I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I am happy to report that we continue to evolve our safety practices, both at the factory and at our Dania facility in order to ensure the safety of our employees and customers. As a designated essential industry, we’ve implemented many initiatives which include split break times that enable people to maintain proper social distance in break rooms, and we sanitize everything between breaks. We have also broken up all of our production meetings into smaller groups so we can safely review new builds, engineering change notices, design sessions, and set goals for the week and months ahead.
Also, both at our Sales & Service Center in Dania Beach and the factory here in Largo, we have put all the proper precautions in place for a safe customer experience by having all the proper PPE (personal protection equipment) such as face masks, gloves, sanitizers, and eye protection for everyone’s safety. We are still meeting with customers and giving plant tours, design sessions, sea trials, and private showings, all with your safety being our #1 concern.
I could not be prouder of the Intrepid Team for being able to adapt and make these changes so that we can continue to deliver the highest quality powerboat on the water, backed by the best customer service in the industry. Our people are what have made Intrepid the continuing success story we are today, along with amazing customers like you. Thank you all for your continued support.
For those of you who were able to attend our very first virtual event May 5th on Facebook, I would like to thank you for taking the time to join us. Not being able to debut the new Intrepid 409 Valor at the Palm Beach Boat Show inspired us to figure out the next best thing. This was our first online event and what we will evolve these events the same way our boats do with your input. If you did miss it, here is a link to the recorded event on YouTube so you can still catch it. I also want to thank Kevin Falvey from Boating Magazine for helping us open the show and the interview that he did with me. If you missed it, you can still view the entire Facebook Live event right here:
Our next virtual event will be a live factory tour where I will take you through each department, showing you firsthand what separates an Intrepid from any other boat on the water. I’ll also take and answer live questions during the tour just as if you came to the factory and took the tour with me in person. With travel being more difficult right now and it being harder for people to get to the factory we thought why not bring the factory to you! We’re excited about this next virtual event and can’t wait to share what we do, so think up some good questions. This should be fun, so keep a lookout for your invitation!
Always moving forward, the next new model soon to debut is the new Intrepid 438 Evolution. This exciting new boat is being built on our factory’s sport yacht line as you read this. The first hull is built, we’ve completed the cabin liner tooling, and are currently building the deck tooling, as well. The design is based on its predecessor, the 430 Sport Yacht. With a 12’8” beam and 19.1-degree deadrise at the transom, this is a time-tested and proven offshore hull. Upgrades include a completely redesigned cabin.
The 438 Evolution starts with a previously forward berth being replaced with a large settee/lounge with a high-low actuating table that converts to a second queen-sized berth at the touch of a button! Then, above this new bow settee, we’ve added overhead storage like that on the new 409 Valor. Because you can never have enough storage space!
As we move aft in the cabin, you’ll see all-new, premium cabinetry. We also more than doubled the capacity of the refrigerator/freezer while increasing open cabin space by mounting these two appliances across from the galley. This new cabin also boasts a separate private stateroom, and a full head with separate shower.
The other big change in the cabin, even more obvious on the outside of the boat, is the addition of the Evolution-series hull-side windows and inset-hull style line that wraps the windows in a sleek new design. Seeing how much everyone loved this styling on the 477 Evolution, we knew we had to get it into the new 438, as well. It creates an amazing profile, clearly telling everyone that you are, indeed, on an Evolution-series Intrepid Powerboat!
The aft cockpit showcases additional innovations. You’ll find portside forward seating, and across the transom, new above-deck pressurized bait wells with windows. These transom spaces can also be customized as storage minus the windows or be built out as coolers.
Back in the midship area, you’ll notice some other obvious design enhancements from a profile standpoint by looking at the newly designed windshield and the giant, fiberglass arch top that gives you a ton of coverage and can accept an optional aft-actuating sunshade that covers the entire cockpit! All these advances in technology and design come from our red-hot 477 Evolution series, giving these boats a distinct Intrepid family look and feel unlike any other boat on the water.
Now let’s talk about fuel. Everyone always wants more range and the new 438 Evolution delivers. What was 376 gallons of fuel capacity of is now 550 gallons!
These are just a few of the highlights on the new 438 Evolution. We’ll be posting its build progression on Facebook, Instagram, and our upcoming newsletters so you can follow along. As you can see, it is a completely different boat from bow to stern. Having built so many 430 Sport Yachts, we took your best custom suggestions from over the years and put them all into this new 438 Evolution. Because our customers are our best designers, and you always will be!
Thanks for taking this time out of your day to keep up with everything we’re doing here at Intrepid. Stay safe and we’ll see you out on the water!
Last but not least, I want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Memorial Day and more importantly take the time to remember and thank all of those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. May they never be forgotten!
It looks like we are slowly coming out of this pandemic and it finally feels like the worst is behind us. This crisis has made us adjust many parts of our lives that we used to take for granted. Lots of things have changed, but the one thing that remains is that sharing quality time on the water, especially aboard an Intrepid, is a great way spend our free time. It’s also a great way to stay socially distant. As we all slowly adjust to the new normal, I want to let you know that one thing will always remain the same: Our promise to build the best boats on the water, and to provide an after-sale experience that is second to none. That will not change!
Memorial Day is just around the corner. It is a special holiday that signals the beginning of summer and commemorates the men and women who gave their lives for our country. Summer season is tailor-made for boating, so this is a great time to take full advantage and begin enjoying some much-needed fun on the water.
Our factory is working hard at producing new models for our line-up. Our next release will be the 438 Evolution. It’s going to be a perfect complement to its big brother, the 477 Evolution. The private stateroom and convertible forward settee/lounge provide ideal overnight accommodations for families or couples. It will be a perfect get-away platform for weekends or vacations. Its first-class styling, superior performance, and stout construction check all the boxes, and make it a perfect addition to Intrepid’s all-star fleet. Stay tuned for its debut in the coming months.
Please remember that our office at Harbour Towne is open for private showings of the many boat models we have here. You also don’t want to miss the new 409 Valor built for the Palm Beach boat show, which is also here and available for immediate sale! We strictly follow CDC guidelines for cleaning, disinfecting, and social distancing, so you can rest assured that you will be safe when you visit with us. Please us to make an appointment. We look forward to seeing you sometime soon and show you all we’ve been doing. Until then, stay safe and healthy.
Best,
Alex Rizo
954-922-7544 ext. 23
ARizo@IntrepidPowerboats.com
Memorial Day is a holiday meant to remind us of how our military men and women have sacrificed so much to keep our country safe. Let’s all take a moment to remember what a special gift those great Americans have given us. It also starts off the summer season of boating for many of us and is one of the busiest holidays on the water. Please be safe and courteous to others on this holiday weekend.
The world’s a much different place than it was just a few months ago due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With your safety in mind, there are new rules for everything, so be sure to check for local guidelines.
The basics from the CDC for safe and healthy boating are listed here:
- Limit guests aboard to those from your own household.
- Don’t get too close to other boats by rafting up or beaching your boat next to another at a sand bar.
- Be ready to get aboard your boat and depart your marina as soon as possible after you arrive.
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after touching anything like a gate handle or gas pump nozzle that someone else may have touched.
The U. S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Mobile App is a very useful resource that allows access to local boating information, rules of the road, and safety checks. You can also report hazards or pollution and suspicious activity while you are out on the boat using this app. There are boating rules, float plans, and you can even request emergency assistance while out on the water using this app.
A smart way to start the boating season might be to have a Coast Guard auxiliary safety check done on your boat. You can request an inspection using the safety app. Once that’s done it will certify your boat as having been inspected so your days on the water will be a lot safer, and easier.
This Memorial Day holiday may be the first trip of the summer for some of us, so it’s essential that your boat be serviced and ready for a season of trouble-free use. Please make sure that your service and maintenance checklists have been completed so that all systems are go. Life on the water will be a lot easier if you have completed these sensible steps.
As a reminder, if you’re not yet signed up for our Owner’s Portal, this is a great time to do so! Our Forum is available for networking with fellow Intrepid enthusiasts and is an excellent way to connect with the Intrepid family of owners. Our invitation to share happy memories of your Intrepid experiences and insights on the Forum still stands, and you can submit questions about your boats here as well.
In closing, it is a tradition to observe a moment of silence at 3 PM on Memorial Day as a remembrance for the lives of our fellow Americans that have been lost in the various wars over the years. Let us all observe that as a way of giving the thanks that are due to the men and women who serve and protect us all, here in the USA.
Happy Boating,
Joe Brenna
727-548-1260 ext. 229
JBrenna@IntrepidPowerboats.com