Ironman

Although Justin Wagner and company from Waves and Wheels aren't quite ready to show off the finished cockpit of the Ironman-themed Hustler Powerboats 377 Talon, Wagner did fill us in by saying everything is coming together smoothly despite being able to really only focus on the boat after hours at his Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., shop.

"The level of equipment in this boat is way higher-end stuff than anything I've ever installed in a boat," Wagner said. "It's going to be a kick-ass setup. I can't wait to run it in the poker run and the Shootout."

So while the crew has been working on customers' boats throughout the day, they've also been logging hours late into the evening and early morning to get the one-of-a-kind catamaran prepared for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, which is just around the corner. Here's a look at many of the things Waves and Wheels has been up to lately on the boat, including building custom speaker pods, installing accessory switches and mounting five high-output Mosconi amplifiers.

Read more: Project Update: Ironman Nearing Completion

Despite a handful of things that need to be finished aesthetically speaking, the Waves and Wheels Ironman-themed project boat hit the water last weekend—and we have spy photos to prove it. Actually they’re just photos provided by Justin Wagner, owner of Waves and Wheels in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.

The Ironman-themed Hustler 377 Talon from Waves and Wheels took its maiden voyage on Lake of the Ozarks.After the Performance Boat Center crew finished all of the rigging for the boat and its twin Mercury Racing HP575SCi engines, Wagner and Andy Sanders of Performance Boat Center took the 2001 Hustler 377 Talon catamaran out for test ride on Lake of the Ozarks.

“The boat ran well the first time out,” said Wagner, who is taking the boat to Iowa this weekend to boat with family on the Mississippi River. “We couldn’t run it too fast as we had an air bubble in the power steering line, but, man, the boat accelerates like crazy. We’re hoping to get some better props on it and see what it can do.”

Read more: Project Update: Ironman Hits the Water

Fresh off a trip to Florida to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with his wife, Cicely, Justin Wagner, owner of Waves and Wheels in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., provided speedonthewater.com with a quick update on the status of his personal project—an Ironman-themed boat.

The Waves and Wheels Ironman-themed Hustler 377 Talon is taking shape with extra special assistance from Performance Boat Center.Out to prove that you can “build a bad-ass boat without spending half a million dollars,” Wagner bought a 2001 Hustler 377 Talon catamaran last year, stripped it, refreshed the Mercury Racing HP575SCi engines, painted it and is now in the final stages of rigging and finishing the odds and ends to complete the makeover.

Wagner is working hand in hand with Brett Manire and the crew at Performance Boat Center in Camdenton, Mo., on the boat’s engine compartment and mechanical rigging. Waves and Wheels is handling many of the custom fabrication work inside the cockpit, including constructing the front and rear bolster seating, building new zippered side panels to provide better access to storage space and creating special motorized pods and one-of-a-kind components to replicate the Ironman suit worn by Tony Starks.

Wagner has reached out to Steve Dunning of Innotech Products in St. Louis to customize the carbon-fiber dash panels and is working with Optic Armor Performance Windows in Linn Creek, Mo., to create custom pieces for the eyes and other acrylic components.

Although the boat won’t be completed for about a month or so, Wagner and company are hoping to be able to test run the boat over the Memorial Day weekend.

“As of today, one of the motors is in and the other is right behind it,” Wagner said. “Performance Boat Center is doing an amazing job with everything. They are extremely detailed, and they’ve gone above and beyond my expectations.

Read more: Project: Waves and Wheels Ironman Progress

Justin Wagner, owner of Waves and Wheels in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., may design and install high-end entertainment systems for some of the most high-dollar and lavish performance boats in the country from the likes of Cigarette, MTI and Nor-Tech, but he isn’t about to spend $500,000 or more to own the boat of his dreams. Instead, Wagner is out to prove that you can “build a bad-ass boat without spending half a million dollars.”

The Waves and Wheels Ironman project boat—a Hustler 377 Talon—is taking shape after getting its exterior paint this week.What started as an idea on sketch pad a couple of years ago has now become a reality for Wagner, who has spent many hours “researching” his Ironman-themed boat via comic books, movies and browsing online. Of course, to pull off this ultimate project boat, Wagner needed to start used. From the boat to the engines and drives, pre-owned was a focus to keep costs down.

“I didn’t intend to build the boat for another year or so—I wasn’t even sure what boat I wanted—but I got a call from Terry Sobo of Nor-Tech last summer because he knew I was looking for a boat,” Wagner said. “It was a 2001 Hustler 377 Talon catamaran that he took in on trade, and he gave me a great deal so we were off and running.”

Read more: Coming Soon: Ironman from Waves and Wheels