Pontoon and Deck Boat (PDB) magazine hosted a Pontoon Boat Shootout on Sept. 28-30, 2009 at Percy Priest Lake, near Nashville, Tennessee. The purpose of this shootout is an annual event of "boat tests" to rate pontoons with the highest speed, performance and handling.  
 
Terry Kuchenberg, who owns Midwest Boats Sales and Repair, participated.  He ran a 2010 model 27' PlayCraft X-Treme Pontoon with a Mercury Verado 350Hp outboard motor at the shootout.  Using his experience of designing and manufacturing high performance boats in the 1980's,  he worked with PlayCraft to design this pontoon to perform at top-end speed and performance.  He continues to work with PlayCraft on an on-going basis, always trying to improve upon an already impressive pontoon product. 
 
All the major pontoon manufacturers sent their highest performance pontoons to compete. Kuchenberg placed first in the Fastest Single Engine Production Pontoon Boat Speed category with his PlayCraft pontoon, showing an impressive 60.7mph.   
 
This year the Shootout also hosted the McKainer Pontoon Barrel Race.  There were four categories in the barrel race: pontoons with Inboard/Outboard engines; pontoons with outboard engines with power ranging from 225Hp and up; pontoons with outboard engines with power ranging from 175-200Hp; and pontoons with outboard engines with power ranging from 135-150Hp.  All pontoons were production models. Kuchenberg also ran his PlayCraft in this barrel race and was the champion in the 225Hp and up category.  
 
Besides coming home with the "McKainer PDB 2009 Barrel Race 225Hp+ Champion"   trophy and bragging rights of having won the fastest single engine production pontoon boat speed category, he was also featured in a recent issue of Pontoon & Deck Boat magazine