Offshore racing fans know veteran competitor Randy Sweers as the owner and throttleman of the Superboat-class 40-foot Marine Technology, Inc., catamaran racing under the Sailor Jerry Rum sponsorship banner. Go-fast powerboat enthusiasts in general know him from Fastboats Marine Group, his full boat service dealership and brokerage outfit in Fort Lauderdale Fla. But Sweers’ business expanded beyond the performance boat world long ago, and to that end he’s renaming/rebranding his company FB Marine Group.

Sweers, who recently visited Skater Powerboats to check on this 52-foot catamaran he took on trade and is selling, isn’t abandoning the go-fast powerboat sales world.

“Our business has evolved during the past 25 years,” said Sweers. “We started as Florida Powerboat Brokerage, then became Fastboats.com in the dotcom era and then changed to Fast Boats Marine Group. Everybody knows us as that, but we’re a full-service marina and we sell everything from center consoles to sportfishers to express cruisers. As Fast Boats Marine Group, people think we only sell ‘fast boats,’ and while we still do we’re continuing to expand our horizons. We believe FB Marine Group better reflects that expansion.”

Sweers pointed out that he’ll continue to sell performance boats—he’s not abandoning the market. In fact, earlier this week he was at Skater Powerboats in Douglas, Mich., meeting with a potential buyer for a 52-foot catamaran he took on trade from customer Curt Watkins when he sold Watkins a Skater 40SS powered by twin Mercury Racing 1350 engines. (Ron Szolack originally ordered the 40-footer.) Sweers sent the 52-footer to Skater for cosmetic touch-ups and bottom modifications, he said.

“I think I have it sold,” he said. “In this business, it’s not all about selling a boat. It’s about having the financial wherewithal to be able to take a trade. That’s one of the things that separates a dealer from a broker.”

FB Marine Group’s new website is almost complete, according to Sweers, and will go live in the near future. “There’s some cool new technology behind it,” he said.

Related stories

Sarasota Grand Prix Wrap-Up: Outerlimits, Sailor Jerry, Smart Marine and More Prevail
Fastboats Marine Group Racing With New Look, New Sponsor and More