Deep Impact 499 ‘Summer Tour’ Rolls Into Boyne Thunder

Thanks to Deep Impact Custom Boats  company owner Mark Fischer and the team at Plantation Boat Mart, the company’s exclusive dealership in Taverna, Fla., Deep Impact Custom Boat has been on a “Summer Tour” with its second 499 center console. So far this season, the Miami-based builder’s 49-footer powered by six Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines has tackled the six-day Florida Powerboat Club Bahamas Poker Run and the weekend-long Rockin The Harbor Poker Run in Baltimore.

The second Deep Impact 499 was a show-stealer last weekend during the Boyne Thunder Poker Run. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Now the Deep Impact crew can add last weekend’s Boyne Thunder Poker Run to its 2025 event list. From Thursday’s Bay Harbor Lunch Run—where it cut a particularly impressive swath on Round Lake in Charlevoix—to the abbreviated Saturday Poker Run, the 499 tackled every element of the Northern Michigan event with ease. It wasn’t first Deep Impact model to take on Boyne Thunder, the center console captured constant attention during the event.

A passenger aboard Chris LaMorte’s 36-foot Skater catamaran, Ethan Muller, the son of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Electronics Unlimited owner Ron Muller, summed up the general gist of the buzz among participants in the 2025 affair.

“That thing is awesome,” he said as he watched the center console idle through Round Lake on Thursday morning ahead of the Bay Thunder trek.”It’s beautiful.”

Most of the Plantation Boat Mart crew-members who ran the 49-foot stunner were first-timers to the event. They left impressed—and vowed to return.

“Boating in Boyne Thunder 2025 was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Valentina Botero, the dealership’s director of marketing. “The event exceeded all expectations and offered an experience unlike any other. From the warm, welcoming community—especially our extended family at Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales—to the stunning natural beauty of northern Michigan, we were truly blown away. We were amazed by the crystal-clear coves we found ourselves floating in. It was something we never anticipated in Michigan waters.”

“One of the most memorable moments was the sheer energy of the spectators,” she added. “The turnout was incredible, and the excitement along the route gave us chills. It’s something we won’t soon forget.”

The six-outboard beauty was a commanding presence on Round Lake during the Thursday Bay Harbor Lunch Run. Photo by Matt Trulio.

Botero and company were hoping the 499 would be able to show off its impressive sea-legs during the Saturday poker run, as it did last month in the 5- to 7-footers it encountered during the Bahamas event. But as reported morning rain forced the organizers to cancel the morning portion of the run.

“While we were disappointed that two of the scheduled stops were canceled due to weather, we were eager to show what our Deep Impact 499 Sport could do in the challenging mid-run conditions,” Botero explained. “The rougher water would have been the perfect stage to demonstrate the boat’s capabilities.

“The Boyne Thunder team did a phenomenal job organizing the event,” she continued. “Everything, from the on-water coordination to the breakfast and reception dinner, was executed flawlessly,” she added. “We’re already looking forward to returning next year and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made us feel so welcome.”

Next up for the second Deep Impact 499 to be completed is the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout August 20-24 in Central Missouri, followed by the September 11-13 Pirates of Lanier Poker Run in Georgia, the Florida Powerboat Club Emerald Coast Powerboat Week set for September 18-21 and the organization’s Key West Poker Run slated for November 5-11.

The 49-footer wasn’t the only Deep Impact in the 2025 Boyne Thunder Poker Run fleet as wtiness by this colorful 399 model.

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