mercury Racing 1350/1550 turbocharged engines with M8 drives. A look in the engine compartment shows off some of the cleanest rigging you’ll ever see. All the wires and hoses are run beneath the engine-compartment and the batteries are hidden out of the way, but readily accessible. Raise the hatch and you’ll see the color-matched engines and custom paint and LED lighting.
The Bristol, R.I.-based company has had limited test time thus far and has seen a top speed of 149 mph with the engines set on 1350 hp. Kleitz said there is more speed in the boat.
Outerlimits has long been known for its advanced construction techniques and the new model is no exception. It’s built with foam coring and epoxy resins and this particular model was fabricated fully from carbon fiber. Estimated weight is just under 11,000 pounds.
Under the enclosed cockpit, the SVX 50’s interior has five bucket seats, three in the rear and two up front on suspension systems. The dash can be laid out according to an individual owner’s specifications and the controls can be positioned between the seats for two-person operation or to starboard so the driver can do everything himself.
Outerlimits fans who hope to get a closer look at the boat will get their next chance at the Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run that takes place in the southern-most city in the United States during the Superboat International offshore world championships in November.
