Despite the countless number of luxury boats on display at the Venetian Marina, one particular vessel seemed to stand out in the sea of sameness. Known as the world’s largest boat and yacht show, the Miami International Boat Show draws over 100,000 attendees each year to the state of Florida and the Venetian is just one of the six locations for the five-day extravaganza.

We were instructed to look for the Volvo Penta flags that would be lining a selection of slips located on Dock 3 to help us find the high-end pontoon we had come to review. After spending the first two days inside the Miami Beach Convention Center, we were looking forward to finally escaping that part of the Miami Show and getting out on the water. The tall and black Volvo flags lining the dock were helpful, but it would have been even easier if Melissa Stewart, the marketing communications manager at Volvo, would have just told us to look for the boat with the biggest crowd of attendees around it.

In the shadow of the Miami skyline and located near the end of Dock 3, was the Damascus 266 Surf boat from Paradigm Boats, paired with Volvo Penta’s 430hp V8 Forward Drive. It wasn’t hard to talk us into a cruise around Biscayne Bay in 80-degree temps in February, but we were also motivated to see this combination for a different reason.

For starters, despite Volvo Penta introducing its Forward Drive propulsion system in 2015, this would be our first time testing the sterndrive with Duoprop propellers that are located on the front of the drive rather than in the rear. Designed to offer a practical alternative for wake surfing boats, traditional V-hull boats have thrived with this sterndrive, but one new boat manufacturer had bigger plans for it.

Scott Buchanan, the CEO of Paradigm Boats, has been in the boating industry most of his life. As a dealer of high-end pontoons, he said he was constantly listening to his customers explain what they would do differently if they were to build a boat. After 30 plus years, Scott decided to shift and get into the boat building side of the business, which also inspired his company’s new name.

“I had to have a paradigm shift in my life to go from a boat dealer to a boat manufacturer,” recalls Scott. “The name Damascus is a Biblical term that all roads lead to Damascus and it also means something monumental in your life that changes your direction. Being a boat manufacturer is the next chapter in my life and something I was ready for. As a boat dealer you’re only as good as your last month.”

Scott doesn’t recall how many times he had customers looking for a full kitchenette on one of the pontoon brands he was selling, but he’s all smiles as he looks around the Damascus 266 Surf boat that we we’re on as he loves pointing out all the different features.

“This boat has a galley with 110 power outlets, a big stainless steel fridge, and a 550-degree grill that you can cook steaks on,” says Scott as we begin our cruise on Biscayne Bay. “It’s a comfortable boat to spend the day out on. I’ve been in the pontoon boat business for a long time and have sold the most popular brands that are out there. Nothing beats the ride quality of a pontoon boat but that’s not what this boat is. This is for the one who wants the ride and comfort of a pontoon, yet wants to be able to surf too.”

As more and more consumers are discovering what makes Paradigm boats so unique, Scott is seeing a trend with those with existing boats looking to upgrade.

“We’ve taken Malibu boats, MasterCrafts, and Nautiques in on trade because a lot of people see they can get the same wave quality of a competition boat, but with a grill, comfort, and a lot more space,” states Scott. “They quickly realize they don’t need to own two boats, they can just have one. You can go boating with 15, 16, 17 people in a boat like this. Yes, it will be a little crowded with that many people, but our boats will accommodate it.”

Adds Melissa who shares during our cruise her enthusiasm for the boat, “With this Paradigm you get all the benefits of a pontoon, but with an impressive wake. It truly is a very unique boat.”

In a complete shift from rear propulsion, the partnership with Volvo has provided a way for Paradigm Boats to re-imagined and create the perfect waves, smooth cruising, and improved safety by relocating the stern drive’s props to the front of the drive rather than the rear. With two forward-facing, counter-rotating props, the new Duoprop pulls you through the water instead of pushing you, eliminating propeller exposure at the rear and providing maximum boating control.

“We’re exclusive to Volvo with all of our forward drive models,” states Scott. “Volvo has been an awesome partner for us and has been with us since day one. We believe in their technology.”

As we move past the Miami skyline, Scott explains how busy he’s been during the Miami Boat Show. His days are spent providing rides to attendees and that’s probably his favorite part about being at this show.

“We’re excited to start getting boaters into this new vessel and see how it changes their perspective on what’s possible on water,” explains Scott. “By combining the best in both water sport and leisure applications, our partnership with Volvo Penta upholds our high standards for craftsmanship and quality, delivering an unparalleled level of smoothness and maneuverability.”

For the perfect wake and wave specific to each individual rider, the Watersports Control system allows you to customize separate settings and speed preferences for 21 specific profiles, as well as personalize the boat’s speed and trim to create the optimal wake.

“We have our joystick surfing so with that feature you can easily control the wake,” added Melissa. “With an adjustable angle of thrust, you can draw the stern lower into the water and fine-tune your surfing wake on the fly.”

As we had the chance to play around with it ourselves, we also discovered you can switch to Tow Mode to automatically accelerate your pre-set engine speed and adjust for your tow load. The intuitive engine system quickly compensates when your skier turns sharply, and keeps your engine at the set rpm.

Another advantage over traditional outboard boats is you can back up to your surfer, which is something Scott didn’t fully recognize or appreciate at first.

“You don’t need to make a big loop and come back to your skier when they’re down,” said Scott. “We didn’t really know what we had until someone pointed this out to us. That’s a pretty cool feature.”

Supplying faster acceleration and thrust, the Damascus 266 Surf is ideal not only for wakeboarding and water sports, but also for tranquil cruising.

“We’ve discovered a new market here in Florida, our line makes for a great Intracoastal boat as well,” says Scott. “Not everybody wants a surf boat but they want a boat that can withstand saltwater for longevity with a fiberglass hull versus a pontoon. Yes pontoons do run down here but salt water is hard on boats. Ours is a 100 percent fiberglass hull and the boats are all built in our facility in Arizona.”

Ideal not just for speedy water sports, serene leisure cruises are also now possible as the Forward Drive’s orientation means less noise and exhaust and the roomy deck space ensures plenty of area to stretch out. Adding the optional Powertrim Assistant will keep you on plane with a perfectly trimmed drive for a smooth ride. With a system that automatically adjusts your boat’s motor trim to the optimal running attitude, you will appreciate an even better acceleration increase in speed and comfort.

“Plus when you have more people on one side of the boat you can balance out the weight easily,” shares Scott. “I simply throw a little more ballast in it and it levels it out and it can all be done from the helm.”

For those looking for outboard power, Paradigm offers the exact same layouts and floorplans but with single or dual offerings from Mercury Marine.

“We just did an autopilot joystick boat with 400hp twin Mercury outboards and we’re working on an ambassador boat that will have twin Mercury Racing 500s, a carbon fiber tower and it will still have the galley in it with dual consoles.”

Both Volvo and Mercury have a great fit for the propulsion, but Paradigm has also teamed up with others including Boat Outfitters, a division of Teak Isle to ensure the storage space inside is being maximized.

“We work with Teak Isle and another great partner for us is Rockford Fosgate who is also based in Arizona,” says Scott. “It’s all about relationship building for us. We’re a family-owned business and we like to have that close relationship with our vendors.”

As part of our cruise during the Miami Boat Show we had the opportunity to really put the throttle down and get a feel for the combination of the Paradigm hull with the Volvo Forward Drive and it did not disappoint. The sharp turns felt effortless as the boat handled like it was pivoting on its rear end. Top speed with the 430hp V8 from Volvo is around 50mph, which is realistic speed when running wide open on a lake versus Biscayne Bay, a lagoon located on the Atlantic coast.

Our cruise left us with big smiles on our faces as it opened our eyes to the possibilities as the Paradigm line perfectly blends pontoon comfort and amenities with a true competition surf boat. The Arizona-based manufacturer is just getting started, but is quick to point out he wants to be known as a custom boat builder.

“We really only want to build 100 to 200 boats a year with a combination of surf boats and high-end luxury pontoons; that’s where we want to stay,” concludes Scott. “We want to be a custom boat manufacturer, not a production boat manufacturer.”

Once word gets out about this unique boat, the CEO might be in need of a new plan as well as a larger facility to satisfy the demand.