Midnight Express 52 Vitesse, a Six-Outboard Center Console Yacht With a Cabin

The Midnight Express yacht built to fill the gap

For years the Midnight Express range jumped from its hugely popular 43-footers straight to the 60 Pied-A-Mer. The 52 Vitesse closed that gap. Midnight's sales team told Speed on the Water in January 2022 that a new model would sit between the 43 Open and 43 Solstice and the 60, and that eight had been ordered before anyone outside the company saw it.

It was unveiled in the water at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2022 with six Mercury Racing 450R outboards on the transom, a matte gray hull and bright blue interior. Speed on the Water later counted it among its stories of the year, noting that it effectively stole the in-water display in Miami and drew crowds again at the Florida Powerboat Club's Key West Poker Run. Owner Eric Glaser called it the largest and yet still the fastest of any 50-foot-class center console.

For buyers searching for a Midnight Express yacht rather than a day boat, this is the one to look at first. It keeps the brand's open, performance-console character but adds a true cabin for weekends.

Four, five or six outboards, and the 80 mph claim

The 52 Vitesse is built to order with four, five or six outboards, and Midnight also offers an inboard configuration. The launch boat ran six Mercury Racing 450Rs, the supercharged 4.6-liter V8 outboards that Midnight also hangs on its 43s, for 2,700 hp in total. A 2023 boat in Midnight's own inventory is rigged with six 450R HD engines.

Midnight says the 52 is capable of more than 80 mph, and Speed on the Water reported it can run well above 80 mph at about 23,500 pounds. No independent speed and fuel table has been published, so treat these as builder figures. With 800 gallons of fuel aboard, range is good for a performance boat, but six supercharged V8s at speed burn fuel at a rate that makes fuel docks part of every trip plan.

Glaser credited infusion construction with select carbon fiber sections for keeping the boat agile while staying rugged. The deadrise is 22 degrees, consistent with the rest of the Midnight line, and draft is listed at 37 inches.

A real cabin, not a console closet

Below decks the Vitesse is laid out like a small express cruiser. The master suite has a queen bed with storage beneath, a hanging locker and optional privacy glass windows. There is a separate head with shower, sink and toilet, a salon with a sofa and an electric table that rises from the floor, a galley with refrigerator and 110V microwave, flat-screen TVs in the salon and stateroom, and an aft bunk that Midnight pitches for kids.

That is enough for a couple and two children to spend a weekend in the Bahamas or the Keys without a hotel. It is not a long-range cruising layout, and the head and galley are compact compared with a 50-foot express, but it is a big step beyond the console heads of the 37 and 43.

The fold-out side platform and a 13-foot 8-inch deck

Glaser said the exterior layout is similar to the 60 Pied-A-Mer, which owners had found especially comfortable. The headline feature is a large hydraulically actuated swim platform that folds out from the side of the hull, which Midnight described as a first for a performance center console. At a sandbar it opens the boat to the water in a way a transom bracket full of outboards cannot.

The 13-foot 8-inch beam allows multiple sun loungers, a bow that converts between dining table and sun pad, and an optional aft summer kitchen beneath an electric SureShade. Inventory boats show options such as Gorilla Glass windshields, a pullout cooler and refrigerator at the helm, and an outdoor TV that rises from the forward helm seat. Glaser also mentioned work on a closed-transom layout variation.

Who the Vitesse is really for

Typical buyers are stepping up from a 43 Open or Solstice and want a cabin without giving up the speed and open-deck lifestyle that drew them to Midnight. Others come down from larger express yachts and want outboard simplicity and a boat that can run to Bimini for lunch.

Most will need a professional captain or very experienced owner-operator. A 52-foot boat capable of 80 mph is a serious machine in a crowded inlet, and insurers will want proof of experience with both the size and the speed.

Budgeting for a six-engine yacht

Expect roughly $90,000 to $200,000 a year in running costs, depending on whether you employ a captain. Six Mercury Racing outboards need regular specialist service, and annual maintenance on that many engines adds up quickly. Add insurance at performance-boat rates, a slip for a 52-footer with a wide beam, bottom work, hydraulic platform service and fuel.

Outboards do offer advantages here. A failed engine can be swapped rather than rebuilt in place, the boat can still run on the remaining engines, and there are no inboard shafts, struts or engine room fires to worry about.

Finding a used 52 Vitesse

Only a small number of 52s exist, and Midnight itself lists factory trade-ins and brokerage boats on its website, including a 2023 Vitesse on six 450R HDs. Because each is custom, compare equipment lists line by line rather than relying on model year.

Pay attention to engine hours, whether the boat has been run hard offshore, the condition of custom paint and the operation of the hydraulic side platform. A boat with quad engines can be a better value than a sext if you do not need maximum speed.