Toys Tour Turning 25 Next Month

Created: October 24, 2025

Marquee event that it is, the Florida Powerboat Club’s signature trek to Key West, Fla., during the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships is not the final significant event of any given performance-boating season. That distinction belongs to the Toys Tour in Palatka, Fla., which is set for December 5-6 this year.

For Toys Tour participants, playing Santa Klaus for a day is what it’s all about. Photos courtesy/copyright Mike Goode.

And the Toys Tour, which attracts go-fast powerboat owners from around the country to show up with boat-loads of gift for children in need, is celebrating its 25 th anniversary this year.

Now organized by Scott McCormick of Velocity Boats in Sanford, Fla., the event was founded by the late Rus Matos, whose son, Louie, is still involved.

“Louie is our resident DJ for the Toys Tour” McCormick said. “He’s actually a professional DJ. He does gigs at SeaWorld, Disney islands of Adventure and all the big theme parks.”

In 2024, the St. Johns River affair attracted 80 to 90 boats according to McCormick. Many of them were multi-time Toy Tour participants, such as Chad Shutter of BRP Marine Custom in Denver, N.C. Shutter’s first Toys Tour in 2014, which he ran with his brother, Corey, in a 28-foot Skater catamaran.

Saving the best for last—the Toys Tour isn’t just the final well-known event of the year, it’s among the most laid-back.

“It’s grown to be kind of an almost a yearly ritual,” he explained. “This run always serves as kind of a last one of the year for most of our group of customers and friends. We’ve always kept going back as the run has a very laid-back feel and we all just kind of get to hang out and go boating together in an area that we really just wouldn’t typically visit. Despite the dark water, the area really has some cool boating, especially the Saturday trip up to Silver Glen Springs, which has some of the clearest freshwater you will ever see along with a large manatee population.”

Among the BRP Marine Custom clients Shutter introduced to the event is Kelly O’Hara of Upstate New York. O’Hara and his wife, Julie, will be back this year with the DCB Performance Marine M37R catamaran they co-own with Kiran and Jessica Pinisetti of Bloomington, Ind.

The upcoming event will be the O’Hara’s fifth Toys Tour.

“It’s a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas Holidays for a cause that ‘Raceboat’ Rus Matos created for a cause—to brighten less fortunate children’s Christmas morning—and worked tirelessly to produce for years,” Kelly O’Hara said.” It’s great that Scott, Maria and their team of volunteers have continued Rus’ passion.”

Added Shutter, “In the end, helping families in the Palatka community is the most important part of this run. Running with such a great group of friends and fellow boaters is just a huge bonus.”