Into the Wild Blue Yonder

MYSTIC POWERBOATS’ SUPER-LUXE M5200 IS A 2,400-HORSEPOWER ROCKET SHIP

BY HOWARD WALKER

There’s fast and then there’s Mystic fast. The new Mystic M5200 waterborne cruise missile can top out at 80 mph, which results in roughly the same kind of watery eyes as peeling a dozen onions.

This exhilarating, heart-palpitating performance comes courtesy of the latest speed demon from DeLand, Florida–based Mystic Powerboats, a needle-nosed, 52-foot center console with a quartet of 600-horsepower Mercury Verado V12s hanging off the transom. If you’re counting, that’s 2,400 horseys in total.

This is Mystic’s biggest center console to date, and it joins the go-very-fast boatbuilder’s smaller M4200 and M3800 models. While the M5200 is built for speed, it’s also built for comfort. There’s more diamond-quilted, contrast- stitch upholstery than in a Bentley Continental, as well as seating for 27, a cozy cabin for weekend jaunts, and more cupholders than in a Dodge Caravan. Yes, it makes for a great fishcatcher, but who’d want all that blood and guts messing up the faux-teak flooring?

Best seat—make that seats—in the house? That would be on the forward deck, where you’ll find three stretch-out loungers with armrests, headrests, footrests, and bolstered sides. A surprising omission? Seatbelts. At 80 mph across the Gulf Stream, you might need them.

Then there are all the seating options on the back deck, like the four rear-facing loungers and the four forward-facing seats on the other side. Throw in the three individual race-style pews behind the helm, along with two rows of four seats behind those, and it’s about as much seating as you’ll find at an AMC multiplex.

While there’s no shortage of supersized, highhorsepower center consoles on the market— from HCB to Valhalla to Pursuit—what sets the Mystic apart is its very cool design. I love the wraparound windshield, and the swept-back, carbon-fiber hardtop seems to house more speakers than at an AC/DC concert.

The wave-piercing hull of the M5200 is an evolution of the proven M4200’s, featuring a foam core with infused epoxy and carbonfiber reinforcements. There are bank vaults less impenetrable. And powering the hull are four magical Verado V12 outboards, which, according to Mystic, can punch the 52 on to the plane from just 17 knots, helped by the Mercs’ two- speed transmissions. If you’re so inclined, you could opt for Mercury 450R power, in combos of either four, five, or six. But with the V12s being so technically advanced and smoother than hot molasses, why would you?

Time to drop the hook and let the party begin. The aft cockpit can be spec’d with a grill, fridge, icemaker, and separate pullout cooler, while the entire rear deck can be shaded by a retractable awning. And if the only rock and roll you want is on the disco-grade stereo, there’s a Seakeeper 9 gyro stabilizer on the options list to stop the rock and roll at anchor.

While the cabin isn’t exactly generous in size for a 52-footer with a 14-foot beam, it’s plenty big enough for overnights and weekends. There’s the usual forward V-berth that converts into a double, plus a small rear cabin under the cockpit for a couple of kids. The cabin’s best feature may be its spacious head with a separate, full-headroom shower and a glass bowl sink. And at the touch of a button, you can activate the kind of air-conditioning

Power File

PRICE: FROM $2.4

MILLION LENGTH: 52 FEET

BEAM: 14 FEET ENGINES: 4 X MERCURY VERADO

V12 POWER: 4 X 600 HP that would give polar bears the shivers.

TOP SPEED: 80 MPH WHY WE LOVE IT: BECAUSE GOING FAST HAS NEVER LOOKED SO STYLISH.

After taking a walk-through of the M5200 at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where it was making its global debut, I found the boat’s most impressive asset to be its peerless quality. The glass-fiber gel coat, the panel fit and finish, and the stitching on the upholstery are all remarkable—which they should be for Mystic’s $2.7 million nicely loaded asking price. But to be fair, you simply cannot put a price on pulling up to your favorite waterside eatery in this supercar of the seas. «

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