Lake of the Ozarks Overtakes Miami as the Place for Performance Boats
When it comes to places to see the hottest boats around, Lake of the Ozarks has been that place for a while. I would say at some point, the Miami Boat Show was a great place to see every kind of boat, including performance boats but that is no longer the case. If you want to see the best of the best in performance boats, you’d be better off visiting Lake of the Ozarks Missouri in August during shootout week. The convergence of fast boat dealers, enthusiasts, racing and the venerable LOTO Shootout brings everyone together. People come from everywhere for the shootout, and it has made the sprawling lake in Missouri the place to be.
Although Miami remains a center for the marine industry, despite its history in performance offshore boating, the truth is Miami is more about center consoles, yachts and rental boats than performance boats. I’ve been boating around Miami for a long time, and you still see aspects of the performance boat market, but not for boats 32’ and under, It’s usually just big boats. Don’t get me wrong, I like a big offshore boat as much as the next drug runner but my heart is in the small boats where us regular joe’s have fun.
For me, as much as I appreciate the high dollar stuff and the race boats, the actual life blood of the industry is the smaller single engine and mid size twin engine enthusiast who is interested in getting together with no objective other than having fun. For many it is finding like minded friends, cruising new areas and help with their boat setup. There is no formality to it. There are forums online for discussions but the real communities happen on the water in real life. This is where a place like Lake of the Ozarks has become the center for all types of performance boat enthusiasts and the shootout is the big reason. At the shootout you will see the 50’ Mystic American Ethanol do otherworldly fast runs, and you’ll see a father son duo running a nice classic V hull they restored, and everything in between.
There are other communities that have come together in the last several years. The Keys Island Runners group in the Florida Keys is a fantastic community organization with multiple events that brings South Florida performance enthusiasts together. I see communities like that getting together in places up north and the midwest and those group meets are great to see. Maybe one benefit of social media is the ability to find those groups and replicate them in other places. The popular Instagram page “Bayrippers” has a meetup of its own on lake Champlain and has spawned other “ripper” pages with meetups as well, you see similar meets in the Caribbean, Ontario Canada, Arizona, California and more. For the longest time a group has gotten together in Long Island, I think on Wednesdays, and I know there are many more; I love that level of community building. That’s where props are swapped, friends are made and stories are shared.
Something like the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout is a perfect example of how bringing people together can be so powerful in building something bigger than itself. It is truly incredible seeing all of the performance boat world descend on this small community that is kind of in the middle of nowhere, between St. Louis and Kansas City. Some of the top performance dealers are based there, all the big manufacturers have some presence there. And you would be blown away at the number of boats you see.
The Lake of the Ozarks Shootout started humbly in 1989 with local boaters organizing a mile run. Soon, the event became a great way to raise money for the local fire department. So many boating events do an amazing job of raising money for local charities. I know Speed on the Water has taken the opportunity to raise money for Samuel’s House in Key West for their annual party in Key West, to the tune of over $400,000 in the last couple years alone. And most poker runs have a focus on local charities with substantial funds raised; that is an incredible part of the boating community that doesn’t always get recognized.
Over time, the shootout has grown to be a week-long event with meetups, runs and parties. The shootout itself has changed to a ¾ mile run, for safety and has become the biggest event for performance boaters in the country.
When I go, I usually get a condo on the lake and enjoy spending some down time while seeing all the boats running, and then getting a good look at the street party. This is much better than a boat show. In fact if I was a performance boat builder of any size and especially a smaller one, I’d have a presence at the shootout and forgo Miami and other big shows.
What is great about the shootout too is how it’s for boat enthusiasts, no matter what you like. And, the single run format is not only safe but pretty fun. I often thought you could replicate Mod VP racing by doing single runs through a course, one after the other, just for safety and spectator fun. That’s a side note though. Another interesting note is that many custom builders on the west coast don’t often get to show their boats to boaters from the east coast or midwest. Several boats like the 32 Speedster, below in 2023, built by Dan MacNamara of Archer Marine in California gained some new fans who had never seen his boats in person before. The same with Tuff Marine of Canada who have made a big impact by showcasing their blistering fast boats in the shootout, the 34 seen above and this year the Tuff 32 cat debut, along with. a new 36 V hull.
A few things to consider are the companies that have contributed to and made possible by the growth of performance boating in Missouri. You will find Performance Boat Center there, a large dealer and builder of their own line of catamarans, you will see engine builders, rigging shops like Waves and Wheels which has grown to be a larger force in the boat world lately, with owner Justin Wagner purchasing Doug Wright Powerboats. Of course, MTI is based in Missouri, and has been one of the more popular catamaran and luxury center console boats for a long time. Many brands now have their owner runs at LOTO.
So, if you are planning a trip in the summer and you are a boat enthusiast who has never been to the Ozarks, make the trip. The Midwest is a hub for boating and Lake of the Ozarks has really become larger than anyone could have ever imagined 36 years ago at Shooters restaurant.
