offshore powerboat listings

LEGENDS NEVER DIE. THEY'RE SIMPLY REINVENTED.

Founded in 1987 by Don Jenkins, Black Thunder Powerboats made a name for itself by producing some of the largest and fastest offshore powerboats of their time. Known for their luxurious amenities, high-speeds and ability to handle big water, Black Thunder became an icon of the high-performance powerboating lifestyle.

Today, Black Thunder Offshore continues its iconic legacy under new management. With new builds underway at our retooled headquarters in Hannibal, Missouri, we are combining decades of experience and craftmanship with today’s latest marine technologies to take the Black Thunder brand to new heights.  From our innovative new hull designs to our bold new graphics, you’re not going to want to miss the exciting new things coming next from Black Thunder Offshore.

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Our Exclusive Models

Mercury Racing Partner

Choose from Mercury 300R's to 450s. The choice is yours!

4.6 Liter V8

The V8 FourStroke 450R cranks out the highest level of outboard power ever offered by Mercury Racing

Advanced Midsection

The rugged Advanced MidSection (AMS) features heavy-duty guide plates and stiffened engine mounts to stabilize the outboard for enhanced high-speed handling.

Water-Cooled Supercharger

A 2.4-liter belt-driven, twin-screw supercharger delivers zero-lag pressure charging for instant throttle response.

Gearcase Options

The surface piercing Sport Master gearcase delivers race-proven performance for boats capable of speeds exceeding 85 mph, with low water pick-ups and a crescent leading edge to maximize efficiency and speed.

32 Doug Wright

Racing pedigree.

With over 25 years of building offshore powerboats, we have brought home over 20 Championships in the Stock Outboard Class with plenty more in the future. Click on the link below to learn more and order your race boat today!

DOUG WRIGHT POWERBOATS

P1 Offshore;

Powerboat P1 is the fastest growing marine motorsport series in the world and has a long term commitment to growing and developing the sport of power boating at all levels. The Powerboat P1 team works closely with the sport’s governing bodies, the UIM, APBA and the IJSBA. P1 has delivered more than 85 world championship events in over twelve different countries for more than a decade.

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Contact info.

• Address: 2320 Clark Street, Suite A1 Apopka, FL 32703 United States
• Phone: +1 407 985 1938
• Email: [email protected]

Cocoa Beach

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Thu 30, May - 01, Jun

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St. Petersburg

Fri 18 - Sun 20, Oct

Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Celebrates 40 Years

It’s a family affair, midwest challenge day 2: flexing their muscles, midwest challenge day 1: blown away by victory.

• Fri Sep 13 ~ Sun Sep 15 2024

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Race results 2023.

• 2023 Season

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Ocean Express Powerboats Inc.

Builder of Quality Power Catamarans for over 40 years. Concept and Design by Ross Focht of Focht Marine Design.

World Championship Powerboats.

Ocean Express Boats

Pioneer of the composite hull power catamaran, conceived, designed, and built, in the usa..

Ocean Express powerboats are built to the finest quality standards. Our proud history spans over 43 years of innovative catamarans derived from the exacting offshore racing discipline.

Here are just a few of our key achievements…

• first off-shore, composite catamaran, ever!
• first composite Kevlar offshore catamaran
• first 100% balsa and foam core catamaran
• first 48′ offshore composite Poker Run catamaran (22 built)
• first offshore composite Benihana race cat, winning the Benihana Point Pleasant New Jersey Race
• Winner of multiple in-class speed records
• Ross Focht pioneered the Offshore Composite Catamaran sport
• Several of our 40′ catamarans have been running at 100+ mph for over 35 years

Focht Marine Design

Focht Marine is the brainchild of the legendary Ross Focht. Ross is an award-winning designer and innovator with a career spanning over 40 years. One of the early adopters and pioneers of the catamaran hull, Ross has manufactured an extensive catalog of quality vessels that utilize multiple step, high-speed composite catamaran hulls, featuring World Class engineering, extreme fuel efficiency, excellent sea-keeping ability, and easy maintenance.

Ross followed his head and heart and challenged the status quo. Using his first-hand, practical experience in running boats to their absolute limit, he recognized the shortcomings of ‘accepted’ design and production techniques and dared to ask the question, “How can I make this better?”.   Accepting the self-imposed challenge, he tackled the problem head-on and decided to set his own path.

Where it began…

Ross started life in construction, completing an apprenticeship in carpentry and working on a number of commercial and residential construction projects. His true passion, however, was boats and being on the water.

It wasn’t long before Ross became an avid fan of not just being on a boat but racing them competitively. After a few forays into racing pre-built boats, Ross realized he could build one better from the ground up rather than modifying something off the shelf.

In 1975, Ross launched his first construction effort – Activ8eEr, a deep-vee, monohull monster into which Ross and Co. poured every resource they could muster. 2 years later after modest success they entered into the 1979 Spirit of Detroit race on the Detroit river. This would change his course forever.

Entered in the race was a National Championship team from California. They brought with them a monster of a wooden, catamaran hull boat built by the legendary Cougar Boats in the UK. Everybody who was anybody at the race all chuckled behind hand-covered mouths. Everyone knew that only composite, deep-vee boats were any threat to the status quo.

Then the racing began. The wooden hull catamaran literally smoked every boat on the water. Nobody was laughing anymore.    

Lessons Learned, the Story Begins…

Ross was humbled but like any great innovator, he chose not to just follow the crowd and emulate. Instead, he asked the question, “How can I make it even better?”.

He knew, having seen first hand, how easily a catamaran could outpace a monohull – it just made sense when you think about it given the lesser surface drag. The problem was, wooden boats had a reputation of not being able to stand up to the rigors of high-speed on rough seas.

He may not have been the first to come to this realization, obviously, but he did make the intuitive leap that perhaps a composite material hull might be the way to go. Combine the strength of an external veneer with the lightness of an internal cor material and combine the best of both worlds. Ross went back to the drawing board and began planning what would turn out to be, the future of composite-hull, racing catamarans.

The legacy continues…

In 1982, Ross (now Focht Marine Design) completed his first foray into composite catamarans, a 33 foot powerhouse which he handed over to local Michigan race enthusiast, Butch Ryan. Butch put the boat through its paces in several regional competitions with encouraging success.

Meanwhile, Ross went to work on a new 37 foot catamaran which they named ‘EXPRESS’. With Butch at the helm and Ross’s brother Larry on the throttle, the team entered the ’82 Powerboat Championship in Key West. Not only did they blitz the competition, they won the World Championship running the fastest race ever in the Sport Class and setting the World Kilo Speed record at 114 mph. EXPRESS then went on to win the APBA High Point Championship for that year. With this new 37′ EXPRESS, Butch Ryan entered the top ranks of the elite National Powerboat Circuit. Described by competitors as “Hard to catch and even tougher to beat”, boats by Ross Focht Marine Design became a sought-after commodity. 

Many different racing teams looked to Ross Focht to put his unique stamp on their designs  to give  them that “winning edge”.  Ross’s client list back in the 80’s was a veritable whos-who list of the elite racing teams including Baja, Benihana, Budweisser,  Gallo Wines and more.

The Future and beyond…

A Ross Focht Design is more than a mere footnote in the Golden Era of Offshore Powerboat Racing. It is the story about a man who followed his passion and, now 43 years later, continues with that same passion to build quality World Class catamarans. 

Born from a racing heritage, Focht Marine Design has evolved into producing quality vessels for the discerning boat enthusiast looking for a boat that is the best that it can be in terms of quality, performance, style, and comfort.

Years Experience (and counting)

Boats produced.

Our team of dedicated professionals is here to assist in any way we can. You are welcome to reach out directly to any member of our team.

Founder, Chief Designer

– Contact Ross –

Marsha Focht

Administration

– Contact Marsha –

WhatsApp us

               

21' Parker 2100 SE

28' Regal 2600LSR

21' Sea Hunt Victory 215 Walkaround

28' Conquest boss cat walk through

41' SONIC SUPER SPORT

24' LAVEYCRAFT 24 NUERA

29' Nordic 29 DECK

22' Glastron 225 SX

34' Fountain 34 SC

27' Baja 27 Outlaw

28' Nordic Heat

41' Hatteras 41 Aft Cabin

37' Wellcraft Corsica 3700

24' Centurion FI23

35' Formula Fastech 353

50' Metal Craft Marine Firestorm 50 Fireboat

25' Hawaiian Day Cruiser

24' nautistar 243 dc.

43' Black Thunder 43 GT

25' Eliminator 255 Speedster

36' Monk Double Cabin

26' Warlock 26 SST

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