Business
Marine Industry Visionary Lex Raas Retires from MarineMax, Transitions to Executive Advisory Role with Aquila Power Catamarans
Aquila Power Catamarans today announced that Lex Raas, the transformational leader who revolutionized the power catamaran industry and built Aquila into the world's leading power catamaran brand, is retiring from his position as President of Aquila Power Catamarans at MarineMax and transitioning to Executive Advisor role with Aquila.
About this update from Marinemax, Inc. (fl)
[{"type":"text","content":"CLEARWATER, Fla., Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquila Power Catamarans today announced that Lex Raas, the transformational leader who revolutionized the power catamaran industry and built Aquila into the world's leading power catamaran brand, is retiring from his position as President of Aquila Power Catamarans at MarineMax and transitioning to Executive Advisor role with Aquila.","length":387,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Lex Raas","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Lex Raas","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":308,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/08f2ca8cd6259541f1b5d7ae896e5921"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/juKpj35H32xQ_RXYEl7V5g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTU0MztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/08f2ca8cd6259541f1b5d7ae896e5921","width":400,"height":308}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2758556/Lex_Raas.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"Raas's remarkable career spans over five decades in the marine industry, during which he has consistently demonstrated an unparalleled ability to identify emerging market opportunities and transform entire industry segments. His visionary leadership has been instrumental in shaping the modern catamaran market, from his pioneering work with sailing catamarans at The Moorings and Leopard Catamarans to his groundbreaking development of the power catamaran segment with Aquila.","length":481,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Industry-Defining Career Achievements","length":37,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Raas began his marine industry journey in South Africa, where his passion for multihull design first emerged. After gaining valuable experience with Beneteau in France and the United States, he joined The Moorings in 1994 as Director of Logistics, quickly rising through the ranks to become CEO in 2001. During his tenure at The Moorings, Raas orchestrated one of the most significant transformations in the charter industry by recognizing the untapped potential of sailing catamarans for Caribbean charter operations.","length":518,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"In what would become a defining moment for the industry, Raas later partnered with South African boatbuilders John Robertson and Jerry...