When you think of Bravada Yachts, chances are you picture luxury houseboats drifting lazily along the red-rock background of Lake Powell. It’s a pretty sight, isn’t it? Anyone who’s laid eyes on one of these houseboats can attest to their undeniable beauty and presence. And if you’ve been on one, you know all about the luxury this boat builder offers.

As it happens, Bravada has been hard at work designing a pontoon boat. Clearly flowing with Bravada DNA, the Obsidian pontoon will truly stand out on the water.

PDB magazine had a chance to sit down with Giancarlo Espinosa, the Chief Design Officer for Atlatl Group (Bravada’s parent company). Espinosa does everything from high-concept designs to assisting on the floor, and he was able to give us the full scoop on the new Bravada Obsidian.

Pontoon Direction

Last year Bravada acquired Destination Yachts out of Indiana, and that’s when they first got the idea to design their own pontoon boat. Destination had a line of top decks and other pontoon-like boats and the Bravada team began entertaining the idea of designing their own unique pontoon boat with their characteristic style.

Of course they still offer the top deck pontoons from Destination Yachts and they also have a medium tier version of these Destination boats called the Titanium Series which has a few more bells and whistles. But now a Bravada pontoon is also in the works

“We wanted to go one step further and do a Bravada version of a pontoon with sleeker designs and more POW,” shared Espinosa.

When it comes to the Obsidian, the Bravada team wanted to incorporate more of their curved designs for a sleeker, more organic look because they felt the Destination boats were a little too boxy and square with their sharp corners. They wanted their higher-price-point pontoons to look and feel a little more sporty.

First, Espinosa put together a sort of modified pontoon hull that they’ve coined the Super Triton. There’s a bridge that connects the hull so that they have more system space below deck. “I also wanted to incorporate the catamaran design into it so it would be a smoother ride,” explained Espinosa. “It kind of sets us apart from other pontoon and deck boats.”

Additionally, they wanted to focus on versatility. The Obsidian is meant to be a party boat on the lake, but they also want it to have the capabilities of going out, beaching and then camping, using the top deck as a sort of main base for camp.

Customizing The Experience

The Obsidian will offer a couple different packages from which to choose. They have a party package which will come with features such as a 17-foot water slide and a Rockford Fosgate stereo system to get the party started.

They’ll also offer their adventure package which will come equipped with features such as a shower, a head, a bar and other support systems. This package will make it so you can take the boat out, beach it and simply continue partying on the beach for an extended amount of time.

The Obsidian is a whopping 43-foot by 12-foot boat, so you’ll have plenty of space to relax and hang out. As of right now, Bravada only plans to offer it in this one size.

Safe & Durable

As for the power, Bravada plans to incorporate the Volvo Penta Forward Drive. This propulsion system has a reverse drive where the propellers are in front, allowing them to actually rotate and give you more maneuverability out on the water.

“We’re trying to incorporate this system because it’s a sleek, powerful engine system and we have a good relationship with Volvo,” added Espinosa. “But ultimately, it’s a safety design too. We have a slide on the boat and people are meant to jump off the boat and swim around, so we want the ability to make it safer with the benefits offered by these propellers in front instead of the rear-facing ones.”

Bravada also wants to make this pontoon model as durable as possible. With that goal in mind, they plan to use antifoul on the hull so marine life doesn’t cling to it and they’re using an Alt Grip paint system which is a step above a normal gel coat. This paint system will also make it so all the colors on the boat will really pop and stand out on the water. So not only will it be a durable, element-resistant vessel, but a handsome one as well.

Gaining Attention

The Obsidian has already garnered some attention and Espinosa mentioned they already have a number of potential buyers lined up. “We’re just waiting for them to pull the trigger so that we can start making these boats,” said Espinosa.

Though Bravada’s main buyer base is around the Lake Powell area in Utah and Arizona, their goal is to do a nationwide delivery with the Obsidian pontoon boats. Most of their potential buyers right now are in the Lake Powell area, but they also have a number of prospective buyers in the Lake Cumberland area and other lakes on the east coast.

“So it’s not just a west coast thing,” described Espinosa. “We’re trying to put them everywhere.”

Robert Gutierrez, one of the owners of Bravada Yachts, is super excited about the Obsidian project, and Espinosa said that in the past Gutierrez even said he’ll buy the first one. They’d build a sort of spec boat just so they could take it out, put it on the lake and show it off so people could witness its undeniable luxury and beauty.

When the first one will be ready really depends on the engineering. Part of what Espinosa tries to bring to the table is standardizing the parts and streamlining the design so that they can put these boats together in a matter of months.

“That’s something we’re working out in the full fabrication of these boats—we should be able to put a few next to each other, build them in a couple months and put them out,” explained Espinosa. “That’s something that we’re still working out all the systems for but we do want to make this a quick turnaround boat.”

The future is bright when it comes to Bravada’s new Obsidian pontoon. Be sure to keep an eye out for it in the near future and contact Bravada if you’re interested in being one of the first boaters to own one of these stunningly luxurious pontoon boats.

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