Front Runner 43 Cat Review, the Front Runner Boat Built for the Shelf

The Front Runner boat that bet on catamarans

If you ask a Florida offshore angler what a Front Runner boat is today, the answer is increasingly a catamaran. Front Runner Boats started as a deep-V center console builder, with a 2023 lineup of 26, 33, 36, 39 and 47 ft monohulls, and then launched its 37 Cat. The company says the 37's success prompted it to reenter the catamaran market at a larger size, and the 43 Cat followed in 2025. By 2026 the model list had become almost all catamarans: the 35, 37 and 43 Cats, the 43 HTX and a 55 Cat in development.

The founders, Mark Lacovara and Phillip Mahn, came to building through refurbishing and rebuilding other people's sportfishing boats around St. Augustine. Their pitch is that they build the boat they always wanted. On the 43, that translates into a big beam, enormous range and a fish-first deck.

Marlin, which tested the boat out of the Conch House Marina in St. Augustine, described Front Runner as a builder based in Green Cove Springs, Florida, with five catamarans among the seven models it offered at the time.

Erwin Gerards' stepped sponsons and a 1,000 gallon tank

The 43 Cat measures 43 ft 6 in overall with a 12 ft 4 in beam and an 18,000 lb listed weight, according to Front Runner's brochure. The running surface was designed by naval architect Erwin Gerards, with twin-stepped sponsons at 22 degrees of deadrise, lifting strakes and a flared bow. Draft is listed at 22 inches. The hull is resin infused with composite coring for weight and strength.

The figure that jumps off the spec sheet is fuel. Front Runner's website and brochure list 1,000 gallons, a capacity Anglers Journal repeated in its video review and that brokers list on 2025 and 2026 boats. That is roughly twice what many 40 ft offshore cats carry, and it changes how you fish: the canyons, the shelf and the Bahamas become day trips without a fuel stop. It also means a full load weighs close to 7,000 lb of fuel alone, so the boat's character will change noticeably between full and near-empty tanks.

Front Runner still lists range as to be determined, and we have not seen a published fuel curve. Treat any range claim as theoretical until the builder or an independent tester publishes gph figures.

55 mph cruise and a 70 mph top end

Marlin's test boat ran quad Mercury Verado V10 425s. In a 2 to 3 ft chop with light easterly winds, Capt. Tony Moore settled into a 55 mph cruise, about 48 knots, and the crew reached a fishing spot 60 miles offshore in just over an hour. The tester said the boat largely ignored the chop, which is the point of a well-designed offshore cat.

Anglers Journal rode a 43 Cat on quad Mercury Verado 400s and reported a top speed in the 70 mph range, about 61 knots. Neither outlet published rpm or fuel burn data, so we cannot give a credible gph figure at cruise. Quad V10 outboards at a 48 knot cruise will be burning a great deal of fuel, which is exactly why Front Runner put 1,000 gallons under the deck.

Four livewells, gulper-drained boxes and a dive door

The 12 ft 4 in beam gives the 43 Cat a vast cockpit, even with the standard dual-row seating at the helm. Marlin counted four livewells: two deck wells of about 75 gallons each beside the console and two transom wells of about 40 gallons each, with tuna tubes optional in the transom storage tubs outboard of them. A broker listing for a 2026 boat describes two 55 gallon transom wells and two 85 gallon in-deck wells, so capacities may have grown or vary by build.

Forward of the console, four large boxes sit beneath the sole and drain through a gulper pump. The forward lounge has two insulated compartments, one set up as a fish box. Two more boxes in the bow hold the anchor and fenders. A starboard dive door is standard, which makes boarding divers and landing big fish much easier than reaching over a high gunwale.

The helm on Marlin's test boat carried twin 24 inch Garmin displays. Listed boats add Garmin open-array radar, autopilot, Starlink, CZone digital switching, Mercury joystick piloting, outriggers and electric reel outlets.

• Dual-row helm seating with mezzanine seating aft
• Forward lounge with insulated fish box
• Standard starboard dive door
• Sea chest feeding multiple livewells
• Head in the console

43 Cat, Walker's Cay Edition or 43 HTX

Front Runner now builds two boats on this hull. The 43 Cat is the open fishing platform described here. The 43 HTX, which made its world debut at the 2025 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, adds a stand-up head with shower, a berth and Omni sonar capability while keeping the same length, beam, weight and 1,000 gallon tank listed on the 43 Cat.

At the 2026 Palm Beach show Front Runner also displayed a 43 Cat Walker's Cay Edition. The builder has not published what distinguishes that edition, so ask the dealer for its equipment list before paying a premium.

Our view: buy the 43 Cat if you run with a full crew and fish hard, and the HTX if family members want to spend a night aboard in the Bahamas or need a proper head on long runs.

The cost of four outboards and a 1,000 gallon fill

We estimate $40,000 to $90,000 a year to keep a 43 Cat in the US, excluding depreciation and fuel for long tournament seasons. Four outboards mean four annual services, four sets of lower units and four engines to repower someday. A wide 43 ft cat often needs an end tie or a lift rated for its beam and weight, which raises dockage. Insurance for a 60-plus mph boat also carries a premium.

Fuel is the variable that can dwarf everything else. Topping up 1,000 gallons from near empty runs to several thousand dollars at typical US marina gasoline prices, so owners who fish every weekend should budget fuel separately.

Buying a young model from a young builder

With production starting in 2025, the only used 43 Cats are low-hour boats from the first two model years, typically listed in Florida with remaining Mercury warranty. That is good news for buyers who want a near-new boat without the build wait, but there is no long-term resale record yet. Expect values to track engine hours and warranty more than model year, as they do on other quad-engine fishing cats.