MIAMI — Scout Boats plans to add a 100,000-square-foot plant to its three-factory campus in South Carolina to build the upcoming 53-foot center console for which the company unveiled plans at the Miami International Boat Show.

The company also will add a 20,000-square-foot building for product development and engineering, Scout Boats founder and CEO Steve Potts told Trade Only Today on Friday on the docks at the Miami show. The five-day show concluded Monday.

“We started the process to go through regulatory hurdles about six months ago,” Potts said. “Plant D will build the new 53 and something in between the 42 and the 53.”

He later indicated that it could be a 46-footer, adding that Scout has not finalized plans for the coming 2018 model.

The company builds boats from 17 to 25 feet in Plant A on its Mount Pleasant, S.C., campus. Plant B is for building boats from 27 to 35 feet; Plant C, completed two years ago, is used to build the 38-footer and the 42-footer.

Scout has been using a 10,000-square-foot space in one of its plants for research and development, Potts said, adding, “We do all our design in-house.”

Scout, which rolled out its 380 LXF at the show, has been having big success with its larger models, but also with smaller models, Potts said.

“Yesterday was a really good day,” Potts said. “Thursday is usually a day people come to look, and then come back later. Two 380s sold, and a couple of small boats, too. This show is not typically a small-boat show. People usually travel to spend a lot of dollars.”

A couple who got a sea trial Friday on hull No. 2 of the 380 LXF (hull No. 1 was at the in-water display), powered with quad Mercury Verado 300s, were impressed with the way the boat handled. Andy Renné of Seven Seas Yacht Sales Inc. showed off the boat’s many features.

“Andy just sold a 53 today,” said Seven Seas president Len Renné, adding that the backlog for the Scout 420 LXF was about a year. The 380 LXF was out until July or August, he said.

The shows have been a source of success for Scout, Potts said. “New York this year was up 80 percent over last year, and last year was good,” he said.