If you’re thinking about a second boat or a runabout, take a look at the new U23i Thoroughbred from a small startup company in Manistee, Michigan, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
The new 23-footer is a product of the Thoroughbred Boat Company, and the brainchild of Mike Kamaloski, the company’s founder and president. “We decided we were going to take the excitement and style of boats of the past and bring it to today’s generation,” he told upnorthlive.com. “We built a modern-day classic.”
The new 23, called “Maiden Manistee,” has inboard power from a single 365-hp Ilmor engine, with a top speed of about 50 mph. A 430-hp Ilmore is an option.
Kamaloski says there’s an untapped market for classic-looking, upscale powerboats. The 23 takes its styling cues from such classic builders as Century, Gar Wood and Chris-Craft, he says.
A native of Manistee, Kamaloski has spent his entire life in boating. Indeed, he started working for Century Boat in Manistee in 1976. After Century moved to Florida ten years later, he worked for Four Winns, Rinker and BRP Evinrude. Two years ago he left BRP to start Thoroughbred Boat Company; the name harkens back to the 1950s when Century called itself “the thoroughbred of boats.”
Kamaloski wants to build boats, but he also wants to build business in Manistee and Michigan. His boat company uses suppliers in Manistee, Traverse City, Grand Rapids, and Detroit. He says he possibly could buy components a bit cheaper overseas, but he is committed to providing jobs and income in his home town.
Thoroughbred now has nine employees, and is starting work on its first production boat.
Specs.: LOA: 24’8” ; Beam: 6’6”; Draft: 2’2”; Disp.: 4,050 lbs. Fuel: NA; Water: NA; Power: 1×365-hp Ilmor. Read more: http://thoroughbredboatcompany.com
