SPORTS BOAT AND RIB PREVIEW

CRUISER TEST

THIS ISSUE

ATLANTIS

C-FURY

S

INSIDE

T D GE OLVEBOAT IN INVEE YOUR

48

RIB TEST

HYDROFOIL

THE UK’S HARDEST HITTING POWERBOAT MAGAZINE

FISHER OUT OF WATER

PUBLISHING EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

£3.95

SPRING 2011

WORLD CLASS JODI FISHER’S GUIDE TO WATER SKIING

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SB&RIB I UP FRONT

EH? WHAT? We like things straightforward here at the Sports Boat and RIB palace (garage). So to put out an issue that has two boats from identically named manufacturers, that are nothing but complete opposites, seems a bit paradoxical. We’ve also got a full write up of a RIB that is not only a hydrofoil, but also a catamaran. So this month, life isn’t really as simple as it should be.

The first Atlantis we have on test comes from an Italian manufacturer who has redesigned their 48 foot sports cruiser to the epitome of stylistic boating and the envy of all other water goers, see page 36 for an orange and black statement you wont be forgetting soon. In contrast, the second Atlantis come from the Guernsey based Atlantis Marine and is more akin to a watery warrior who takes on bad weather, large swells and about anything else you can throw at it. Page 48.

The latest craft from C-Fury is a bit special. Here at SB&RIB we love progressive thinking and will get behind any unorthodox idea going. We’re especially pleased when that idea works (unlike my inflatable dartboard company) and the new RIB/hydrofoil/catamaran named Voyager not only does the job, but will put a huge smile on your face. You’ll find it on page 54.

Read boat tests and place free private ads at www.sportsboat.co.uk

We’ve also decided to give out some sensible advice for once. Given that we’re still feeling the pinch, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about proportional ownership options that may save you some serious cash. Appearing on page 66, and written by Tom Isitt, you can expect well researched information, the very best in written wit and pictures of women in bikinis. Happy reading.

THE SPORTS BOAT EDITORIAL TEAM CONTACT US . . .

EDITORIAL Adrian Porter Editor E: adrian@sportsboat.co.uk Editor

Sales Director

Chief Designer

Sales Executive

Managing Director

ADRIAN PORTER

JOHN BAGGALEY

SARAH GARLAND

MICHAELA KINGSHOTT

SUE BAGGALEY

This selectively bearded ex-yottie has a fondness for wakeboarding, a love for speed and a healthy disdain for corduroy trousers.

Having been around since the dawn of time, John knows everything about sales, outrageous expense claims and badger anatomy. Odd.

Sarah is the architect behind the magazine’s stylistic revamp and almost certainly the genius behind the Banksy phenomenon. A class act.

Michaela is a whirlwind of energy who, armed with a reassuring smile, strikes fear into the heart of all our advertisers.

Glassmaker, watersports guru and industry stalwart, Sue roams the land conducting high-powered meetings at Michelin star restaurants.

SALES John Baggaley Sales Director E: john.baggaley@cslpublishing.com

Michaela Kingshott Sales Executive E: Michaela@cslpublishing.com T: 01223 460490

PUBLISHING Sue Baggaley Superyacht Writer

Technical Consultant

Race Consultant

Features Writer

World Reporter

TOM ISITT

COLIN JONES

JOHN COOKE

SIMON EVERETT

CRAIG BARNETT

Tom is so caustic, he works part time as a human scourer.

You can look if you must but keep your fingers safely out of harm’s way.

The calibre of Colin’s advice ought to see him running the world. Until that day he will spend his time making complex ideas seem refreshingly simple.

Our Race Consultant has eyes like a fly and reactions twice as fast. Is that a powerboat trophy in his pocket? We can only hope so . . .

When he’s not hauling in shark or paddling his kayak in a force 5, Simon likes to climb aboard his classic powerboat and caress the wood.

When his Spanish bar fell into a hole, Craig relocated to the Middle East, to become our world reporter with a winning smile and a huge party budget.

Managing Director E: sue@sportsboat.co.uk

Richard Olsen Creative Director E: rolsen@cslpublishing.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

E: sportsboat@webscribe.co.uk

SB&RIB I 9

Bournemouth Bash John Cooke shakes off the cobwebs and checks the incriminating photos for what really happened at the RYA Awards.

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ell, we all just about managed to survive the RYA Awards in Bournemouth, albeit with a few sore heads. Thanks to accepting cash bribes, I can honestly say there was no drunken deabuchery and funny dancing, though a few names might slip out if the cheques bounce - you know who you are. On the serious side of things, Shelly Jory-Leigh and John Puddifoot led the celebrations and presentations, and made for excellent hosts as expected.

The awards

There were a large number of awards given out in Bournemouth this year, and all of them totally deserved. It was great to see the father and son team behind Langdon, Drew and Ali, collect their Gold Stars along with Simon ‘Stainless’ Wood-Power.

Adding a large dose of glamour to the proceedings was Naomi Williams, who picked up a veritable treasure trove of trophies for her exploits in the Thundercats, whilst her husband Gareth, together

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Atlantis

48 OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Not so long ago, the rather striking Atlantis Verve 36 graced the pages of this magazine, and now we’ve gotten our hands on her bigger sister. Craig Barnett reports.

Images: Courtesy of Atlantis

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ON THE WATER I ATLANTIS 48

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I

uropean Charter t’s an agonising dilemma and one we are all familiar with.

You have a sexy, gorgeous (and expensive) boat and you want to take it somewhere

sunny and exotic… but you live in the UK. Until now, you’ve been quite happy to tow it to North Wales or The Solent and mess about on the water there. But now the family want to go somewhere for the summer that has blue skies, temperatures in the 30s, sandy beaches and azure seas.

No problem, you think, we’ll tow the boat to Greece and have a couple of weeks boating there. And then you do the maths and realise that it will involve six days of towing, cost squillions in fuel and toll charges, and be the mother of all headaches.

This is a dilemma I have faced, and I suspect that my family is fairly typical of those that want to do some boating on holiday, but not all the time. It might be different if you had a Manhattan 73 in Puerto Portals, but overnighting five people on a 20-footer can be a bit of a squeeze. As a family, we tend to favour holidays that take in a bit of boating, but we also like our home comforts. Let’s face it, five people spending two weeks on anything smaller than a 40-footer is too much like hard work, and before you accuse me of being a big wuss, know that I have three teenage sons and I do not want to be sharing a confined space with them for any length of time! However, chartering something big enough to sleep five comfortably, in high season in the Med, will cost you €6000 a week. So renting a villa for two weeks, and chartering a day-boat for a couple of days, is a good way of getting in a bit of practical boating fun on your holiday.

And chartering in the Mediterranean is brilliant. The sun shines all the time, there are no tides, the food is good, beer is cheap, and even the fuel is reasonably affordable.

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Sometimes you just have to leave your boat at home and charter one from someone else. Tom Isitt looks at some rental options around Europe.

LE ON AR LIN N E

NAVIGATION AND SEAMANSHIP At the Tullet Prebon International London Boat Show, the RYA lifted the veil on their first fully interactive course. Adrian Porter put it to the test Module one: ssential Navigation and Seamanship was originally, and still is, a sixteenCharts, publications and terms

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hour, two-day course that you can take in many RYA affiliated training centres.

But when the RYA said not only have they have remade the course so you can take it from the comfort of your own home, but that they’ve distilled the entire thing into about six hours, it was fair to say our curiosity was well and truly piqued.

The Course Once signed up, you’ll receive learning aids in the post (see right), and details to log in to the RYA’s interactive website to get going.

The course is divided up into 11 modules. Within each section, there are ‘Learn it’ and Test it’ areas, and more often than not a ‘Try it’ option. Each section has a suggested time frame but there is no limit so there is no need to rush through. The ‘Test it’ section exists to make sure you have understood the content and you get two attempts to pass each module, you must pass every one to complete the course.

• Learn it: 15 mins • Test it: 5 mins As expected, the first module is fairly gentle, easing you into chart reading and basic nautical terms.

The first module covers what the different colours on the chart signify, latitude and longitude, how to plot a position etc. the information provided was quite basic, but essential knowledge nonetheless.

Module two: Buoyage • Learn it: 15 mins • Try it: 5 mins • Test it: 10 mins

Doing the course

After a brief overview of circa 1950’s buoyage, you are given a handy explanation of the different IALA A and B systems and which countries use them. The lesson goes through all the different buoys, in some detail, showing what they mean, when they’re used and how they differ from the ‘A’ to the ‘B’ system.

The course’s first ‘Try it’ section was fairly short, and gave you the opportunity to be quizzed on the subject before the test. My only criticism of this

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ON THE WATER I ATLANTIS 26 C

26C Simon Everett braves a force Atlantis to the five to put the ultimate test latest

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Just having f un, w even if it did not float e would try skiing on an ything a

nd everythin

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WATER SKIING AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO

Jodi Fisher, three-time water ski Wo rld Cup Tour Champ, gives us a detailed guide to the sport he loves

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t is estimated that over 30,000,000 people around the world water ski, which is a staggering number. The reason for this, though you may argue that I’m biased, is that there are very few sports out there suitable for the whole family but water skiing is one of them.

The world of water skiing

Rarely in a sport can the whole family participate together, and regardless of what level you take it to, just getting out there and having a blast is what it is all about. Those close to the water will have seen everything from novice skiers being towed around by jet skis and outboard boats to enthusiasts and professionals competing behind ski boats like the V8 powered MasterCraft Tow Boat, a craft specifically designed for the sport.

Where people choose to water ski is as versatile as the water skiing contingent itself. Rivers, sea fronts

and lakes make up the vast proportion of venues, but at the top end of the sport, man-made stretches of water have been created to supply perfect conditions. These purpose built lakes have graded shorelines to give zero back wash from rebounding boat wakes, and high surrounding trees are used for protection from the elements.

The sport has governing bodies in 85 countries that are responsible for organizing events from small local entry-level beginner events right the way up to National competitions. Each level of contest takes into account the competing age range, which starts at five and closes off at 85.

At International level, there are three Regional Governing Bodies that put together the annual Championships, and the IWSF (International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation) World Governing Body, organize the World Championships in all of the towed water sports.

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ON THE WATER I C-FURY VOYAGER

-FURY V O YA G E R Is it a RIB? Is it a personal watercraft? Is it a catamaran?

Well, in a word, yes. Alex Smith takes a closer look at the extraordinary C-Fury Voyager.

SB&RIB I 55

Looking for a diving holiday packaged with a life changing experience? Chris Lawrence steps up as a volunteer for sun, hard work and fun.

Mexico ER VOLUNTE

rence Chris Law

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TALKING POINT I MEXICO: VOLUNTEER

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SIX OF THE BEST I ECHO SOUNDERS

This is a much better and safer technology than the standard fish finder

3 HAND HELD SOUNDER

The NORCROSS 220PX PORTABLE DEPTH SOUNDER is a hand held device, and a bit of a personal favourite. I have owned one for five years, during which it has survived a very hard – and often careless – life. It survived largely thanks to its tough ‘rubberoid’ armoured construction and well engineered seals.

The specification is impressive; 4 x AA batteries give 30 hours continuous use, it can be set up as a very basic fish finder, it will radiate through the hull with a minimum depth reading of 70 cm, the advanced software irons out the false readings and waterproof to 61m, divers can use it horizontally in poor visibility to locate vertical ledges and wrecks.

Price £120

I LIKE the safe feel of the 220PX in hand. With a solid, but easy one-touch

activation button, it shows digital depth and water temperature in a choice of units, viewed through a tough, clear, polarised liquid crystal screen.

I DO NOT LIKE the price, nor that so few chandlers have the unit. Also I

would have preferred a much brighter colour, which would be easier to spot if you drop it overboard.

Source:

Importer is London’s Meridian Zero. Main retailer is Force 4 Chandlery, but there are a couple of others which might pop up in an internet search. www.meridianzero.co.uk.

This is a much better and safer technology than the standard fish finder

4 FORWARD LOOKING ECHO SOUNDER

The ECHOPILOT FORWARD LOOKING ECHO SOUNDER (FLES) is the brainchild of Mike Phillips, the family-owned company’s chief.

The innovative device transmits pulses at a gently down sloping angle, which identifies obstructions and seabed contours in a wide arc, both ahead of the boat and a to bit the side. This is a much better and safer technology than the standard fish finder, as we explained in our main echo sounder feature (page xx).

I LIKE the new FLS 2D which has an excellent daylight viewable

colour, transflexive TFT LCD display. This technology is capable of giving much more information than is possible with monochrome.

The pulses are penetrative high frequency and interpreted at several thousand times per second. This gives a good image to a maximum depth of 100m and can ‘see’ up to 22m ahead of the boat.

I DO NOT LIKE that there is nothing much to criticise. The FLES

is the result of 18 years of research and development and – logically – gives the sort of info which is of most use to the helmsman, but not to sceptical journalists.

SOURCE is Echopilot Marine Electronics Ltd, you can find a list of the 42 distributors of this model on their site.

Source:

01425 476211 www.echopilot.com

Price £739 SB&RIB I 93