The New Standard: The 39 Midnight Express with quad Mercury Verado outboards takes boating to a new level.

James Mullen has owned several performance boats but engine-reliability problems convinced him to give up his last V-bottom. Mullen was looking for a carefree boat with engines that would consistently start and perform.

He turned to Midnight Express in Pompano Beach, Fla., to build him a center-console model that was functional and still had plenty of performance. Mullen got all that and more in the 39-footer with four Mercury 275 Verado outboards.

By Mullen's count, he's run his Midnight Express more in two months than he drove his old boat in two years. If time behind the wheel is the best indicator of customer satisfaction, Mullen is one happy camper.

PERFORMANCE
Normally we hope for ideal water conditions when testing boats, but with the Midnight Express we wanted some big offshore swells. That's because the 39-footer just mashed the small stuff and a truer test would be in rougher conditions.

But the Gulf of Mexico didn't oblige on test day and the best we could find was an occasional 2-foot swell. Thanks to the deep-V-bottom and McLeod electric dropout bolsters, the ride was comfortable and secure.

Having owned a 50-foot boat with four engines, Mullen wanted his new boat to be equipped with maximum horsepower. He had Midnight Express hang four 275-horsepower Verados, and to see that many black engines on the transom was an impressive sight. The outboards were equipped with 24"-pitch propellers with the inner props spinning left and the outer ones to the right.

With the Mercury Racing 280S K-Planes down, the V-bottom got on plane in 5.2 seconds. Unlike many larger boats coming on plane, there was no loss of visibility in the Midnight Express.

The motor package delivered substantial power, pushing the 7-ton boat to 60 mph in 15 seconds. Eight seconds later, the center-console reached its top speed of 66.9 mph at 6,200 rpm on the radar.

In 5.9 seconds, it ran from 30 to 50 mph. Predictably, the power plants showed their limitations at higher speeds with the boat taking 8.6 seconds to go from 40 to 60 mph.

To counter the significant weight on the transom, the builder created an equally weighty cabin in the bow area. The result was a well-balanced boat that ran level and required little tab input from the driver.

In slalom turns at varying speeds, the 39-footer was agile and precise. The driver liked how maneuverable the boat was at higher speeds thanks to full hydraulic steering. On the slower side, docking the boat doesn't get much easier thanks to bow thrusters. The thrusters added $8,000 to the price but should help prevent a ding or two at the docks.

WORKMANSHIP
When it comes to workmanship, Midnight Express went the extra distance to build a quality product. It was apparent while running the center-console for performance numbers on the bay. The boat had no rattles and the white powder-coated T-top arch - often a source of noise - was sturdy and never creaked.

Even the stuff you couldn't see, the builder took extra time to make sure it was done properly. Access to the wiring and batteries was in a head locker in front of the console. All the wiring connections were on terminal strips inside of a sealed box. The hoses and wires were gathered in looms for a tidy appearance.

The boat came with four batteries for the electronics and an inverter was used to power the air conditioning in the cabin and head locker. When at the docks, the owner has the option of connecting to shore power.

Another neat feature was the spray rails the builder installed on the hullsides toward the bow. The rails were screwed into place and then finished to match the boat's blue paint job. At first our testers were skeptical whether the spray rails worked, but after going offshore, they were surprised at how effective the rails were in knocking down the water.

We also liked that Midnight Express installed stainless gas fills on the port and starboard side even though the boat only had one 328-gallon tank. No more need to jockey the boat when filling up at the gas station or the local fuel dock.

INTERIOR
Rarely do you find a center-console model with a cabin as large as the one on the Midnight Express. A hatch and a bifolding door opened up to provide access to the cabin, which featured a V-berth, a microwave and some cabinets. The builder installed the head units for the VHF and stereo, along with the CD changer, in the cabin. A remote in the dash allowed for control of the electronics.

The boat didn't lack for seating with four bolsters, a jump seat aft, lounges on the gunwales near the bow and a seat in front of the head compartment. The stand-up head locker was uncommonly large for a V-bottom and featured a shower and a head, which pumped into a holding tank. For those who want to quickly rinse off, freshwater showers were amidships and on the stern.

Leading-edge technology on the dash included two large Northstar 6000i GPS/chart plotter systems and four Mercury SmartCraft gauges with digital readouts. To the right of the tilting helm was a line of Mercury throttles and shifters. Just above the shifters were the controls for the bow anchor, the spotlight on the arch, the bow thruster and the stereo.

"About the only thing it doesn't have is autopilot," said our inspector.

To the left of the dash was a small entertainment unit with a sink and a 110-volt plug for a blender. For keeping drinks cool, a Norco refrigerator was located below.

Since most buyers will do some fishing from the Midnight Express, the company included two 7-foot fish boxes with macerator pump outs and a 45-gallon live well. Four rod holders were appropriately placed on the boat.

OVERALL
Midnight Express set the standard when it comes to performance center-console boats. The 39-footer delivered superb performance and was incredibly functional.

The boat's owner, James Mullen, may have sacrificed top-end speed this time around, but he more than made up for it with his new luxurious ride.

TEST RESULTS

TEST CONDITIONS

HULL INFORMATION

PRICING INFORMATION

ENGINE & PROPELLER

OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT
Two 15-inch Northstar 6000i GPS/chart plotter systems ($20,000), four McLeod electric bolsters ($15,000), bow thruster ($8,000), forward L-shape lounge ($8,000), military arch ($8,000), windlass with strike plate ($7,500), Sony stereo system ($7,100), inverter with four batteries ($6,000), rear lounge ($5,000), gelcoat colors ($5,000), air conditioning ($4,000), shore power ($3,000), underwater lights ($3,000), starboard forward jump seat ($2,500), ACR remote spotlight ($2,000), trim tab indicators ($2,000) and Icom VHF ($1,000).

ACCELERATION

MIDRANGE ACCELERATION

RPM VS. MPH

TOP SPEED AT RPM

PLANING

FUEL ECONOMY

FUEL CAPACITY
328 gallons

TEST CONDUCTED AT
Sarasota, FL

MANUFACTURER
Midnight Express, Dept. PB, 2600 N.E. 5th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33064, 954-784-4141, www.midnightexpress.cc

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