It’s a project more than five years in the making, but Waves and Wheels owner Justin Wagner has not been in a rush to complete his Osage Beach, Mo., company’s next project boat—an extensive makeover of a 46-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran that was built in 1997 and raced as Ohio Steel, later becoming the Fountain-Mercury 76 kilo run boat ran by the one-and-only Reggie Fountain. In fact, Wagner is glad he took the time to let his imagination run wild because, in the end, he’s beyond amped up with the creative direction the raceboat turned six-seat pleasure boat took since he purchased the historic canopied cat in 2015.
Waves and Wheels owner Justin Wagner is excited to show off Noizy Boy, the superhero he came up with to serve as the inspiration for his 46-foot Skater catamaran project boat (below). Photos and renderings courtesy Justin Wagner.
That said, it’s without further ado that Wagner introduces Noizy Boy—the ultimate showcase of what the Waves and Wheels team, shoulder to shoulder with the crew from Maryland Offshore Performance Marine Center in Rockville, Md., is capable of producing. The Wagner-conceived and Avery Xola-generated superhero serves as the de facto brand ambassador for Wagner’s audio components company, Bluave Marine Audio.
After abandoning his original concept of turning the cat into a Transformers-themed Optimus Prime—mainly because he didn’t want to do another “Ironman,” referring to the Hustler Powerboats 377 Talon Waves and Wheels redid in 2012 (read the story)—Wagner said he felt he was creative enough to craft his own superhero to best fit Bluave and Waves and Wheels.
“I just couldn’t get the name Noizy Boy out of my head and it stuck,” Wagner said. “I can’t say I haven’t heard of the name, but if ever there was a name for something created by Waves and Wheels, ‘Noizy Boy’ is it. I thought it was a perfect fit and so did several people I confided in.
“Fortunately my brother-in-law, Avery Xola of Schemewolf Comics, is a comic book artist so when I pitched the idea to him he was all in,” he continued. “He really helped dial in my concept of Noizy Boy.”
Wagner believes the Noizy Boy Skater is going to appeal to the next generation of boaters. He saw it firsthand with Ironman as kids—and adults—flocked to the boat anywhere he took it. And Noizy Boy is, as Wagner described, on a different level from the 37-foot Hustler, in both size and wow factor.
Of course Noizy Boy is still a work in progress; Wagner expects to run the 46-foot-long, 13-foot-wide monster, which is powered by twin supercharged engines from Sterling Performance Engines, in the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run in November. It’s his favorite event of the year and he’s always wanted to do it in one of his own boats. If he gets it done sooner, say maybe in time for his hometown Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, you can bet it will be on display at the event’s Shootout on the Strip that is sponsored by Waves and Wheels.
Check out the slideshow above for more images of the Noizy Boy Skater in progress.
“This boat has taken longer than I ever anticipated, but between business expansion and an increasing amount of client projects, which always take priority around here, my toys are at the end of the list,” Wagner said. “That’s OK because our team takes pride in improving with each and every project. This concept wouldn’t be the same if we did it three years ago. Our components, design, fabrication and upholstery has improved drastically since then. Heck we even have our own paint department now, Graphix 1 Paint.”
And between the latter half of 2017 and much of 2018, Wagner purchased and renovated a marina—The Boardwalk at Waves and Wheels. He moved his operations to the property at mile marker 26 on the lake and, shortly thereafter, he converted the former facility into the paintshop he owns with his good friend Imhof, the owner of Maryland Offshore.
“This boat is going to be a trendsetter, we have so many game-changing features and styles coming,” Wagner said. “It’s going to be the most modern-looking boat on the docks anywhere it goes. It’s also going to open our clients’ minds to what is possible with not just new boats but older ones. For example, the cockpit is going to include state-of-the-art electronics featuring seven 8600 series Garmin screens and a complete Bluave Audio system. At this point, I’m most excited about the new seat design. We wrapped up the seats at the end of summer and created them to resemble Noizy Boy himself. They are heated and cooled suspension seats completely hand-crafted by Waves and Wheels with innovative integrated lighting in each one. It’s going to be like a roomy high-end sportscar.
“This is not my first cat and not my first Skater, but it’s my first serious high-performance cat,” he added. “I remember the first time I saw a 32 Skater on the lake; that’s all I talked about was owning one of those. Now I have a 46 that was raced by the legendary Reggie Fountain. I feel so blessed.”
Wagner is quick to point out a list of talented folks who has helped him execute the project so far, including Andy Imhof and Mitch Kramer of Maryland Offshore who repaired the bottom and hullsides, handled the engine compartment rigging, and reshaped and created the modern bustle and new wraparound windshield conversion to perfection, and the entire staff at Waves and Wheels, largely the most hands-on part of the team, Josh Roark, Anthonee Coleman, Dustin Hile and Idel Binet. He also thanked Xola again, and most of all his wife, Cicely, for her continued creative feedback and support.
Obviously he’s eager to start showing off the boat’s cutting-edge electronics, graphics, features, interior and Noizy Boy-inspired sound system as everything progresses—and speedonthewater.com is going to follow it the along the way in future stories.
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