Midnight Express 43 Open, Performance Center Console Buyer's Guide

The Midnight Express 43 and Miami's speed console tradition

The Midnight Express 43 comes from a builder that helped invent the performance center console. Midnight Express, based in Miami, was one of the first companies to hang four large outboards on a center console, and it says it originated the two-lever throttle setup that made quint-engine installations practical. Brothers Eric and Harris Glaser, who grew up around boats and fast cars, took over the company from founder Tom Mason in 2006 and still run it as a family business.

The 43 Open, introduced around 2015, is the model that best defines the brand today. Speed on the Water reported in 2012 that John Cosker of Mystic Powerboats, who drew the Midnight 37, was designing a new 43-footer for the company. The boat combines a twin-stepped hull, fully infused and cored construction with carbon fiber in key areas, and a wide 12-foot 6-inch beam that Midnight calls class leading. Each boat is built to order, so paint, upholstery, seating, console layout and engines vary from hull to hull.

Federal and law enforcement agencies have long used Midnight Express hulls as interceptors, which tells you something about how hard and how fast these boats are expected to run.

Twin steps, 22 degrees and an integrated spray system

The running surface is a true twin-stepped deep-V with 22 degrees of deadrise. The steps ventilate the bottom, cut wetted area and keep bow rise low when the boat comes onto plane, so the driver keeps sight of the horizon instead of staring at the sky. That matters on a boat that can reach 60 mph in a few seconds.

Midnight also added what it calls an Integrated Spray Reduction system, a reshaped bow section that catches spray and pushes it back down instead of letting it blow over the deck. Combined with the beam, the result is a boat that runs drier than many narrower performance hulls.

Draft is about 36 inches, and the infused construction keeps weight down relative to the beam, which is how a 43-footer can run past 80 mph on four production outboards.

Engine packages and how fast each one goes

Power options span a wide range. Midnight and reviewers have described packages from quad 300 hp outboards up to quad 667 hp units, and as many as five outboards on the transom. Southern Boating's 2016 review listed packages from quad 300s to quad 667s, or five 400s, with top speeds between 72 and 100 mph depending on power, and its 2017 write-up put a quad Verado 350 boat at more than 80 mph. Quad Seven Marine 627s, fitted to some earlier boats, pushed it past 100 mph.

Today the flagship packages are Mercury Racing 500R outboards. Midnight says four of them propel the boat to speeds approaching 85 mph, and the quint 500R package pushes it well over 90 mph. Just as important for real-world use, the builder quotes better than 1.2 miles per gallon at a 40 mph cruise with quad 500Rs, which works out to roughly 33 gallons per hour and a range of about 480 statute miles on 90 percent of the 450-gallon tank.

For most owners the quad Verado boats are the sweet spot. They still cruise comfortably at 40 to 50 mph, cost far less to buy and maintain than Racing engines, and are easier to service through mainstream Mercury dealers.

• Quad Mercury Racing 500R: approaching 85 mph, more than 1.2 mpg at 40 mph (builder)
• Quint Mercury Racing 500R: well over 90 mph (builder)
• Quad Mercury Verado 350: reported 80 mph plus
• Quad Seven Marine 627 (early boats): over 100 mph reported

Seating, summer kitchens and the family layout

Speed is the headline, but the 43 Open is set up for families and guests as much as for the throttle. In the bow, a fiberglass U-shaped lounge with a fully flush hatch converts into a sun pad or a table. Owners choose single or double helm seat configurations, a full-beam U-seat aft and a summer kitchen built to their specification. Midnight says the boat is easy enough for one person to run and big enough for a crowd.

A carbon-infused hardtop, a hullside dive door with an integrated ladder and options such as hidden rope and fender storage, coolers, extra fuel and dive tank racks round out the deck. Inside the console there is a head, and buyers can specify interior cabin options.

Can you fish a Midnight Express 43

Yes, but it is not the brand's focus. Owners can add livewells, fish boxes, rod storage and outriggers, and the boat's speed means a 60-mile run to the edge takes about an hour. However, most 43 Opens are built for cruising, sandbar days, Bimini runs and poker runs rather than tournament fishing, and the cockpit is shaped around seating rather than a clear fighting deck.

If fishing is the priority, a Yellowfin or Contender with a dedicated tournament deck will serve better. If you want a fast family boat that can still troll for dolphin on a Sunday, a Midnight with a fishing package works.

43 Open versus the 43 Solstice

Many buyers searching for the 43 also find the Midnight Express 43 Solstice. It uses the same 43-foot, 12-foot 6-inch twin-step hull and the same 450-gallon fuel and 75-gallon water capacities, but adds a redesigned, extended console with a proper cabin: a V-berth that converts from a U-shaped seat and table into a bed, a galley with refrigerator and sink, optional microwave and television, and an enclosed separate head.

On deck, the Solstice has a wraparound forward lounge with powered headrests and a flush table that converts to a large sunbed. Choose the Open if you want maximum deck space and the lightest, fastest boat; choose the Solstice if you plan to spend nights or long afternoons aboard.

Keeping a Midnight 43 running, and what it fetches

A new 43 Open in 2026 typically costs about $1.3 million to $2.2 million depending largely on the engines. Used boats range from about $380,000 for an early boat with high hours to around $1.5 million for a nearly new example with Mercury Racing power.

Budget $40,000 to $90,000 a year for insurance, which can be higher for very fast boats, storage, outboard service and fuel. Mercury Racing outboards have shorter service intervals and higher parts costs than standard Verados. Because each boat is custom, resale depends heavily on how mainstream the colors and engines are.