With a 2019 Miami International Boat Show debut just two months away, the first Wright Performance 420 catamaran arrived yesterday at Performance Boat Center in Osage Beach, Mo., for rigging, painting and interior installation. As with the popular Wright Performance 360 sport cat, the 42-footer, which has a 38-foot, 4-inch running surface and—like the 36-footer—a 66-inch-wide tunnel, will be finished and distributed exclusively through Performance Boat Center.

Set to be rigged with twin Mercury Racing Verado 400R outboard engines, the first Wright Performance 420 catamaran will be on display at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show (click image to enlarge).

“The boat pulled in late last night,” said Brett Manire, who co-owns the full-service multi-brand dealership with Mark Waddington. “We are going to rig it with twin (Mercury Racing) Verado 400R outboard engines, paint it and get the interior installed in time for the Miami show, where it will be on display at the Mercury demo docks.

“Overall, the 420 is 11 percent bigger than the 360, but roughly 1,000 pounds heavier,” he continued. “We are expecting it to run 115 mph or so. All of the Wright 360s are running from 123 to 126 mph. The 420 is for the buyer who doesn’t necessarily care as much about that as having a bigger boat for the water. It’s basically a 360 on steroids.”

While the 42-footer’s hull and deck are physically larger than that of the 36-footer, its six-seat cockpit dimensions are roughly the same. Manire said that will make things easier for the Performance Boat Center crew, which builds interiors for the Wright Performance 360 from templates in the company’s St. Louis-based facility. The boat’s cockpit, as well as its multiple sponson and aft-deck stowage lockers, will be “a little deeper,” he added, but most of the 420’s interior appointments and helm station instruments will be the same as those of the 360.

Said Brett Manire of the new 420, “It’s basically a 360 on steroids.”

Though the first model will be set up for outboards, the catamaran does have enough space and can be configured for Mercury Racing QC4v (quad cam four valve) stern-drive engines such as the 860 and 1100 offerings, according to Manire.

“We’ve accepted the task of getting this boat ready for Miami and we’re already building another one,” Manire said. “We are going to keep the guys at Doug Wright busy.”

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