Just got off the phone with Albert Haynesworth, the NFL All-Pro Defensive tackle who owns the new 48-foot-long Marine Technology, Inc. catamaran called Terminator. Haynesworth was talking to me from the famous or infamous—take your pick—Tiki Bar at Holiday Isle Resort, which is weekend ground-central for the Miami Boat Show Poker Run. Like the rest of the 86-boat fleet, Terminator arrived, with Haynesworth doing the driving, at Islamorada a few hours ago.

For a guy who’s usually low key, at least off the field, Haynesworth was pretty much gushing about the performance of his new catamaran and the run itself.

“Honestly, it’s a great, great boat,” he said. “I need bigger props and it will be all right—we were running 155 mph on the rev limiters all day with 38-inch props. If we had 40-inch props we estimated it would run 163, 164. I love the way it rides. I love the way it handles. It’s lighter than Hellraiser (Haynesworth’s previous 44-foot MTI)  It’s a badass. I’m actually going to keep this one for a few years.”

Power for Terminator is a pair of Mercury Racing 1025/1200 engines. That ups the ante considerably from Hellraiser, which had a pair of Mercury Racing 1075 engines. But Haynesworth is as impressed with the cat’s handling as he is with its speed and acceleration.

“It’s a big boat, but it doesn’t feel like one the way it handles—you can turn it hard,” said Haynesworth. “Randy (Scism, the owner of MTI) and I took a friend of mine who owns a 47 Outerlimits for a ride the other day, and he was worried about how the cat would turn. Randy showed him the turning, and he said, ‘All right, I’m buying your old boat.’ One ride in an MTI, and he was sold.”

In other Miami Boat Show Poker Run News:

•Randy Scism delivered three new MTI catamarans to three new customers for the run. “They’re having a ball,” said Scism, who also told me that the MTI owners—there are 14 MTI cats in the run—are bonding, big time. “Everybody is helping everybody out,” he said. “We had a couple of little issues with a few boats, and we all worked together to get them taken care of. We’ve had a beautiful run.”

•Mechanical attrition has taken a higher-than average toll, with reportedly 14 or 15 boats, starting with Speed Racer near Coconut Grove, having to withdraw from the run with mechanical problems. “They’re boats,” said Bob Christie, the owner of Speed Racer. “It happens.”

•Unseasonably cool weather is doing nothing to dampen the spirits of the crowd. “We could use a few degrees, but it’s supposed to be 74 tomorrow so it’s looking good,” said Anthony Sauta, who is participating in the run for the third time in his 39 Outerlimits. “Getting out of New Jersey when there’s two feet of snow on the ground and another foot coming Tuesday, that isn’t a bad thing.”