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World’s coolest boats: Miami Vice Wellcraft Scarab is the definitive 80s muscleboat

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Each month Nick Burnham picks out an iconic boat that can lay claim to the title of world’s coolest boat. This month, he takes a closer look at the Wellcraft Scarab that starred in Miami Vice…

In a move that rivalled Decca famously turning down the Beatles (its executives apparently citing that guitar bands were on their way out), Wellcraft said no to Universal Studios’ request to supply a boat for a new cop show called Miami Vice.

So for series one of a show that quickly became the biggest hit of the 1980s, a Chris-Craft Stinger 39 was the power boat of choice for fictional undercover law enforcers, Crockett and Tubbs.

Quickly realising the monumental mistake they’d made, Wellcraft execs made Universal Studios an offer they couldn’t refuse and from Season Two onwards, a Scarab graced the dock at Bayside Marina in Miami alongside the boat Sonny Crockett lived aboard, an Endeavour 42 sailboat called St Vitus Dance .

In fact there were far more than just one boat, Wellcraft supplied two vessels per season, painted with eye-catching pastel hull stripes.

Keen boat geeks (ahem) enjoyed spotting continuity errors, such as deck colours and the radar arch changing from teal to silver over the passing years, but most people probably didn’t notice.

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The look was matched by the sound – four storm drain-sized exhausts poking through the transom, mated to a pair of 440hp V8 Mercruiser petrol engines for the authentic ‘rolling thunder’ American muscleboat noise.

Wellcraft boat sales went up 20% right across the board, and the company even released a Scarab 38KV Miami Vice Edition that looked almost identical to the show’s boat – only those eagle-eyed boat geeks spotting that the lower hull side stripe reached the transom rather than hitting the waterline level with the windscreen.

One was loaned to keen powerboat enthusiast (he later took up powerboat racing with some success) and star of the show, Don Johnson, who played Sonny Crockett. When the show was filming at the docks, he would often commute to the set aboard it.

Several of the boats have been lovingly restored by Miami Vice enthusiasts – men of a certain age who grew up in the 1980s and who are ensuring that the legends these boats became live on.

Miami Vice Wellcraft Scarab specifications

Built: 1985 LOA: 38ft 0in Beam: 8ft 0in Power: Twin 440hp V8 Mercruiser petrol Top speed: 52 knots (approx) Price: $130,000 (when new)

To submit your suggestion for the world’s coolest boat, head over to the MBY forum .

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MIAMI VICE yacht NOT for charter*

28.95m  /  95' | intermarine | 1998.

Owner & Guests

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Sleeps 7 overnight
• Able to access shallow bays and coves

The 28.95m/95' open yacht 'Miami Vice' was built by Intermarine in Italy.

Guest Accommodation

Miami Vice has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 7 guests in 3 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 2 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Built with a GRP hull and GRP superstructure, with teak decks, she has impressive speed and great efficiency thanks to her planing hull. Miami Vice reaches a maximum speed of 55 knots. Her low draft of makes her primed for accessing shallow areas and cruising close to the shorelines.

*Charter Miami Vice Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Miami Vice is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Miami Vice Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Miami Vice Photos

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M/Y Miami Vice

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Miami Luxury Yacht Owner and Captain Charged in Horrific Coke-Fueled Death

By Francisco Alvarado

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The operators of the 91-foot Miami Vice more than lived up to the sleek luxury vessel’s name, an overt nod to the 80s TV show about cops and cocaine cowboys that speaks to the Magic City’s long love affair with blow. On March 29, the yacht’s part owner Laurent Maubert-Cayla filmed the boat’s captain, Mauricio Alvarez, taking a hearty bump from a small baggie containing a “white powder that appeared to be cocaine,” according to a recent criminal complaint filed in Miami federal court.

Maubert-Cayla’s voice is heard on the recording saying, in French, “The captain takes his vitamins.” The 39-year-old then pans to Alvarez’s hands and the baggie. “That’s how we do it,” the owner intones, per the complaint. The footage, which US Coast Guard investigators said they obtained from Maubert-Cayla’s cellphone, is part of the evidence prosecutors are using to argue he knowingly allowed an unlicensed, coke-addled captain to pilot his Italian yacht.

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Of particular interest to the feds: Three days later, a Miami Vice excursion ended in the death of 25-year-old passenger Raul Melendez .

The criminal complaint states that Alvarez hit the throttle in reverse while Melendez and another passenger were out swimming behind the Miami Vice. Melendez was sucked underneath the boat and ripped to pieces by the propellers. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Office determined Melendez suffered deep lacerations to his head, chest, neck, pelvis and torso, according to the complaint. The victim’s left arm, left leg, and right foot were also amputated.

The captain, Alvarez, was charged with misconduct or neglect of a ship officer that resulted in death soon after the tragedy. He has pleaded not guilty, and is being held without bond because federal agents caught him trying to flee to Panama, according to court documents. But last week, prosecutors charged Maubert-Cayla in the tragedy too, slapping him with his own count of misconduct or neglect of a ship owner and charterer resulting in death. On Monday, Magistrate Judge Andrea M. Simonton set $350,000 bond for Maubert-Cayla’s release, placing him under house arrest with a GPS monitor. He had yet to formally issue a plea, and his lawyer Albert Levin declined comment.

The investigation into Miami Vice’s operators exposed the dangers associated with a clandestine cottage industry of recreational boat owners in luxury locales who rent out their vessels to locals and visitors seeking a few hours of pleasure on the sea.

Corey Hubbard, vice-president of Tampa Bay Passenger Vessel Association, said illegal operators have bruised the image of licensed commercial charter boaters—and eaten into their business—by offering customers snazzier vessels at lowball prices. Another problem, according to Hubbard: The upstarts tend to ignore strict safety precautions required by local and state maritime agencies, as well as the Coast Guard.

“Many of these one off operators with a sexier product can do more business,” Hubbard told me. “They can offer that sleek yacht at a cheap price because they skirt the law. Then everybody goes out on the boat, jumps in the water and someone dies. What happened with Miami Vice is just so vile. It is the worst situation ever.”

A Coast Guard spokesman could not immediately comment on the agency’s response to illegal charters or the particulars of the Miami Vice case.

Based on the criminal complaint, it certainly appears that Maubert-Cayla cut corners when it came to operating the Miami Vice, a high-performance 4500-horsepower yacht with three cabins and a gunmetal paint job. Maubert-Cayla rented it out for half-day tours at $2,500 and full-day trips for $5,000.

In an interview with Coast Guard investigators after Melendez was killed, Maubert-Cayla said he hired Alvarez as his captain after watching him pilot a “large yacht skillfully on one occasion,” the complaint states. Between November 2017 and April 1, Alvarez was Miami Vice’s captain for approximately 40 charters—even though he did not have captain’s license from the Coast Guard, according to the complaint. Around March 18, Coast Guard officers had issued Alvarez two citations for operating a commercial charter without a proper captain’s license and for operating a vessel that had not been inspected by the agency. Yet Maubert-Cayla continued to employ Alvarez as his captain.

Maubert-Cayla said he knew Alvarez was “heavily using” cocaine and alcohol during those five months, but the last time he saw his captain doing blow was two to three weeks before April 1, the day Melendez was butchered by the propellers, the complaint states. However, investigators said, they got Maubert-Cayla’s permission to look at his phone and found the video apparently filmed by him of Alvarez doing a substance that strongly resembled cocaine just three days before the accident. On April 2, one day after the accident, Alvarez provided a urine sample to law enforcement that tested positive for cocaine, the complaint states.

In Florida, which led the country in boating deaths in 2015 and 2016 , drugs and alcohol often play a significant role in such accidents. Of 67 boating accident deaths in 2016, 16—or 24 percent—were alcohol- or drug-related, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the agency charged with enforcing state maritime laws. Among the dead in 2016 were Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez and two of his friends , who were killed when the star baseball player slammed his boat Kaught Looking into a Miami jetty that September. The medical examiner’s toxicology report showed Fernandez’s blood alcohol level was .147, nearly double the legal limit, and noted the presence of cocaine. Had he survived, Fernandez would likely have faced state charges of boating under the influence, manslaughter and vessel homicide.

For his part, Maubert-Cayla told the investigators that he was unfamiliar with Coast Guard regulations and that he believed a Venezuelan’s boat captain license Alvarez had shown him was enough, according to the feds.

But to Hubbard, who is also business development director for the family-owned Hubbard’s Marina in Madeira Beach, the charges against Maubert-Cayla and Alvarez came as a welcome surprise. “The Coast Guard has done a great effort with the limited resources it has to combat illegal charters,” she said. “Whenever something like this happens, they should face criminal charges.”

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Follow Francisco Alvarado on Twitter .

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Crockett's MTI 40

Crockett's MTI 40 Mojo .

James "Sonny" Crockett used a white 2006 MTI 40 Series offshore catamaran named Mojo as his main means of water transport in the Miami Vice film . With two Mercury 575 hp Engines and capable of 160 mph (260 km/h), the lightweight, high-speed powerboat is perfectly befitting of his wealthy, drug-dealing playboy alter-ego.

The boat's most notable appearance in the film is in the scene where Crockett and Isabella travel to Cuba, set to " One of These Mornings " by Moby feat. Patti LaBelle . In the Director's Cut of the film, the boat also appears during the newly inserted opening credits, where Crockett and Tubbs take part in a race around Miami's waterways and finish a close second. In this scene, the boat has an enclosed canopy fitted over its usually open deck.

Real Boat [ ]

The boat used in the film was designed and built especially for the movie. While externally indistinguishable from a regular racing boat, it featured several additional features to facilitate its use in filming, such as concealed camera mounts hidden beneath hatches in the hull and a large volume of internal wiring for the camera systems.

• The scene where Crockett and Isabella travel to Cuba in the MTI is very similar to the scene from the television series where Crockett and Tubbs travel to St. Andrews Island (in the episode " Calderone's Return (Part II) ").
• Similarly, the boat race scene that starts the Director's Cut of the film is similar to the climactic boat race from " The Great McCarthy ".
• 1 James "Sonny" Crockett

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MIAMI VICE boat

DISTINCTIVE. IMAGINATIVE. ICONIC.

This is the authentic, certified Wellcraft Scarab created for the hit TV show Miami Vice, driven by Mr. Don Johnson (aka “Sonny” Crockett) himself. The boat is in outstanding condition, having recently undergone an extensive restoration. Highlights include Kevlar hull, 80mph top speed, salon with full galley and two cabin layout, and custom Imron graphics. This, the original Miami Vice filming boat, is one of if not the most iconic representation of the artistry and tropical canvas known throughout the world simply as Miami.

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Booking with Yachts MiamiVice is a straightforward process. Begin by selecting your desired charter location. Once you’ve found the perfect yacht, you can reach out to our agent via phone call, message, or by filling out our reservation form. Your request will be forwarded to the dedicated agent for that yacht. After confirming availability for your chosen date, our agent will guide you through the payment process to secure your reservation. Finally, you’ll receive an email with your booking confirmation. It’s that simple to embark on an unforgettable yacht adventure with Yachts MiamiVice.

After confirming your reservation, your assigned agent will guide you through the payment process. Yachts MiamiVice typically requires a 50% deposit of the total charter cost, with the remaining balance due 24 hours prior to the charter date. For bookings within 24 hours of the charter, the full payment is required upfront.

Once your payment is received, our agent will promptly email you a comprehensive booking confirmation containing all the details for your upcoming charter.

Please note that refund policies adhere to our Cancellation Policy. Generally, payments are non-refundable, but under certain circumstances outlined in the policy, we may offer credits for a future yacht charter at your convenience. Your satisfaction is our priority.

Your privacy and payment security are paramount at Yachts MiamiVice. We rely on a leading global credit card processing partner to handle transactions. Rest assured, none of your sensitive payment information is stored on our servers. We maintain full compliance with rigorous PCI standards. The 3.3% fee covers credit card processing costs.

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Yachts Miami Vice

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1500 Bay Rd

Miami Beach, FL 33139

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Missing revealed as divers search superyacht that sank in storm off Sicily

The missing include british tech magnate mike lynch, a morgan stanley boss and a clifford chance lawyer, a local official told nbc news early tuesday., by claudio lavanga, yuliya talmazan | nbc news • published august 20, 2024 • updated on august 20, 2024 at 4:20 pm.

Rescue teams and divers were searching Tuesday for six missing people, including a British tech magnate and a Morgan Stanley boss,   after  a luxury superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily .

The identity of those still missing emerged after an initial search of the 184-foot sailboat, named the Bayesian, was unsuccessful Monday. The British-flagged tourist vessel had 22 people aboard when it sank because of “a violent storm” off Sicily’s main city, Palermo, around 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) on Monday, the local coast guard said.

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Fifteen people were rescued by a boat present in the immediate vicinity and then brought ashore by coast guard vessels, but six passengers, including American, British and Canadian citizens, remained missing, it said. They were believed to be trapped in the boat's hull, some 164 feet underwater, posing a challenge to divers who returned to the site Tuesday off Porticello, near Palermo.

Salvatore Cocina, director of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, told NBC News early Tuesday that the missing include British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, as well as Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife.

The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.

Cocina did not specify the nationalities of the missing. He also did not identify Lynch's daughter or the wives of Bloomer and Morvillo.

A spokesperson for Clifford Chance, where Morvillo works as a lawyer, confirmed to NBC News Tuesday that he and his wife Neda were among the missing. 

“Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident,” the spokesperson said.

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Italy’s national fire department said that its divers were able to get inside the wreck during a late-night dive Monday, inspecting some cabins located under the bridge, but were having trouble navigating because of obstructions and narrow access gates.

Rescuers said that there might be bodies inside the cabins but that they had so far been unable to check through the ship’s portholes.

Divers were working in 12-minute underwater search shifts, while surface searches continued in the area of ​​the shipwreck with a helicopter and a fire brigade boat, it added.

Mike Lynch, who was regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” was cleared of fraud charges in a blockbuster U.S. trial earlier this summer. Sources told CNBC on Monday that his wife, Angela Bacares, has been rescued. Italian news agency ANSA identified his daughter, missing alongside her father, as Hannah, 18.

Just days before Lynch went missing, his co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being “fatally struck by a car” while out running Saturday, his lawyer Gary Lincenberg told NBC News in an emailed statement. Reuters reported that Chamberlain was a former vice president of finance at Autonomy, Lynch’s company at the center of the trial.

The sailing vacation that ended in tragedy appeared to be something of a celebration after Lynch’s acquittal — Morvillo was one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers and Bloomer testified in his defense.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing,” Aki Hussain, the head of insurance company Hiscox, told NBC News in an emailed statement.

A Morgan Stanley spokesperson also said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”

Judy Bloomer was described as “a brilliant champion for women’s health and medical research” by The Eve Appeal, a British cancer charity, in an emailed statement to NBC News.

Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it was deploying a team of four inspectors to Palermo to conduct a preliminary assessment of the incident.

The coast guard said in a statement Monday that the ship’s cook had died. It did not give his nationality. Reuters identified him as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

One of the survivors, identified as Charlotte Emsley, 35, told the Italian news agency ANSA that she had momentarily lost hold of her year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to retrieve her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were pulled to safety.

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered, Bayesian can carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

The yacht’s nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world,  according to  CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters. 

Luca Mercalli, Italian climatologist and president of the country’s meteorological society, told Reuters that the storm could have involved a waterspout, essentially a tornado over water, or a downburst, a more frequent phenomenon that doesn’t involve the rotation of the air.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat.

“The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is almost 3 degrees more than normal,” Mercalli said. “This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms.”

Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome, and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com . More from NBC News:

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