Just got off the phone with my friend and Powerboat magazine boat-testing colleague John Tomlinson of TNT Custom Marine in North Miami. Though he told me that engine sales are flat, Tomlinson, a multiple offshore racing world champion, said he and his crew at TNT are staying busy with service and storage work, as well as prepping three Skater catamarans for the Miami International Boat Show.

But the big news out of TNT is that during the show the outfit will sell Mercury outboards and Mercury Racing engines at “dead cost.” In consumer speak, that means without dealer mark-up.

When I asked him why, Tomlinson said simply, “Because I want to.”

That alone could make a trip to Miami Feb. 11-14 worthwhile.