Oct 3

Oct 3 The DCB M37R is a New Era for the California Custom Boat Builder

If there is one boat company that universally stands out for its quality and incredible finish, it’s DCB of California. DCB has been making stunning boats for a long time with strong demand, and in some circles might be considered king of the lake boats. When it comes to hardcore performance enthusiasts the drawback of DCB’s boats was the center pod design which despite having a couple benefits, in general aren’t as capable as as true catamaran for running really fast in big water. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with being king of the lake boats, but a new model has changed the tone of the company in a big way. More orders, more performance and the ability to run in big water for a whole new segment of customers. This is a new era for DCB, a company that has survived and thrived with the mission of being the best at what it does.

From humble beginnings over 25 years ago, building custom one off 22’ and 26’ sport cats, DCB embodied the california boating scene; stunning gelcoat work, custom rigging and big power. I remember ages ago reading about an early Dave’s Custom Boats Mach 22’ with twin Mercury Racing 2.5 Drags that did around 122 MPH. At the time that seemed incredible, it was a beautiful boat. Those boats led to a couple of V hull models called the Extreme 24 and the Extreme 28. Bigger catamarans, the F series with quarter canopies and high freeboards with big power always were on the cover of Powerboat Magazine and Hot Boat. Everything seemed good at DCB but a change in ownership and direction was a key move for the boat builder.

Under the original founder, Dave Hemmingson, the M series boats were a new design direction, with bigger boats, wrap around windshields and interiors that kept pushing the limits on what a custom boat could be helped DCB fill the order books. they were and still are proudly a very boutique builder. And, the thing about many west coast cat builders is they commonly use a center pod design that I mentioned earlier. The design that in itself has a couple benefits, you can run a big single engine sterndrive for one, and they can be really stable at speed, but to the hardcore performance enthusiast, a true catamaran is more capable in many ways, with the ability to pack more air, be capable of handling big water at speed, and be faster overall.

This is what many think of when they think of a DCB, beautiful colors, and big power.

In 2017, it was time for the company to change direction. With a new ownership structure and some capital put in with new owner Rob Blair, along with partners Paul Miller, Jeff Johnston and Tony Chiaramonte, the company set off to really push the limits. From the M28 to the M44, DCB had a pretty broad spectrum of customers. In hindsight, the obvious next move was to build a true tunnel catamaran. Some might say late to the party but I actually think it was right on time because the sport cat scene is one of the hottest segments of the performance boat world and with DCBs brand power and reputation, they wanted to get it exactly right, and they did.

The M37R is the perfect size for the Mercury Racing 450R engines, and the lines of the boat speak for themselves. 133 MPH is among the fastest sport cats out there. Love this color combo (photo credit DCB Performance Boats)

The M37R is a statement piece from DCB. With a LOA of 37’6”, a beam of 10’6” and a deep tunnel that is 65” wide, the M37R is a revolution for the company. Although it looks DCB through and through, they leaned on Franco Gianni of SFG Yacht Design for the design. These hulls are weighing in around 5,700 to 6,000 lbs. dry weight. Every panel is vacuum bagged, all composite carbon build. Now customers on the East Coast who were fans of the brand can get into a DCB and run it offshore along side MTIs, Skaters, Doug Wrights and other boats in the big poker runs and meetups.

With 450Rs, the DCB M37R is seeing 130 MPH+, which is right there with the fastest sport cats. One signature of DCB is the beautiful gelcoat work and they do interiors as well as anyone. Some of their first M37R boats were absolutely stunning in silver, white, and solid red. The understated look of a more monochromatic look, with less graphics really highlights the quality and design of the big cat, a look I really like. You’ll see some wild ones too, with an array of colors in crazy designs.

With amazing materials and everything done inhouse, the cockpit is second to none on all DCB boats. The M37R is all business. Unique to the M37R is the console for access to the throttles and controls. This boat has a unique helm that can switched to each side.

I got a chance to speak to Tony Chiaramonte and Jeff Johnston at the Miami Boat Show and they told me the response has been incredible, with a waitlist of around 18 boats forming. Their biggest question from a business perspective is if they should build a bigger factory. Definitely a good problem to have, a difficult one nonetheless. This goes to show how incredible the brand is; to go into a new market and absolutely crush it like that. The team and DCB has shown what building a great reputation, focusing on quality and exceeding expectations can do in the long run.

Stunning and flawless are words that come to mind when you see this M35 widebody. I do love how DCB still builds some wild sterndrives like this one. The colors have to be seen in person. The gelcoat work is next level. And you can see the attention to detail in the cockpit, not an unfinished surface to be found. Not one imperfect seam or edge. This M35 has Mercury Racing dual cal. 1550 engines, runs about 175 MPH.

Right now I believe DCB puts out about 15 boats per year. With their focus so heavy on quality, they might carefully scale up but they have a really tight and solid team, so it is always a balance. Keep in mind the M33R, and other models are also very popular, with outboards representing about 70% of the new boats. Jeff and Tony are really great guys, always extremely friendly and excited to talk about the boats they are building. The M37R is yet another chapter for the revered brand, and I think we are going to continue to see them push the envelope on new designs, while delivering boats that absolutely rip.