After several boating seasons with a 32-foot Sleekcraft V-bottom with twin Mercury Racing 525EFI engines and an Eliminator Boats 33 Daytona powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 700SCi engines, Arizona boater Tim Salmon decided to go in a different direction with his latest powerboat purchase.

Nordic delivered this beautiful 29 Deck Boat powered by 350-hp Mercury Verado engines to Tim Salmon, one of the greatest Major League Baseball players to ever play for the Angels. All photos courtesy John Lovell

Not only did Salmon, a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played his entire career with the California Angels, pick up his first brand new performance boat, he also landed his first deck boat—a 29-foot Nordic Boats model—and his first outboard-powered model. And he’s completely stoked on the beautiful blue, gray and black Nordic powered by twin Mercury Marine Verado 350 engines that he took delivery of last week.

“I realized the Eliminator was a bit overkill for my family’s needs,” said Salmon, who spends most of his on-the-water time on Arizona’s Lake Powell as he also owns a Malibu Boats 25 LSV wakeboard boat and a houseboat he keeps at Antelope Point Marina in Page, Ariz. “The boat was a lot of fun, and if it was just me and my buddies using it all the time I might not have sold it. But for my family, we needed something a little more tame with a more open floor plan. We found exactly that with the Nordic.”

Salmon said he was originally looking at a pre-owned boat and that he was considering another V-hull with an open bow until he came across the outboard-powered deck boat on Nordic’s website while researching the company’s 35 Flame V-bottom.

“I had been scouring the internet looking at a bunch of boats when I came across Nordic’s relatively new deck boat design,” said Salmon, the father of four who is still involved with the Angels as part of their pre- and post-game broadcast team. “I knew Eliminator obviously, and those guys are great and build a nice boat, but the Nordic caught my eye so I went to Lake Havasu City and talked with Thane (Tiemer, Nordic’s general manager).

“First of all, I feel like Nordic is at the top of its game in this business—those guys build great boats for a great value,” he added. “Second, the outboard engines were a major selling point. I wanted a boat that we could take long distances on Lake Powell—and get there relatively quick—and one that was friendlier for the kids in terms of getting in and out of the water. It also needed to be able to handle the choppy waters of Lake Powell. This boat does all of that. For me, the horsepower is plenty and the fuel consumption and economics of the outboards with the warranty are tough to beat.”

Check out more images of the 29-foot deck boat in the slideshow above.

Salmon commented that the boat, which tops out at 85 mph, cruises comfortably in the 60- to 70-mph range and has great acceleration out of the hole and throughout he midrange. He also said being a part of the build from the get-go was an awesome experience.

“It was fun to be a part of the creative process,” Salmon said. “We picked out the color scheme and went through a bunch of the fabric options. Overall the process was pretty straightforward, which I liked. I can’t stand being nickel-and-dimed for everything, but it wasn’t like that at all. There were only a handful of things you can add—most everything you need Nordic provides as standard.”

Salmon said he is looking forward to enjoying some time on the water in all of his boats this summer and fall. He’s also likely to participate in the annual Lake Powell Challenge in September if his schedule allows.

“When Tim ordered his boat, you could tell he had done his homework,” said Nordic’s John Lovell. “He seems real pleased with it. He’s definitely going to have some fun with the boat on Lake Powell for many years.”

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