e’d like to give a shout-out to those who helped with our Shootout this year. It’s our way of recognizing those behind the scenes of our annual boat test who helped make our event a success.

For starters I want to put a spotlight on our event sponsors BoatMate Trailers, Kicker Audio and LilliPad Marine. BoatMate sponsored our event for the past four years and we truly appreciate their support. The trailer manufacturer specializes in high-quality marine trailers that are ideal for these luxury pontoon boats we test. The quality and attention to detail that go into each and every trailer are truly impressive.

Kicker Audio is another repeat sponsor and among other things, helped keep everyone on the docks hydrated by ensuring the Kicker cooler remained stocked with water. Kicker is not only a trusted name in the marine market, but also a giant player in the automotive world.

LilliPad Marine was a new sponsor for us and they brought the fun by providing a pontoon loaded with its award-winning products. This included its new Ghost Mount, an accessory mounting system that was used to install a grill, its Revo boarding ladder as well as its and LilliPad Diving Board. All three have earned NMMA Innovation Awards.

Next, a big thanks to Geist Marina in Indianapolis, Ind., who hosted our test for the third straight year. We typically like to move our test to different locations but this marina is such a great fit we keep coming back. Nicole Buell, director of marina operations and Marina Manager Greg Binder especially, made sure our needs were met at this full-service marina that offers a variety of rentals including pontoon boats. Also, the food at Wolfies is worth the trip alone.

We’d also like to thank the engine manufacturers Honda, Mercury, Suzuki and Yamaha for offering technical support, as well as the boat dealers and manufacturers who provided the boats for us to test.

Finally a quick shout-out to my hard-working crew. Despite what you might think, there really is a lot of hard work that goes into test week. Each member of our testing crew worked hard to contribute to this issue and again, I can’t thank them enough.