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L O O K I N S I D E F O R L I Q U I D I N S P I R A T I O N ! O N LY £ 4 . 2 5 ISSUE 129 - OCTOBER 2015

WWW.POWERBOATANDRIB.COM ISSUE 129 OCTOBER 2015 FEATURE

Monty Halls

THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN SARDINE RUN

ISLES OF SCILLY

THE LOST LAND OF LYONESSE tackling the whirlpool

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TESTED & REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE ROBALO R200 HUMBER SPORTS PRO 8.5 EXCEL VANGUARD 430 SCARAB 255 CRANCHI 33 ENDURANCE REGAL BOWRIDER 2000ES SARISSA 737 HP SPORT SUB 2 HALO RADAR NIMBUS 320 C-KIP SEA RANGER 39 OCQUETEAU TIMONIER 725

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ISSUE 129 OCTOBER 2015 £4.25

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Editor’s Note ISSUE 129 OCTOBER 2015 Editor: Hugo Montgomery-Swan Email: hms@powerboatandrib.com Technical Editor: Greg Copp Design: Paul Crosby Email: paulcrosby.design@gmail.com Production: Michaela Montgomery-Swan Email: michaela@powerboatandrib.com Advertising: Hugo Montgomery-Swan Email: hms@powerboatandrib.com Tel: +44 (0)1884 266 100 Subscriptions: Ruth Thornton Email:ruth@powerboatandrib.com Accounts: Michaela Montgomery-Swan Tel: +44 (0)1884 260 100 Fax: +44 (0)1884 266 101 Email: accounts@powerboatandrib.com Credit Control: Ruth Thornton Email: ruth@powerboatandrib.com Contributors: Simon Everett, Greg Copp, Alex Smith, Jim Russell, RYA, Alex Whitaker, Paul Glatzel, Monty Halls, Chris Stevens, Laura Downton, Mike Taylor, Gary Workman, Dave Martin, Paul Harrison.

Photography: Nick Dimbleby, Simon Everett, Alex Smith, Alex Whittaker, Greg Copp, PB&R Team + Key contributors. iStockphoto.com Printing: Warners Midlands plc, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH Distribution: COMAG Specialist, Tavistock Works, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QX Tel: 01895 433800 Publishers: Powerboat and RIB Ltd Registered in England No: 03062263 Head Office: The Old Coach House, Hunter’s Lodge, Kentisbeare, Devon, EX15 2DY. T: +44 (0)1884 266100 F: +44 (0)1884 266101 E: hms@powerboatandrib.com www.powerboatandrib.com www.powerboatandribshow.com Vat No: 651 2907 45 SUBSCRIPTION HOTLINES

T: +44 (0) 1884 266100 F: +44 (0) 1884 266101 E: ruth@powerboatandrib.com

Cover Image: Monty Halls with his Odyssey Humber expedition RIB. © Nick Dimbleby (also Monty Halls feature)

© Copyright - Powerboat and RIB Ltd. Printed in the UK. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher. The views expressed in Powerboat and RIB Magazine within editorial should be assigned to the authors concerned. The Publishers do not accept responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or alterations, or for any consequences ensuing upon the use of, or reliance upon, any information contained herein. The printing of an advertisement does not mean that the Publishers endorse that company, item or service advertised.

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e want to bring added worth to our subscriptions and offer much more than simply giving a one off ‘welcome gift’ at the point someone signs up to a year’s worth of PBR. Most magazines only give gifts or incentives to new subscribers or subscribers who have not subscribed previously, but we have always felt differently, and have always sought to value our long term subscribers. We have been working hard to find ways to provide our subscribers added benefits from their much appreciated ongoing support to the magazine.

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WHAT’S IN NEXT ISSUE

A Study in Black & White The amazing wildlife of St. Kilda.

a ‘club’that affords you access to additional benefits wholly exclusive to our ‘PBR Subscriber Club’ members. These will be relayed to our subscribers via email at regular times throughout the year. It is perhaps appropriate that Issue 129 is the biggest and possibly the best edition we have yet published – so a great time to start! We all hope you enjoy this latest offering of PBR – an edition we are proud to publish.

My thanks to all those companies who have supported us so well and of course my superb team of writers and contributors who have made this issue what it is. In my possibly biased but humble view, the best marine magazine of its type on the UK newsstands!

HMS Editor

EXPECTED ON SALE 6TH NOVEMBER 2015

Burial at Sea If 6ft under or ending up in an urn on the mantlepiece doesn’t appeal – then what about the ocean waves?

Bareboat Charter We tell you all about the benefits of bareboat charter...

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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PBRContents October 2015

42 Cranchi 33 Endurance Greg Copp runs a careful eye over this reasonably priced and lively sports cruiser from a company with an impressive history to live up to …

36

Tests and Reviews 30 Ocqueteau 725 Timonier Simon Everett tests the 725 Timonier from Ocqueteau, a French, family-owned boatbuilding company that has been building boats for over 60 years.

EW N BARGAIN

UPGRADES

36 The Robalo R200 Alex Whittaker drives Robalo’s sports fisherman and discovers a softer side.

52

48 Excel Vanguard 430

28 Practical Electronics David Hoskin visits the electronic bargain basement to see what treasures he can find.

Simon Everett samples the portability and effectiveness of the Vanguard 430 from the Excel inflatables stable.

52 Sarissa 737 Speedmaster Alex Smith examines a fresh UK RIB option from high-performance Greek yard Sarissa.

70 Scarab 255 HO Impulse Alex Smith seeks jet-powered Nirvana with the flagship of the infamous Scarab fleet.

86

The Humber Sports Pro 8.5 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as Simon Everett discovers.

Used & Approved:

102 Regal Bowrider

Greg Copp takes a look at the C-Kip Sea Ranger 39, which entered production in 1978.

108 Classic Boating: Triana 25 Keen to try a Triana, Mike Taylor crews on this iconic 25ft classic.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

PBR checks out the new radar system from Simrad.

86 Humber Sports Pro 8.5

HMS heads out to Florida to test a high quality, pocket-sized bowrider that’s truly built to be driven…

6

139 Halo - A Circle of Light

116 C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

122 Nimbus 320 Coupe Greg Copp examines one of the most popular boats in its class.

130

On The Water

Practical Skills

20 Haven’s rest for Rosabelle

128 Gulf of Corryvreckan

Laura Downton and Kirstie Dyke report on a venerable old lady’s homecoming.

In his latest examination of maritime danger zones, Alex Smith looks west toward the Isle of Jura and the famous Gulf of Corryvreckan.

58 The Great African Adventure Monty Halls shares some of the memorable sights and experiences from the 2015 Sardine Run along South Africa’s Wild Coast.

76 Isles of Scilly Chris Stevens muses and enthuses about a memorable visit spent on the Isles of Scilly.

92 The DNA of Innovation Alain Villemure is vice-president and general manager of the Marine Propulsion Systems Division at BRP. In this exclusive interview with PBR, he gives the inside take on both the Evinrude and Sea-Doo brands and the reasons for their outstanding rise to power.

132 Trading Up (Part III): Systems and Machinery Alex Whittaker answers those questions about sports cruiser systems you were afraid to ask…

150 Making the Most of the Electronic Kit on Board

142 Conquering the Tides

There’s not a month that goes by without a new piece of electronic kit or ‘must have’ gizmo for your boat. So how can you make the most of these to enhance your boating enjoyment and safety?

Gary Workman tells the story of 40 RIBs and small boats that conquered the second highest tides on the planet to help raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

148 Q&A Time David Martin, Technical Director of Swaymar Marine, bespoke marine petrol engine specialists, hosts PBR’s new Q&A page.

First Look: 26 Southampton Launch for Ribeye

Weird but wonderful:

FIRST LOOK

Come and see the new Ribeye Prime Eight 21.

24 U-Boat Worx HP Sport Sub 2

26 Chaparral Vortex 223

Alex Smith investigates the latest submersible from Dutch specialist U-Boat Worx.

Another Southampton Boat Show debut for Ideal Boats showing the Chaparral Vortex 223.

154 Changes to the RYA Short-range Certificate RYA training is broadening its reach across the world, as Paul Harrison of Seavoice Training explains …

156 What a Drag Jim Russell, explains how aero drag can hurt powerboat performance.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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NEWS ISSUE 129

All the latest news, product releases, new boats and gear brought to you by Alex Smith

Eddie Jordan chooses Dieseljet Williams Jet Tenders has delivered a new Dieseljet 625 RIB to the family trust of Formula One’s Eddie Jordan.

The tender is matched to Jordan’s superycaht, the famous Sunseeker 155 Yacht known as ‘Blush’ and it is the third Williams tender supplied to the trust. The team worked closely with OEM partner, Sunseeker, to create the new boat and with interior design

by Holmes Interiors, the tender matches Blush both in terms of its fabrics and finishes. The team also assisted in the development of the garaging for the tender, which includes a single-point lift system.

Ultraflex New wheels Ultraflex has launched a trio of dynamic new steering wheels, all in the company’s customary Italian style. The Adorno is a 35cm wheel with either leather or polyurethane grip and a chrome-plated or painted centre cap. The Contarini is a classical new steering wheel with a 316 stainless steel frame and technical rubber grip. And the Grimani is a sports steering wheel featuring an anatomic grip and either chrome-plated or painted inserts. All comply with EEC directives and all will happily fit Ultraflex steering helms, with or without tilt and paddle trim.

Slimline radio from Icom

For further information, visit www.williamsjettenders.com

Cheetah Marine ‘Unleash the Beast’ Catamaran builder, Cheetah Marine will be launching its first professionally produced Cheetah video, ‘Unleash the Beast’, in time for the Southampton International Boat Show.

Over the summer, Cheetah Marine employed the services of professional videographers Procam 4K, who specialise in all types of marine video, with footage captured from both water and air.

The video demonstrates the effectivness of the Cheetah cat in a variety of marine environments and includes 2015 craft alongside catamarans currently in service. Sequences include rough-weather testing, watersports, beaching, commercial fishing and ease of helming for wheelchair skippers. For more information, visit www. cheetahmarine.co.uk and www.procam4k.uk.

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

SLIM LINE

Icom has launched a compact new marine VHF radio. Known as the IC-M25, the buoyant new model weighs just 220g and features a large LCD display and curved buttons for easy operation at sea. In fact, its LCD screen is 30% larger than its predecessor, the IC-M23, so the channel number and status icons are much easier to read at a glance.

The IC-M25 provides five watts of transmit power in typical conditions and allows up to 11 hours of operating time with its internally sealed 1500mAh lithium-ion battery. With its BC-217 charger, the radio can be charged in just three hours and it also features a USB connector for easy charging from a variety of electronic devices.

Typical audio output of 550mW makes this radio easy to hear even in a lively breeze and it includes some well-established Icom features such as the ‘Favourite Channel’ facility and one-touch ‘Tag’ scanning. It also comes loaded with Icom’s AquaQuake feature, which uses low-frequency sound waves to clear any water from the speaker grill. To find out more, visit www.icomuk.co.uk.

Stingher launches new 900GT The Southampton Boat Show is to witness the world launch of the new Stingher 900GT Custom Sport.

Imported from Italy by MRL in Southampton, the new RIB will use Stingher’s established nine-metre hull, alongside a totally new deck layout. The console will be much bigger and will incorporate not just a sea toilet but also the latest 12inch chartplotter systems. In the bow there will be a U-shaped dining area for six people, while the storage and sundeck area of the established model will be retained. The biggest difference, however, will be between the console and stern seat, where some extra space will enable the use of four impact mitigation seats, or electric bolster seats with a rear-facing bench. Available with either single or twin outboard engines, the 900GT can be viewed on stand E062 or at www.mrl-uk. com.

Penrite Oils hit the UK Back in 1926, Penrite Oil Company began manufacturing some of the world’s most highly regarded lubricants from its base in Melbourne, Australia. And now, Penrite has a presence in the UK, with a range of high-quality marine oils for British businesses. Most UK mainland addresses can order lubricants without a delivery charge and all first orders will include a free pack of OptiMarine Environmentally Safe Boat Cleaning Fluid.

Further discounts are available on volume orders so visit www.penriteoil. com/au for more.

Southsea

Salterns

Five-star awards for UK marinas Salterns Marina and Southsea Marina have both received the 5 Gold Anchor Award, the Yacht Harbour Association’s highest accolade for the quality and consistency of service.

The Gold Anchor Award Scheme has been auditing marinas throughout the world for over 25 years and is well known as a credible measure of marina excellence.

The judging process involves a comprehensive set of criteria that is checked and surveyed by an independent marina expert. In addition, a series of mystery berth holders’ questionnaires are conducted. The marina must achieve a minimum overall score of 85% to gain 5 Gold Anchor status so the awards are very highly sought after indeed.

Salterns Marina in Poole, Dorset enjoys the sheltered waters of Europe’s largest natural harbour. It is home to 275 berths including 75 swinging moorings (www. salterns.co.uk). Southsea Marina (owned and run by Premier Marinas) has recently invested £280,000 in the site to create luxury, spa-quality shoreside facilities (www. premiermarinas.com).

Electric outboard from Minn Kota Minn Kota’s new ‘EO’ is an electric outboard motor designed for use in both fresh and saltwater. It is available in two models: the EO 0.5hp model, which is powered by a single 12V deep-cycle marine battery; and the EO 1hp model, driven by a two-battery, 24V system.

In accordance with the demands of outboard usage, the lower unit and all electronics have been built and tested to run hard at high speeds for extended periods of time without overheating. With fully charged batteries, you can expect up to nine hours of continuous run time at half-speed. However, to ensure you make it back to the dock, the motor’s ‘Push-to-Test’ battery meter gives you instant data on the state of charge.

In addition to variable speed control, the Minn Kota EO features a 36-inch adjustable shaft, a tilting, extended tiller and an adjustable clamp-on bracket. Visit www.minnkotamotors.com

Used Boat Show returns Premier Marinas will once again be hosting its annual Used Boat Show at Swanwick Marina alongside the Southampton Boat Show between 11th and 20th September 2015.

Now in its 36th year, the show is set to feature extensive on and off-water displays, with both power and sail from onsite brokerages, Ancasta International Boat Sales, Clipper Marine, Princess Motor Yachts, Sea Ventures and Sunseeker Southampton. There will also be displays from various other marine services, including Hendy Marine.

The show is open daily from 10am to 6pm and if you book in advance, you will be able to take advantage of Premier’s Park and Ride service to the Southampton Boat Show. Besides a complimentary ticket to the show, the offer also includes free parking at Swanwick Marina and a return coach journey to the Southampton show. Prices cost £13 per adult or £32 for a family of two adults and up to four children.

For more details, visit www.premiermarinas.com

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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NEWS ISSUE 129

Beneteau completes the Flyer range Beneteau is to complete its Flyer range with the introduction of a new 28-foot model. Available in SUNdeck and SPACEdeck configurations, the new Flyer 8.8 will come with the latest generation ‘AirStep’ hull and a transom capable of accommodating up to 500hp. Where they differ will be in the nature of their internal fit-out and their likely applications.

The SPACEdeck model opens up the deck with a central three-man helm station, a compact alfresco galley and an aft bench that can be replaced with a live fish tank and work table. But with a large forward cabin, a separate toilet and a second midcabin, it looks just as useful for cruising as fishing.

The SUNdeck version, however, is all about comfort and lounging space. Up top, the large convertible aft sunpad is supplemented by a foredeck solarium for two. Down below, the forward cabin echoes that layout with sleeping for two and an arrangement of convertible furniture that enables the daytime creation of a generous saloon.

If you want to see them in the flesh, the SUNdeck model will be making its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2015 and the SPACEdeck model is due to appear at the Nautic Boat Show in Paris next year. In the mean time, find out more at www.beneteau.com

Crewsaver set for Southampton Crewsaver is planning to load its Southampton Boat Show stand with all its latest and greatest gadgetry. In addition to the Fusion 3D lifejacket range, there will be an ISO Ocean Liferaft, plus a debut appearance for the new Artemis range, which is so new it won’t actually be for sale. This will include a wetsuit, a helmet, some buoyancy

aids and a set of technical garments including long johns and a rash vest. On the offers front, there will also be a free lifejacket light with every Crewfit Pro; a free knife with any ErgoFit jacket; a free lifejacket bag with the purchase of any four lifejackets; and a daily competition to win an Artemis branded Crewfit 180N Pro. See www.crewsaver.co.uk for more.

Free apps from Raymarine The latest versions of Raymarine’s free apps (RayControl and RayRemote) are now available to download from the iTunes store. These improved apps will apparently allow you to pan and tilt your thermal camera by moving your mobile device. You can download these apps using the following links: RayControl / iTunes - v1.3.7 http://www2.raymarine.eu/e/7392/pp-raycontrol-id523576941-mt-8/3mk33g/519744243 RayRemote - v1.3.6 http://www2.raymarine.eu/e/7392/app-rayremote-id523132500-mt-8/3mk33j/519744243 RayView - v1.3.4 http://www2.raymarine.eu/e/7392/s-app-rayview-id456592422-mt-8/3mk33l/519744243

10

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

Biking bag for boaters The SW-Motech Drybag is a German-made device designed for motorbike adventures in extreme conditions - and that makes it equally ideal for boating tours.

With welded tarpaulin construction and fully welded seams with inner taping, this tough, durable bag keeps your gear dry in even the toughest conditions.

The real bonus here however, is that in place of a cylindrical dry bag’s top seal, this horizontal ‘holdall’ style bag uses a much longer access point without compromising its watertight integrity.

It also has four lashing straps built-in, which are great for securing it to your boat. Available in two sizes (35 litres and 60 litres), even the price looks good.

Expect to pay £48.40 for the 350 and £56.32 for the 600. See www.swmotechbybrandedbiker. co.uk for more.

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NEWS ISSUE 129

British boats on the rise British Marine has announced a 4.3% increase in the production of UK leisure boats in 2014. This is in spite of challenging trading conditions in the Eurozone and other key foreign markets and shows that both at home and away, British build is still in high demand.

The figures come from new research by British Marine, in collaboration with Phil Draper & Associates, reporting that UK manufacturers built 10,120 boats in 2014.

Leading this surge is the nation’s sailboat companies, and key to this growth is the strengthening position of the UK as a leading player in the international dinghy market. However, the UK motoryacht sector has also reported impressive growth of 10% in the production of boats above 24 metres in length.

With boat manufacturing accounting for 29.3% of the £2.93bn received by the UK marine industry in total revenue in 2014, there is no denying that these figures are encouraging signs for the industry.

See www.britishmarine.co.uk for more.

New Fleming 78-footer Fleming’s new flagship model is due to take centre stage just in time for the Southampton Boat Show. Developed on the basis of the old 75, she offers three ensuite staterooms with separate crew quarters aft and a standard rig of twin MAN V12-1550hp engines. With a transatlantic range of more than 3,000 nautical miles and the potential for speeds in excess of 20 knots, her credentials as an expedition workhorse look very sound. She also comes equipped with Aquadrive vibration isolation systems, twin 27KW Onan generators and twin Maxwell windlasses. A central monitoring system with three 15-inch colour touchscreens displays all on board systems, including tank levels, bilge and fire alarms, as well as a fully controllable CCTV system. For those in search of a globetrotting companion, this American stalwart is not one to miss.

“Fleming’s new flagship model is due to take centre stage just in time for the Southampton Boat Show”

BRP Sea-Doo finance BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) is to extend its consumer finance campaign with Santander Consumer Finance until 30 September 2015. The idea behind the move is to make the company’s Sea-Doo personal watercraft more accessible to the public. The promotion offers finance terms of 24, 36 or 48 months, based on a minimum deposit of 20% and Mike Loach, BRP Commercial Representative UK and Ireland, believes it will have a very useful impact: “So far, we have had an extremely positive response from consumers who have used the offer to take a further look at SEA-DOO and make a purchase. With the extension of this deal, we anticipate our customer base will grow even further and help more consumers to join the SEA-DOO family.”

For more details, visit www.brp.com.

Visit us for all your Evinrude needs s s s s

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Demo boat with 300hp G2 Contact us for best prices on all Evinrude engines.

Part exchange welcome.

www.powertechmarine.com Tel: 02392 637 222 (based at Northney Marina, Hayling Island) 12

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

The outboard of the future.

Available today.

The new era in outboards is all about choice. Choose the all-new Evinrude® E-TEC® G2™ and get best-in-class torque and fuel efficiency*. Choose from hundreds of different colour combinations to perfectly match your boat and get cleaner rigging to make it look even sharper. Choose 5 years or 500 hours with no dealer-scheduled maintenance and the cleanest combustion outboard engine ever built. Choose yours at evinrude.com.

CHOOSE YOURS

THE POWER OF CHOICE

© 2015 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, TM and the BRP logo are registered trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. BRP reserves the right at any time to discontinue or change specifications, price, design, features, models or equipment without incurring any obligation. * Based on BRP testing and advertised features of each competitive manufacturer at time of printing.

NEWS ISSUE 129

‘Film Star Overnighter’ from Brig It might sound bizarre but the new BRIG Eagle Overnighter was originally conceived as a means of satisfying the Swedish leisure market, where (quite rightly) strict drink-drive laws mean those who enjoy a beer need to bed down for the night. As the latest model in that line, the new 780 is not due to make its UK debut until the Southampton Boat Show in September but it has already become something of a film star, courtesy of its cameo in the apocalyptic Hollywood blockbuster, ‘San Andreas’.

If you fancy a sneak peek, you can check out the trailer online http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/san-andreas-trailerthe-earth-moves-for-the-rock-and-everyone-else-too-20150311140ui5.html

RYA incentives at Southampton

RYA DEALS

The RYA Members’ Lounge at this year’s Southampton Boat Show is pushing some very useful deals. If as an RYA member, you take advantage of the ‘Refer a Friend’ scheme, not only will your friend save 25% on the first year of their membership, but you will win yourself two free gifts – an OverBoard dry bag and an RYA umbrella.

RYA Instructor members renewing their membership will also get five years membership for the price of three. And members with up to three guests will enjoy a private table service dining area, a selfservice cloakroom and a dedicated lounge area to sit and relax. If you’re an RYA member you can even get access to discounted show tickets. See www.rya.org.uk for more.

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

MDL pontoon for Land Rover BAR

NEW HQ

MDL Marina Consultancy (a division of MDL Marinas) has helped design and build a pontoon to complement the Land Rover BAR team’s innovative new HQ. The new pontoon is designed to offer the team direct access to the Solent while they are training in the UK and competing in the UK leg of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series.

The entire build was carried out from the sea, including all material deliveries and the project was completed in a record three weeks. The attention to detail extends to recessed stainless steel lighting and the embedding of the MDL logo in the deck boards with a CNC machine. Alex Beere, Head of Consultancy at MDL Marina Consultancy, is plainly delighted with the results: “This has been a particularly exciting project for our consultancy team. Managing projects of this kind, from conceptualisation through to delivery, is what we do best. It’s great to have been able to make a significant contribution towards the team’s campaign.” To find out more, visit www.mdlconsultancy. com.

Quicksilver to launch flagship fisher Quicksilver’s recent history seems to have been all about the (generally) excellent Activ range of leisure boats, so it’s good to see that the Captur line is also now getting some attention.

Due for launch at the Southampton Boat Show, the Captur 905 Pilothouse is first and foremost a sports fisher, but in common with its type, it is likely to be a very versatile platform, with plenty of comfort, decent performance and the ability to take you cruising with just as much acumen as it might take you fishing. In fact, the use of convertible furniture, a broad beam and some clever space management means you get space to seat ten and sleep six. You even get the option of a second helm position, plus a fully featured galley with sink and LPG stove, and a separate heads with enclosed toilet and shower. As do-it-all 28-footers go, it looks like a very serious contender. See www.quicksilver-boats.com or hunt it down on stand F020.

DEBUT

Nordstar 32 to debut in Scotland

In a major coup for the Scottish Boat Show at Kip Marina, the new Nord Star 32 is set to make its UK debut at the event in October 2015.

The 32 is designed to feel a lot bigger than its nominal length suggests and unusually for a central wheelhouse design, it also has impressive natural light in the cabins.

The show model will be powered by twin Mercury V6 260hp diesels. It will also come with Axius joystick control for much easier close-quarters work and the premium package will add ‘Skyhook’ digital anchor, integrated autopilot and auto heading.

Keith Stewart, Managing Director of Nord Star UK, is positive that the British boater will love it: “Forty years in the business has convinced me that the best features for powerboats in the UK are a solid wheelhouse with heating, all-round vision from the helm for easy berthing and safe walkaround decks. Nord Star has this on all its boats and the build quality out of Finland is superb.”

It’s difficult to disagree with any of that and it’s also tough to criticise Nordstar’s laudable sense of understatement. In addition to a useable galley, a generous social section, decent external seating and low noise levels, the new Nord Star 32 Patrol is in fact nearly 37 feet in length. See www.nordstar.co.uk for more.

Orkney Boats new 25-footer

NEW LAUNCH

Orkney Boats is to launch a new 25-footer this September on a hull developed in conjunction with Nelson designer, Arthur Mursell of TT boat designs. Following in the footsteps of the highly successful Pilot House 20, 24 and 27, the new 25 model will adopt the same longstanding principles for which Orkney Boats has become renowned – namely a robust, seaworthy, practical design with userfriendly seakeeping that enables longer passage-making as well as modest coastal cruises.

The new wheelhouse combines the traditional Orkney ‘workboat’ image with a sleeker, more modern profile.

Flush, recessed, toughened glass windows give a commanding view from the helm and the cabin includes a comfortable seating area that can be converted into a double berth. You also get a well-appointed galley to port and a separate toilet compartment to starboard.

For more on the new 25, you can either visit the Orkney stand at the Southampton boat show or see www. orkneyboats.co.uk.

Free berthing from Scarab Scarab Jet Boats, famous from its high-profile appearance in the 80s TV series, ‘Miami Vice’, has launched a fresh customer offer in time for the autumn boat shows. If you buy any new Scarab jet boat, you qualify for free dry stack berthing at Saxon Wharf or Cobb’s Quay courtesy of MDL Marinas for the first year of ownership. With a value of up to £3,800, it’s a very useful incentive for those in search of jet-powered watersports thrills.

Mercury powered up for south coast show Mercury is planning to showcase a broad cross-section of its latest and most advanced engines at the Southampton Boat Show. However, chief among these will be the longawaited UK debuts of the Mercury Verado 350 and the ferocious Mercury Racing Verado 400R. The Verado 350 will join Mercury’s family of four and sixcylinder supercharged four-stroke outboards. Built on Mercury’s proven supercharged inline, six-cylinder Verado outboard engine, it is designed to deliver superior torque across the operating range, creating rocket-like hole-shot, a faster top end and a more responsive cruising performance.

However, as the most powerful consumer outboard Mercury has ever produced, the Mercury Racing Verado 400R looks likely to eclipse not just the 350, but pretty much any comparable outboard on show.

See www.barrus.co.uk for more

Ballistic growth for JBT JBT Marine has apparently seen such excellent growth in new Ballistic RIB sales throughout 2015 that it has now expanded its line-up of brands to become the UK dealer for both Marlin and Selva RIBs. The company has also released news that its Ballistic RIBs will now be supplied solely with Yamaha outboards, so to find out what else is going on at JBT, visit stand C026 at the Southampton Boat Show, call 02392 397000 or visit www.ribsforsale.com.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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NEWS ISSUE 129

Silly spelling great gadget

Merry Fisher upgrades If you liked the recent Merry Fisher 695, the new 795 model is likely to prove difficult to resist. Introduced as a replacement for the prolific 755, it takes the same combination of moderate-V hull and outboard engine and adds huge, plunging side windows, a sliding roof panel and a panoramic windscreen for great natural light and unbroken views from the saloon. The inward-facing saloon can also be converted to offer additional berths and the forward cabin is equipped with a double berth and a separate heads compartment.

Outside, the single-level cockpit is wide and uncluttered, with a U-shaped lounge that can be converted into a sundeck. The use of a sliding seat also means that the cockpit can continue to be used when the engine is raised. Of course, there’s nothing radically new here but for those in search of a traditional, userfriendly weekender, this latest Merry Fisher looks bang on the money.

“The inward-facing saloon can also be converted offering additional berths”

BōT RōP® (Boat Rope) is an innovative retractable mooring line designed to replace traditional three-strand dock lines and toestubbing cleats.

The patent-pending mooring system stores and protects the double-braided nautical rope and the plastic-coated snap hook inside a rustproof enclosure. The unit fits flush to the surface, removing trip hazards on the dock and it’s also very easy to use.

Simply open the lockable cover, draw out the required amount of mooring line and close the cover. The mooring line can be set to automatically lock in place, or extend and retract for tidal conditions.

When ready to cast off, the cover is easily opened and the retractable mooring line instantly recoils back into the canister. To help find the marine docking accessory after dark, a solar-powered LED light is also installed on the cover. See www.boat-rope.com for more.

Fresh deck solutions MCP Marine has added to its Dek-King range with some new flooring solutions constructed from Lonseal and Infinity fabrics.

Lonseal products have been at the cutting-edge of flooring design for more than 30 years; and Infinity Fabrics’ contemporary floorings are routinely designed to withstand even the most demanding environments. Based in the historic coastal sailing town of Emsworth, MCP Marine is reportedly the UK’s only distributor of these specialist marine flooring solutions and Managing Director, Victor Aspey, is plainly excited at the prospect of working with these new products: “We are looking forward to collaborating with the teams at Lonseal and Infinity Fabrics to introduce these outstanding boat flooring solutions to the UK market.” You can find out more on stand G006 at the Southampton Boat Show or at www.marineflooring.co.uk.

Available in the UK from W: www.bhg-marine.co.uk T: 01590 613600 16

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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NEWS ISSUE 129

‘Grand Sturdy’ heads for Southampton The new Linssen Grand Sturdy 45.9 Sedan Wheelhouse is to make its world debut at this year’s Southampton Boat Show.

The 45.9 Sedan is a full displacement cruiser powered by twin 110hp diesel engines. It comes with full, traditional-style rope fendering and features Linssen’s latest (2016) colour scheme. Building on the success of the 52.9 Wheelhouse seen at Dusseldorf in January this year, the new design is aimed at the coastal cruising market but is also happy on some of the larger inland waterways of the UK and Europe. With its reliable cruising characteristics and flush aft cockpit, the Boat Show model has a striking grey hull and a very classical interior.

You can take a closer look on berths M006 and M007 at the show – or failing that, the boat will also be available for trials, tests or viewings by prior arrangement at Swanwick Marina from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September.

See www.boatshowrooms.com for more.

“The new Linssen Grand Sturdy 45.9 Sedan Wheelhouse is to make its world debut at this year’s Southampton Boat Show” 25yr heritage of British built RIBs Bespoke design, from Bottle Racks to Sundecks, we’ve got it covered!

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Polish composite manufacturer, MARKOS, has recently delivered a pair of high-speed RIBs for New Madera RIBs BV. The 38-foot boats are designed to work as offshore crew carriers with speeds even in the rough of up to 35 knots. Despite the obvious commercial purpose of these boats, the main scope of production for MARKOS is actually remarkably broad, with everything from wind turbines, RIBs, lifeboats and rescue boats to tenders and standalone leisure boats. For more details, visit www.markos.pl.

A voice for plankton?

Having been to Greenland and Stockholm, the French scientific research vessel ‘TARA’ will arrive in London on 09 September for a five-day stay.

Her mission en route to the UN’s next Climate Conference is to provide the first complete overview of the ocean’s plankton ecosystem. The idea is that if they can alert the public and policy makers about the rapid changes in the oceans due to global warming then they might be able to “give the oceans a voice” in future discussions about climate change. TARA will welcome the general public aboard on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, where the crew will present its scientific discoveries. Find out more at www.oceans.taraexpeditions.org.

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ON THE WATER

Haven’s rest for Rosabelle

HAVEN’S REST FOR ROSABELLE Laura Downton and Kirstie Dyke report on a venerable old lady’s homecoming…

AN 87-YEAR-OLD boat is making the journey from the Classic Boat Museum in East Cowes to its summer home on the water at Cowes Yacht Haven. Rosabelle, the sturdy motor launch used by renowned marine photographer Frank Beken, has been given a free berth by the Cowes Waterfront Trust, just in time for the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary International Regatta (25–31 July).

Jon Pridham, managing director of Cowes Yacht Haven, said: ‘We were honoured to offer Rosabelle a free berth. The marina here has been a part of the Isle of Wight’s history for hundreds of years, so it was only right to welcome another crucial part of the island’s past to our marina.’

Frank Beken spent 20 years on Rosabelle, taking photos of beautiful yachts and races, a skill that required exact timing.

Throughout the 1920s and 30s Beken used the motor launch to get to the best viewpoint of all the races and regattas in the waters

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

around the Isle of Wight.

When Frank’s photographer son Keith and grandson Ken donated Rosabelle to the Classic Boat Museum in 2004, she needed much repair and even had a small tree growing in the bottom of the boat! Volunteers at the

The location will showcase the hard work of the Classic Boat Museum and display our island’s nautical history to a whole new audience … museum removed and replaced all the rotten wood and restored Rosabelle to her original glory in 2008, and she is ready now to be displayed in Cowes Yacht Haven to the 130,000 visitors that pass through the marina every year.

The Classic Boat Museum plans to repeat history by taking Rosabelle out for the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary Regatta

to be among the very same boats she helped Frank Beken photograph over 60 years ago.

Rosemary Joy, director of the Classic Boat Museum, said: ‘We’re so very grateful to the Cowes Waterfront Trust and Cowes Yacht Haven for providing a free berth for Rosabelle. The location will showcase the hard work of the Classic Boat Museum and display our island’s nautical history to a whole new audience, as well as putting Rosabelle back among the boats that she belongs with.’

Yachtsmen from around the world come to see the historical photographs taken by Frank Beken

on his specially designed maritime camera. Early photographs signed

by Beken & Son have fetched £1,000 at auction. The awardwinning Classic Boat Museum was granted Arts Council Accredited Museum Status in 2013 for its high standards of professionalism and conservation.

Volunteers at the museum removed and replaced all the rotten wood and restored Rosabelle to her original glory …

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PREVIEW

First Look - Ribeye Prime Eight 21

PBR FIRST LOOK

RIBEYE PRIME EIGHT 21 RIBEYE WILL BE launching their new PRIME EIGHT21 at this year’s Southampton Boat Show (11th–20th September). The model is a larger sister vessel to the PRIME SIX19 and has a number of new features, including boarding steps forward, aft and on the side haunches, which means all guests can now board the RIB safely without any contact with the tube. From the water, skiers can also board via a stowable ladder on the side haunch rather than the rear.

The RIB’s newly engineered console has been ergonomically designed to both enhance the driving experience and provide the navigator with easy access to the boat’s electronics.

Careful thought has likewise been given to ensure the console’s precise lines result in enhanced protection from the wind. This unit can either offer copious degrees of storage or be

fitted out as a toilet.

For those who may favour taking this boat on long range cruising excursions, the PRIME has a 305L fuel tank installed underdeck. And to provide additional comfort, a U-berth seating unit converts into a sizable sunbathing platform which again, offers a large storage capacity if needed.

Ribeye’s PRIME range is manufactured in Dartmouth, Devon.

The craft being British built is something that the company are keen to promote, along with the fact the build team are using cuttingedge composite technology through resin infusion techniques and cored laminates. This is with the aim of creating a range of boats possessing increased global integrity of lower weight but with improved both performance and fuel economy.

Additional PRIME models will be launched at the London Boat Show 2016, including the PRIME SIX77 and a 9m+ craft later in the year.

The Ribeye Prime Eight - now available from Ribeye - www.ribeye.co.uk T: 01803 832060

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WeIrd & Wonderful

U-Boat Worx HP Sport Sub 2

Weird but wonderful:

U-Boat Worx HP Sport Sub 2 Alex Smith investigates the latest submersible from Dutch specialist U-Boat Worx.

The HP Sport Sub 2 is the latest craft to emerge from U-Boat Worx

IT’S RELATIVELY EASY to generate a world-beating personal submarine when everyday constraints like size, budget and logistical complications are eradicated from the thought process. And at the other end of the scale, where restricted budgets and modest technologies hold sway, the critical compromises of submersible leisure boats can render the finished package rather absurd. After all, if you are required to wear breathing apparatus or a drysuit (and on plenty of entry-level toys that really is the case), then your submersible conveyance is nothing but a puerile novelty. That’s why it’s so pleasing to witness a serious sub from a proper manufacturer that occupies the middle ground between these two imperfect extremes.

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

A user-friendly concept

Renowned Dutch submersible manufacturers U-Boat Worx were founded in the 1980s by a man named Bert Houtman. His dream was apparently to ‘conquer the world with a superior submersible available to the general public’. He wanted to create a sub that would sidestep the established users (military forces and highly funded research institutes) and make the subsurface realm accessible to the general public.

And today, more than 30 years later, the HP Sport Sub 2 is all set to usher in a new generation of ultra-compact, highperformance personal submersibles.

Designed and built in-house, this million-euro vessel aims to make the

ownership experience a very easy, pleasurable and accessible one. Although principally designed as a vessel to help maximise the excitement of diving, this fully fledged two-man submersible can be used on any superyacht of 100 feet or more – and at 9 feet in length with a beam well under 8 feet and an overall height of just 4 and a half feet, it can also be towed by road. Having said that, with a weight in excess of 2 metric tonnes (which is actually quite light by submersible standards), you will need to invest in a fairly hefty family car if you want to shift it.

Built from acrylic and steel with top-hatch entry, the new sub uses high-capacity lithium-ion batteries for operational autonomy of up to six hours.

Weird & Wonderful

U-Boat Worx HP Sport Sub 2

Specifications

â&#x20AC;Ś the HP Sport Sub 2 is all set E ĹĽ ĹĽ E ĹĽyŧ żŧ ? y ĹĽ ŧ personal submersibles.

LOA: 2.85m Beam: 2.35m Height: 1.36m Weight: 2200kg Max people: 2 Max depth: 100m Max time: 6 hours Propulsion: 6 electric thrusters Price â&#x201A;Ź1 million Contact www.uboatworx.com

The horizontal thrusters can be upgraded for extra pace

This fully ĘĄ two-man submersible can be used on any superyacht of 100 feet or more At a million Euros, the new sub will be more accessible than most

It can dive to a maximum operating depth of 330 feet, and in standard guise it can achieve up to 3 knots in surface mode and 2 knots subsurface.

However, if you upgrade the twin horizontal 2.7kW thrusters to a pair of 5.4kW units, the speed increases to 5 knots at the surface and 3 knots subsurface. In either case, vertical propulsion is provided by four 2.7kW thrusters, and while it might seem like a challenging boat to drive, U-Boat Worx are very proud of the fact that the new fly-by-wire helm interface is extremely easy to use.

Aesthetically, this tubby little sub is also a rare treat. According to Houtman, safety and functionality were prioritised above style, not least in the fact that this

vessel can be boarded with ease at surface level. But he freely acknowledges that his designers have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;adopted a very different look compared to traditional submersiblesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that resolves itself in a peculiarly automotive form, with raked recesses, vented sections and muscular mouldings giving the Sport Sub 2 all the boastful marina bravado you could want.

Summary

This strikingly modern and streamlined submersible looks every bit as user-

friendly as its designers intended. With excellent manoeuvrability both at the surface and underwater, multiple lifting points, compact, storagefriendly dimensions, lovely styling and a moderately accessible price point, it makes a huge amount of sense for the high-end leisure boater. At a million euros, it might not have completed the grand, philanthropic mission originally embraced

by Houtman in the 80s, but it certainly goes a long way towards it. Production models are scheduled for delivery in the autumn of 2015, so if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lucky enough to be in the market for a private submersible, keep an eye on the U-Boat Worx website for more.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

25

PREVIEW

First Look - Chaparral Vortex 223

Come & see it at

PBR FIRST LOOK

CHAPARRAL VORTEX 223 IF YOU THINK of jet boats in terms of small Sea-Doo clones, then adjust your perceptions.

The new Chaparral Vortex 223 is a capable and luxurious 22 foot sportsboat, with impressive twin jet engine power. She is also fastidiously tuned for wakesurfing. This is because Chaparral engineers have devised a unique award-winning Aerial Surf Platform. When the ballast tank is full of water, the rear platform shapes the perfect wake. Since she has no props, she is very safe for all family watersports.

Chaparral offer three jet engine options: Twin Rotax 150s, Twin Rotax 200s, or Twin Rotax 250s.

Overall, the 223 exhibits much higher production values than the older generation of smaller jet powered runabouts. There is a luxurious feel to her stylish fit-and-finish. Couple that with superb acceleration, pukka sportsboat handling, plus comfortable seating for ten, and you have an extremely versatile watersports platform.

Don’t miss our full review in the next issue of Powerboat & RIB magazine.

“Superb acceleration, pukka sportsboat handling, plus comfortable seating for ten, and you have an extremely versatile watersports platform”

The Chaparral Vortex 223 - now available from Ideal Boats - idealboats.com. Tel: 01758 703013

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

New MFS50 Lightest In Class At 95kg Contact Your Local Tohatsu Outboard Dealer South

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Practical Electronics

Bargain Units

PBR NEW

PRODUCT

David Hoskin visits the electronic bargain basement to see what treasures he can find …

NORMALLY WITH A boat show on the horizon, people are looking forward to the new electronics and wondering what is due to come. However, with new items always being released, I thought it would be a great time to look at what items are now being classed as ‘end of life’. These items are still on the shelf in chandleries and available from online stores, who will be looking to clear their stock at great prices. Some items are still very good value for money and have a lot to offer. Below I have marked my top three chartplotters that

LOWRANCE HDS5 - GEN2

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

Lowrance HDS Gen2 range The HDS Gen2 range has been around since 2012 and has been a great offering from Lowrance. With screen sizes available in 5, 7, 8 and 10”, the range is suitable for all boating needs.

When looking at pricing, a 5” HDS Gen2 unit is available for as little as £390, while a 7” screen can be found with a quick search for under £550 and an 8” for as little as £700.

So what advantages do these units still offer? Well, the first thing you notice is that the units are NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 compliant, opening you to the world of expansion. They are also radar compatible, so the broadband radar still offered by Lowrance can be added to the system. You can also add AIS to the unit through an external source. The HDS Gen2 range does have some drawbacks, though, the most obvious of which is the fact that the unit has no touch screen capability. Also the unit is compatible with the GoFree wireless unit, but you cannot control the unit as you can with the newer units.

When looking for new electronics it is not always the most modern units that are required.

Raymarine A6 – non-Wi-Fi With Raymarine’s first offering in the newer A series chartplotters, they presented the 5.7” A series in a more basic guise. These chartplotters had no Wi-Fi connectability. This means there is no ability to control the unit from an iPad or tablet. This is about the only downside to this unit over the now standard one. It still has all the performance of the other current A series units, including compatibility with all Raymarine additional networkable items. The A6 series is available in three versions: the A65, a map-only unit; the A67, with built-in fish finder; and the A68, which has built-in down scan imaging.

There is a drawback to these smaller A series chartplotters in that there is no NMEA 0183 connection, so you are

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Practical Electronics

THE A6 POWER INSTALL

unable to connect to the older systems without investing in converters. If you are connecting to a newer system there are NMEA 2000 and Raynet connections, so it is business as usual.

When it comes to pricing, the non-WiFi variants offer great value for money against the standard Wi-Fi variants. An A68 non-Wi-Fi can be purchased for about £500, while a Wi-Fi version has an RRP of £895. When fitting these on RIBs or as a second plotter on your vessel, you will not even notice the difference

to the now standard Wi-Fi variant. The other difference for these units is that they are slightly larger than the standard instrument repeaters. At the price they are being offered at, the option of using them for data makes them a cost-effective instrument for any vessel.

Simrad NSS range With Simrad now offering their Evo2 range of NSS models, the original series has fallen by the wayside. The original NSS series has 6.4”, 8” and 12” screens

When thinking about what you need from your chartplotter, a new out-of-the-box but ‘end of line’ unit can sometimes offer everything you need for your set-up.

still available online and with several companies. These units have touch screens and all the compatibility you would expect from a chartplotter as standard, including a built-in GPS antenna, transducer port, and NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 as well as Ethernet connection for dual-unit connectability and radar. The unit has a slower processor and only single touch on the touch screens, and there is no builtin structure scan for the down/side scan imaging, although this is available in an add-on black box.

When looking at pricing, a traditional NSS 7 can be found for around £600, a saving of around £400 on the newer NSS Evo2, while the NSS 8 can be found at around £1000, which is around half the price of a newer NSS 9 Evo2.

When looking for new electronics it is not always the most modern units that are required. When thinking about what you need from your chartplotter, a new out-of-the-box but ‘end of line’ unit can sometimes offer everything you need for your set-up. More modern units can offer more functionality and upgraded compatibility, but if they offer functions you will never need, then you will be paying a premium for nothing.

DAVID HOSKIN David is an electrical, electronics and mechanically trained marine engineer with 16 years’ experience in the marine trade. He is currently employed by Promarine UK Ltd (www.promarineuk.com), based in Plymouth, who supply, install and upgrade electronics, outboard engines, marine generators and inboard diesel engines. If there are any technical questions or pricing issues you would like to ask him about, please feel free to email him on info@promarineuk.com, or telephone 01752 267984.

ILLUSTRATION: THE NSS7 TOUCH

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

29

BOAT TEST

Ocqueteau 725 Timonier

Ocqueteau 725 TIMONIER

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

BOAT TEST

Ocqueteau 725 Timonier

Simon Everett examines the 725 Timonier from

Ocqueteau, a French, family-owned boatbuilding company that has been building boats for over 60 years.

PRICE TESTED: (with Suzuki DF150TX) ÂŁ42,885 (inc. VAT) BERTHS: 4 POWER: 200hp CONTACT: EC Leisurecraft Ltd. Tel: 01702 568482

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE31

BOAT TEST

Ocqueteau 725 Timonier

The wide beam is apparent in this picture, giving great stability and extra room aboard

Aft seat section tilts forward to allow engine to trim right up

OCQUETEAU IS A family-owned boatbuilding yard based not far from La Rochelle, amid the shrimp and oyster growers of the Ile d’Oléron, which was once an island of revolutionaries who stood up against the King of France and has a seafaring tradition that can be traced back to earliest times. The first rules of the sea were drawn up on the Ile d’Oléron, and were called the Rolls of Oléron. These rules were adopted by navies throughout Europe and they formed the basis for the modern Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea. The company has a long-standing reputation for building boats for fishermen, and more latterly for pleasure boaters.

The new 725 is an upgrade of the previous 715 and was designed to provide a 7m boat powered by an outboard. The previous model, the 715, used an inboard engine with conventional drive that took up a sizable proportion of the internal space. By utilising outboard power for the 725, Ocqueteau have released the space previously occupied by the machinery and gained the benefits of outboard propulsion, namely quieter running, easier maintenance and unhindered movement throughout the boat.

The Timonier 725 is a well-proportioned boat with a sleek, aft-tapering profile that is pleasing to the eye. Softening the wheelhouse roofline has been achieved

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

by curving the overhanging coachroof (it reminds me of a sail), and the graphics are cleverly placed to reduce the aft section depth and make it look sleeker.

It works. From the high stem with its flared bow through to the stern, the twopanelled hull cuts a dash. The understated graphics lightly enhance the lines and provide a sophisticated elegance through their simplicity.

The French are very family-orientated and the Ocqueateau 725 has a tremendous amount of appeal for this sector. For a start, there are sleeping arrangements for four on a typically French open-plan layout, which reflects the social aspect of this practical pocket

cruiser. A separate heads compartment is often a deal breaker for the female persuasion, while the galley, just inside the double sliding cockpit doors, offers self-contained catering either inside or al fresco. All these features are neatly shoehorned into the 7.27 metres available length, where the use of the Suzuki DF140 outboard, instead of the inboard of the 715, releases some internal space and makes the whole boat feel far more spacious.

The cabin and wheelhouse are as one, with the forward vee berth, dinette, heads and helm all on the same level. There is no companionway to negotiate, just a straight-through walkway once over the

BOAT TEST

Ocqueteau 725 Timonier

The Timonier 725 is an elegant, nicely proportioned boat.

PERFORMANCE RPM Speed (knots) 1000 3.1 2000 5.6 3000 plane 10.8 3500 16.0 4000 20.4 5000 25.8 5600 34.1

the pricing front and helping with the economics of running costs.

How the walls are built is one thing, but one needs a good hull shape to make best use of that special lay-up and its inherent qualities. The Timonier has a shallow keel section with a moderate vee that planes easily, at just over 10 knots.

There is sufďŹ cient angle to deal with most chop, but rough water needs to be dealt with at reasonable speeds, rather than charged hard. The high, ďŹ&#x201A;ared bow provides plenty of lift, as do the reversed chines carried right forward, but those chines also introduce a ďŹ rm ride while they are creating the planing lift. At prudent, pleasure speeds you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel it, which is why I say you need to take seas at sensible speeds. Really chucking her at waves will feel quite harsh, but the stiffness in the build soaks it all up

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 7.27m Beam: 2.73m Draught: 0.39m Dry weight: 1600kg Max. power: 200hp Fuel tank: 192 litres Fresh water: 50 litres Berths: 4 CE cat: C for 8 persons

PRICE As tested: (with Suzuki DF150TX) ÂŁ42,885 (inc. VAT) Boat only: ÂŁ29,352

TEST BOAT PROVIDED BY: EC Leisurecraft Ltd. Unit A Essex Marina Wallasea Island Essex SS4 2HF Tel: 01702 568482

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0 Ę E

ĹŚ ? ĹĽ ĹĽ ĹĽ ĹĽ y y ĹĽ ? ĹŚ ĹĽ ĹĽ > without any fuss.

Handling is quite assured and stable, with those chines limiting the list in turns by creating a wall of water the hull can lean on. This also maintains the vision from the helm, without the wheelhouse roof dipping in to block your view. For a pleasure boat, the handling is more than adequate. Manoeuvring in a crosswind has to be watched due to the light weight and shallow forefoot. It is just something you get used to with whichever boat you are on.

The cockpit on the Timonier is what makes this a boat for many reasons.

There are rod holders for those who like to ďŹ sh and an across-the-stern bench, with a removable section for the transom gate. The centre section hinges forward to allow the engine to trim up. This function adds another few inches to the cockpit length with the engine down, the thinking being that when the engine is raised, on the mooring or for trailering, nobody needs to sit on the seats â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those extra inches matter on smaller boats. Fuel tank access and plenty of stowage is provided under the main hatch in the cockpit. This is a large opening that hinges to port and will swallow all your mooring gear and more besides. Other stowage is provided below the port seat aft and within the wheelhouse.

Fuel (galls/hr) 0.6 1.8 3.9 5.0 - 1.4 litres/mile 7.8 - 1.7 litres/mile 14.0 - 2.4 litres/mile 15.2 - 2 litres/mile

Access to the foredeck is via two teakcovered steps to the side deck protected by a double guard rail and given a wellplaced handrail along the wheelhouse roof and a vertical one on the aft end of the wheelhouse. The latter is also very useful for those standing in the cockpit when underway. The foredeck is dominated by the huge anchor locker with its double hatch covers and the mounting point for an electric windlass within, although there is plenty of space to work the anchor or mooring lines manually.

Given the type of use the Timonier will be put to, a top speed of nearly 35 knots from the 150hp is a function of the lightweight resin matrix, for those who need to keep the throttle to the stop.

Under more sympathetic use, a steady cruising speed of 20 knots is achieved in the most economical rev range at 4000rpm and will use just over 7 gallons per hour, which for a boat of this size is acceptable. Keeping your speed down to 16 knots or so will save you another 15% in the fuel stakes and increase the cruising range to around 120 miles, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too shabby.

As a multi-purpose craft, the Timonier 725 has most bases covered â&#x20AC;&#x201C; comfortable cruising, spacious cockpit and practical seakeeping. Exactly the sort of boat many people are looking for.

Cavernous chain locker with gull wing hatch covers.

WHAT WE THOUGHT THUMBS UP Advanced construction Good vision all round Spacious main berth

THUMBS DOWN Restricted stowage options

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BOAT TEST

Robalo R200 PACKAGE PRICE: £47,873 (with 200hp engine option) LOA: 6.27m POWER: Mercury Verado 200 4-stroke CONTACT: www.idealboat.com

American Beauty:

The Robalo R200 Alex Whittaker drives Robalo’s sports fisherman and discovers a softer side …

AMERICAN CENTRECONSOLE boats have a glossy minimalism all of their own. The overall formula for such craft is now well established: open boat, centre console, generous forward freeboard, sturdy stainless fittings, uncluttered decks and a bombproof leaning post at the helm. Add to this all the details beloved of American fisherfolk, such as

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a casting platform, aerated baitwell, rod storage, seawater washdown and lots of ordered space for tackle, and the gods of fishing are satisfied. So far so good.

Family mission As well as fishing features, Robalo recognise that such a significant purchase should also have to deliver a family fun role too.

Therefore family-friendly features are not forgotten in the R200. For instance, the

BOAT TEST

Robalo R200

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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BOAT TEST

Robalo R200

When punching through big waves she ĹĽ E ĹĽ Ę Ĺ§ for a 20-footer.

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Robalo R200...

CONSOLE: The resolutely functional helm is a pleasant and comfortable place to be.

bow lockers are insulated and have drains, so they can double up as food and drink ice chests. Thoughtfully, these lockers have comfy cushions ďŹ tted as standard. Handily, these bow cushions just snap on. A further plus point is that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to remove these cushions to root inside the lockers. For snacking al fresco, options include a nifty teak or ďŹ breglass table. Supplied as standard are a towing post for boards and toys and a decent waterproof stereo. Usefully, the supplied large carry-aboard cooler box (chocked under the helm seat) can be opened in situ. There is even space inside the helm moulding for a Porta Potti-cumchanging space. On the test boat there was an adjustable phone/handheld GPS holder with handy USB power socket. Such details ensure that the R200â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ shing mission is ably complemented by a well-thoughtout â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;family dayboatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ambience. In fact, picnicking on a lake is just as well supported as punching back over the bar.

The hull

Enough room at the helm for a Garmin Echomap 70s GPS + fish finder.

Coleman cooler lives under helm seat

The maximum beam of the hull is carried well forward, and there is a stylish and rather impressive drop as the sheerline slinks aft. The hull has two lifting strakes leading up to a 4â&#x20AC;? reversed chine. Such aesthetic and technical features combine to deliver a noticeably dry ride. Unlike many similar boats, the hull continues well beyond the nominal outboard transom. This projects buoyancy further aft and also assists a faster â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hole shotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. SigniďŹ cantly for ďŹ sherfolk, it extends the surface for casting further aft than usual.

Fishing features Helm door hinges for access, and is fitted with a seat. Note grip bars.

The two rear jump seats can fold utterly flat to deliver a rear casting platform.

Live aerated baitwell between.

Practical storage at the helm. One cubby is lockable. Note wide bottom footrest. Porta Potti and wiring.

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In ďŹ shing mode, the family-friendly locker cushions can be instantly unsnapped and stowed away. These reveal a non-slip casting deck on each side. The foredeck, complete with anchor locker, has a handy step up for easy access. The rear casting decks feature two well-upholstered jump seats. In a nifty design feature, these seats fold down absolutely ďŹ&#x201A;at. This makes them very secure to stand upon. This ďŹ&#x201A;ush treatment extends to the neat boarding ladder cover, so overall clear casting space is maximised. Naturally, there is the obligatory deep livewell for bait ďŹ sh, and a 12V aeration pump. There are two pull-out deep trays under the jump seats. These are ideal for storing tackle in ďŹ shing mode, and general items in family mode. There are rod holders on the side

BOAT TEST

Robalo R200 At speed, waves and wash can be shrugged off.

The simplicity and execution of the design really appeals. of the helm moulding and built into the gunwales, plus additional rod storage built flush into the cap rails. A convenient seawater washdown system is also fitted.

Helm The helm feels eminently practical and functional. Placed centrally, you really do have a commanding view. Most importantly, it has that welcome touch of ergonomic comfort. I loved the chrome destroyerstyle wheel (with deep finger grips). It felt cool to the touch in the hot summer sun.

Mind you, it might need a sheepskin wheel glove in the depths of a British winter.

The rather stylish forward helm seat is comfortable and has grip bars below and on each side. Importantly, the substantial stainless steel frame running around the windshield gives enough finger space for a comfortable grip. The handy helm top trays have rubber mats and are self-draining – ditto the deep beverage holders. It is a small but significant point, but when seated, the skipper’s feet can loll behind the seat, or linger on the helm’s integral footrest. You are not restricted, and you can always get a firm purchase when you need it in the rough stuff. The stylish helm moulding has

a lockable glovebox, and additional handy storage places moulded above the footrest.

The engine kill cord switch is situated conveniently near the throttle control. There is room at the helm for the flat screen GPS of your choice, right in front of the driver.

The test boat had a Garmin Echomap 70s, combining a colour fish finder with the normal plotter function. Although I liked the supplied round multifunction gauges, at speed in strong sunlight my old mince pies had trouble checking the lower digital

read-outs. Better to use your flat screen display for important things like knots.

I thought the no-nonsense, retro-styled, flick-switch banks looked exceedingly cool.

The very substantial helm seat frame is made from welded-up aluminium tube, and incorporates a grip bar to the rear. This is handily adjacent if you are using the rear jump seats. It is true that on some designs a fixed helm seat can introduce undesirable compromises, especially with drivers of differing sizes. However, I felt that the whole

The Mercury 200 Verado proved an ideal partner for this hull. Note military-spec quality of the towing frame.

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Got power if you want it – the R200 is no slouch with a Verado 200.

BOAT TEST

Robalo R200

SPECIFICATIONS Robalo R200 Length: 20‫މ‬2” (6.27m) Beam: 8”3” (2.53m) Draught: 1.2ft (0.37m) Dry weight: 3000lb Fuel capacity: 70 US gallons (265 litres) Deadrise: 18 degrees Steering: SeaStar hydraulic steering Power: Mercury Verado 200 4-stroke outboard Prop: 12”x25” stainless steel Category C: certification for 7 people Options: Optional hardtop available Price: As tested: £47,873 (VAT included) with the 200hp engine option. Includes launch trailer. Lower engine options are available.

CONTACT DETAILS www.idealboat.com

relationship of the seat to the helm had been well thought out on the R200.

Helm compartment This is a very useful enclosed space. It has a handy step to facilitate entry and egress, and there is a convenient light inside. Usefully this is provided with its own integral switch, so there is no scrabbling.

The door is substantial, and I noted that the hinges looked up to the job. There is even a stainless steel grip bar on the inside of the door. Though there is not enough room for a napping area, there is room for a Porta Potti or fridge, and a surprising amount of casual stowage for a day trip. You can also hang a few life jackets in this space with the

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provided overhead rail.

The wiring for the helm is easily accessible in here, though I would have liked to have seen some sort of simple vinyl cover over the instruments’ backs.

At sea This boat was fitted with the new Mercury 200 outboard option. On test, with this power and three up, she was very nimble indeed. She was noticeably quick and unfussed onto the plane, and cut into fast 30-knot turns with no drama whatsoever.

The high freeboard meant that you did not feel your ears were getting too close to the water on deep turns. I had instant control of the ride angle on the nifty outboard trim. Once over 3000 revs she became very responsive, and the throttle had to be manipulated precisely.

Landings were surprisingly soft.

Realistically, I imagine that most fishermen will cruise out to their marks at about 25 knots, and save the substantial 40 knotsplus top end for those fast runs home when the weather turns nasty. Driving at over 30 knots in a chop would be a bit vivid for my own family on a sea trip. However, on a languid river, such fast runs would be a very pleasant family cruise. What can be said is that this hull and power option would get you out and back safely in all sane boating weather. When punching through big waves she was quite magnificent for a 20-footer. That big forward buoyancy just shrugs the green stuff out of the way. The exquisite throttle control on the Merc 200 made precise surfing, tacking across crests

or judging the next wave leap really easy. On test we punched through aggressive overfalls at the harbour entrance and she handled them all with impunity. Despite the exposed driving position of all such boats, this one stayed remarkably dry.

The verdict An affordable, well-thought-out, cleverly designed, dual-purpose family dayboat-cumfast fisherman. The simplicity and execution of the design really appeals. Sparkling performance with the Merc 200.

WHAT WE THOUGHT PROS Fulfils its dual function admirably Impressive fit and finish Wide walkways on cap rail Useful pop-up breast cleats Good helm ergonomics Leaning post much better than two seats Good handholds going fore and aft Power on tested option was very good Low bridge draught Dry ride Great in big waves Tankage delivers a good range

CONS Would have liked to have seen a vinyl cover over the instrument backs inside the heads.

The strop holding the bow locker open was a trifle too short on the test boat, so it could close unexpectedly.

Given the ease with which the decks can be worked, the omission of an anchor roller was surprising.

BOAT TEST

Cranchi 33 Cranchi 33 Endurance

Endurance

Greg Copp runs a careful eye over this reasonably priced and lively sports cruiser from a company with an impressive history to live up to …

PRICE: £149,995 + VAT LOA: 10.25m ENGINES: Twin diesel 260/300hp Volvo D4s or twin petrol 320hp 5.7-litre GXIs CONTACT: www.salternsbrokerage.co.uk

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BOAT TEST

Cranchi 33 Endurance THE ORIGINAL Cranchi Endurance 39, launched nearly two decades ago, made Cranchi a mainstream player in the UK. In the late 90s the likes of Fairline and Princess were dominating the sports cruiser market with some very capable boats. With the launch of the Cranchi Endurance 39 in 1997 came a great sea boat that was a contender in terms of performance and seakeeping, and a clear winner in terms of price. Though the

Endurance 39 and 41 would give way to the demand for hardtop boats, the Endurance name has lived on with the Endurance 33.

The latest Endurance 33 should not be confused with the earlier version as they are different boats. The new Endurance has a wider 3.5m beam as opposed to the 3.1m beam of the ďŹ rst Endurance 33. However, they have much in common, both featuring deep-vee hulls and the open-plan internal layout used across the Endurance range.

You notice the extra beam on the new Endurance 33 as soon as you step on board,

but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let this fool you as this boat is not a maritime caravan. The extra hull width allows the engines to be mounted further apart, making vectoring of the sterndrives when berthing more effective. Tucking the boat back into a very tight berth at the end of the day without need for the bow thruster proved this point.

Once out in Studland Bay with a cheeky south-westerly blowing in, the Endurance 33 came alive. Nailing the throttles she hit 30 knots in less than 12 seconds. Two 300hp Volvo D4s in a 6-tonne boat is a great

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BOAT TEST

Cranchi 33 Endurance

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Cranchi 33 Endurance

THE HELM: A great helm for both helmsman and navigator, either sitting or standing.

LAYOUT: Plenty of room fore and aft in the cockpit. It is pleasing to see that Cranchi have not forsaken safety for style. These side decks and guard rails will not send you into a cold sweat when you go forward on fender duty.

ELECTRIC SUN PAD: At the press of a switch the sun pad lifts quickly to access the engines.

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The Endurance 33 is a very lively sports cruiser with a strong emphasis on sports. match and we had no problems getting a two-way average of 39.4 knots. You only need to trim up 2 degrees on the legs to get the last 3 knots out of the boat. When out of the lee of Studland and Old Harry I got a better feel for the hull’s seakeeping. With the weather on the beam there was no need for trim tabs. This may not be the case in a stronger sea, but in the conditions of the day that extra beam certainly paid dividends in keeping the Endurance on an even keel, as she showed no tendency to lean into a beam sea. Running into head seas the ride is remarkably soft for a boat this size with a 3.5m beam; in fact, bar a Windy Khamsin 34, I can’t think of a comparable boat that betters it. Where the Endurance really excels is in the turns. Russell of Salterns told me: ‘Turn as hard as you like, but hang on because she won’t slide.’ He wasn’t wrong. I turned the wheel hard at 30 knots and she just carved an incredibly sharp turn and shot out of it barely losing

BOAT TEST

Cranchi 33 Endurance

OPTIONS AND UPGRADES This boat has a long list of options that should really be included in the price, such as the cockpit camper cover at £5,300. The bow sun cushion set at £1,000 is pretty steep, but in contrast the electric trim tabs offered at the same price are very good value. The leather interior that this test boat had would cost £1,150, which is good value, as is the bow thruster at £3,000. The cockpit fridge and microwave cost £720 and £520, respectively, which for this boat are essential extras that you can’t ignore, even at these prices. The electronic packages on offer vary in price from £1,800 for a 12” plotter to £5,500 for a plotter and radar, which is par for the course.

If you feel you need it you can opt for a 4.5KVA generator at £9,000.

Few sports cruisers take off like this boat when you push the throttles forward and few easily nudge 40 knots.

MAXIMUM TOP SPEED 39.4 knots (two-way average with two crew, 50% fuel and 100% water) with wind conditions F3 gusting 5.

a knot. Most boats slide a little in the turn but the Endurance gives nothing away.

You do need to be prepared for it by either sitting firmly in the seat or standing on the footboard wedged against the flip-up seat bolster. The experience is a seat-of-yourpants ride that you would not want to repeat with your mother-in-law on board, but as a sports boat it certainly gets full marks in

this department. If you are looking to tow skiers or wakeboarders I can’t think of many boats of this size better suited. Having a wide beam with a sharp transom deadrise angle of 23 degrees gives the hull plenty of draught (3ft 1inch is quite deep for a 33ft sports boat), which can only help in digging the hull in when she is banked over.

From the domestic perspective, the Endurance 33 benefits from its extra girth below. The traditional Endurance layout of a large forward U-shaped seating area that converts to a very large double berth if needed may not suit some, but there are many benefits. You get more cabin seating than most 40-footers, but the only purely

sleeping space in the boat is a not overly generous double berth under the cockpit sole, which, having no door to separate it, is in effect open plan. This is clearly no family cruiser and some couples may baulk at the idea of having no separate cabin, but as a long weekender or dayboat the layout has its benefits. The seating area can comfortably accommodate four around the table; alternatively a couple can sprawl out comfortably on a wet evening watching television. The heads is impressive. It must be one of the few 33ft sports cruisers built with a truly separate shower compartment that does not result in the heads being turned into a swamp when you take a shower. This is sensible given that this boat is likely to get used frequently as a water

SNAPSHOT The Cranchi 33 Endurance below deck...

The teak-effect flooring is a great idea and hugely practical, however it is not used in the forward section of the cabin.

This large forward seating area is very big for this size of boat. It does, however, mean you have no forward sleeping cabin, but for a couple it is ideal.

The galley is certainly a compact affair, though it does have all the key facilities.

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BOAT TEST

Cranchi 33 Endurance look directly into them the moment the sun pad is raised.

Verdict The Endurance 33 is a very lively sports cruiser with a strong emphasis on sports.

Few sports cruisers take off like this boat when you push the throttles forward and few easily nudge 40 knots. Though wider in the beam than the previous Cranchi Endurance 33, it is a capable sea boat with a deep-vee hull that provides a soft ride. It does lack a separate sleeping cabin but it actually has plenty of space below decks and an impressive heads for a boat this size.

Considering its reasonable price, which has got better with the euro’s decline against sterling, it has few competitors in this field.

If you are looking to tow skiers or wakeboarders I can’t think of many boats of this size better suited. sports tool. The galley is certainly compact and limited in storage, but Cranchi have still managed to squeeze in the core essentials.

You get a two-ring hob, full-size fridge (well nearly), small sink and a microwave. The headroom in the galley area is full standing and the deep slide-out storage drawer is nicely made, but realistically, brews, butties and quick food will be the order of the day in the galley. Sensible teak-effect flooring is used in the galley area, though sadly not in the forward seating area of the cabin.

The cockpit has been well thought out. It has a great driver’s helm, forward seating for three, a wet bar complete with fridge, plenty of sociable seating, a double sun pad and walk-through access to a big bathing platform. The helm ergonomics are great, and need to be, given the boat’s lively nature. Your hand falls perfectly on the throttles, the wheel is adjustable, and the tachometers and chartplotter sit under your line of sight over the bow. If you sit you do not look over the windscreen unless you are exceedingly tall, but this seating stance would be reserved for long passages.

Alternatively, when you succumb to this boat’s white-knuckle side you will stand with

your feet on the foot step wedged securely into the flip-up seat bolster. This position is great as you can see clearly over the bow, and unless you have a strong sea off rather than on the bow the prominent chines keep the spray out of your face. For those lazy anchored moments the L-shaped seating area will easily cater for four. However, the novel drop-down table that fits neatly into a deck recess will only cater for two at a squeeze.

The bathing platform and sun pad are very generous for a 33-footer and much of this is down to the boat’s beam. Engine access could be superb if there were some steps fitted. As it is, once the sun pad has been raised you have a bit of a step down onto the top of the port engine. This is not really ideal, especially if the boat was rolling or pitching at anchor. Retrospectively this could be sorted with the addition of some steps, which I would advise. Once down in the engine bay there is plenty of space, with all service items easily accessed and footboards placed where you need them.

All the electrical cables are routed through substantial conduits and notably the rawwater strainers are positioned so you can

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 10.25m Beam: 3.50m Displacement: 6.0 tonnes (light) Fuel capacity: 530 litres Water capacity: 120 litres RCD category: B for 10 Engine options: Twin diesel 260/300hp Volvo D4s or twin petrol 320hp 5.7-litre GXIs both with duo-prop sterndrives

PRICE AS TESTED £149,995 (plus VAT)

PACKAGE PRICE (with twin 300hp Volvo D4s) £149,995 + VAT) to include a year’s berthing at Salterns Marina, Poole.

CONTACT www.salternsbrokerage.co.uk

WHAT WE THOUGHT FOR Genuine 39-knot performance Rapid acceleration Very responsive handling Soft ride Solid build Very good helm ergonomics Spacious accommodation for size of boat Safe deck access Plenty of space around engines with service items easily accessed

AGAINST

The engine access would be superb if there were some steps into the engine bay.

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Neat and compact, this wet bar is a great supplement to the galley.

Fairly narrow mid-cabin berth Lack of steps into engine bay Limited galley storage

BOAT TEST

Excel Vanguard 430

Excel Vanguard 430

Don’t discount the fully inflatable boat, says Simon Everett, who samples the portability and effectiveness of the Vanguard 430 from the Excel inflatables stable.

THE BOATING WORLD has changed over the years, and people’s expectations and perceptions have driven this change.

First boats are rarely the small dinghy of yesteryear – people expect to jump straight in well up the ladder and consequently they leapfrog the simple pleasure of learning the ropes in a small boat. When I tell people that I used to regularly go out to the Eddystone in my 10ft With dinghy, powered by an old, brown band, Mercury 9.8hp outboard, they stare at me in disbelief, but those experiences gave me a solid grounding in boat handling, seamanship and all that goes with it.

Before the With dinghy I had to make do with an Avon Redstart, a small inflatable of about 8ft that had a canvas bottom, and there was the option of adding slatted, wooden boards to give a somewhat less fluid footing. The small inflatable boat

was very much the mainstay of the tender industry, because it was lighter and more reliable than a Praam dinghy of the same size. Being soft and light, it was easy to stow on deck, or even deflate and stow below the aft bench. The advantages

of a fully inflatable boat are still as relevant today, and the Excel Vantage is a good example of how even the modest inflatable boat has evolved.

One of the main advantages of the fully inflatable boat is the sheer portability of the thing. Packed in its own kit bag, the Vantage 430 will happily go in the boot of a Land Rover or even a standard estate car.

Kept inflated, it can be put on a roof rack.

A small outboard that is also light enough to carry is all the propulsion you need to

Purposeful and capable

PRICE TESTED: £4,344 (inc. VAT) BOAT ONLY: £1,329 (inc. VAT) LOA: 4.35m POWER: 30hp MAX. PEOPLE: 8 CONTACT: www.meridian-marine.co.uk

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BOAT TEST

Excel Vanguard 430

A bit of weight forward helps the trim but the Vanguard 435 is a capable craft

Boat in a bag. Hardly a new concept, but one that is still highly desirable if circumstances dictate

The Vanguard 435 is a tough little boat that can be put to a multitude of uses …

SAR or adventurous spirit the Vanguard 430 covers plenty of bases

explore as far as the fuel carried will take you. Once in sheltered or shallow water, the use of the supplied oars allows you to venture into water only a few inches deep, with the motor lifted to take the skeg out of the water, by either rowing or poling your way over the shallows. This ability will allow you to explore over sandbars into otherwise inaccessible inlets or lagoons. Some of the most beautiful and least visited places on earth are in these hidden backwaters that big boats cannot get near.

If your bag is outdoor adventures, exploring along the coast, close enough to pick mussels off the rocks, and camping on majestic, remote beaches, or perhaps

you need a rapid-deployment safety craft for flood or remote inland water duties, then the easy-to-use, fully inflatable Vanguard 430 could be all the boat you need. With an inflatable spine that shapes the keel line, aluminium duckboards that interlock to create a flat floor and builtin launching wheels that make it easy to haul the fully laden boat up the beach, this little boat can broaden your horizons and create lasting memories of fabulous trips, even on remote inland waters.

The taut, shaped bottom is far more capable than the flat, floppy versions of old – not as fast as a moulded, rigid hull, of course, but simpler and much cheaper. The inflatable boat is about half

the price of a similar-sized RIB, in fact.

The handling isn’t razor-sharp like people have come to expect of a RIB, but nor is it like the old flat-bottom inflatables, which had all the elegance and cornering ability of a giraffe on ice. It comes out somewhere between – say 65% of the performance of a RIB in the same category.

As an expedition boat it has so many useful features, not least of which is the enormous payload. The interlocking aluminium floorboards creating a rigid, flat deck that spreads the load enables the Vanguard 430 to carry over 1000kg. There is sufficient length on the flat floorboards to allow an emergency response team to lay a spineboard or evacuation stretcher, with the adjustable thwarts straddling over the top. This is one of the main uses for these boats – as highly portable emergency response craft. The fact that the entire boat can be unpacked from the back of a vehicle and rigged by two experienced crew in under 10 minutes makes it a very practical answer for this type of work.

The power plant chosen is the Suzuki 20, because it is the most compact and lightweight fuel-injected unit available, and importantly it requires no battery to run the EFI or engine management computer. A magneto generates sufficient POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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BOAT TEST

Excel Vanguard 430 power to boot up the computer and initiate the fuel injection on the first pull of the starter cord to have the engine spring into life – from dormant mode to running in one single pull. From then on, the motor is under the watchful gaze of the engine management computer to return amazing fuel economy, all selfpowered by the transistorised generation system.

Often the simplest solutions are the best. The effective forward dodger straps in place tight to the inflatable collar and uses kitesurfer design for its shape and structure. The heavy-duty ripstop nylon skin is supported by an inflatable support system. It is a perfect, lightweight and compact yet effective solution for

providing weathering ability on the boat. By placing vulnerable items in the covered bow area they can be much better protected by the soft dodger. Waves and spray are also shed to a much greater extent, making the ride so much more comfortable for the occupants.

When it comes to actually making a passage, the inflatable keel makes a big difference to the ride comfort and handling. By stretching the bottom fabric taut into a slight vee shape the boat rides waves better and has good directional control. It benefits from having some weight forward, because being so light and with 20hp on tap, the bow will tend to lift – not dangerously, just inefficiently – unless you keep the speed down when

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Excel Vanguard 430

solo. With two people aboard, the boat trims happily and we managed 23 knots flat out, but at 18 knots she was happy, and for the kind of use this boat gets put to this is ample. Taking it a bit easier and keeping the motor at mid revs, where the best economy is achieved, gives a cruising speed of around 14 knots. There is no rev counter so we had to judge this by ear and throttle position.

The Vanguard 435 is a tough little boat that can be put to a multitude of uses, as already proved by two being supplied to the London Olympics for patrolling the surrounding waters of the Olympic Park and River Lea. Another eight were sent to the European Games in Baku for TV and press camera platforms, safety patrol, as workboats for setting out courses and as committee boats for start line duties. It also saw plenty of service in the Pakistan flood disaster a few years ago for SAR and flood evacuation duties, so there is no reason why it couldn’t be used as a coastal expedition craft or just as an alternative pleasure craft for those on a budget.

SPECIFICATION Length overall: 4.35m Internal length: 2.85m Beam overall: 2.00m Internal beam: 1.00m Inflatable collar diameter: 50cm Chambers: 5 + 1 CE category: C Passenger capacity: 8 Payload: 1080kg Max. power: 30hp Dry weight: 85kg Packed dimensions: 145cm x 80cm x 45cm Tube material: 1100 Hytex

For solo or light load use a detachable remote wheel is available.

PRICE Boat only: £1,329 (inc. VAT) Boat with Suzuki 15hp: £3,353 (inc. VAT) As tested: with A-frame, bow dodger, launching wheels, thwart cushions with stowage pockets and Suzuki 20hp £4,344 (inc. VAT)

CONTACT The Vanguard even has an easily mounted A-frame.

Stowage is provided in fabric pocket hung off the thwarts.

Excel Boats Meridian Marine, Bassett’s Pole, London Road Sutton Coldfield B75 5SA. Tel: 0121 323 2333 www.meridian-marine.co.uk

WHAT WE THOUGHT THUMBS UP Ease of portability Simplicity of concept Good protection from the natty dodger Solid interlocking floor Very affordable

THUMBS DOWN The Suzuki 20: Compact, lightweight and batteryless.

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

Launching wheels fold up clear of the water

A-frame single point fixing Remote steering – optional

THE PASSION CONTINUES

SEE US AT THE SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW STAND C006 PLEASE CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM DIRECT ON 07802 233991 IF YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE GIBBS BOAT SALES LTD 14 - 17 West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1JD T: 01202 682457 W W W . G I B B S B O AT S A L E S . C O . U K

Setting New Standards

BOAT TEST

Sarissa 737 Speedmaster

Sarissa Speedmaster 737

Alex Smith examines a fresh UK RIB option from high-performance Greek yard Sarissa.

PRICE "4 TESTED: (witI IQ &WJOSVEF ( (FYDM VAT) 10WER: hp CONTACT: EC Leisurecraft Ltd. Tel: 01702 568482

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

BOAT TEST

Sarissa 737 Speedmaster

WELL, HERE’S A boat to stoke the imagination. Lying very flat and low-slung in the gentle swells off Port of Poole Marina, the immediate impression of the Greek Sarissa 737 is that its ‘Speedmaster’ moniker is likely to ring true. You see radically tapered tubes on a narrow-beamed hull, with long, sharp rows of spray rails and deep-cut steps. You see plunging, carbon-effect wasp-eye

graphics on the front of a narrow, raked console. You see a brash, clashing palette of granite grey and livid crimson with oversized aft haunches and a compact lowprofile screen. And perching aft with splendid menace, you see a newgeneration Evinrude 300hp outboard, replete with its tightly corseted cowling, oblique, angular contours and boat-tailored colour coding.

In terms of aesthetic impact and sporting promise, there can be few RIBs in the world with greater stage presence than this.

Internal compromises When you step on board, the design direction of the 737 is pleasingly plain. In spite of that tight beam, the use of narrow tubes, a compact console and substantial moulded POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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The twin-stepped Adam Younger hull is extraordinarily rapid

sections means that movement of passengers is peculiarly easy. Storage is also a major plus on this boat, particularly toward the stern, where the absence of a sterndrive set-up leaves a vast cavern behind the aft bench for all your gear.

However, the scale of that aft space and its position relative to the helm station means legroom for those on the bench is severely limited. There is an alternative deck layout available, which shifts the bench further aft, so that would be well worth investigating. But while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at it, you should also request some liners, nets and compartments both here and inside the helm console in order to separate and contain the various sections and prevent your baggage clattering into pipes, wires, speakers and batteries.

Elsewhere, the standard features list looks very comprehensive. It includes a high-grade Hypalon collar, illuminated compass, electric anchor winch, dual battery system, built-in under-deck tanks and a slick starboard mast. However, the options list is certainly still worth investigating, not least for the beautifully conceived auxiliary outboard bracket. In stark contrast to the clumsy contraptions we ďŹ nd ourselves tolerating, Sarissa use a device that slides ďŹ&#x201A;at to starboard of the main engine and only hinges down over the transom when you push it aft in an emergency. And the ingenious â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bow tentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; option is equally pleasing.

Stretched between the forepeak and the helm console, it creates a quick-rig

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As a driving machine, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very impressive indeed

ĹĽ ĹĽ ĹĽ Ę 767 ĹĽ

ĹĽ ĹĽ ĹĽ > mini cabin, immediately broadening this sporting RIBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potentially limited range of applications to incorporate the needs of modest summer cruisers and overnighting fans.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all great news, but there are several areas where the ďŹ nish of the 737 falls short of these otherwise gratifying standards. For instance, the carbon-style detailing on the front of the console looks rather cheap; and while some of the lids use gas rams, others lack the same treatment. Similarly, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an

inconsistent mix of catch shapes, sizes and types, and while self-tappers are mercifully absent, the use of countersunk screws in ďŹ&#x201A;at surfaces without the appropriate countersink holes means there are several places where the screw headsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sharp edges stand proud of the ďŹ breglass.

In addition to being unlined, several of the storage spaces are also undrained â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and while the batteries on the test boat are securely rigged, I would like to see them housed in dedicated boxes. The

BOAT TEST

Sarissa 737 Speedmaster

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SNAPSHOT Onboard the Sarissa 737 Speedmaster

lids for the bow compartments and the console are also lacking in strength and, like the equally lightweight screen, they ďŹ&#x201A;ex visibly when in use. It has been made plain that the UK importer is planning to remedy the screen issue with a curved (rather than ďŹ&#x201A;at) panel, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t doubt that their fastidious approach will see a lot of these other issues similarly addressed. But it is plain to me that they will need to be, because this is an ÂŁ89,000 boat aiming at the upper echelons of the market â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and in that context, the small stuff matters.

LAYOUT: Legroom on the aft bench is tight with this layout

Helming heroics There might be some issues with the ďŹ ner elements of ďŹ nish, but with expert rigging from Arran Scott, this Adam Younger hull performs quite beautifully. You make the transition to the plane in less than 2.5 seconds, and as you do so, that low-slung bow means you can easily keep track of the horizon. In fact, so open is the layout and so ďŹ&#x201A;at-running the attitude that even the patch of water directly in front of the boat remains clearly visible as the waterline hurries aft.

What is equally striking, however, is the snug, intimate, wrap-around nature of the helming experience. With compact dimensions, supportive seats, an accurate wheel, plenty of throttle response and a very intuitive layout, it feels almost as though you are wearing this boat like a made-to-measure jacket. The stiff, lightweight hull brings lashings of pace on the straight and plenty of capacity to dip the forward quarters and carve

CONSOLE: The narrow console option leaves plenty of space to move around.

CONSOLE: The engine is great to look at, rude to listen to and radical in its delivery of torque

PERFORMANCE RPM 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000

Fuel flow (l/h) 1.1 3.0 8.0 17.6 20.5 24.2 29.3 40.5 48.0 61.6 92.1 92.2

Speed (knots) 2.1 4.9 6.9 8.8 15.8 20.1 28.9 36.0 44.0 51.8 58.4 61.1

Range (Nm) 481.1 411.6 217.4 126.0 194.2 209.3 248.6 224.0 231.0 211.9 159.8 167.0 HELM: It feels like a carefully honed race station. The aft mouldings create a very deep space for seated passengers POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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BOAT TEST

Sarissa 737 Speedmaster Up at the helm, it feels very much like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re wearing this boat

The console lid is a bit lightweight but the heat-shrunk wiring is top notch

% ĹĽ ĹĽ E ĹĽ ĹĽ ? ĘĄ ĹĽ ĹĽ E

ĹĽ <4y * '> SPECIFICATIONS Length overall: 7.37m Beam: 2.42m Internal beam: 1m Standard boat weight: 800kg Maximum payload: 640kg Tube diameter: 30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;45 cm Number of air chambers: 6 Tube material: H/N Pennel Flipo 1.670 dtex Tube warranty: 3 years Hull warranty: 5 years People capacity: 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;8 Fuel capacity: 280â&#x20AC;&#x201C;560 litres Water capacity: 60 litres Deadrise: 24 degrees Suggested horsepower: 150â&#x20AC;&#x201C;350 hp Price: ÂŁ89,000

CONTACT

www.sarissa-ribs.com / www.sarissamarine.gr

NOTABLE STANDARD FEATURES

Freshwater tank and shower Electric winch with chain and anchor Dual battery system with switching Bow sunbed (1.85 metres) Sport console and helm seats Inox mast Boarding ladder Fuel filter Illuminated compass

NOTABLE EXTRAS

Auxiliary outboard bracket A-frame Stern anchor and chain with electric winch Sun tent with supports Bow tent with supports Full boat cover Marine WC Teak decking

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

a hard turn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and all the while, you are serenaded by that Evinrude engine note: a blissfully fulsome and urgent sound, as engagingly direct and primeval as any modern engine could be.

When you consider the facts, the calibre of the experience makes good sense.

After all, Arran himself is an experienced P1 racer and he rigs these boats with the same care as he lavishes on his race boat. Each Sarissa is individually assessed to bring the weight distribution, engine and prop into the most productive union possible. The only difference here is that in place of a race machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard-edged twitchiness, Arranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aim is to dial in the kind of accessibility and stability that will ďŹ&#x201A;atter and cosset the novice instead of scare the hell out of them. Go easy with the trim and the result is a fast, ďŹ&#x201A;at and thoroughly planted 60-knot RIB. But believe it or not, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also much more efďŹ cient than you think â&#x20AC;Ś Hammering hard around a fast turn with the wheel and throttle set, the heeling moment is as secure and composed as you will ever see, and yet the additional drag of a controlled turn leaves the pace virtually unaltered.

Straighten up and push on and that same fast-running, light-footed efďŹ ciency is equally evident. At anything from 20 to 50 knots, we are able to enjoy a range well in excess of 200 nautical miles from that 280-litre tank. In fact, at no point during this broad and generous cruising band does the fuel ďŹ&#x201A;ow exceed 1.2 litres per nautical mile. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an impressive ďŹ gure for a soft-running, narrow-beamed, high-performance boat, and it also helps

explain the uncommon breadth of the quoted power band. While weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re told that the bottom-end 150 outboard (half that of the test boat) will generate excellent results, testing has also apparently proven that the Sarissa can exceed 40 knots with nothing more than a 115 on the transom.

Verdict As a fast, safe and fun conveyance with a huge wedge of eminently accessible performance, the 737 is already a compelling proposition.

Certainly, it exhibits a few details that are more closely aligned with those of a preliminary demo boat than the ďŹ nished article, and for that reason it cannot yet be considered the high-end, Scorpionmunching missile it might aspire to be.

But with some extra time and money invested in the small stuff, I have no doubt that this beautifully rigged, novicefriendly thrill machine will sit very comfortably in the upper-middle echelons of the RIB market, where its combination of sporting prowess and approachable simplicity will win it plenty of zealous advocates.

WHAT WE THOUGHT FOR Impressive pickup Soft ride even at high speed Good running efficiency Excellent balance Surprising storage capacity Heat-shrunk electric connections

AGAINST Limited seating Tight legroom on aft bench Flimsy hatch lids Undrained storage spaces Catches and rams need standardisation Untidy finish in places

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THE GREAT

AFRICAN ADVENTURE Monty Halls shares some of the memorable

sights and experiences he enjoyed when undertaking the 2015 Sardine Run along South Africa’s Wild Coast …

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THE WILD COAST of South Africa has to be one of the most appropriately named places on the planet. It’s not just the scenery – grand, imposing, inspiring – it is the carnivorous bedlam that happens just offshore. This applies throughout the year – the warm waters being the home of more shark species than anywhere else on earth – but goes into overdrive during the months of May to July. In the midst of this vibrant ecosystem explodes a biological bomb, manifesting itself in the form of billions upon billions of sardines entering an environment they really shouldn’t. Their home

range is actually much further west in the cold waters of the Cape, and yet once a year they venture north-east in vast numbers. Why this happens is uncertain – some say the water temperature is significant, some hypothesise that it is a response to an evolutionary memory, and some suggest that it is due to a simple wrong turn by an ancient shoal of sardines that now return to the location of their ancestors’ spawning.

What is undeniable is that it is one of the world’s great gatherings, representing more biomass than the wildebeest migrations across the Serengeti.

It is not just the sardines, it is

HUGE SWELLS WERE CHANNELLED BY THE RIVER MOUTH, ARTILLERY SHELLS OF FRIGHTENING POWER EXPLODING WITH WHITE BURSTS THAT MADE THE QUAY SHIVER AND TREMBLE.

Photo: Launching Odyssey on Day One

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Brought to you in association with Suzuki

the attendant predators – at least 18,000 dolphins, sharks galore, several species of whale, and for the Sardine Run of 2015, me.

I was not alone. Travelling with me were shark scientist Meaghan McCord, and the legendary underwater cameraman Doug Allan. Doug is small, Scottish, pugnacious and hard as nails. In fact, we could be twins, what with me being gangly, posh and English, and having an overdeveloped sense of my own mortality! My job was to lead an expedition to get Meag in the right place to tag and sample sharks, and get Doug into spots where he could shoot footage of the action as it unfolded.

Also joining us were four young Canadians – the hardy, convivial, intimidatingly capable souls whom I had first met on the expedition training weekend run many months before in Dartmouth (see last June’s PBR for the full story).

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IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW OFTEN YOU MIGHT SEE A WHALE … EVERY TIME ONE EXPLODES THROUGH THE WATER’S SURFACE IT FEELS LIKE AN ENTIRELY NEW EXPERIENCE. Running a safe and successful expedition of this scale would require considerable planning and substantial logistics. The snag with the Sardine Run is that no one has a clue where it’ll appear along the coast.

There’s a vague atmosphere of predatory melodrama along the entire shoreline during this period, which is no help at all when predicting exactly where the action will emerge.

There are historical records (the Run was first described by the Natal Mercury newspaper

on 4th August 1853), and there are commercial records of netting activities from the beaches along the route. But the real problem with locating the shoals is that every year is different. Our solution to this particular problem was to attempt to cover the vast majority of the entire route, a 1,000-kilometre epic tracing the shoreline of the Eastern Cape,

the Transkei and Natal. To do so we’d need 10 vehicles, two boats and a shedload of luck.

Happily the first of these was provided by Land Rover, who were keen to support marine conservation efforts along this coastline. They already work in partnership with the Born Free Foundation in South Africa, and kindly arranged a visit to one of the centres where

LEFT TO RIGHT Far left: Sampling the bronze whaler shark just before the deflating RIB situation. Middle Top: Odyssey at full throttle.

Far right top: Interesting launch! Right middle: On the way home. Middle bottom: Odyssey and Common Dolphin escort.

Bottom right: Unseasonal rain presented all manner of challenges en route

the Foundation carries out its work en route, giving us a chance to experience terrestrial conservation efforts in this part of the world as well as the marine science that would be the essence of our project.

We christened the project ‘The Shoals of Agulhas Expedition’, the name derived from the great undersea river that is the Agulhas

Current, which sweeps down this coast. The ‘shoals’ bit was more speculative, but we were nothing if not optimists. However, we faced a particularly daunting challenge when it came to getting out to sea to find the sardines.

Two of our vehicles would tow the expedition’s boats – a local RIB called Ocean 5 and the specialised RIB Odyssey on her

first major project. Skippering the boats would be two locals – this is no place to learn as you go, as launching and recovering a RIB through the South African surf takes local knowledge.

Louis and Ivan looked precisely as I’d hoped they would – tanned, gimlet-eyed, friendly and preternaturally calm.

After months of planning we finally got underway from

Port Elizabeth, a convoy of vehicles and boats snaking their way north along the shoreline. Ahead of us lay 1,000 kilometres of potholed tracks, impossible launch sites, sandbanks, huge breakers and the greatest road trip imaginable.

First stop on our route was Port Alfred, a relatively civilised start to the trip as the launch POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Brought to you in association with Suzuki took place from a sheltered harbour. This meant that the first hundred yards of every trip took place in flat calm.

However, the crews always did this route in a buttock-clenched silence, as what awaited us was entirely apparent in the percussive booms coming from beyond the harbour wall.

Huge swells were channelled by the river mouth, artillery shells of frightening power exploding with white bursts that made the quay shiver and tremble. To drift down that river was to get ever closer to the jaws of the beast. Louis and Ivan watched the sets with a weathered eye, throttles held in calloused palms, waiting for their moment. Get this wrong – and plenty of skippers do – and you face being overturned and having your boat vigorously disassembled by angry white water. The stakes are high, but we were in good, calloused hands, and at precisely the right moment they gunned the engines and we slipped out between the sets, the breakers roaring in frustration in our wake.

We were rewarded immediately for our efforts, with a humpback whale breaching in the middle distance as if to welcome us to the chaos of the run. It doesn’t matter how often you might see a whale – and happily on my

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travels I’ve been lucky enough to see a few – every time one explodes through the water’s surface it feels like an entirely new experience. Watching the humpback breach – 30 tons of animal launching itself joyously skywards – raised a spontaneous shout from all of us on the boats. Our expedition had truly begun.

The next two days out of Port Alfred were spent sorting out our systems on the boats, with one major aim in mind. The absolute holy grail of any Sardine Run is a ‘bait ball’ – a tight group of sardines being attacked on all sides by dolphins, sharks and whales. We seemed, however – certainly in these early stages – to specialize in ‘boat balls’, a

cluster of filming kit, people, dive gear and some particularly smelly bait brought along by Meag to bring in the shark species we were keen to tag.

We soon reeked of pilchard oil, an aroma that ensured that every restaurant we dined in of an evening swiftly cleared within moments of our pungent arrival.

During our second day out of Port Alfred, we found ourselves in the midst of a superpod of common dolphins. To have an encounter of this scale, this early in the expedition, was almost too much to process. We moved with the pod most of the day, three to four thousand dolphins twisting, diving and spinning round the RIBs. At one point, late in the day, we moved

LEFT TO RIGHT: Above: Our trusty Landrovers. Below: En route to Coffee Bay camp in very unco-operative weather.

Top middle: Odyssey at full complement and out on the hunt.

Inset: Monty & the team.

Below: En route to Coffee Bay camp in very unco-operative weather.

Right: Common dolphin.

THE ABSOLUTE HOLY GRAIL OF ANY SARDINE RUN IS A ‘BAIT BALL’ – A TIGHT GROUP OF SARDINES BEING ATTACKED ON ALL SIDES BY DOLPHINS, SHARKS AND WHALES. ahead of the pod, stilled our engines, and Doug and I slipped into the water. I raised my head above the surface, looking into a sky that was by now touched by the evening light, and saw a tsunami of dolphins approaching, a wave of glistening backs and pounding flukes. Within moments they were upon us, serried rank after serried rank cannoning past, leaving only vapour trails of bubbles and memories to last a lifetime.

The Sardine Run operates almost entirely on rumour and speculation, and the word on the wind was that there was some great action further up the coast. Therefore we hitched up the boats, and (towed by the unflappable Ivan and Louis) departed ahead of the main team to East London. The bulk of the expedition made a brief diversion to Shamwari Game Reserve to meet the staff of the Born Free Foundation. We had the great privilege of following them in their work for two days, even being permitted to place a tracking collar on a lioness and do a health check on a buffalo (both sedated, I hasten to add – I lack the acceleration over five yards to try it otherwise). This was inspiring stuff, but the real emotional big hitter was yet to come. Rhino in Africa are facing extermination for their horns on a near industrial scale, and the work of the Foundation to counter this is a shining example of what a small group of good people can do when faced with the unscrupulous conduct of many. As long as folk like John and Johan– our splendid, passionate and knowledgeable hosts – exist, then so does a glimmer of hope.

We moved on to East London, full of anticipation and energy after our brief break. Sadly, as we arrived, so did the rain.

This wasn’t the gentle mizzle of England, but a full-blown African monsoon, and so instead of wrestling sharks and diving on bait balls, we spent a day peering out of rainspattered windows, playing pool and grumbling about how everyone smelt of fish.

It was not our finest hour, but expeditions are all about contrast, and after what had now been three days out of the water, Africa finally relented and showed us what she was really made of.

Our next site was Coffee Bay. I was particularly excited about this, as my two favourite things in life are coffee and bays.

Towing the boats to the small river mouth that would launch us into the surf was truly exhilarating – so exhilarating that I was handed the keys by a smiling Louis at the top of the POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Brought to you in association with Suzuki final, precipitous, rutted hill. He made the very valid point as he did so that it was my boat, and although he was entirely happy to do pretty much anything with it at sea, if it was going to be written off on land then really it should be me behind the wheel.

The subsequent two hours will live with me for a very long time indeed – inching a trailer down a track that would intimidate a mountain goat.

Covering a distance of 300 metres, it was light when I set out and dark when I arrived.

But we had made it, and dawn the next day brought real magic.

We had a slightly nervous moment overcoming a shallow sandbank in the river en route to the mouth – on a falling tide it was all hands to the pumps, with Land Rovers up to their wheel arches and bellowed instructions echoing off the cliffs. It was a glorious moment, a confirmation of how far we had come as a group, when every person, every asset and every bit of energy we possessed was put to good use to keep our project on the right track, and having hauled the boats through the shallows, we ran the gauntlet of the surf and entered a world of adventure.

By now the expedition had reached the coast of Transkei.

There are very few places to safely recover a boat here if the weather turns, and as such we looked back on a shoreline that had largely remained undeveloped. There was a real sense of wilderness as we raced past steepling cliffs and deserted coves, and with it came the glorious sensation of once again being in the hunt after days marooned on dry land.

Today was to be dedicated to baiting for sharks, with the ultimate aim of Meaghan bringing one alongside the boat to tag and take a DNA sample.

The first three hours of the morning were therefore spent ladling revolting chum over the side (try staring at the water’s surface as the chum dissipates and not saying ‘We’re going to need a bigger boat’ – it’s almost impossible, let me tell you).

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PHOTOS: Above: Coffee Bay camp Below: Epic launch at Port St.Johns

We waited with bated (baited?!) breath, and … nothing. A palpable air of disappointment descended on the assembled team – there are 104 species of shark along this coastline, and we couldn’t seem to find one of them.

‘Try going for a dive,’ said Louis, a man who knew his sharks. ‘They can hang around in the deep water sometimes.’

Even when you know that the chances of being attacked are so minuscule as to be virtually non-existent, it’s still fairly daunting to kit up and roll into water off South Africa when that water is redolent of pilchard oil and floating fish heads. Doug and I descended slowly into the blue (I fearlessly

let him go first), to hang beneath the baits and stare around us glumly. We seemed to be entirely alone, and then … an unmistakable, sinuous shape in the middle distance.

Then another, and another and another – bronze whaler sharks, circling the baits, their copper sides flashing in the gloom, swimming ever closer.

All fear vanished, to be replaced by the wonder of these animals arriving like ghosts, the most unmistakable silhouette of any creature on earth, and for me one of the most thrilling.

After filming the sharks for half an hour – every pass closer, every inspection bolder – we surfaced and breathlessly instructed Meaghan to lower

the boats deeper into the water. The results were almost immediate, and even before we had shrugged out of our kit on board the boat, she shouted: ‘Shark on!’

Bringing the shark alongside the boat was emotional to say the least – it was, after all, 200lb of muscle and sinew fighting for what it thought was its life – but a combination of teamwork, patience and some gardening gloves (grabbing a steel tracer with bare hands leaves you with reminders of your expedition that you’ll carry for some time) saw the shark eventually lying alongside one of the pontoons.

It was at this juncture that we discovered one of the flaws of sampling large sharks from

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a RIB. The shark thrashed convulsively as we placed the tail rope on it, and in doing so bit through the material of the pontoon, resulting in an immediate and rather exciting explosion of bubbles and spray, accompanied by the unmistakable hiss of escaping air. The pontoon deflated immediately, and I found myself scanning my memory banks with some vigour attempting to remember how many other chambers there were in Odyssey. Happily, the number that came back was eight, which is a refreshing thought when you’re bobbing about several miles offshore in Africa having carefully attracted lots of sharks to your boat for the preceding three hours.

Having taken measurements of the bronze whaler, placed a tag in the dorsal fin and taken a DNA sample, we quickly released the shark and were delighted to see that it immediately swam away to rejoin its circling colleagues, none the worse for wear for its ordeal. The same couldn’t be said for the RIB, which limped home looking rather sorry for itself, a wounded warrior heading off for some much needed trailer time.

Our final target was Port

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TOP AND BOTTOM Top: There she blows!

Middle: Negotiating the sandbanks in Coffee Bay. Bottom: Odyssey at work.

BRINGING THE SHARK ALONGSIDE THE BOAT WAS EMOTIONAL TO SAY THE LEAST – IT WAS, AFTER ALL, 200LB OF MUSCLE St Johns, a ‘sharky’ site if ever there was one. The picturesquely named ‘Second Beach’ – located just along the coast from our launch site – is possibly the shark attack capital of the world, possessing as it does a fantastic surf break and a deep channel just offshore patrolled by bull sharks. It was literally impossible to sit offshore and bait the water in this part of the world and not see a shark, and yet we managed it. This day – our last at sea – saw us heaving and pitching in big swells for hour after hour, sitting at the head of a vast chum slick with not a shark in sight. We rolled over the side to inspect deeper water, and discovered visibility down to a matter of inches. I also discovered a powerful urge to get back on board the boat … one I made no attempt to fight whatsoever.

Looking back at the Shoals of Agulhas Expedition, one might

be tempted to think of the things we didn’t see (a sardine might have been nice) and feel short-changed. But such is the impact of the Sardine Run along this coast that we travelled through a world of truly epic encounters. These wild waters off the coast of Africa gave us a great deal – a group of dolphins that stretched to the horizon, breaching whales pirouetting

in mid-air, patrolling sharks appearing like wraiths from deep water, diving gannets spearing through the water’s surface leaving vapour trails of bubbles, extraordinary launches on remote beaches, and 1,000 kilometres of challenges and adrenaline. A great adventure, following an epic natural event, along the wildest of African coastlines.

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BOAT TEST

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

BOAT TEST

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

Alex Smith seeks jet-powered Nirvana with the flagship of the Infamous Scarab fleet.

PRICE AS TESTED: £85,995 LOA: 7.62 ENGINE: Twin Rotax 250 HO Supercharged CONTACT: www.scarabjetboats.com

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

71

BOAT TEST

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

… the 255 remains a very effective demonstration of how versatile, comfortable, accommodating and userfriendly a relatively compact platform can be.

The high-grade overhead canvas can be used even at pace

IF THE IDEA of a Scarab powerboat invokes happy memories of the 80s cop classic Miami Vice, that’s perfectly understandable.

After all, Crockett and Tubbs managed to find all kinds of implausible excuses to pursue arch criminals in their Wellcraft Scarab 38. And, apparently, Baywatch also featured the odd Scarab among its hordes of pneumatic LA lifeguards. Of course, that was a different time (not to mention a different boat and a different builder), but why split hairs?

The name ‘Scarab’ continues to resonate with a sense of Hollywood magic – and here, in the form of the largest and most powerful Scarab jetboat of modern times, it’s quite possible we are about to witness the company’s most hedonistic selfindulgence yet.

Spectacular seating There are some very thoughtful design flourishes in evidence on this boat and a great many of them revolve around the seating. The aft space, for instance, features a three-part bench with a trio of separate backrest sections. That means it can be adjusted to generate a full sun pad, a set of forward-facing seats, a row of aftfacing seats or a combination of all three.

And better still, ahead of the bench on both sides, an aft-facing seat with a fold-

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

away cushion in the middle means you can enjoy either a pair of forward-facing loungers, a pair of aft-facing loungers, four individual seats or (again) a combination of each.

Move to the squared-off bow and things are just as ingeniously organised. For a start, it comes with some clever corner

THE SCARAB ETHOS The modern Scarab line-up is engagingly simple. There are just four hull lengths in the range (the 175, 195, 215 and 255) and each of them is available in one of three configurations (Base, High Output and HO Impulse). These classifications escalate in power and luxury as you move up the scale, but whether you opt for the 17ft starter boat or the 25ft flagship, the Scarab brand seems to centre around brightly coloured, sharply resolved playthings for fast and accessible jet-powered water sports thrills. In fact, when they appeared at the Southampton Boat Show last year, I remember their marketing material pushing home this point in no uncertain terms: ‘A lineup this aggressive usually involves the police,’ screamed the company strapline. And on the website, UK distributor 158 Performance described the fleet as ‘hot’ and ‘promiscuous’.

In short, notwithstanding the rather demure livery of this particular test boat, Scarab seem to be very forthright champions of the water sports scene’s bright, brash, almost confrontational good-time vibe.

cut-outs in the cushions to enable people to inhabit the area without wasted space or clashing knees. That makes it a genuine four-man section, and it’s rendered all the more usable by the provision of a bow ladder and a removable table fitting. But best of all, when you fit the under-screen partition to prevent the wind whistling aft, The bow locker comes with boarding ladder and anchor brackets

BOAT TEST

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

PERFORMANCE* RPM 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 WOT

Speed (knots) 23.5 28.7 32.2 35.6 40.0 43.4 47.8

Fuel flow 30.0 42.0 53.0 68.0 91.0 113.0 136.0

Range 149.5 130.4 115.9 99.9 83.9 73.3 67.0

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Scarab 255 HO Impulse

* As the engines were rev-limited due to the run-in period, these figures are extrapolated directly from Scarab’s in-house test data.

If you want a generously appointed, cleverly designed versatile family boat, this peculiarly mature, jet-powered party platform ticks just about every box there is. its thickly cushioned frontal face enables you to use it as a backrest for a third forward-facing lounge seat. When you add that to the two convertible lounge seats aft, that generates a remarkable total of five full-length lounging spaces, with no fewer than six uncompromised single seats remaining.

However, the back end is arguably the most impressive section of the lot.

In addition to its comprehensive spec (stereo remote, loudspeakers, grippy swim platform, boarding ladder, grab handles, storage spaces, cup holders, ski tow eye and transom shower), you also get a genuine transom seating area. The sidemount leg bracket of the roving table (a great idea in itself) slots neatly into place on the port side, enabling you to use it not just in the bow space and the cockpit, but also here on the swim platform. Of course, I would like to see the table built from teak rather than cheap-looking plastic (and I would like to see three of them rather than one), but with that splendidly convertible aft bench rigged to provide a trio of aftfacing seats, this remains a stern set-up of very rare and novel versatility.

BENCH SEAT: The aft bench is a remarkable box of tricks.

HELM: Has distinct flavours of Rotax-powered PW.

TABLE: Used in the bow, the cockpit and the aft platform.

VERSATILITY: The central foldaway cushions make the cockpit very versatile.

The finer details In HO Impulse form, this is a very wellfeatured boat. There’s a useful rubberised phone slot on the starboard side of the dash and a slide-out Igloo cooler inside the helm console. The overhead canvas is also a very fine piece of work: robustly built, good to look at and capable of taking as much high-speed abuse as you care to give it. It’s also impressive to note that the

COCKPIT: Foldaway cushions make the cockpit versatile.

ENGINE: The central rams keep engine access very open.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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BOAT TEST

Scarab 255 HO Impulse

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 7.62m Beam: 2.54m Weight: 1724kg Draught: 38cm Deadrise: 20 degrees Fuel capacity: 212 litres People capacity: 12 Power: Twin 200–250 Engines: Twin Rotax 250 HO Supercharged

PRICE From: £72,533 Price as tested: £85,995

CONTACT www.scarabjetboats.com www.158performance.co.uk

NOTABLE STANDARD FEATURES Bow ladder Sunken cleats Port changing room Soft-step swim platform Stainless steel through-hull fittings Stereo with remote Starboard cooler Bow infill cushions Snap-in carpet Table fitting Wakeboard tower with canvas

NOTABLE OPTIONS Porta Potti Rotax ‘Digital Speed Control Package’ Wakeboard racks

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fixtures and fittings are all through-bolted and where they protrude into high-traffic areas, like storage spaces, their tips are properly terminated with soft plastic sheaths.

The engine space also exhibits plenty of common sense in its organisation, not least in the powerful triple rams that lift the lid from back and centre, radically minimising any infringement on accessibility. The fabrics of this more sophisticated ‘Platinum Edition’ craft are also very good, with an attractive mixture of hard-wearing, diamond-stitched, leather-effect upholstery and fibrous, sisalstyle, wipe-down matting. And the classic clack hull with sand and pearl internal colourways represents a rare slice of jetboat modesty that will have great appeal for sensible grown-ups.

It’s not perfect, of course. There are some rather flimsy black plastic panels at elbow height on the outsides of the helm seats and the heads compartment inside the port console is almost unusably tight for a 6-foot man, particularly when you attempt to close the door. A great many of the cup holders are also undrained, and on the port side one of these receptacles is positioned directly above a 12V power outlet, so if and when you do punch a hole in the base, it will need a tube to channel any drain water safely past the electrical connections to the bilge. However, on a boat of this complexity, this short list of gripes represents something of a triumph.

So what would you have to pay for this impressively high-spec craft? Well,

with the twin 250hp Rotax engines, this top-end HO Impulse model goes from as little as £72,533. But in tandem with all the extras fitted to the test boat (not to mention the internal upgrades of the ‘Platinum’ package), the price climbs to nearly £86,000. That’s pretty juicy

by Scarab standards, and yet even at this money, the 255 remains a very effective demonstration of how versatile, comfortable, accommodating and userfriendly a relatively compact platform can be.

Performance pegged back The test boat is a brand-new model and its Rotax engines have yet to be run in, so we’re seriously limited in the revs we can lay down. Underway, that makes the 255 a very difficult customer to judge. The performance data from Scarab’s own inhouse testing makes pretty good reading, with a 47.8-knot top end, an optimum

cruise of around 23 knots and a usable range in the region of 150 nautical miles.

But it also suggests that when you really push on, Scarab’s largest, heaviest, most fully featured jetboat can easily see its range reduced to less than 70 nautical miles on a single tank.

On the day, a 5-second plane is decent enough, but it does feel a touch sedate by jetboat standards. The nose also lifts pretty high, but happily, as you push on, the running attitude gets much flatter, drier and more comfortable and the extra pace helps elevate that hull and soften the ride. As for the throttle response and pickup, the 30-knot mark clicks past in less than 10 seconds and we push on to a rev-limited top end of around 35 knots at 7000rpm. That undoubtedly falls a decent margin short of the quoted figures, and while we can certainly put some of this down to the constraints of the run-in period, there’s no doubt that this is quite a

large, blunt, heavy boat. It is dynamically sound and quirk-free, but even with the engines running freely and the figures ringing true, our test day would lead me to speculate that the 255 is unlikely to be quite the snappy, agile plaything its posturing might lead us to expect.

Verdict There’s no doubt that Scarab boats in general, and the HO Impulse models in particular, embody a certain kind of ethos. It’s one of aggressive styles, of casual arrogance, of neon toxicity and wild, unguarded youth. These things are garish and ostentatious, high-powered and modestly priced, exactly the kind of boats that have sage old seadogs rolling their eyes and zealous young funksters licking their lips. And yet, perversely, this flagship ambassador for the Scarab lifestyle is far more sober and gentlemanly than you expect, so if you want a slice of frothy,

frantic, purist jetboat mischief, you should probably look elsewhere. But if you want a generously appointed, cleverly designed and uncommonly versatile family boat, this peculiarly mature, jet-powered party platform ticks just about every box there is.

WHAT WE THOUGHT FOR Fine wakeboard tower Remarkable attention to detail Impressive finish Cleverly conceived seating Generous bow Ingenious stern set-up Competitive price

AGAINST The ride is a bit hard The throttle response is a bit tame The helming experience is a bit sedate

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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ON THE WATER

Isles of Scilly

A Scilly Affair Chris Stevens, Co-Owner of Osprey RIBS, muses and enthuses about a memorable visit spent in and around the Isles of Scilly …

THE THING ABOUT building RIBs for CRUISE SCILLY’S other people is you don’t get to enjoy spending much time on them, i.e. time for your own benefit!

Throw in busy family lives and other commitments and it’s easy to miss out on the pastime that gives us all the most pleasure – mucking about on boats! So when the chance to go on a three-day trip arises, it has to be taken.

iStock © Andy Roland

SUMMER

As with all trips, the first step is to agree on a destination.

Previous years had seen trips planned from Portishead to the Camel Estuary via Lundy for breakfast, or along the south coast to Salcombe. However, this year we decided that the Isles of Scilly were top of the list.

Most of the passages to the Isles of Scilly that I have read about have involved departing the south coast and heading out past The Lizard, then on

towards Wolf Rock Lighthouse.

However, being great fans of the North Cornish coastline, we decided to set out from Rock (on the opposite side of the Camel Estuary to Padstow) and sail down past Newquay, St Ives and Sennen Cove before heading out towards the Islands with Longships Lighthouse off the port bow.

So with the plan agreed, we set a date (and a couple of reserve weather dates) in the

ON THE WATER

Isles of Scilly

Among the many things that make the Islands such a great place for boating are the friendly people, a well-thought-out harbour and a really laid-back atmosphere.

Morred up at Old Grimsby

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diaries in order to obtain the necessary passes from the Home Office. Travelling down to Rock the evening before we departed gave us a clear three days to get away from the daily grind, and after the three-hour drive down from our Gloucestershire base, the feeling of relaxation as we sat in the Mariners pub overlooking the Camel Estuary was perfect.

A calm, still evening boded well for the following day, when we planned to launch first thing in the morning.

So it was, early on a calm sunny day in late June, that we rolled the latest version of our 6.8m Osprey Vipermax off its trailer and into the smooth waters of the Camel Estuary from the beach next to the Rock Sailing and Waterski Club.

Before launching, we had grabbed the obligatory bacon roll from the Rock Bakery and a few pasties for lunch. Having dropped the trailer up the road to G.B. Smith & Son (a local boat storage yard), we pushed off from the beach, fired up the new Evinrude E-TEC G2 200 H.O. and idled out past the Camel Ski School pontoon. This was our longest run yet with the all-new version of the E-TEC, and having spent a lot of time prop testing and setting the optimum

Raven’s Porth - Tresco

height of the engine, we were very interested to see how it performed over a long run with a heavily laden RIB. The 75 nautical miles that lay ahead of us would be a great opportunity to assess its performance.

After using the Icom IC-M400BB ‘black box’ VHF to notify Falmouth Coastguard of our departure and intended arrival time at St Mary’s, we headed out of the Camel Estuary with the Doom Bar to port and the anticipation of the passage ahead of us. And as we cleared the relative calm of the Estuary, we were relieved to

see the north coast was ‘playing ball’ with a 1- to 2-metre swell and light chop, meaning the conditions were ideal for giving boat and engine a good test without turning the journey into an endurance trip. So we throttled up passing Trevose Head and set off down the coast, the Vipermax hull skipping across the swell at a steady 30-knot cruising speed and the Ullman suspension seats providing a relaxing and comfortable ride.

Making good time and after a brief pit stop at St Ives, we continued down the coast

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ON THE WATER

Isles of Scilly

past the old tin mines and the beautiful Sennen Cove before heading out towards the Islands.

Clearly we had got the weather window right on the button as the conditions remained relatively calm, so we were able to maintain 25 to 30 knots, with the Lenco trim tabs providing a bit of extra help balancing the boat due to our uneven load with three heavyweights on board. As we left the coast behind us, the feeling of freedom as we lost sight of land came over all of us and it seemed the perfect time to kill the engine and enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures – the good old Cornish pasty, arguably the best food for taking on a RIB!

TRIP STATS Distance travelled: 75nm each way and about 35nm over 2 days around the Islands Fuel used: Fuel averaged at

1.01 litre per nm

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With the Islands now in sight on the horizon, the sea had calmed to the point where we were able to maintain 40 knots, and we were pleasantly surprised to see the fuel consumption from the frugal E-TEC only just starting to drop below 1 litre per NM. With the tide at its high point we decided to wend our way round the top of the Island through the various islets such as Mouls, Irishman’s Ledge, Little Ganilly and a number of other interestingly named obstacles – definitely not an advisable route in poor visibility, but on a calm, sunny day, not to be missed.

As we cruised down between Tresco and St Mary’s we called the coastguard to confirm our arrival, and then, as Hugh Town Harbour approached, we spoke to a friendly harbour master on Channel 14 who directed us to drop our bags on the pontoon and then grab one of the harbour’s many inflatable tenders from the pontoon and tow it out to any mooring that was free.

Among the many things that make the Islands such a great place for boating are the friendly people, a well-thought-out harbour and a really laid-back atmosphere.

Having done this, we rowed back in and tied up the tender before strolling along the harbour wall past the Mermaid pub to the Tregarthen’s Hotel – all of 60 yards from the pontoon! I think it’s fair to say that the time between dropping our bags on the pontoon, mooring up and rowing the tender back to the pontoon, walking up to the hotel to check in and drop off our bags, and meeting back at the Mermaid for a pint was about 20 minutes – the beauty of a small island! Among the many things that make the Islands such a great place for

ON THE WATER

iStock © JulieVMac

iStock © Andy Roland

Isles of Scilly

boating are the friendly people, a well-thought-out harbour and a really laid-back atmosphere.

The Mermaid is what all pubs should be. An eclectic mix of memorabilia covers every square inch of the pub, and all of it has a story to tell. It is a busy, friendly pub with locals and visitors, including numerous sailors of different nationalities rubbing shoulders at the bar. So as we

sat enjoying our first cider, we made the decision to capitalise on our early start and head out for a spot of fishing before we got too settled into the atmosphere of the pub. We retired from the Mermaid into the afternoon sun and set off for Hangman Island between Tresco and Bryher, which had proved fruitful on a previous trip … Armed just with some light spinning rods and Dexter Wedges

for jigging, it was not long before we had taken a couple of 3–4 lb pollock. After a quiet spell, we then moved further on between the two islands to Shipman Head, where the water shelves off quickly to over 40 metres within a few yards of the shore.

As we drifted over the ledge we had a couple more pollock and also a couple of very colourful wrasse, again just jigging with

Raven’s Porth - Tresco

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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ON THE WATER

Isles of Scilly

Wrasse Guy

Sitting with the evening sun warming our backs and fishing rods in our hands, we couldn’t think of anything more relaxing!

Raven’s Porth - Tresco

lures. Sitting with the evening sun warming our backs and fishing rods in our hands, we couldn’t think of anything more relaxing!

We awoke the next morning to rain as expected from the forecast, and used the excuse to have a leisurely start to the day, which consisted of a great breakfast at the hotel, several cups of coffee and then a stroll along to the local sports shop, which had a

PLACES TO STAY The Star Castle Hotel

Hugh Town, St Mary’s Tregarthen’s Hotel

Hugh Town, St Mary’s Schooners Hotel

Hugh Town, St Mary’s Bryher and Tresco have various accommodation options, including cottages, chalets and a great campsite.

PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK The Mermaid Inn - St Mary’s The Ruin Café - Tresco Atlantic Inn - St Mary’s Fraggle Rock Bar - Bryher

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POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

reasonable array of fishing tackle and various lures. After adding a few more colourful items to aid our piscatorial pursuits, we watched as the rain cleared and gave way to a beautiful sunny day, exactly as the forecasts had predicted. We made our way back to the pontoon, topped up the fuel tank at Sibley’s on the harbour wall for a very reasonable £1.41 a litre and then set off for some more fishing. Clearly the fish were not impressed with our new lures, and after a couple of hours with

nothing to show for our efforts except a small shad, we decided to head for the Ruin Café on Tresco Island overlooking Raven’s Porth, a beautiful white sandy beach that gently slopes away into crystalline green water. Having tied up to the harbour wall, we were soon relaxing outside the Ruin enjoying some mixed tempura seafood, delicious crab sandwiches and authentic stone-baked pizza from the wood-fired oven. The view from the Ruin across the bay towards Tean and St Martin Islands

… when you want to unwind and get a couple of days away from life, there really is no better place than the Isles of Scilly. was breathtaking. In fact, if you want to see for yourself, there is a webcam mounted on the Ruin Café that looks out across the beach: http://www.tresco.co.uk/ webcams/. We got chatting to

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ON THE WATER

Isles of Scilly View from St Mary’s

TECHNICAL INFO Boat: Osprey Vipermax 6.8 –

Osprey’s most popular hull, the Vipermax, in its 6.8m form.

The deep, warped V with rear planing pad gives a great combination of rough-water capability and handling when at speed. A true all-rounder.

Engine: Evinrude E-TEC G2 200 H.O. – The new E-TEC demonstrated superb fuel and oil consumption on the trip despite a heavily laden RIB, and certainly the torque and hole shot one gets from the G2 have not suffered, and in fact, this aspect of the engine feels even more improved from the original version, which was no slouch itself.

The Dynamic Power Steering (DPS) is superb and can be set up for different levels of feedback to match the user’s preference.

Seating: Ullman suspension

seats – The Ullman Biscaya seats, fitted with custommade seat covers, have already proved themselves in a variety of conditions, and for anyone thinking about longdistance RIB cruising they are certainly worth considering.

GPS: Lowrance HDS 10 Gen

2 – Huge, crystal-clear display, and while not a touch screen, very intuitive to use and possibly more suited to the wet environment of an open boat. The Navionics Platinum Map Card provided accurate and detailed information as usual, combined with satellite imagery and pictures of approaches and harbours.

VHF: Icom IC-M400BB ‘black box’ – The ‘in console’ transceiver keeps your console space free of clutter, and the command microphone is superb for RIB use as the user can hold the handset to their ear in noisy/ windy conditions when any kind of conversation with a normal VHF is virtually impossible.

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the manager of the café, who showed us the evening specials they were serving later in the day, and we were sold, deciding to come back for supper later on!

We spent the afternoon cruising round the various islands and testing out some new fishing spots, and we found a few more areas where unsuspecting wrasse and pollock were hiding out in the kelp. Then we made our way back to the hotel to clean up before heading over to Tresco in

the evening sun to sample some more of the Ruin’s superb menu, with surf and turf, Tresco style (steak and lobster), high on the list.

Leaving Tresco at about 10pm, the gentle cruise back to Hugh Town for a nightcap at the Mermaid with our designated helmsman, Guy, at the wheel was truly the highlight of the day for me, with just a hint of the evening sun still reflecting off the clouds in the distance and a still

calm over the sea. The perfect end to a perfect day – there really is no better way to travel …

Sadly, our brief interlude was almost over, and as we left Hugh Town the next morning we looked back wistfully and agreed that when you want to unwind and get a couple of days away from life, there really is no better place than the Isles of Scilly.

I think this may well become an annual trip!

JOURNEY DETAILS AND ROUTE

Padstow

Newquay

Saint Agnes

Saint Ives Falmouth

Lands End

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BOAT TEST

Humber Sports Pro 8.5

A Study in Black and White

Humber Sports Pro 8.5 PRICE TESTED (Twin Evinrude GS 200hp & extras) £119,444 (inc. VAT) LOA: 8.3m MAX. PEOPLE: 14 CONTACT: www.ribworld.co.uk www.humberribs.co.uk

The Humber Sports Pro 8.5 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as Simon Everett discovers.

YOU HAVE TO cast your mind back to 1988 for when the first 8.5m RIB was built, and it was a Humber built for the commercial market. Back then, the concept of an 8.5m RIB was unheard of; people actively questioned who on earth could possibly need such a behemoth.

The march of time tends to answer

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such questions, either like the Sinclair C5 where they don’t catch on and fade away, or they take off and become totally familiar and part of everyday life. This is what happened to the RIB, and now leviathans of 20m and more are built and cause little more than a raised eyebrow, such is the normality of big RIBs, their

validity having been proved time and time again.

The heritage of the 8.5m Sports Pro comes from the well-proven Attack 5.3, which was originally built for the diving industry. The Attack works so well that the initial 8.5s were correctly scaledup versions – to the nearest 1mm in all dimensions. Every facet was faithfully reproduced, but there was a slight snag – in the longer boat it didn’t quite work, so Frank had to make some fine-tuning

BOAT TEST

Humber Sports Pro 8.5

The Sports Pro is so well behaved it was difficult to get her animated

Why the Humber Sports Pro hasn’t caught the eye of serious RIB users before I can’t explain.

tweaks to maintain the performance and handling. True to form, these adjustments were made on a real boat and tried before the final mould was made, when Frank was totally satisfied he had achieved what he had set out to achieve. The major difference was that the beam was increased ever so slightly, and the curves of the scalloped chines were hand-tuned to suit the new hydrodynamics. It was painstaking work and Frank reckons it probably cost him a packet in time and materials, but the end result was worth the pain. As the saying goes, ‘no pain, no gain’.

The 8.5 Sports Pro deserves more recognition than it gets. The ride is amazingly smooth – even in rough water the handling and balance of the hull are sublime. The biggest drawback is that the ability of the boat is so great, very few owners will ever come close to finding out just what the boat is capable of. I mean that in the nicest possible way. This is one

of the smoothest-riding and most capable RIBs I have ever driven, and it ‘only’ had twin 200s – but it is quite capable of taming a pair of 300s without batting an eyelid.

The hull is incredibly slippery through the water in a straight line. The partial strakes are only added where they are needed and they follow different curves so as to be optimised for their placement on the warped vee hull. Again, their shape came about through trial and error, with actual on-water testing, not computer simulation. There have been slight deviations from the initial size, shape and curvature to arrive at the current hull shape, which Frank is finally happy with.

It has only taken him 25 years to perfect it(!), but the ride and handling are just astounding. There is a slight tendency to porpoise with excessive trim, but there is no hint of chine-walking thanks to the table of water created below the hull, despite those small and short strakes.

Because they are in the right place, they can be kept to the minimum and still do the job, just spitting water, which helps to provide the almost unbelievable fuel consumption figures, helped in no small part by the major breakthrough in the G2 motors. At 46.2 knots, the read-out said we were burning a measly 37.6 litres per hour. I was so taken aback we did it several times to check the figures. I just couldn’t believe the instruments – they had to be lying to me. How can an 8.5m boat return those figures, in real time? It is absolutely remarkable and testimony to all those hours invested in fine-tuning the Sports Pro hull. ‘That’ll do’ doesn’t figure in Frank’s vocabulary.

Put the boat into the hardest fullspeed turn you dare and you will be rewarded with a perfectly executed manoeuvre, with no grip, slip, grip, slip behaviour. Those scalloped chines are presented to the water as the boat heels, creating multiple strakes with air pockets

The G2 200hp motors suit the boat and are stylish with it.

Fly-by-wire throttles were very light, but you get used to them POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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BOAT TEST

It looks mild from afar, but you can go from mild to wild in a heartbeat

Humber Sports Pro 8.5

It works well and stands out from the crowd. I loved the way she handled and performed. between, so the revs hardly drop, the corner speed is kept up and the waves can do their damnedest to slap you on the cheeks at the bow, but the change in the curvature is ready for them, and instead of a resounding smack that goes through from your toes to your teeth and shakes your fillings out, the boat rides the wave and just creams it. If I had the money, opportunity or need for one of

SPECIFICATION Overall length: 8.3m Internal length: 7.0m Overall beam: 2.8m Internal beam: 1.75m Number of persons: 14 Maximum payload: 2000kg Boat weight (standard specification): 1450kg Height/height of boat on trailer: 2.05m/2.6m Maximum engine HP (XXL) single engine: 350hp Maximum engine HP twin engine: 2 x 300hp Tube material: Orca Hypalon 1300gm CE category: B Deadrise at transom: 22 degrees

these boats, I would build it in off-white and call it Ambrosia. As it was, the test boat was built for a Swedish customer and is a symphony in styling, with a monochromatic theme throughout. Even the caulked deck is black and silver and the fabric of the tubes shows its weave and comes over in the light like it is made of carbon fibre. The aesthetics are stunning and the ability to customise the engine panels to match the boat makes for an amazing visual effect, even when standing still. At 45 knots it looks even more dramatic.

The potency contained within those black and white engine covers, even in

PRICE From £81,317 (inc. VAT) As tested, with twin Evinrude GS 200hp and extras: £119,444 (inc. VAT)

CONTACT Humber RIBs 99 Wincolmlee Hull HU2 8AH www.ribworld.co.uk www.humberribs.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 1482 226100

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Port helm with plenty of room between console seats

‘the baby’ 200hp guise, is sufficient to take the 8.5m RIB from a standstill to 20 knots in under 2 seconds. It is like being kicked into touch by Jonny Wilkinson. With the 300s it must be like being tackled by Tuigamala.

The new aft seating design incorporates an across-the-transom arrangement with individually sculptured seats – not bolsters exactly, but the depth provides the lateral support for the occupant during the high G turns that are likely to occur, once the helm realises they can!

I tried in vain to upset the boat, but it didn’t matter how aggressive I was at the wheel, the hull just responded and called

Dare to be ...

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27 OC

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Setting New Standards

BOAT TEST

Humber Sports Pro 8.5

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Humber Sports Pro 8.5

HELM: Fully equipped helm with plenty of space for electronic toys.

REAR SEATS: Where style and substance meet.

STOWAGE: One full width locker with two access holes.

my bluff, as if to say, ‘Is that all you’ve got? Come on, be a man.’ Seriously, I felt so in control I reckon I could have done anything and the boat would have just got on with it. I couldn’t find a flaw, other than the porpoising introduced by overtrimming. Even then the boat remained laterally stable where others start to dance from gunwale to gunwale under similar provocation.

There has to be a drawback and on the Humber Sports Pro it is found in the amount of room between the console and the tube, which is a narrow walkway you have to negotiate. A narrow hull for performance together with a wide console for protection is always going to limit the room to move forwards, but I got myself

The ride is amazingly smooth - even in rough water the handling and balance of the hull are sublime. wrong-footed a couple of times with my feet tangled and wedged between rubber and fibreglass. There is also the suicide seat that hinges forward, rather than upwards. It is a comfortable seat when sat in, but by hinging it forward the access to the massive stowage space behind is damned awkward. A couple of hinges and a gas ram would solve that problem.

The Hypalon used for the tubes on the Sports Pro has a finish that makes it look like carbon weave, which is incredibly stylish, and the entire visual concept is stunning – enhanced, I think, by the crisscross ‘carbon’ pattern of the collar. Why the Humber Sports Pro hasn’t caught the eye of serious RIB users before I can’t explain. It works really well and stands out from the crowd too. I loved the way she handled and performed.

PERFORMANCE

SEATS: Humber’s own design suspension seats work well

SEAT: The suicide seat is a deep bucket type

RPM 500 idle 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 5300

Speed (knots) 4.9 5.2 9.3 24.0 34.1 42.9 46.2

WHAT WE THOUGHT LIKES Overall styling Performance and handling Fuel economy

DISLIKES Forward folding suicide seat Low-placed throttle control Access past console POWER: Twin 200s, but the boat is rated to twin 300s.

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STYLE: The black and white them looks really good.

Fuel (litres/hr) 0.8 1.4 4.8 12.3 20.3 31.7 37.6

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude

The DNA of

Innovation Alain Villemure is vice-president and general manager of the Marine Propulsion Systems Division at BRP. In this exclusive interview with PBR, he gives the inside take on both the Evinrude and Sea-Doo brands and the reasons for their outstanding rise to power â&#x20AC;Ś

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude

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EARLY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS FROM 1975 AND THE 1980’s, SHOWING THE BRAND WAS STRONG IN THE RACING AND LEISURE MARKET.

while the other one is more a discretionary product given its leisure nature for the most part. I would, however, say that there is a lot to get inspired by when looking at the automotive industry.

The rate of innovation and advanced technologies at the service of a better consumer experience is certainly something that we can learn a great deal from as a company.

1. How does the marine business, as regards your PWC and outboard brands, compare as an industry to the other markets you have been involved with, i.e. when you

worked with General Motors?

The products themselves can’t really be compared because of their purpose. One is a more essential good needed for personal transportation

2. How in your view does Evinrude’s history affect its present and future outlook?

Being associated with and inspired by such a legacy is a

… IT PROVES THAT WE CARE FOR WHAT HAPPENS ON THE BOAT, WE CARE ABOUT THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE. privilege and a responsibility, and you know what …? It fits very well with BRP DNA. Our goal is to use our innovation and technology capabilities to define products that deliver the ultimate ride and the best consumer experience. The Evinrude E-TEC G2 outboard engine fits right in line with that objective. The G2 is by far the most significant innovation that has been launched in the outboard

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude matching possibilities, the G2 is definitely a market-shaping product. The Evinrude E-TEC G2 is also a clear indication of BRP’s capabilities and future focus. You can therefore expect more market-shaping products from Evinrude in the next few years.

3. Through the ups and the downs of Evinrude’s history, what would you say have been the reasons for their survival and continuing success?

Our commitment to the end-user was ever present.

From Ole Evinrude’s desire to keep ice cream from melting – a very end-user experience – to our ability to significantly improve the boating experience with features like dynamic power steering and I-trim on the new Evinrude E-TEC G2, it proves that we care for what happens on the boat, we care about the ultimate experience. At any moment in our history our best work has come when we put our innovation capabilities to the service of a new and better consumer experience. This is BRP Evinrude’s DNA.

STRONG FROM A LONG AND DIVERSIFIED HISTORY, BRP’S ENGINE PORTFOLIO IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF ALL POWER SPORT AND MARINE COMPANIES. industry in the last 25 years.

While the Evinrude E-TEC G2 is building on a significant heritage, it is at the same time the first blank-sheet-design Evinrude engine since BRP acquired it in 2001. With its unrivalled performance

(20% more torque, 15% more fuel efficiency and 75% less emissions than the best engine in the category) and breakthrough design, and with its integrated hydraulic and power steering, I-trim, clean rigging and colour-

TOP: TRIPLE 300HP RIG INSET: G2 COLOUR CO-ORDINATION

LO O K I N G B AC K AT E V I N R U D E ’S A D V E R T I S I N G C A M PA I G N S - 1 9 1 6 T 0 1 9 9 5

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4. What excites you personally about BRP’s Sea-Doo and Evinrude brands?

It is, in fact, what has excited me throughout my last 20 years with BRP – the privilege and opportunity to be part of

Two leading teams. One winning formula.

MDL Marinas and Land Rover BAR Innovation. Pride. Experience.

Visit us at the Southampton Boat Show stand E52

O F F I C I A L

U K

M A R I N A

MDLMARINAS.CO.UK

P A R T N E R

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude

5. How important do you see Evinrude’s new G2 being to the future of the company?

The Evinrude E-TEC G2 is

definitely a key instrument for growing our outboard engine business. To understand why, let’s go back in our history with Evinrude.

At the time we took over the destiny of Evinrude, the brand had lost a significant number of boatbuilders and dealers. We were for years busy making the E-TEC technology the industry benchmark and deploying it on all horsepower segments.

In the meantime, we have

received many awards, like the Clean Air Technology Excellence Award from the EPA, and recognition, like authorisation to put our engines on Lake Bodensee, one of Europe’s most pristine lakes, and reached the highest level of customer satisfaction in the industry. But to jump-start our network expansion we needed a more differentiated product, an E-TEC second generation (G2). The impact

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a team of great people that design, engineer, produce and market paradigm-shifting products that shaped their respective industry. Think about the first sit-down PWC, the first integrated brake and reverse (IBR) PWC, and obviously the Evinrude E-TEC G2, to name a few.

TOP: VIVID LIME GREEN G2 INSET: 1930’S EVINRUDE

of G2 was significant. We have, in fact, signed more than 25 boatbuilders and more than 100 dealers since its launch last June.

T H E E V I N R U D E FAM I LY - I M P R E S S I V E H I S TO RY, P U S H I N G B O U N D E R I E S , MA K I N G T H E B R A N D W E K N O W A N D LO V E TO DAY

OLE EVINRUDE

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RALPH SIGNING “ PUT PUT WENT THE EVINRUDE”

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude

7. What are the three greatest challenges you foresee BRP and the marine market in general having to face over the next five years?

We prefer thinking about opportunities instead of challenges. BRP’s reputation is built on its capacity to outinnovate its competitors by introducing paradigm-shifting products. The introduction of the Sea-Doo Spark PWC – a fun, affordable, more fuelefficient and 100% recyclable

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6. How key has the ‘Spark’ PWC been to BRP’s position in the market?

The Sea-Doo Spark is a gamechanger and a huge success.

It allowed a stable or slowly declining industry to grow back in a significant way by making a fun activity accessible to many more people. This is no small achievement.

ABOVE: SEA-DOO PWC RIGHT: COVER & PAGE 1 FROM 1960 EVINRUDE PRODUCT BROCHURE

product to attract newcomers to the sport and rejuvenate that industry – is just an example. The Evinrude E-TEC G2, with its bold design, clean rigging, low emissions and performance, is creating a new era in the outboard industry. You’ll just have to follow us to see what we will do next …

We’ll continue to outinnovate our competitors to further fuel our growth trajectory. This will be supported by initiatives to make our company more agile and lean.

8. If you met your competitors from the outboard market face to face, what would you say to them?

Let’s make our industry better so we have more people enjoying the pleasure of boating!

9. Are you glad BRP took the 2-stroke route when your outboard competitors all pursued the 4-stroke alternatives?

I sure am glad we did.

However, I would put the question a bit differently:

A R C H I V E I MAG E RY O F S O M E O F T H E CO M PA NY ’S E A R LY M O D E L S A N D E N G I N E D E S I G N S

1935 1.5HP 5-MODEL SPORTSMAN

1930 SPEEDY BEE

FIRST 4 CYCLE OUTBOARD

1940 ZEPHYR

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ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude TOUGH & RELIABLE FOR DEMANDING OPERATIONS

THE G2 LIVERY CAN BE MATCHED TO THE BOAT COLOURS, MAKING A STYLISH PARTNERSHIP

Why are BRP investing in 2-stroke direct injection when competitors are solely focusing on 4-stroke engines?

Strong from a long and diversified history, BRP’s engine portfolio is the most significant of all power sport and marine companies. With Rotax and Evinrude you have

almost 200 years of engine development experience.

This portfolio is made of on- and off-the-road vehicles (Can-Am ATVs, SSVs and Spyder), on snow (Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles) on water (with Sea-Doo PWCs and Evinrude outboard engines) and in the air (Rotax aircraft engines). Two-stroke direct injection happens to be the best technology choice for two of our businesses.

Outboards are all about torque and fuel efficiency while snowmobiles are all about power to weight and fuel efficiency. In both cases,

E-TEC technology brings a significant edge.

Now, because we share the technology in two product lines we can build economy of scale that none of our competitors can benefit from.

BRP ARE ALWAYS INNOVATING AND LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO MAXIMISE THE CONSUMER’S EXPERIENCE.

T H E M U LT I - A P P L I C AT I O N E V I N R U D E - S U I TA B L E F O R A L L L I F E S T YL E S PA S T & P R E S E N T

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Come & see us on Stand M500/M501

ON THE WATER

History of Evinrude On top of that, each industry requirement has made the technology even better. Just think of 165hp out of an 800 E-TEC snowmobile engine and you will understand what I mean.

10. Are BRP considering developing alternative technologies to those currently needing to be powered by petroleum or fossil fuel?

BRP are always innovating and looking for opportunities to maximise the consumer’s experience. Recently, boating enthusiasts have been adversely affected by the emergence of ethanol-blended gasoline. Ethanol, by nature, attracts and bonds with water.

For marine engines that are in the water or spend extended periods of time in storage during the off seasons, this can do serious damage. Because of this, Evinrude joined other marine manufacturers to

develop a viable alternative fuel. After four years of comprehensive testing that included the support of the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Argonne National Laboratory, BRP have helped develop a marine-friendly biofuel called biobutanol. This fuel delivers the same performance as

traditional gasoline blends, without the downsides of ethanol blends. This is just one example of the relentless work that BRP and Evinrude do to push the boundaries of the power sports world.

11. If there was one other company you would have liked to have been vicepresident of, which might

THE G2’S MODERN & STYLISH DESIGN IS PROVING VERY POPULAR

that have been, and why?

You must be kidding. There is no better company to work for. We design, engineer, manufacturer and market products that allow people to have fun, and I get to test all those products. There is no better job than that!

T H E H I G H S A N D LO W S A LO N G T H E WAY

Since its inception over 100 years ago, the Evinrude brand has been at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement in the outboard engine arena. But the Evinrude story really began in 1906 when Ole Evinrude was paddling across a Wisconsin lake, battling the hot summer sun to get ice cream. By the time he had returned home with the sweet treat, it had melted and he had realised that the trip would have been much quicker if the rowing boat had been fitted with a motor. Ole’s light bulb moment had occurred, and from then on, he began to design the first outboard engine, which would eventually give rise to the Evinrude brand.

Jumping swiftly ahead to the year 2000, when the Outboard Motor Corporation (OMC), under the strain of making their engines comply with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements and decreasing sales, filed for bankruptcy on 21st December.

The demise of OMC was a sad day for the outboard industry, but Bombardier Inc., makers of trains and planes, saw an opportunity to acquire a global brand and purchased the Evinrude assets. Three months later, on 21st March 2001, the phoenix of Evinrude rose from the now defunct OMC and was reborn into an internationally recognised brand to continue its legacy of quality and innovation.

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On 27th September 2001, the first Bombardier Inc.-built Evinrude came off the assembly line. Two years later, in February 2004, the company launched the Evinrude E-TEC technology at the Miami Boat Show, including the in-line, 2-cylinder 40, 50 and 60 hp engines, and the in-line, 3-cylinder 75 and 90 hp engines.

In December 2003, Bombardier Inc. sold their recreational products division, which included the Evinrude brand and assets, forming a new company, Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). (Today, the brands that now sit under the BRP umbrella alongside Evinrude include the Sea-Doo Personal Watercraft (PWC) range, Rotax engines, the Can-Am Spyder, a luxury three-wheeled vehicle, the Can-Am AllTerrain Vehicle (ATV) and the Side by Side (SSV) series.)

May 2004 saw the first Evinrude E-TEC bigblock V6 unveiled to the media at the Ralph Evinrude Test Centre in Stuart, Florida. This model was available with 200, 225 and 250 hp and 225 H.O. Just under a year later, in February 2005, the 115hp Evinrude E-TEC engine, the first mid-range version on a 4-cylinder platform, had its debut at the same event.

When it comes to leading the field with innovative environmentally friendly engine credentials, Evinrude are the current masters.

This is exemplified by the fact that the brand was awarded the prestigious Clean Air Excellence Award from the US EPA for its E-TEC technology in April 2005, a first for an outboard engine manufacturer. In addition, Evinrude is the first and only 2-stroke outboard engine that is 90hp and below to receive registration from the Bodensee-Schiffahrts-Ordnung Commission to operate on the pristine waters of Lake Constance, bordered by Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Evinrude marked their 100th anniversary on 14th February 2008 at the Miami Boat Show when they introduced their 2009 models, including the 300hp Evinrude E-TEC engines.

Moving to the present, BRP and the Evinrude brand continue to pioneer innovations in the outboard engine industry. This title has been reinforced with the latest introduction to the range, the E-TEC G2, which recently won the Innovation Award in the ‘Powerboat of the Year’ category at the third FLAGSHIP NIGHT industry meeting of the Delius Klasing Verlag and Düsseldorf Boat Show, held in January 2015.

GO TO POWERBOAT & RIB YOU TUBE CHANNEL TO WATCH THE MOVIE ‘100 YEARS OF EVINRUDE’

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BOAT TEST

Regal 2000ES Bowrider

REGAL 2000ESBowrider

HMS heads out to Florida to test a high quality, pocketsized bowrider that’s truly built to be driven…

IF YOU’RE NEW to powerboating, it won’t take long before you come to appreciate that owning a boat opens up a whole world of new experiences and opportunities – many of which remain completely beyond the reach of most people. But finding the right boat can be quite a task and making the wrong choice can not only be an expensive undertaking but also very

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demoralising. So, as in the case of all of our test reports, we’ll endeavour to help identify whether this particular American made sportsboat could be suited to your particular boating requirements. But let me say from the off, that this Regal 2000ES features great build quality and very much lives up to the reputation Regal has established worldwide, as being a premier boatbuilder of great renown.

This model, one of the smaller boats in the Regal range, is also not only designed

very much with socialising in mind, but is a real driver’s boat too. So, if you want to know more, please step aboard and join me for the ride….

First Impressions We tested the Regal 2000ES in the balmy waters off the Florida coast beneath a blue sky and in about 40 degrees of heat. To say it was a pleasure to get underway with the wind in your face was an understatement! It was very

BOAT TEST

Regal 2000ES Bowrider

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Regal 2000ES Bowrider

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Regal 2000ES Bowrider

AFT SEATING: Modern and crisp styling to aft deck.

Super grippy through the turns, nice and dry through the chop SPEAKERS: Surround sound bow and neat anchor locker.

SEATING: Every inch of this 2000ES is design for socialising.

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hot and very humid indeed beneath the afternoon sun. But upon making our way out of the opulent surroundings of the Key Largo marina and idling down through the mangrove bordered waterway out to sea, we were soon greeted by the sparkling azure of the ocean, which on this particular day, possessed just a minimal degree of chop with little or no swell running.

In light of the near perfect conditions, I was therefore surprised when the skipper hosting the trial suggested the sea was a little on the rough side and asked me to ‘take it easy’ behind the wheel! But once everyone was secure and I had a feel of the hull beneath my feet, I made it my business to ignore the anxious skipper’s leadings and decided to push the boat a smidgen harder on every run made into the oncoming seas. He of course grumbled, but upon making the hull ‘pick

BOAT TEST

Regal 2000ES Bowrider

...making our way out of the opulent surroundings of the Key Largo marina, we were soon greeted by the sparkling azure of the ocean...

up skirts’ and with the prop ‘barking’ its approval, it quickly became apparent that the 2000ES possessed a very fine hull indeed – one that gave every indication of being well suited to our home waters.

Ergonomics

the turns, nice and dry through the chop, this FasTrack design also produces a good degree of lift thanks to its forgiving chines and spray rails. It’s hydrodynamic qualities therefore aid heightened economy, performance and a reduced tendency for

the hull to bury its nose in a following sea.

Topping out just shy of 50mph, it would likely be possible to gain a little more top speed if the prop were tweaked or changed, but that said, there were four of us aboard and this was a boat delivered for trial pretty much straight ‘out of the box’.

The powerpack to the test craft was a Mercruiser 4.3mpi 220hp with Alpha one drive and felt well suited in my opinion; delivering a sensible degree of power in a very smooth fashion with a weight/ installation that gave no signs of disturbing the boat’s good, overall balance. With this particular engine choice, the 2000ES benefits from having a sporty, responsive feel, whilst at the same time not suffering from being ‘over-horsed’ – in my view, a common problem with more and more leisure craft being sold these days. Thanks in part to its inboard engine and the vessel’s 40 gallon underdeck fuel tank, the 2000ES also benefits from a low COG. This results in a laterally stable and generally very surefooted ride at all speeds.

Life Aboard This is a really fun boat to drive, but it feels a very safe boat to be aboard too. With comfortable and beautifully

Imagine driving a sports car where you had the devil of a job staying in the seat, where the dashboard displays weren’t in your line of sight, where the view ahead was impaired and you had to reach awkwardly for the controls! So many helm positions suffer from these basic flaws and boat owners it seems are just expected to accept that that’s the way it is! There is no excuse for this. Indeed, the key to a great driving experience surely has to start with good ergonomics and a sound driving position? But what of the Regal?

Well, I’m really happy to report that I have no such complaints about this particular boat because its cockpit design and layout really does make the whole process of driving an absolute pleasure.

Performance The Regal FasTrack hull performs in a very stable and reassuring manner plus it’s soft riding too. Super grippy through POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Regal 2000ES Bowrider

upholstered seating for everyone aboard, plenty of grab points, high gunwales and with good access fore and aft; the layout on deck, though relatively simple, is very well thought through for a boat of this size.

Of course, having an 8.6ft beam helps to give the boat a sense of uncommon spaciousness and whether you’re up in the bowrider section of the craft or seated in the stern you’ll find storage beneath virtually every seat. One of these contains a 25 quart Igloo cooler whilst another larger stowage area is designed to take skis and other toys.

The internal features of the craft are extensive and rather than listing all the extras that can be added to the specification within this article, it’s probably best to check out the Regal website link direct www.regalboats.com/

model/2000-es-bowrider/. But essentially, there are enough options to ‘custom’ design your 2000ES to pretty much any extent you wish. Meantime, the forward raked arch mast not only doubles as a ski tower but also provides the means for a Bimini to be attached. Good sized scuppers to clear the deck of water and a super-sized bathing platform are attractive features too.

All in all, the 2000ES is a very likable little boat and is a lot of fun to drive. I have no criticisms to speak of and wherever one looks internally you’ll only find that same degree of quality and fitout that’s displayed in the more obvious areas of the boat’s anatomy. Well done Regal! This is a great pocket sized bowrider that has the ability to handle both flat water and ocean chop with equal style and ability.

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 20’ 3” 6.2 M Beam: 8’ 6” 2.6 M Deadrise: 20º Fuel capacity: 40 Gals 151 litres Powered By: Mercruiser 4.3mpi 220hp Alpha one: £35,602

FITTED OPTIONS Bow infill cushion: £271 Cockpit and bow tonneau covers: £706 Cockpit carpet: £329 Docking lights: £212 Power sport tower, white: £3,847 Seadeck swim platform, teak colour: £282 Total package price: £41,249 (inc VAT)

CONTACT Gibbs Boat Sales www.gibbsboatsales.co.uk

WHAT WE THOUGHT FORS High quality fitout and construction Efficient, soft riding hull design Good ergonomics

AGAINSTS None to speak of

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Setting New Standards

BOAT TEST

Triana 25

Classic Motor Boating

TRIANA

25

Keen to try a Triana, Mike Taylor crews on this iconic 25ft classic.

THE PICTURESQUE RIVER Hamble on the outskirts of Southampton rises near Bishop’s Waltham and meanders leisurely on its 9-mile course to its estuary by Warsash.

There has been shipbuilding here since medieval times, while its fascinating latter-day history includes the secret WWII D-Day training centre at Bursledon, the site of Fairey Aviation at the river mouth and the location for the more recent popular TV drama

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series, Howards’ Way. All these memories and more were flowing through my mind as I made my way into the busy Riverside Boatyard, which nestles in the shadows of the bridge that carries the M27 motorway, to meet up with Peter and Debbie Farmery, owners of Lady Emma, a strikingly elegant Triana 25 built in 1971.

There is an indefinable line and elegance about the boats from the board of esteemed naval architect

Renato ‘Sonny’ Levi, his designs successfully combining stunningly capable hulls with high-quality cabin layouts. I was about to experience at first hand just how good Levi’s work really is as I stepped aboard.

Though identical in overall length to the similar Christina, with her flared bow, broader beam and a cockpit set further back in her hull envelope, Lady Emma exudes a more mature, grander pedigree

BOAT TEST

Triana 25

than the Hunt-designed Christina, reflecting the progress in powerboat architecture in less than a decade.

Introductions over, Peter then showed me over his Levi classic. Vee bunks forward provide adequate sleeping arrangements for two with a table between, which can be moved to the cockpit when dining al fresco. Behind on the port side is a small galley with basin and facilities for a portable stove.

Opposite are the heads, which also

make ideal storage space for the multitude of marine oddments we all collect when cruising.

Stepping up into the cockpit, the helm and navigator seats are set high on adjustable pedestals, giving first-class all-round visibility, while a full-width seat rests neatly on the cover above the twin Volvo Penta 4.3 GXI V6 engines, which are coupled to DPS sterndrives. Peter removed the cushions and lifted the hatch to reveal the tidy installation

– easy to service and maintain, the V6’s compact parallel 6-cylinder configuration gives easy access all round.

The usual safety and marine checks completed, Peter started the engines, the twin Volvos bursting easily into life. With Debbie and I in charge of the lines, Peter edged Lady Emma astern and into the main Channel, care being taken as another cruiser bore down on our path. This was to typify our day. The POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Triana 25

It’s clear just how successfully Sonny was able to combine speed with elegance and style.

Side in influences of Levi’s ‘A Speranziella race boat of 1961 are clearly evident

sea is some 2 miles distant at this point and our passage would take us past one of the busiest leisure boating facilities in the UK, with around 5,000 craft jostling for moorings and manoeuvring room and sharing the same lane as Lady Emma, all moving at around 6 knots.

Our plan was to head downstream to Warsash and the river entrance, then turn to starboard heading north, up Solent Water toward the historic towns of Hythe and Marchwood, linking up with Peter and Debbie’s Nicholson 55, Quailo III, which would act as our extremely elegant ‘photo barge’ for the drive-by shots. Then turn about and head back, seawards, to Calshot Spit and into the Solent.

The Hamble River is tidal for approximately half its length and is navigable along its lower reaches. High tide was due at around 12:00 GMT, and as we made our way under the railway and A27 bridges the current was strong, running at around 4 knots. Off our starboard beam appeared the famous ‘Jolly Sailor’ pub, set back behind an array of pontoons where customers can moor up. The river then turns sharply to port and we passed Swanwick Marina, the first of five large marina-type facilities.

There’s reckoned to be over 3,000 berths along the Hamble’s length, with several yards offering a wide range of repair and maintenance services as well.

At this point, traffic of all kinds increased noticeably, calling for care and attention, keeping the three of us on our guard. The river then turned sharply to starboard, passing Universal Marina. The river’s course then begins to soften, with longer, more direct channels lined by pontoon moorings on both sides.

Born in 1926 in Karachi, Renato ‘Sonny’ Levi served an apprenticeship at

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his father’s boatyard before moving to the UK to join the RAF. He then studied aeronautical engineering, returning to Bombay in 1950, where he began designing commercial and patrol boats.

He then moved to Italy in 1960, taking over managing the Cantieri Navaltecnica yard, setting up a drawing office supplying

boat designs to Italian, British and South African boatbuilders.

It was at the London Boat Show in early 1961 where Sir Max Aitken announced that the inaugural Cowes–Torquay race would be held that summer. After attending the show, Sonny returned to Italy, and in a little over three months had designed and built the exquisite A’Speranziella, a sports cruiser; she finished sixth in the race. Many similar Sonny Levi commercial and leisure boats followed, most featuring his trademark, gracefully curving convex sheerline.

In 1962, Levi created a 23ft cuddy cabin race boat called the Trident for Don Shead, initially powered by triple sterndrives, a technology that had grown in popularity over the previous three years. The following year he designed the larger Corsair 27 cruiser for Don Shead’s father, which was also raced,

BOAT TEST

Triana 25 and remains in limited production today.

Meanwhile a handful of wooden Tridents were built by R & W Clark of Cowes, and in 1964 Tom Threlfall commissioned the Poseidon from them, a foot longer and with a low cabin roof added. The hull for the Poseidon was of glass fibre from Tyler’s of Tonbridge. The Poseidon was effectively the prototype Triana, which was further extended to 25ft and built

by Trident Marine from 1968, also using hulls by Tyler’s, which were fitted out at Portchester. The interior layout showed flair and attention to detail. In 1970, Triana Boats took over manufacture in Poole, and a year later built an updated version called the Tropica. It featured an improved cabin design and more powerful sterndrives.

As we proceeded downstream, the river’s width encouraged mid-Channel moorings as we passed Mercury Yacht Haven, Port Hamble Marina, the Royal Air Force Yacht Club (Peter and Debbie are members of this very friendly and active club) and Hamble Point Marina, located on the once thriving Fairey Marine factory site, rated as being the most prodigious dinghy manufacturer in Europe during the 50s, before moving into powerboat making.

SNAPSHOT Onboard the Triana 25

Varnished cockpits surfaces provide a high quality of finish

Enjoying the wide selection of craft at their moorings on the Hamble River

The high standard of finish are also reflected in the cabin fittings

The substantial screen and fine bow entry make the cockpit a pleasant and dry place to be, even at high speed in a swell

The twin Volvo Penta 225hp V6s give Lady Emma an impressive 45+ knot maximum speed

Unlike early Fairey powerboats Trianas were built using GRP gulls and cabins structures POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Triana 25

Trianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race bred pedigree hull gives enviable ride and handling qualities making her an ideal fast cruiser for the demanding owner

ĹĽ Ę ĹĽĹŚ

ĹĽ ĹĽ ŧ about the boats from the board of esteemed naval architect Renato â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sonnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Levi â&#x20AC;Ś By now the cluster of river trafďŹ c had grown considerably, with other craft making for, and emerging from, the busy marinas. Ahead lay the two buoys that mark the entrance to the river, the Cardinal Mark Southerly (used when approaching from Calshot and the Solent) and the Hamble Beacon Number 2 (used when approaching from Southampton). At this point we also kept a keen eye out for the amount of water beneath the keel.

As we exited the river mouth the throttles were pushed forward and we creamed round to starboard, accelerating impressively to pick up a course to intercept with Quailo III, a Nicholson sailing yacht. The revs built and she came onto the plane easily, Peter adjusting the trim tabs accordingly. Despite her sterndrives, the wheel felt nicely light and responsive as I changed course

The cooking facilities are a bit basic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OK for a fry-up breakfast but little else. Overall, Lady Emma serves us brilliantly as a weekend cruiser.

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occasionally to meet the bow wash from passing craft. Conditions were favourable, with light winds and little spray from the oncoming tide. With the revs approaching 3000, around 28 knots and Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferred cruising speed, the noise from the 225hp Volvos was surprisingly intrusive, dissuading me from the notion of nudging the throttles open still further to touch the 5000 revs/45-knot-plus During WW11 Calshot was home to a fleet of Air/ Sea Rescue High Speed Launches. Today it is used by the RNLI, HM Coastguard and Calshot Activities Centre

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BOAT TEST

Triana 25

SPECIFICATION OF LADY EMMA Boat: Triana 25 LOA: 25ft Beam: 9’ 6” Date of build: 1971 Construction: Hull by Tyler’s of Tonbridge, fit-out by Trident Marine, Porchester Engines/gearboxes: Twin 225hp 4.3 GXI Volvo Penta V6 petrol with sterndrives Maximum speed: 45knots+

potential that Peter told me was available.

But progress was comfortable, with the bow rising and falling in harmony with the wave formation.

We called up Quailo III on the radio.

She spotted us and dropped her cruising chute as we turned to pick up her port rail for me to make the jump. Once across on the big Nicholson, Peter and Debbie took off for the all-important drive-by shots.

Luckily, the Channel was reasonably clear, Lady Emma making an elegant sight as she dashed passed my camera lens.

Back on board, Peter told me something about his sailing career and his decision to buy Lady Emma. ‘In my youth I had

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a couple of years sailing in various parts of the world, then marriage, mortgages, work and children meant I stopped for 20 years. I am very interested in classic cars, bikes, anything period, so when fellow powerboat enthusiast Paul Hooper found this boat for sale in Guernsey in 2008 I was interested. We flew out, took her for a test run and I bought her immediately. She’d been fitted with new engines, which were still under warranty, and she was very well priced. We bought some sandwiches in St Peter Port, filled her with fuel and made it back to Hamble by nightfall in under four hours; it was February and bitterly cold.

‘The previous owner had fitted the current engines but had done little else.

There were no pressing jobs, although I have rewired her subsequently. However, the interior of the original 500-litre fuel tank had been painted and the coating become contaminated by modern petrol.

I’ve bought a replacement and it’s now ready to fit, but the job will require stripping out the seats, supports and cockpit sole. I’ll then cut the top off the old tank, drop in the replacement and add bracing bars to reinstate torsional rigidity to the hull. The new tank will give about five hours’ running time at 28 knots. I’m also planning to try stainless steel props to increase our maximum speed, as the current aluminium props have a tendency to flex under high load.

‘Another job we have done is to recover the soft furnishings in a bright turquoise; next will be the linings and bulkheads.

Most of the wood is teak and demands plenty of maintenance; it’s worth it and there are still areas needing attention.

We also have ideas about fitting a fill-in panel to turn the separate bunks into a full-width bed. The cooking facilities are a bit basic – OK for a fry-up breakfast but little else. Overall, Lady Emma serves us brilliantly as a weekend cruiser. We‘re planning to accompany our friends with a Levi Corsair (Blue Corsair) to the West Country next year.’

As we approached Calshot Spit, the wind and seas picked up. Today, little remains of the once famous Calshot Naval Air Station with its links with the Royal Flying Corps, preparations for the Schneider Trophy races in the 20s and its WWII Air Sea Rescue service. Nowadays, the base is used by the RNLI and HM Coastguard, and forms the headquarters for the Calshot Activities Centre.

Turning about and heading back to the Hamble, Lady Emma revealed something special of her potential. It’s clear just how successfully Sonny was able to combine speed with elegance and style. No wonder the Corsair derivative remains available today.

Mike Taylor Our thanks go to Peter and Debbie Farmery, and Jonathan Napier and the crew of Quailo III.

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BOAT TEST

Used & Approved - Nimbus 320 Coupe

NIMBUS 320 COUPE

Greg Copp examines one of the most popular boats in its class, the Nimbus 320 Coupe...Look out on our YouTube channel for a video of Greg’s findings.

DATA FILE Designer: Rolf Eliason/Nimbus Boats Berths: 4 Cabins: 2 Hull type: Medium-vee planing Current values: From £70,000 Length overall: 31ft (9.20 m) Beam: 10ft 8in (3.25m) Draft: 3ft 3in (1.00m) Displacement: 3.75 tonnes (light) depending on engine options Fuel capacity: 62 gal (280 litres) Water capacity: 42 gal (190 litres) Cruising range: Up to 190 miles with a 20% reserve at 18-20 knots (single 230hp Yanmar)

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THE SWEDISH BUILT Nimbus 320 Coupe is a great example of what Scandinavian boating is all about. Practicality, durability and sea keeping are key features in a boat designed to be used to cover long distances over deserted, and often-rough water. No Scandinavian yard worth its salt will build a boat that does not meet these criteria. This goes a long way to explain why the market for used boats from the Baltic has always been lucrative.

The Nimbus 320 entered production in 2003 replacing the near identical 310 Coupe and has proved popular with power boaters and yachtsmen alike. It was an extension of the successful 310 formula whose hull design dates back to the Nimbus 3003 of the 1980s.

Built on a tough mediumvee planning hull with a 16 degree transom deadrise and a sharp forefoot it proved a great sea boat.

The combination of sharp bow and medium-vee stern

works well making the boat a capable performer at all speeds. Power comes from either twin 125hp Diesel Yanmars or the popular single 230hp Yanmar 4LHSTE - both on shafts. In

BOAT TEST

Used & Approved - Nimbus 320 Coupe

The mid cabin has full standing headroom in the door, but the rest is low and cosy.

ONE THING THAT ALWAYS IMPRESSES ME ABOUT SCANDINAVIAN BOATS IS THE STANDARD OF JOINERY AND UPHOLSTERY 2005, common-rail injected 260hp Volvo D4s were introduced, over shadowing the mechanically injected Yanmars until production ceased in 2009. Performance from boats with 230hp Yanmars will be about 23 knots, expect 25 knots from a D4 powered boat and the few with twin 125hp Yanmars will be good for just over 20 knots. Engine access is through a hatch in the saloon with plenty of room around either a single or twin installation to do service checks. Running costs are low – you can expect around 4mpg at low planing speeds from single engine boats.

As a result of its sharp forefoot the hull produces a soft and responsive ride in conditions that would test many bigger boats. This is helped by the planted feel that shaft driven boats enjoy, and with the engine mounted further forward than a stern

Well lit by the abundance of windows the saloon will comfortable cater for four.

The helm enjoys good ergonomics and great visibility. Typically Scandinavian – high quality teak joinery and blue upholstery.

THIS PARTICULAR BOAT HAS HAD AN EASY CHERISHED LIFE.

The master cabin has a big double V berth, adequate storage and full standing headroom.

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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Used & Approved - Nimbus 320 Coupe

POINTS TO CONSIDER

The 230hp Yanmar 4LH-STE is a tough, simple and dependable engine - ideal for this boat.

ENGINE OPTIONS Few of these boats had the twin 125hp Yanmar option simply because the single 230hp Yanmar option is cheaper to buy, run and gives better performance.

However that said the twin engine option will not require a bow thruster for those tricky berthing moments, and it gives you the security of a second engine. The later common-rail injected 260hp Volvo D4 powered boats will be the most popular giving better performance and slightly better economy but with a higher purchase price. All the engine options have a good reputation for reliability.

BOW THRUSTER When this boat was launched in 2003 a QL bow thruster was an option. Around half the boats built were ordered with a bow thruster. With a single engine shaft driven boat a bow thruster would be a very good idea. If the boat does not have one factor in the cost of a retro fit- at about £2500 to £3000.

All things considered the cockpit is a reasonable size for a 32 footer.

IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED IN EARNEST IN ALL BUT THE WORST CONDITIONS BY THE AVERAGE BOATER driven boat, the fore and aft trim is such that you will not be hitting the trim tabs in a head sea. Many 320 Coupes get used as commuter boats in the Swedish and Finish archipelago, which is testament to their sea going durability.

This particular UK boat has had an easy cherished life. One thing that always impresses me about Scandinavian boats is the standard of joinery and upholstery and being 12 years old this boat, in Nimbus terms, is pretty young. The cockpit in the 320 is a bit compact but the saloon/ wheelhouse benefits from it - considering the Northern European climate for which

this boat was built, this makes sense. The lazerrete is big and certainly more than enough for fenders, lines, buckets and even a small inflatable tender.

Internal visibility at the helm is great and the dash layout/ergonomics have been designed around the skipper not having the arms of a chimpanzee. The galley

High foredeck guard rails are what you expect from this type of boat.

ELECTRONICS These boats vary in standard of their electronics. Some boats will have the full package like the boat featured here and some will have a more basic setup without radar. Also in 12 years electronics have come a long way, so if you are considering an early boat consider whether the electronics fitted are ideal for what you have in mind.

The heads has 5ft 8inches of headroom and this particular boat had no shower. The lazerette is impressive for this size of boat.

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BOAT TEST

Used & Approved - Nimbus 320 Coupe

IN REALITY YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO USE A SHOWER IN A 32FT BOAT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE FULL STANDING HEADROOM. comprises of a two ring gas cooker and oven, sink and full size fridge. Storage is surprisingly good considering the space available for it.

The saloon table sensibly is a folding affair with seating for four around it.

Below the sleeping accommodation is what you would expect from a 32ft boat in so much that the double berth mid cabin is a cosy affair with limited standing headroom inside the door. This cabin is fine for children and easy-going guests but realistically it is likely to attract all that extra cruising junk that you think you need. The heads is also on the compact side and the boat featured here appeared to have no shower though it was a listed option when new.

In reality, you are unlikely to use a shower in a 32ft boat especially when you do not have full standing headroom.

The forward master cabin rightly is the accommodation focal point. The convertible V berth was designed for tall Scandinavians so no issues here, and the storage is good.

Foredeck access is along the 6 inch teak inlaid side decks

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– certainly not in the Trawler Yacht department but coach roof handrails and tall guard rails make it easier than it initially appears.

Probably the most endearing feature of the 320 Coupe is that it is equally

happy cutting through the waves at 20 knots, as it is quietly picking its way through the sea at 10 knots.

It was designed to be used in earnest in all but the worst conditions by the average boater who does not want

to re-mortgage his house in the process. Not surprisingly it is one of the most popular boats in its class.

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ON THE WATER

Used & Approved - C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

C-KIP SEA RANGER 39

Greg Copp takes a close look at the C-Kip Sea Ranger 39, which entered production in 1978. You can also visit our You Tube Channel to see a video of Greg’s findings.

CHOICE CUT 1982 Price: £77,500 ‘Saratoga’ located at Brighton is a very good example of a 33 year old Trawler yacht. She has had a lot of money spent on her over the years including new joinery throughout, refurbished teak decking, new epoxy to the hull, copper coated, rebuilt engines and modern electronics. She has done quite a bit of West Country cruising in her time so has proven herself a capable boat. For very little money this boat offers somebody the chance to seriously stretch their cruising legs. www.ancasta.com

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WHAT I LOVE about used boat features is finding those undiscovered gems, and scrolling through the Trawler Yacht lists is always a good place to start. Trawlers have been popular on both sides of the Atlantic for nearly half a century with a wide variety of second hand prices. The earliest examples like Grand Banks were built in wood.

However, as GRP took off as the way to build boats in the 1970s, so did the Trawler yacht concept. In the UK, we tend just to think of Grand Banks, Trader and Fleming when talking Trawler, but the Trawler Yacht is an American concept. Over the years many yards building Trawlers have come and gone, and many have taken advantage of Taiwanese boat building skills and lower costs.

C&L Marine who built the

C-Kip Sea Ranger 39 was one of these companies.

The Sea Ranger 39 entered production in 1978 and, from what I can ascertain, ended production in 1984. All were fitted with twin 120hp Ford

Sabre diesel engines driving through shafts. In keeping with the day, these big 4.5 litre 6-cylinder engines are naturally aspirated, and as a result are massively under-stressed - capable of

RUNNING COSTS MAINTENANCE The 120hp Ford Sabre engines fitted to this boat will be relatively reasonable in terms of servicing costs. This will be down to sensible spare parts costs, the fact that these engines are naturally aspirated so will never suffer the staggering cost of a replacement turbo or super-charger. Being that smaller independent engineering will have the most experience on these engines, you will not have to pay main agent servicing costs.

FUEL Speaking to the owner of ‘Saratoga’ featured in this article he found that he got a respectable 24 lph at 10 knots which equates to just under 2mpg. Flat out at 12 knots his consumption increased by just 10%.

ON THE WATER

Used & Approved - C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

HER BEST POINT OF SAILING IS INTO A HEAD SEA WHERE HER FLARED BOW AND SHARPISH FOREFOOT WILL PROVIDE A STEADY DRY RIDE. running forever and a day.

Those boats that sold in UK and Europe were fitted out in Holland and proved very popular with the Scots, whose rough and deserted waters were made for trawler yacht cruising.

Solidly built the Sea Ranger from all accounts is a good sea boat. Her best point of sailing is into a head sea where her flared bow and sharpish forefoot will provide a steady dry ride. She will roll a bit in a beam sea - not having the power to increase her semi-displacement speed to a point where enough hydrodynamic lift is produced to keep her on an even keel.

Mr Raeyan the owner of ‘Saratoga’ featured in this article said this is easily dealt with by raising the stabilizing sail on her mast, taking out most of the roll.

Fitted with twin 120hp engines and displacing 12.6 tonnes ‘Saratoga’ is good for 12 knots and 10 knots cruising, according to her owner. This is good going considering there is only 240hp in the engine bay and is likely to be a combination of rebuilt engines and her copper coated hull. Engine

access, I was pleased to find, is a simple affair courtesy of a hatch in the saloon. Having parquet flooring there is no carpet to roll back, and with the hatch open you can easily drop down into the spacious engine bay. Major access is a case of lifting floor panels.

The build is solid and

SPACE: Plenty of living space and good all round visibility in the wheelhouse saloon - it is hard to believe this boat is just 40ft overall.

QUALITY: The joinery is in perfect order having been replaced some ten years ago.

ENGINES: Plenty of space between these big Ford Sabres.

HELM: Complete with modern electronics the traditional Trawler yacht helm is still an ageless concept.

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ON THE WATER

Used & Approved - C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

DATA FILE Build period: 1978 to 1984 Designer: Angus Primrose Berths: 4 Cabins: 2 Hull Type: Semi-displacement RCD category: N/A built before RCD Current values: From £60,000 Length overall: 40ft (12.3m) Beam: 13ft 7in (4.15m) Draught: 4ft 6in (1.37m) Displacement: 12.6 tonnes (light) Fuel capacity: 600 gal (2700 litres) Water capacity: 111 gal (500 litres) Cruising range: 950 miles with a 20 % reserve at 10 knots.

The flybridge helm does just have one seat but plenty of seating behind.

THE STANDARD OF THE JOINERY AND THE UPHOLSTERY IS IMPRESSIVE WHILE THE SIZE OF THE SALOON BELIES THE BOAT’S TRUE SIZE. on par with most of the competition when the boat was in production.

This particular example has stood the test of time well especially as its two last owners have spent a King’s ransom in keeping her in shape. Speaking to Mr Raeyen he told us the previous owner had had the teak decks replaced, new internal joinery and the engines rebuilt. When he bought the boat he subsequently had a full suite of modern electronics fitted including radar, the decking refurbished again and copper coating to the hull.

The standard of the joinery and the upholstery is impressive while the size of the saloon belies the boat’s true size. The design has made best possible use of the boat’s beam, subsequently pushing the wheelhouse superstructure well forward while shaving the side decks down slightly. It is a good balance because quite

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rightly the giant aft cockpit loses nothing and the side decks are not too narrow. In keeping with the traditional building practices of the time this boat has parquet flooring which still looks good. The galley has a wide range of facilities, certainly more than most families will need. A full size fridge, freezer and proper oven/cooker are the order of the day - to be expected of a 1000-mile blue water cruiser. The helm enjoys a double seat for both navigator and helmsman and as a result of the long wheel

The Deep bulwarks make for super safe deck work.

house/saloon design has good views over the bow.

The aft master cabin is the most impressive aspect of the boat’s internal accommodation. Maximum use is made of the beam with no reduction in space around the huge island berth.

The earlier Sea Rangers built

before 1980 had reduced headroom around the berth and across the head of the bed in order to accommodate a side deck all the way round the stern. Storage is nothing short of plentiful, the joinery of which complements the standard set through the rest of the boat. When you

What really sells an aft cabin boat - ballroom like master cabin. The master cabin ensuite heads fitted out with marble no less.

ON THE WATER

Used & Approved - C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

SOLIDLY BUILT THE SEA RANGER FROM ALL ACCOUNTS IS A GOOD SEA BOAT open the door to the master ensuite heads you can’t help but be impressed by the marble topped vanity unit housing the sink. The marble effect interior panelling does look a bit dated but the mini bath is a luxury feature that is still popular in luxury yachts today.

The forward guest accommodation came in two options. ‘Saratoga’ has probably the most popular option of a large cabin with v-berth and a marble finished ensuite with shower. The

POINTS TO CONSIDER

ENGINES

The raised cockpit is big enough for the largest parties and with guard rail mesh inserts is pet and child friendly.

other option was a forward U shaped galley down arrangement on the port side with a subsequently smaller forward guest cabin and ensuite. Though this galley arrangement is ideal for making brews or butties

under way as you can wedge yourself into it, the reduction in the forward guest cabin is far from ideal.

On deck the Sea Ranger excels. Initially, you may feel the side decks are bit on the mean side for a Trawler yacht

This boat was originally launched with twin 120hp Ford Sabre diesel engines on shafts. These big 6 cylinder 4.5 litre engines are naturally aspirated and hugely under-stressed.

They are capable of clocking up some serious hours without any problems but like any engine a regular service history is important. This boat has had its engines rebuilt which is obvious just by looking at them, but a mechanical survey is a must. Also consider the availability of spares for these engines. Ford Sabre parts can be sourced but you need to do your homework first on this, as it will not be like owning a Volvo powered boat.

FUEL TANK This boat was built for serious blue water cruising with a 600 gallon fuel tank. If you are looking at buying one that has not been used much in the last year or so, consider that the fuel may have been sitting in the tank for some years and diesel bug could be lurking. Considering this boat’s long distance cruising credentials fitting an inboard fuel polishing system would a good investment.

OSMOSIS

The great thing about a raised cockpit is the continuity with the flybridge.

Any boat can suffer from what is often wrongly considered to be a terminal condition. These boats being over 30 years old could be subject to osmosis which any survey will pick up for sure. Many good classics have been easily cured of this problem.

However the boat featured in this article was re-epoxied and then copper coated a few years back so it is unlikely to have any issues in this department.

DEPRECIATION This boat has already lost pretty much every penny that it is likely to lose in depreciation being 33 years old. Like any boat the only financial loss you are going to suffer is maintenance.

The fore cabin has a convertible vee berth and lots of storage.

Parquet flooring removes any hassle to access the engines.

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ON THE WATER

Used & Approved - C-Kip Sea Ranger 39

Like the rest of the boat space is in abundance up top. Certainly safe to move down – the side decks lose a few inches for the sake of the wheel house saloon.

but they are far from narrow.

The short foredeck is safely enclosed by 18in bulwarks and teak capped guardrails, needing some tlc in the form of varnish. The decking having been refurbished in the recent past is very good, as it is throughout the boat.

The huge raised aft cockpit enjoys splendid views and this post 1980 boat does not have the surrounding side deck reducing cockpit size. Having such a long wheelhouse the flybridge is pretty big, and is effectively

two areas - an open area aft and a helm area with single helm seat and a large Lshaped seating arrangement forward. The single helm seat is a bit spartan and there is only an auto pilot repeater up top – a second smaller chart plotter would be a good idea, but forward visibility over the bow is great.

When buying an older boat one should be cautious, but there are some great value bargains out there and trawlers often come top of the list. The great thing

about them is their ageless looks and appeal. If the hull is sound and the mechanics either replaced or rebuilt by

a credible engineer you can end up with a used classic blue water cruiser for the price of a new day boat.

The view from the flybridge helm gives a perfect view over the bow.

WHEN BUYING AN OLDER BOAT ONE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS, BUT THERE ARE SOME GREAT VALUE BARGAINS OUT THERE AND TRAWLERS OFTEN COME TOP OF THE LIST JIM’S WORDS

Jim Pritchard BSc CEng MRINA MIIMS - www.jimpritchard.co.uk I have surveyed only a couple of these comparatively rare beasts. One built in 1978 in poor condition and the other in 1980 which was a good boat. For any boat of this age, maintenance counts for everything in terms of the condition you will find her. Remember that at today’s prices a C-Kip 39 would cost around £500,000 and so any work that needs doing on a cheap old run down C-Kip 39 will cost a proportion of this amount, and will almost always make it a more expensive project than a well maintained C-Kip 39 selling at a higher price.

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Things to be aware of include osmosis, but this applies to most boats of this age that have not been recently treated. If there are deck or window leaks, then you will probably find rot in the internal plywood which was not of marine grade in the C-Kips that I surveyed. Look for cracks in the windows which are laminated and not toughened glass, and see whether their timber frames may need re-building. On a more positive note they are a substantially built boat with generous material thicknesses, including that of the teak laid decks, and the engineering is also well installed.

ON THE WATER

Danger Zone -Gulf of Corryvreckan The Corryvreckan Whirlpool is reputedly the third largest in the world

DANGER

ZONE THE GULF OF

CORRYVRECKAN

Gulf of Corryvreckan

In his latest examination of maritime danger zones, Alex Smith looks west toward the Isle of Jura and the famous Gulf of Corryvreckan.

FOR THOSE IN search of memorable demonstrations of the marine environment’s power, Britain’s west coast is a difficult place to beat. We’ve already explored the Menai Strait, Ramsey Sound and the Pentland Firth in this Danger Zone series and although each destination presents its own unique hazards and complications, there are certain features that appear to unite them all. Narrowing gaps between landmasses and extraordinarily large tidal ranges are certainly prominent themes, but when you also factor in unmediated exposure to the wild waters and weather systems that roll in from the west, the proliferation of maritime peril in this part of the world comes as very little surprise. Once again then, we are back in the west, this time north of the border, where the Gulf of

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Corryvreckan gives us another example of how dramatic the results can be when landmass, water flow and weather conditions collude.

The lie of the land

Up in the mid-western Scottish district of Argyll and Bute, there are immediate clues to the potential of this place for maritime The grey seal is among the many crowd-pleasing visitors to this region

Images courtesy of Patrick Rowan, Seafari Adventures (Oban).

hazard. Look at the fractured splinters of rock that make up this coastline. Look at the way the scored and acutely contoured land gives way to the sea - not in gentle, regular slopes, but in plunging cliff faces and deep-carved fissures. When you also consider the way the various islands interact with that ragged coastline, it is easy to imagine how the local tidal movements

ON THE WATER

Danger Zone - Gulf of Corryvreckan

...as the flood travels at increasing pace through the Sound, it is stirred and agitated by the hollows, humps, pinnacles and reefs of the seabed. might be provoked into shows of aggression and volatility. The Gulf of Corryvreckan (or ‘Cauldron of the Speckled Sea’) is exactly such a place.

The Gulf is basically a narrow gap, which runs east to west between the north of the Isle of Jura and the south of the Isle of Scarba. On the western side of this milewide channel sits the open ocean and on the eastern side sits the narrowest point of the Sound of Jura, a patch of water between the Isle of Jura and the mainland. On a flood tide, the water is forced up through the Sound from the south, increasingly constricted by the narrowing of the gap as it moves. When it reaches the Gulf and begins its final sprint west before spilling out of the gap into the open ocean, a spring tide will routinely see it travelling at speeds in excess of eight knots.

However, there is much more to it than mere speed, because as the flood travels at increasing pace through the Sound, it is stirred and agitated by the hollows, humps, pinnacles and reefs of the seabed.

This complicates the rapid tidal flows with violent eddies and regions of isolated turbulence and confusion. Worse still, as the water is then rammed toward the Gulf itself, the underwater topography becomes even more erratic, with a huge dip in the seabed followed immediately by a

The surface turbulence is swept west between the two islands at more than eight knots

The rocky Jura shorelines hint at the wld subsurface topography

precipitous peak that alters the depth over a very short distance by more than 600 feet. The steep eastern face of this pinnacle forces the water upwards, creating further confusion that is resolved in dramatic maelstroms, which the overwhelming flow tries to drive west toward the release of the open sea. In fact, so extraordinary is this movement of water in this particular spot that the famous Corryvreckan Whirlpool is now widely considered to be the third largest in the world.

And so we come (as we always must

on the British west coast) to the impact of the wind. If robust westerlies are in charge, which is by no means unusual, then it is not uncommon to witness these confused and turbulent west-running cauldrons propped upright in steep crests that exceed 15 feet in height. And yet it remains peculiarly difficult to predict the

A HISTORY OF WRECKAGE Argyll covers a very extensive section of Scotland’s midwest coast – and from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to the Hebridean Isle of Coll in the north, it is a region littered with scores of islands and hundreds of shipwrecks. From the exploits of the Vikings and the Spanish empire to military sinkages during both World Wars (not to mention commercial accidents due to its proximity to Glasgow and the major ports of northern England), this is a place with an extraordinary proliferation of shipwrecks. However, the Sound of Jura and the Corryvreckan Gulf could not claim to be at the very heart of the wreckage map. On the contrary, with powerful tides, complex topography and unyielding southwesterly winds, Islay’s position (jutting out into open waters at the north of the main Channel) makes it a far more prolific spot for stricken shipping. In fact, the clear, clean waters, rich subsurface wildlife and relative accessibility of intact wrecks like the Meldon, Otranto, Thomas and Belford make this region in general, and Islay in particular, a very attractive destination for divers.

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ON THE WATER

Danger Zone -Gulf of Corryvreckan

Sea Safari Adventures runs up to 30 whirlpool tours per season

exact nature of conditions in this region, because the ramifications of wind and sea swell are often delayed. That means the water’s activity can vary significantly from one day to the next, even though ambient conditions might appear virtually identical.

Safe passage As you might imagine, the safest time to pass through the Sound is during periods of slack water. However, enjoying this place at its most impressive usually involves picking a powerful spring tide with plenty of flow and modest winds from a southeasterly to a northeasterly direction. That puts the Gulf in the lee of the land, enabling you to witness the tidal turbulence at its most powerful but in much clearer and more defined fashion than is possible when the sea is whipped up by the winds.

However, as Tony Hill of local tour provider ‘Seafari Adventures (Oban)’ explains, these beautiful waters should always be navigated with the utmost care: “People do swim the Corryvreckan, but at spring tides engaging the whirlpools is something even the advanced boat owner should treat with caution. East going tides are totally different from west going tides. The safe approach is completely different, so just piling into the rough water is a recipe for disaster.” You have been warned...

Seafari Adventures (Oban) As with a great many of our Danger Zone entries, the hazards of this region are about much more than just a few swirly, crowd-pleasing patches of turbulence.

The wildlife is also a major draw. Regular visitors to these parts include whales, dolphins, seals, porpoise, basking sharks, common seals, Atlantic grey seals and otter, as well as the white tailed sea eagle and even the golden eagle. For those keen on seeing the big stuff, whale-watching tours run out of Easdale and for those without a boat or those who prefer a guided tour of the region’s famous waters, trips to the Corryvreckan Whirlpool are also run by Seafari Adventures (Oban). These are held to coincide with big spring tides and they tend to happen around 30 times a season.

The RIB heads directly for the narrow

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channel of water known as The Grey Dogs, where you can easily discern the disparity in water levels between the inside of the island chain and the open sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The tours then head for the Gulf of Corryvreckan itself to witness the water flow at its most rapid.

Summary Despite its magnificent wildness, the Gulf of Corryvreckan is by no means unknown to the scientific fraternity. On the contrary, according to Seafari Adventures (who assisted in the studies), the Scottish Association for Marine Science has engaged in extensive research of the tidal flows through the gulf. And their conclusion?

Remarkably, they suggest that on a spring tide, a greater volume of water flows

Enjoying this place at its most impressive usually involves picking a powerful spring tide with plenty of flow and modest winds from a southeasterly to a northeasterly direction The white tailed sea eagle (and even the golden eagle) are regularly sighted

through the Gulf of Corryvreckan than passes from the mouth of the Amazon River. If that sounds a bit far fetched to you (and frankly, it does to me), then visit www.seafari.co.uk and take a sneak peek at the whirlpool in action from the comfort (and safety) of your armchair. Whether it is able to support these lofty claims or not, it remains a wonderful cruising destination and a maritime zone of truly gratifying maritime violence.

FURTHER INFORMATION Seafari Adventures (Oban): 01852 300003 / www.seafari.co.uk Detailed maelstrom information: www. whirlpool-scotland.co.uk

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Retail sales only, subject to vehicle availability for Sea-Doo GTI 130, GTI LTD 155, GTR 215, GTX LTD 215, GTX LTD iS 260, RXP X 260 RS, RXT X 260 RS, RXT X aS 260 RS, Wake 155 & Wake Pro 215 registered between 01.01.2014 and 31.06.2015 at participating dealers. Excludes Spark models. Finance subject to status. Terms & Conditions apply. You will not own the vehicle until all payments are made. Applicants must be 18 or over. Guarantee / Indemnity may be required. Santander Consumer Finance, RH1 1SR. Action model shown: Sea-Doo RXP X 206 RS from £14,799. RXT X 260 RS from £15,399, RXT X aS 260 RS from £16,199, GTX LTD iS 260 from £16,599, GTX LTD 215 from £13,999, GTR 215 from £12,299, GTI LTD 155 from £11,899, Sea-Doo GTI 130 from £9,299, Wake 155 from £11,899 & Wake Pro 215 from £13,699. OTR price includes VAT, number plates, delivery. Details correct at time of going to print. Not available in conjunction with any other offer unless specified. © 2015 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, TM and the BRP logo are registered trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. BRP reserves the right at any time to discontinue or change specifications, price, design, features, models or equipment without incurring any obligation. Some models and accessories depicted may not be available (or homologated) in your country.

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Part

3 Trading up...

SYSTEMS MACHINERY Alex Whittaker answers all those questions about sports cruiser systems you were afraid to ask …

WHEN YOU THINK about it, HELPING YOU a good sports GET IT RIGHT cruiser is a strange blend. Part sports boat, part weekend getaway, it has to combine the domestic with the dynamic. Once we had our newly purchased Bayliner 245 safe and sound on our home mooring, our learning process TIME TO TRADE UP

132

could begin. Judging by the hefty manufacturer’s manual in its ring binder, our new boat was chock-full of electrical goodies, safety systems and sundry pumps.

All this needed decoding. There were some items with which I was already familiar; however, there were quite a number, like twin hydraulic trim tabs, a macerator pump and an engine-driven

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

calorifier, that were quite new to me. Although I am referring to my own second-hand Bayliner 245 in this article, most modern sports cruisers will embody similar systems. Indeed, US boats will often have exactly the same thirdparty-branded items. This means that my remarks apply equally to a number of cruisers in the market, not just Bayliner.

ON THE WATER

Trading Up

ENGINE: Engine compartment under cockpit is big enough to do in reasonable comfort.

ENGINE We will start with the big MerCruiser 350 Mag V8, because so many of the 245’s systems and services depend on it, or indeed, directly support it. As a family, we are used to petrol MerCruisers.

Though essentially similar, our new engine is bigger, more technical and more refined than the Merc 4.3L we had previously owned. True, there are significant differences. For example, routine maintenance is now easier, once you have climbed down into the engine compartment. Handily, all the main service items, like engine draining (for winterising), daily fluid checks and oil filter changes, are accessed directly from the top of the engine. You can get around the many built-in systems once down in the engine compartment, and there is even some casual storage space. I noticed straight away that this compartment would benefit from some sort of footrest or duckboard. I found it far too easy to stand edgily on the rim of the petrol tank. Apart from that, and the need to be agile, I like having the prime mover under the back deck, rather than absorbing deck space in a padded engine box.

CONTRA-ROTATING PROPS This is my first craft with twin contra-rotating stainless steel props. I must say that I am impressed. It is a far superior system to my old single-prop outdrive, so I can recommend it. The 245 goes exactly where

your daily checks

she is pointed at slow speeds, and is noticeably much more manoeuvrable in reverse at low revs. The 245 also jumps onto the plane and carves into fast turns much better than I expected. She does not feel at all ponderous or laboured, as I half-expected.

PUMP: Crew need to know when and how to flick this lever to pump the marine toilet!

The 245 also jumps onto the plane and carves into fast turns much better than I expected.

TRIM TAB SYSTEM: InstaTrim boat leveller trim tab system pump unit in engine compartment.

to need them. Perhaps if the boat was heavily loaded with revellers and struggling a bit to get on the plane, they might assist. They might also be useful in a brisk beam wind to help level the boat.

However, with four up, and the fitted 5.7-litre V8 power option, we have not yet required them.

The 245 goes exactly where she is pointed at slow speeds, and is noticeably much more manoeuvrable in reverse at low revs.

SHORE POWER

isolator switches to protect the microwave, immersion heater, stove, refrigerator, mains battery charger, domestic power outlets and such like. There are spares too, for later expansion.

This is the collective name for the system that gets mains power from your marina berth outlet safely aboard your boat. The Bayliner primarily needs mains power for its electric galley, its 12V battery-charging systems and the mains outlets aboard the boat. A long, very heavy-duty, orange power cable makes the connection from the marina outlet to a sturdy waterproof plug system on the topside of the

TRIM TABS I have had boats with trimmable outdrives, but never owned a boat with twin hydraulic trim tabs before. These are fitted port and starboard on the lower transom.

These InstaTrim-branded items fitted as options to our 245 are very butch, and well engineered.

Unfortunately, they do not come equipped with any indication of their deployment at the helm. You operate the switches and observe the trim of the boat. Mind you, in normal use our 245 doesn’t seem

SHORE POWER: Shore power installation’s 250V consumer panel with resettable breakers.

vessel. This mains power is routed via an EU standard earth leakage protection system in the engine compartment to a comprehensive 250V consumer panel situated in the galley. A meter shows the presence of mains power.

The unit has various resettable

12V ISOLATOR/SWITCH PANEL I have hand-fitted 12V rotary isolator switches to all my previous sports boats. Taking this idea much further, Bayliner have already fitted a 12V battery switch/ fuse panel. This lives under the skipper’s seat in a locker. It has the familiar rotary changeover switch, ‘1, 2, BOTH’, for the two main 110Ah batteries. As it says on the tin, this switch can select either battery individually, or both.

This means that you can always keep your engine start battery fresh, and use the second battery for purely domestic duties. In use, you would switch to just your nominated ‘domestic battery’ once you have finished cruising for the day. In this case, ‘battery 1’ is our start battery and ‘battery 2’ is our designated domestic battery. If, by some mischance, your start battery was a bit weak, you could switch to ‘BOTH’ to achieve that all-important engine POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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ON THE WATER

Trading Up is working above tickover, heat is pumped into a sealed circuit nested inside a well-insulated freshwater tank. This tank serves the boat’s four hot taps at the galley sink, the vanity unit sink in the heads, the main shower and the rear-deck washdown shower.

Of course, when the engine is no longer running, you need a second source of heat. Therefore the 245 has a mains immersion heater. This is powered at your marina berth by your shore power connection.

Lewmar 12V anchor windlass, with separate hawse-pipe-cum-mini-ac

start. Incidentally, the shore power-driven mains charger under the back deck charges both batteries automatically when tied up. A single glass fuse situated on this panel protects any items in the ‘accessory’ line, which is switched from the helm. In our case, this ‘accessory’ fuse serves the charplotter and fish finder.

Also sited on the 12V panel are the fuses for the separate fore and aft bilge pumps, and the main DC (12V) 50A fuse. Understanding the significance of this apparently simple 12V panel was one of my first tasks as a new owner.

CARBON MONOXIDE MONITOR/ALARM This is a reassuring bit of kit, fitted as standard to all Bayliner cruisers, and probably most US-sourced cruisers. It is there to stop crew being asphyxiated by Co2, the silent killer. This particular Safe-TAlert unit in the main cabin has an operational life of five years. It will not function without power.

Leaving the boat on shore power, and thus being continuously float-charged, should keep it

ALARM: Safe-T-Alert Co2 monitor/ alarm. Needs boat power at all times.

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cess-hatch.

A sports cruiser has a lot of pumps!

operational when the boat is unattended.

MAINS/FUEL STOVE Mind you, it has to be cabled up via shore power in order to operate your nifty microwave, toaster or kettle. Therefore, if you want a cup-a-soup on a chill autumn morning at sea, or a nice mug of tea at anchor, you need a separate solution. Step forward the versatile Origo alcohol/electric stove. When away from shore power, you lift the electric element platform up, and below is a largecapacity alcohol tank and burner.

I have not used this spirit stove at all yet, and in fact, it is still brand new. However, I will use it at sea for autumn and winter cruises.

PUMPS: Flojet automatic water pump in engine compartment. Very similar to a Jabsco Par Max pump.

PUMPS EVERYWHERE

In this context, a calorifier is a domestic water heater. It is driven by otherwise ‘waste heat’ from the engine. As long as Mr MerCruiser

A sports cruiser has a lot of pumps! Besides the obvious ones like the hydraulic pump to lift and trim the outdrive unit, and the two separate 12V bilge pumps, there is an electric freshwater delivery pump, a shower tray ‘pump-out’ unit in the cabin sole and an engine compartment air ventilation pump. At first we were puzzled why we had no fresh water pumped to the main sink when we opened the tap. Then we discovered a small additional pump ‘arming’ switch in the side of the galley unit. Incidentally, there is also a macerator pump on board, which is covered below.

Based on experience, I have made

Deep in the bowels of the vessel is the shower drain tray, filter, float switch and pump-out. Seacock to right.

STORAGE TANK: Two tanks in engine compartment: freshwater and waste water holding tank.

The all-electric galley really is a boon.

CALORIFIER AND IMMERSION HEATER

it a priority to try to understand each pump, its connections and its filters. I am in the process of buying the routine service/filter/ spare items. If you are planning to trail your vessel aboard, or cruise afar, I know that this is a necessity.

HOLDING TANK The 245’s toilet arrangements are very family-friendly. The manually operated marine toilet is connected to an internal holding tank. This is in the engine compartment, directly above the freshwater tank. The toilet draws in its ‘flushing’ seawater through a seacock in the lower hull. Cleaning the toilet bowl is accomplished by simple manual pumping. We had to read the instructions sticker on this newfangled sea toilet to get the hang of it. It is useful to know where the toilet seacock is situated, in case you ever have to open it, close it or lubricate it.

Ours is accessed by a secret hatch under the cabin steps. It is also useful to know how to replace the spare pump diaphragm on your new sea toilet. This video shows you how: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uqYkXa5AWe8

The 245’s toilet arrangements are very family-friendly.

MACERATOR PUMP Coming recently from the cuddy world of tiny carry-aboard Porta Pottis, this was a new one to me.

Put delicately, this 12V pump mechanically ‘processes’ raw toilet waste, and then pumps it directly overboard, from underneath the vessel. It too has its own seacock.

The macerator pump is operated from two ‘momentary action’ 12V switches at the helm. I discovered that you have to press both

TANK: Hot-water tank with calorifier and 250V water immersion heater in engine compartment. Tank has simple winterising system.

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Trading Up sprung switches simultaneously to get the system to work. You cannot leave them switched on.

I have noticed this switch panel on many US cruisers. Beyond the legal provisions of Marpol 73/78 for big vessels, I am not sure of the probity of operating such systems on small craft. Preferring pristine seas, we use the marina pump-out facility.

On my last boat I fitted two simple autoextinguishers in the engine box to comply with my insurance company requirements. staying aboard in the winter, when you will put a bigger drain on the domestic batteries.

SWITCH BREAKERS

BATTERY: Alltech Flyback 10-3 automatic marine charger/battery conditioner. Great bit of kit..

MAINS BATTERY CHARGER This lives in the engine compartment. It is a beefy and sophisticated piece of equipment from Professional Mariner in California. It is not just a trickle charger. Rather, it is a multistep device that actively charges the battery to a given cycle. Sadly, on the 245 its power dial faces the back of the boat. A minor point, but it means that it cannot be viewed directly when opening the engine hatch. You have to use a mirror or climb into the engine compartment to check it.

However, all being well, as long as you have shore power connected, both the 110Ah engine’s start batteries will be constantly topped up. This is extremely convenient, and rather comforting, especially if

There are two massed ranks of breakers at the lower helm unit.

They are almost in a convenient position and clearly labelled, but the angle makes them dodgy to read. (See also ‘Anchor windlass’, below.)

BREAKERS: Circuit breakers and engine hour meter are tucked below the helm.

Our battery lives in the engine compartment.

ENGINE HOUR METER Again, new to me, but this is a very useful gauge. However, on the 245 it is fitted far too low on the helm to be easily scanned.

Nevertheless, it is very handy for indicating service intervals, hours cruised on a particular trip and the cumulative hours of a whole season, and is a big step forward from the scrapyard Kienzle 12V car clocks I used to press into service as impromptu engine hour meters on my previous boats.

Sea-Fire has a ring pull and a red FIRE pull handle. Top right: caution notice panel houses two macerator pump switches.

compartment. This may also be triggered manually from the helm.

You pull the pin and then yank the red handle. You are advised to do this after you have stopped the engine and switched off the bilge ventilation fan (‘bilge blower’).

REMOTE FIRE EXTINGUISHER SYSTEM On my last boat I fitted two simple auto-extinguishers in the engine box to comply with my insurance company requirements. The Bayliner 245 has a pukka factoryfitted Sea-Fire automatic fire extinguisher system in the engine

EPILOGUE The Origo combined electric/alcohol stove is very versatile.

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A modern sports cruiser melds high performance with cosy creature

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comforts.

switch: centre off/up/down. All well and good. However, after just a little experience with this luxury appliance I would counsel two things. First, make sure you work out how you may easily and quickly buoy your anchor if it ever gets fouled and the windlass cannot lift it. (We keep a small fender as a make-do anchor buoy.) We found that making the bitter end of your anchor warp easily and swiftly ‘unclippable’ in an emergency helps – perhaps with a quick-release shackle.

Trying to haul in a fouled anchor on the windlass can also blow the Lewmar’s resettable fuse (35A thermal circuit breaker). Our advice would be to find out where that is on your vessel, and how to reset it. I discovered that on our boat this switch is hidden inside the helm seat locker.

This rather tasty bit of kit from Lewmar was also new to me.

With all my previous boats, I have simply made off my anchor warp to a front cleat, then deployed the anchor manually from the safety of the back deck. Retrieval usually involved mounting the cuddy’s front deck and giving the old heave-ho. In rougher seas, I would retrieve the anchor from the back deck. Our 245 has an optional 12V Lewmar electric windlass. This is operated from a three-position

OK. I hope that covers all the basics. The plan now is to undertake cruises and little adventures with our new cruiser, which should find their way into PBR. Watch this space.

Under the skipper’s seat is the main 12V battery switch and fuse panel. Lewmar windlass thermal circuit breaker is to left.

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PRODUCT TEST

Halo - A Circle Of Light

Halo - A Circle of Light The new radar system from Simrad is unleashed under the watchful eye of PBR’s Simon Everett.

TECHNOLOGY MARCHES forward at an incredible rate, bringing us clearer imagery and higher definition over a longer range or greater depths.

Much like the simple echolocation used within the animal kingdom by bats and dolphins, where their brains process the reflected sound waves to give them a mental picture of what lies ahead and in sufficient detail to distinguish between prey and an obstacle, man has always been inspired by the simple but exquisite beauty of nature, and one of the things we excel at is taking what occurs in the natural world and adapting it to our needs. What started out as the fledgling radar used to warn of approaching aircraft during the war has evolved into the sophisticated systems we have today. What has facilitated this is the ability to process data. An industry insider told me that the hardware capability has always been ahead of the ability of software to process that data. For instance, many computers in general use have quad-core chips, yet in Silicon Valley they have been able to make 100-core chips for about the last 15 years – the problem is writing the algorithms capable of dealing with that amount of information delivered in a short space of time.

I well remember the launch of the

broadband radar and how I was blown away by the sheer clarity and target definition of the new technology. It was a quantum leap forwards in radar capability, providing sharp returns from small or soft objects hitherto invisible to pulse radar.

As we motored down the Lymington river I could remember my first insight into this revolutionary X-ray vision. Three swans were swimming across the river

at a range of about 400 yards and there on the screen in front of me were three red targets perfectly rendered and exactly in relation to our heading. There was no mistaking them for moored boats or any other objects – this radar could determine individual birds at a range of nearly a quarter of a mile.

It was, and still is, incredible and a long way from the fuzzy, green oscilloscope I did my radar exam on in the 1970s.

This was radar that anyone with the ability to relate their surroundings to the screen could use. Navigation marks lining the Channel stood out like a flare

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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PRODUCT TEST

Halo - A Circle Of Light

path on a runway. The dark art of radar interpretation had suddenly become uncloaked, ensuring that radar would suddenly be accepted by a whole new class of leisure boater. The new radar emitted very little power too, and so it was safe for the family to be in the proximity of the antenna. This alone made it more suitable than pulse radar for smaller boats.

The limiting factor, if it really is one, is that broadband radar suffers from a lack of range. It is incredibly detailed but only for what is, in radar terms, short range.

In a parallel with the advance in sonar technology, the new Halo radar from Simrad addresses the restricted range of the broadband by providing remarkable detail for both short- and long-range targets. Harnessing the down scan sonar idea, which uses a crescendo of frequencies to optimise the signal for the depth, the Halo radar uses the same technique to send multiple radar frequencies to create, in effect, CHIRP radar, which is how it provides such detail out to 48 miles with the 3ft open-array antenna – out to 72 miles with the 6ft arm – and still retains the remarkable short-range detail, which is impressive for a compact antenna. It means that in just a 25ft boat with a 3ft antenna, sat mid Channel, you can cover both coasts and keep a watchful eye on approaching traffic, commercial or otherwise.

First, a bit about the technology. The Halo uses solid-state electronics with lowpower consumption and ultralow radiation emissions, so it is safe from a health aspect even close to the antenna. The system is very fast to start up and is almost instant for changes in range. It only takes one revolution of the arm to recalibrate itself, so there is no discernible delay or blanking out. The screen is another breakthrough – with a linear polariser incorporated, it is bright and glare-free, even viewed through sunglasses, from about 80 degrees to the side. It is as clear as a bell whether in sunlight or shade, unless you tip head on its side, which is when the polarisation becomes apparent, as with sunglasses on, the screen blacks out, but not when viewed normally.

The target definition is adjustable for edge definition and size. It is best to keep it on low sharpening to render solid objects as solid – the target separation is so good that on high sharpening a bridge might break up into a series of separate targets as the radar reflects each individual girder and renders it a separate return; on low sharpening the bridge will show as a solid object.

To make things even more interesting, it is possible, just like modern sonars, to split the screen and show the two returns side by side, with one screen set on band A

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The aesthetics of the new installation are cool … with blue LEDs to illuminate the array at night.

The system is very fast to start up and is almost instant for changes in range. at long range and the other on band B for high-definition close range. The processing power is able to display both returns.

People will be familiar with the concept because it is like having standard sonar on one screen and down scan on the other, only now it is through the air for surface contacts. This gives a useful double vision for long-range warning and close-range feeling your way through a passage.

As on a modern camera, there are five preset modes to emphasise certain features of interest. Trails mode draws a wake astern any moving target when you are not moving. Underway, even stationary objects will be given a short trail because they are moving in relation to the base, but for anchor watch duties it makes things easy. The chart overlay mode enables the watchkeeper to easily identify way markers or landmarks on the chart with the actual radar return for accurate navigation in poor visibility – for instance, even unlit Channel markers can be identified at night.

For the avid sports fishing fraternity, there is Bird mode. Remember I said that my introduction to broadband was those three swans? Well, the Halo has taken that a stage further and will display a flock of active birds in blue. For fishing, this enables the skipper to see diving birds

over a shoal of fish well beyond normal eyesight and steam over to where the action is.

Of more interest to everyone afloat is the weather – more importantly, approaching fronts or deteriorating weather systems.

In Weather mode, the Halo will accurately define rain showers in just the same way as the Meteorological Office radar does, with light rain in yellow getting increasingly denser through to red for heavy rain, which also often goes hand in hand with strengthening wind and poor visibility, giving you plenty of warning of impending bad weather long before you encounter it.

The aesthetics of the new installation are cool too, with blue LEDs to illuminate the array at night. For those with existing blue LED cockpit and underwater lighting it is a perfect match and will provide your craft with an existential glow.

This new development is a logical progression, but it has been a while coming. The results, though, have been worth waiting for. The drawback, if there is one, is the cost of this ability to see into the future, at around £5,000 for the 3ft version going up in £500 increments for each extra size. But then, opticians always did know how to charge … Have you had to buy a new pair of glasses recently?

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ON THE WATER

Conquering the Tides

CONQUERING

THE TIDES Gary Workman tells the story of 40 RIBs and small boats that conquered the second highest tides on the planet to help raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

IT ALL STARTED with a suggestion from a forum on Facebook and the idea just magniďŹ ed. A few people came together and started to organise a trip on the

dangerous waters of the Severn Estuary. As soon as the idea was put out there, the response was huge and every minute there was another person who wanted to join. So, from a

small group, suddenly there were over 1500 members, and although not all were able to take part, the enthusiasm and support of the group for this trip were phenomenal.

The group designed their own burgees and there was a constant buzz on Facebook.

So the plan was that everyone was to meet at Bristol on Saturday 6th June, get together on the Saturday night and lock out on the Sunday. At the suggestion of Bristol Cruising Club (BCC), it was decided that a BBQ with entertainment should be arranged on the Sabrina, which is the Bristol Cruising Club clubhouse. The group was soon being offered donations for the Saturday night in the way of prizes from companies, and the Bristol Harbour Authority offered free parking, free licences and free lockin. Thinking that it would be a good idea to have a guest speaker on the Saturday, contact was immediately made with world powerboat

… the conditions were superb, making this cruise an amazing first-time experience. and sailing record holder Alan Priddy, who had no hesitation in agreeing to take part in this fund-raising event.

On Friday evening, 5th June, some of the boats arrived and the BCC made everyone welcome, and by the Saturday, RIBs and boats of all sizes were there. Parties of volunteers were at the slipways to meet the members and help them off their trailers into the water, and all moored up alongside Sabrina. By Saturday afternoon things were really coming together, the club was open and the BBQ was getting set up. Already the atmosphere among people who had never met was rather like a family get-together.

The mere sight of so many RIBs and small boats stretching halfway across the water from the special pontoon alongside the BCC’s Sabrina was attracting the attention

of the public, who could not wait to take photographs of everything going on. A safety briefing was given first at the BCC, and a safety boat was provided by Kevin Green, an SARA member.

Soon the party was in full swing, the atmosphere was growing by the minute, and the raffle and auction, together with the guest speaker, began raising money for Macmillan. A

target was set of £1,000, which was thought not to be an easy task. The party continued through the evening, with people chatting and telling boating stories alongside the live entertainment provided by the BCC, before focusing their excitement on the day ahead, and then heading back to their hotels in anticipation of what was yet to come the following day.

ON THE WATER

Conquering the Tides

It was quite something to see 40 boats altogether as a family team that had obviously all bonded.

The plan was to set out in two groups – one for those who wanted to go via both bridges on the Severn and another for those who wanted to head straight for Portishead and meet up there with the first group.

At 08.45 the first set of boats left Bristol Lock to ride down the River Avon, passing under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The weather was perfect and spirits very high.

Having left Avonmouth, about 15 RIBs hit the tide, which pushed the boats along with an extra 8 knots behind them. The sea was flat calm and they passed under

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the bridges. With most of the members never having cruised on these waters, their awareness of the confused water and whirlpools showed that all had done their homework, but the conditions were superb, making this cruise an amazing first-time experience.

Once under the bridge there was a hard turn to port taking into account the tide push, forcing the boats sideways.

They headed into what is known as Slime Road, which, despite its name, is a lovely place to stop and admire the

scenery without anchoring.

The boats waited here for the tide to change before heading back to meet up with the second group on their outbound journey towards Penarth and across to Wales into Cardiff Bay. It was quite something to see 40 boats altogether as a family team that had obviously all bonded. The sun was now high, and it was the hottest day of the year.

As the boats approached the Welsh side, for a couple of miles the sea became a bit lumpy and messy, and gave the hard boats a bit of a bashing for a while, but

Soon the party was in full swing, the atmosphere was growing by the minute everyone stayed close and worked as a family team.

The boats entered Cardiff Bay through the magnificent lock to their arranged mooring and, with the help of the harbour master, moored safely up. It was then off to find some refreshments and talk

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Conquering the Tides

about the experience, everyone staying together in this group, excitedly sharing photos, email addresses and phone numbers.

At 17.00 it was time to leave, with everyone clearly having had a wonderful time. Some had to fuel up before heading into the lock, which for the first time was completely full of RIBs from one end to another.

The boats slowly dropped the 40ft into the basin, amid the clicking of cameras and a barrage of jokes and laughter.

Then the enormous gates opened to reveal the huge mudbanks ahead. Boats waiting to enter the bay must have been expecting a small number of boats to exit, but they just kept coming and coming.

With time to spare, it was decided to visit Flat Holm Island. The boats hovered

around in the sunshine for a while, then started the 18mile journey back to Bristol, which was enormous fun for everyone because it decided to chop up a little as they neared the halfway point.

On arriving safely off Avonmouth it was decided to take the opportunity for a photo shoot, and all the boats lined up with the Macmillan flag for a photo depicting this unique family group of newfound friends as a memento of a truly wonderful weekend.

Sincere thanks go to the following for their crucial contributions to this extraordinary event: Bristol Docks for free navigation and facilities; Bristol Marina Limited for the launching facilities; Michael Hall and the Bristol Cruising Club; Jo Hall, BBQ chef

The amount raised for Macmillan Cancer Support was £2,500… and the collecting continues.

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and food; Garth Lock for the photography; LGS for the auction prizes; Servoca Secure Solutions for the security of the boats; and Alan Priddy, the guest speaker.

Having thought that £1,000

would be an extremely difficult target to reach, the amount raised for Macmillan Cancer Support was £2,500 … and the collecting continues.

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PRACTICAL

Question Time

Q&A WITH DAVID MARTIN

Q&A Time

David Martin, Technical Director of Swaymar Marine, bespoke marine petrol engine specialists, hosts PBR’s new Q&A page.

DAVID, A PASSIONATE boater, started Swaymar Marine as he found that there were few marine engineering firms that really focused on petrol engines. His early background was with Aston Martin, where he became an established authority in tuning V8s. Subsequently he has now become an authority on small- and big-block V8 Chevy engines, which MerCruiser and Volvo use as the basis for their petrol engines. Swaymar source their components directly from the US and so are able to offer a wide variety of options with their engines, as well as supplying spares at sensible prices. Off the shelf they are the only UK supplier of Hi-tek stainless one-piece exhaust manifolds, as well as factory-reconditioned engines.

QUESTION 1

I haven’t used my boat for two years and do not want to risk breaking down once out at sea. What checks should I do before launching it again, please? It runs two 5.7 MerCruisers.

J. Williams, Humberside.

Start with some fresh fuel in the tank, connect a water supply to the raw-water intake (usually muffs over the outdrive) and crank it. If it starts, listen for any sign of a misfire as this could be a stuck valve. If it sounds OK, check the oil pressure. As the engine will still be fairly cold it should be around 35psi or more.

Check that water is coming out with the exhaust. If this is OK, continue running until the temperature shows normal, then recheck the oil pressure. Ideally it should still be above 20psi at idle; nearer 40psi is good. Listen for any knocks or loud tapping sounds (don’t panic – most engines have one or two faint ones).

Finally, check the charging system is showing a charge.

QUESTION 2

I have just had my custom-built 400cid small-block engine (stretched 5.7L block) rebuilt by a so-called expert here in Germany. The head gasket has failed after only four days, and the engineer that rebuilt it says it is down to misuse. I have attached a photo. Can you help? Santos, Hamburg.

This is an easy question because the answer is undeniable.

But first, when trusting your engine to anyone claiming to be an expert, remember the old saying ‘caveat emptor’ (let the buyer beware). There are plenty of good, highly qualified engineers out there, but sadly there are a few to be wary of.

Ask questions; check around before putting your engine into the hands of an expert. This picture is a classic example of the work of a ‘non-expert’. Look carefully at the width of the bridge of metal between the bores where the gasket has burnt away, then look at the width of the gasket that is left between the bores. The gasket should always be slightly narrower than the surrounding metal of the block, not wider as this is. Your 400cid engine will have bores of 4.125”. This is a gasket for a 305cid engine, which has bores of 3.736”. This is why the gasket is hanging into the bore almost all the way round. This gasket lasting four days is about what you would expect given the situation, and is not down to any misuse by you.

David Martin.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: Please forward your questions and queries to: david.swaymar@gmail.com Contact: www.swaymarmarine.co.uk

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Making the Most of the Electronic Kit on Board

As the news pages of Powerboat & RIB magazine prove, there’s not a month goes by without a new piece of electronic kit or ‘must have’ gizmo for your boat. So how can you make the most of these to enhance your boating enjoyment and safety?

VHF radios

Starting with safety, let’s have a look at the obvious bits of kit, such as a VHF radio.

The question often asked by those new to boating is: why bother with a VHF when mobile phone signals are usually pretty good around the coast? This is a valid question and one that is often raised on VHF courses. A VHF marine radio has a variety of advantages over a mobile.

Firstly, it is a broadcast device that alerts all VHF users in the vicinity, so if you need to make an emergency call (possibly a ‘Mayday’ or a ‘pan-pan’), your call will be picked up by a large percentage of other boaters in the area – in contrast to a 999 call to the coastguard where only they will initially know of your predicament. The sooner other boaters know and can assist the better. All new fixed VHF radios and some hand-held VHF radios have a red flap, under which is

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a button. Pressing this button allows you to send a coded distress message to other boaters in addition to the voice message – but why use this? If you issue a voice distress it will be heard only by those with their radios tuned to Channel 16 (the international distress and calling channel), with the volume up and who are near enough the radio to hear the message. In contrast, using the red button (the ‘digital selective calling’ or DSC system) ensures that all boaters in the vicinity with their radios on will hear the alarm that pressing the red button creates, even if they are tuned to another channel, have the radio volume down or even if they are down below decks when the initial alert comes through.

This loud alarm alerts other boaters that there will be a Mayday message on Channel 16. In short, pressing the red button is a way to shout very loudly to more people than would hear you if using just a voice call.

If you boat regularly with other boaters equipped with DSC radios, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the ship-to-ship

DSC function and also the features where you can request another boat’s position by sending a DSC message – some radios will even then display this to the chartplotter.

There have been a few other developments with VHF radios over the last year or two that are handy. A great development has been hand-held radios with in-built GPS and digital distress calling (the ‘red button’) – these sets best suit boaters with smaller boats or those seeking a personal hand-held device. Some VHFs can now play back the last 30 seconds or so of traffic, some have in-built GPS, taking away the need to link to a chartplotter, and others can present the signals from other craft onto a chartplotter screen (automatic identification system – AIS).

Chartplotters

After purchasing a boat, the first gadget most people buy (if their boat is not already fitted with it) is a chartplotter.

The chartplotters available today still do much the same as they always have in a

ON THE WATER

Electronic Kit

â&#x20AC;Ś there is always the danger that we come to rely too heavily on technology to the detriment of being able to navigate using non-electronic means â&#x20AC;Ś

navigational sense, but they are getting far better user interfaces and are also starting to act as control units for many other systems on board. For example, the Raymarine eSeries allows you to control a Fusion radio/ music module, read engine information and even control a CCTV camera looking aft, or perhaps monitor the engine area or the kids.

Perhaps the biggest development in this area, though, is the creation of apps for tablets and smartphones that

can fully control the plotter systems on board while also being able to run their own independent chart systems. For me, the advantage of using a tablet initially came to the fore during the Powerboat & RIB magazine-organised Round Ireland Challenge. Part of the benefit was to do with planning, as it can be a whole lot easier to familiarise yourself with an area and a route by using the tablet with a chart system loaded (such as Navionics) while sitting on the boat or in a bar, rather than trying to wrestle with multiple charts. The ability to enter waypoints and routes into the tablet, which are then automatically loaded to the Raymarine system as you walk on to the boat, remains amazing to someone brought up on paper charts.

Taking the Navionics program again as an example, the way that you can now use this app to check tidal heights and tidal streams starts to make the whole issue of planning so much simpler, and ultimately your boating safer if done in the right way.

There remains the need to apply a healthy degree of scepticism to such developments, though, as without doubt some of the tidal apps for tablets contain errors, and there is always the danger that we come to rely too heavily on technology to the detriment of being able to navigate using non-electronic means. Also worth bearing in mind is that the GPS units in a tablet/smartphone are

unlikely to be as accurate as often as a dedicated unit in a chartplotter.

For navigation in and out of harbours a chartplotter should never be used as the sole means of navigating, and a robust pilotage plan is essential, as GPS errors over small distances can create a real danger when navigating narrower stretches of water.

â&#x20AC;Ś there is no doubt that the use of AIS is evolving and has become a really useful aid to navigation and collision avoidance.

Automatic identification system (AIS)

An increasing number of leisure vessels and smaller commercial vessels now fit AIS, and more and more craft have the ability to display the signals from AIS-enabled vessels on a chartplotter. Apps/websites such as marinetraffic.com bring AIS easily to everyone, and while AIS has limitations (only craft that wish to be seen are visible), there is no doubt that this extra layer of information can be useful. Going round Ireland, we saw navigational aids with AIS information displayed against them and even, on one occasion, an unmarked rock, so there is no doubt that the use of AIS is evolving and has become a really useful aid to navigation and collision avoidance.

With chartplotters and tablets being able to deliver so much information directly to us at our helm position, we need to be hugely careful to get the balance right, as so often we see skippers becoming fixated on incoming information to the detriment of actually keeping a lookout and looking at the things that matter.

Just a quick tot up suggests that across a couple of plotter screens or a plotter and a tablet we may have screens displaying charts (both simplistic and those with 3D seabed profiles), radar as a stand-alone or overlaying a chart with charted objects being displayed in addition to other vessels

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… it can be a whole lot easier to familiarise yourself with an area and a route by using the tablet with a chart system loaded … while sitting on the boat or in a bar, rather than trying to wrestle with multiple charts. as contacts, AIS targets, radar-derived MARPA (mini-automatic radar plotting aid) targets, depth – both as a simple number but also with high-resolution sonar images – tidal height and tidal stream data, not to mention all of the data surrounding actually heading to a waypoint or following a route.

Add to this the engine data, CCTV camera watching the dog/kids and the music system and it is hardly surprising it’s easy to feel a little overawed.

Anecdotal evidence tends to suggest that newer skippers are, perhaps predictably, at far greater risk of drowning in this sea of data as they struggle to determine what is really useful versus what is pretty unimportant. In contrast, experienced, competent skippers will tend to simplify their screens to display key data and then just glance at them as and when necessary. The rest of the time they have their eyes up, looking out of the windows, watching out for other craft and dangers, such as lobster pots.

Safety kit

Returning to where we started and the subject of issuing distress signals, there is an increasing number of reasonably priced options available to us as skippers. An electronic positionindicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was always the preserve of cruising yachtsmen, however with prices

for GPS-enabled versions with a fiveyear battery life starting at £300, these are realistic options on smaller powered craft. If your boating keeps you very close to shore and other boaters, then EPIRBs are probably a step too far; however, for those boaters heading along the coast or boating in more challenging locations or less populated areas they are really worth considering. For those boating alone, consider mini EPIRBs, known as PLBs (personal locator beacons).

Finally, there is no point being afloat unless you have some fun and some tunes, and the newer chartplotters allow you to control an on-board Fusion music system from the plotter. Aside from this being pretty clever, it reduces the number of units you need to mount at the helm, which is always handy.

So, in summary, there are always plenty of bits of kit to buy, and indeed that is half the fun of boating. As you use the kit, though, just ensure that it doesn’t get in the way of being a safe and effective skipper.

PAUL GLATZEL:

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ON THE WATER

Changes to the RYA Short-range Certificate

UPDATE

Changes to the RYA Short-range Certificate

TRAINING

RYA training is broadening its reach across the world, as Paul Harrison of Seavoice Training explains …

RYA

their use. The SRC course, the only course available for marine VHF radio, is aimed at those using VHF radios with Digital Selective Calling (DSC), although the course is still suitable for those still owning the older non-digital sets.’

JANUARY 1ST 2014 marked an important date for the Royal Yachting Association and the way VHF training, known as the ‘Shortrange Certificate’ (SRC), is delivered in the UK. The new changes, brought in by changing European legalisation, allow for the course to be taught online, bringing the training of this course firmly into the 21st century.

Ian Lockyer, Marketing Manager of Icom UK Ltd, visited Paul Harrison of Seavoice Training, an RYA training provider based in Preston, to ask about the changes in the way the course is delivered.

Paul said: ‘On January 1st 2014, the way the RYA offered the VHF Short-range Certificate changed. Customers could either attend a classroom-based course or self-study online via the RYA interactive website. The RYA stipulated that both courses should involve at least 10 hours of study and that they should be assessed by an external RYA assessor. The examination takes the form of a question paper and then a practical examination on a VHF radio, particularly involving the different message formats and

SEAVOICE TRAINING Seavoice Training run RYA courses in VHF, First Aid, and Essential Navigation and Seamanship both in the classroom and online. Their catchment area is Merseyside and Lancashire, but with the onset of online courses they are getting out across the world to places such as the United States, with their most distant students currently being in New Zealand.

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Do you think the course format was due a change?

‘Definitely. It was seen that people came on the course and may have passed it without having to think, but now they are getting trained a lot better.

Students now have to read a lot more and say a lot more before they use a radio for real out at sea. The changes have also been beneficial for people who cannot make courses for a genuine reason. They work away and want to do the course but cannot find the time to do it. I think it was the right time to make those changes. Course numbers have definitely been going from strength to strength in the last year.’

How important is the course?

‘If you are a powerboater, you will definitely be talking to another boat, another person or the harbour master. In a worst-case scenario you might end up being in distress. Knowing how to use the radio correctly and what to press on that radio after a day’s training, online or a day course, could save your life.’

So what does the course involve?

‘The course involves learning about routine calling, how to operate a radio and its full capabilities, the differences between a handheld and a fixed set, antennas and power. You will also learn about how far you will be able to transmit. With the online study course you can study when and where you like and at your own pace. The course includes background information, the types of radios available, the different users and basic technical information about how radios work. You will get to grips with transmitting messages using interactive radio simulators and learn to use the right language when communicating over the radio. You will get lots of practice in sending distress, safety

and routine calls and become familiar with the various procedures. The course also covers the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, the regulations that you must abide by in using a marine radio, and the requirements for licensing and operating equipment. There is a practical element both on- and offline. Online there is a simulator, which looks very realistic. The only difference is that you are using a mouse to operate the radio. It’s not the same as a real course where you are sat in front of an assessor, where you have to physically press that microphone.’

In an ideal world, is it still preferable to train on real radios?

‘The practical, physical experience is still as important. I would still want people to come to me and sit in front of me and train them from scratch, and by the end of the day they would have used it so many times they would be au fait with using a radio.’

When you have passed the course, you may be looking to purchase a radio. What advice would you give to someone?

‘You need to think about what sort of boat you will be using it on, whether you are using it on a RIB, fishing boat, jet ski or kayak. Do you need a fixed radio or a handheld radio?

We always suggest that you steer clear of the cheaper types of radios, not because we want to cost the customer money but because we want to ensure that they get a radio that will work in an emergency situation.’

How much does a course cost?

‘For a classroom course you are typically looking at £85 for a 10-hour course of blended learning. The online courses start at £75. The examination, which is run by the RYA, is £60.’

So where should someone first look to find a course?

‘The best place to find a radio course is to go on the RYA website and do a local search for a training centre near to you and you will find a centre where you can give them a call, or via email find out when they are doing their next VHF radio course. All RYA centres are accredited and checked every five years by the RYA, especially if they are teaching the VHF radio course. Make sure that the centre has the approved logo and that the certificate you gain at the end is an RYA certificate that is recognised worldwide.’

PRACTICAL

What a Drag Figure 5 – Offshore racing catamarans optimise smooth deck lines and cockpit enclosures to reduce aero drag.

UPDATE

RYA TRAINING

What a Drag

Jim Russell, of AeroMarine Research, explains how aero drag can hurt powerboat performance.

ABOUT: Jim Russell is a professional engineer with a mechanical and aeronautics background. READ: Propeller design in Secrets Of Propeller Design.

THERE ARE A lot of ways to maximise the performance and design of a powerboat – optimise hull weight, bottom design, horsepower, engine trim, etc. An often overlooked contributor to overall performance is the load created by aerodynamic drag, particularly with higherhorsepower and performance boats that are hitting faster speeds! (See Figure 1) Here is a look at some of the contributors to aerodynamic drag on a powerboat, and how they contribute to overall performance.

Figure 1 – Designing for reduced aerodynamic drag can improve top speed by 10–20 %.

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Less drag = more performance Excessive drag, of any kind, means less efficiency, more HP and/or reduced performance. Contributors to the total drag of a performance boat include hull hydrodynamic drag (from wetted/planing bottom surfaces of the hull exposed to water surface), lower-unit drag (from a submerged lower unit or outdrive) and aerodynamic drag (from all the surfaces exposed to airflow).

All of these drags add up to the total drag that the hull must overcome by available horsepower. More drag = less efficiency or more required HP or less speed!

Some of these drag contributors actually reduce as speed increases. For example, hull hydrodynamic drag that comes from planing surfaces can get smaller as the boat gains lift and rises with the support of a more efficient, reduced wetted surface area – thus less water drag. Other total drag contributors, such as aerodynamic drag surfaces and appendages, tend to increase significantly as speed increases and the exposed surfaces remain the same. (See Figure 2) The contribution of aero drag to a hull’s

Figure 2 – Racing tunnel hulls are designed to minimise cockpit, appendage and engine cowl drag.

Streamlined deck and hull shapes, avoiding large open cockpit areas and reducing/streamlining appendages, can go a long way to optimising hull aerodynamic efficiency.

PRACTICAL

What a Drag total drag can be as much as 60% (or more) of the total hull drag for high-speed racing hulls that fly with very little wetted hull surface touching the water. Utility and multi-purpose hull designs operate with aerodynamic drag ranging from almost none to 25%, and up to 40% for recreational performance boats.

Seating that keeps passengers low in the hull and out of the airflow is a great improvement.

How it works There are different mechanisms that generate aerodynamic drag.

PROFILE DRAG (also called pressure or form drag) comes from the resistance generated when a body moves through a fluid, like air.

The size and shape of the body are the most important factors – bodies with a larger cross section (large hull shape, exposed passengers, outboard engines) to the airflow have higher drag than smaller surface areas. Sleek, more ‘streamlined’ bodies have lower form drag.

Profile drag is usually the biggest contributor to aero drag. (See Figure 3) SKIN FRICTION DRAG comes from the resistance of fluid (like air) flowing over a surface. Rougher surfaces can produce more friction drag than smoother surfaces, but in some circumstances it is the velocity and ‘smoothness’ of flow that determines how much friction drag there is.

INDUCED DRAG is created by a body (like an aircraft wing or a performance boat hull) that generates aerodynamic lift. When there is more lift, there is usually more aerodynamic drag too.

CAVITY DRAG can be caused by a ‘confused’ airflow over or around the open cockpit areas of high-performance powerboats. We

Figure 4 – Feature comforts such as open cockpits and large appendages contribute added aero drag.

have shown that larger, deeper, open cockpit areas produce more aerodynamic drag than a covered cockpit of the same area.

We can calculate how much aerodynamic drag is generated by a hull design, and so we can also optimise a hull’s design to minimise unnecessary aero drag.

Lift and drag calculation Here is the design formula for drag, so that we can see the relationships we are talking about.

D = [½ * ρ * V2 * S * Cd] where: D = drag (lb) ρ = density of air V = velocity S = surface/profile area Cd = drag coefficient (dependent on design/shape of surfaces)

There is a lot of detail that goes into the influences and calculation of aerodynamic drag that contribute to a performance hull’s efficiency, and we rely on our ‘Tunnel Boat/ Vee Boat Design’ software to do the hard work for us, but the relationship (above) is still pretty straightforward. (See Figure 4) Note that the drag (D) increases very rapidly with increasing velocity. This is because the drag force is a function of velocity squared (V2). So, the faster we go, the more important our ability to reduce drag becomes to our boat’s performance.

Also note that there is more drag (D) when there is more exposed area (S). This means that a large frontal area or appendage that is exposed to the airflow will generate more aero drag. (See Figure 5 - Main image)

Contributors to aerodynamic drag There are several sources of aerodynamic drag in a performance hull design. Here’s a look at where the drag villains are, and how they play a part in the total drag picture.

Figure 3 – Large hull shapes with bluff appendages and/or cockpits can sacrifice drag for purpose features.

BOAT/DECK SHAPE & SIZE – A large hull area presented to the oncoming airflow generates more drag. A higher, wider frontal area causes more drag than a low-profile hull form. Also a blunt, bluff frontal shape is less aerodynamically efficient than a streamlined, rounded area exposed to the flow. Purposebuilt utility or fishing hulls often have large, bluff, stand-up centre consoles that present high-drag profiles, whereas high-speed racing hulls often have low, streamlined cowlings that generate much less aero drag.

Windscreen – A windshield can perform the job of keeping harsh wind off the faces of the driver/passengers and sometimes can streamline the airflow over the cockpit or aftward hull deck surfaces. A higher windscreen presents a larger profile area to

POWERBOAT & RIB MAGAZINE

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PRACTICAL

What a Drag

PASSENGER EXPOSURE – A driver and passengers that are in the airflow also create drag. A deeper cockpit design that keeps passengers less exposed is more efficient.

Appendages – Any projection or protuberance (cleats, bollards, hatches, fishing hardware, etc.) that gets in the way of the airflow over/around the hull upper surfaces will add drag. High-performance hulls often have hidden or pop-up cleats and deck hardware that reduce aerodynamic appendage drag.

Figure 6 – Performance hulls use removable rear cockpit covers to reduce ‘cavity drag’.

oncoming airflow, so often the ‘least drag’ design is to have no windscreen at all!

Cockpit area – While a nice cockpit area can really ‘make or break’ the comfort of a recreational boat, it can sometimes be a huge contributor to aero drag. A large, open cockpit with many appendages (seats, consoles, etc.) can create a disturbed airflow and significant drag. For example, a cuddy cabin that presents a large bluff area to airflow is much less efficient (aerodynamically, that is) than a compact cockpit area that is integrated into the deck lines of the hull.

COVERED VERSUS OPEN AREAS – Large, deep, open cockpit areas can generate a very disturbed airflow off the smoother deck surfaces, and an additional drag called ‘cavity drag’. Family/fishing designs with open-deck or forward-bow seating designs can sacrifice aerodynamic efficiency for the benefits of comfort. Some performance boats are equipped with ‘cockpit covers’ that close in some cavity sections such as rear seating areas, reducing this drag penalty. (Figure 6)

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ENGINE COWLING – High-speed hulls with large outboards can present a huge, bluff, unprotected engine cowl to the airflow, which can add an enormous amount of aero drag. Some recreational performance hulls feature a rear fairing located in front of the engine that presents a much more streamlined profile and much reduced aero drag.

Large, deep, open cockpit areas can generate a very disturbed airflow off the smoother deck surfaces, and an additional drag called ‘cavity drag’.

About AeroMarine Research Read more about performance vee hull and tunnel boat design and set-up in Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design (ISBN# 1-894933-30-3).

What to do?

Performance boat designers can take many of these aerodynamic drag contributors into consideration when designing the hull.

Of course, the function of the hull for its intended purpose is always key in good boat design, but there are often design choices that can be exploited when optimising efficiency, speed or performance. (Figure 6) Streamlined deck and hull shapes, avoiding large open cockpit areas and reducing/ streamlining appendages, can go a long way to optimising hull aerodynamic efficiency.

Cockpit covers and rear engine fairings can streamline airflow to dramatically improve aero efficiency. Seating that keeps passengers low in the hull and out of the airflow is a great improvement. High-performance racing hulls take these measures to the extreme with driver-cockpit-engine fairings that streamline airflow from bow to stern. Such design optimisation features can make huge differences to high-performance hulls.

Drive safely!

Figure 7 – Rear engine fairings reduce aerodynamic drag of bluff engine area exposed to airflow.

Links for reference:

The books Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design (ISBN# 1-894933-30-3) and Secrets of Propeller Design (ISBN# 0-9780586-0-7) and the software ‘Tunnel Boat Design’, ‘Vee Hull Design’ and ‘PropWorks2’ are available at AeroMarine Research (www. aeromarineresearch.com).

About AeroMarine Research

Jim Russell is a professional engineer with a mechanical and aeronautics background. Currently living in Canada, he has done extensive aerodynamic research at the University of Michigan, OH, and the University of Toronto, Canada, and marine research at the NRC water channel laboratory in Ottawa, Canada. His published papers are highly acclaimed and are specifically related to the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of high-performance catamarans and tunnel boats. Russell has designed and built many tunnel boats. As a professional race driver, he piloted tunnel boats to Canadian and North American championships. He has written powerboating articles for many performance magazines worldwide and has covered UIM and APBA powerboat races. He has also appeared on Speed Channel’s Powerboat Television Show, speaking on tunnel boat design. Russell is the author of the books Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design, The Wing in Ground Effect: Their Relation to Powerboats and Secrets of Propeller Design. His company has designed and published the wellknown powerboat design software ‘Tunnel Boat Design Program’ and ‘Vee Hull Design Program’ specifically for the design and performance analysis of tunnel boats, powered catamarans, performance vee and vee-pad hulls.

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REDFOX IS FOR SALE! This BWM 26 foot Rib is regrettably for sale due to old age on the owners part, lack of interest on the childrens part and being 70 miles from the sea!

The power unit is a Yamaha 370STI Z drive which has only completed 350hrs from new. The boat has VHF radio, depth sounder, GPS, compass and full nav lights.

The deal also comes with a 2.70m mini RIB used as a dinghy, complete with a Yamaha 2hp and a Mercury 6hp outboard. The RIB obviously has its own braked trailer.

A local dealer has stated the total value to be around £17K-18K but it must be sold and we would also consider taking a Landrover/Freelander in part exchange.

Boat is currently ashore in the Derbyshire Peak District.

Contact Barrie Walker on

Tel 01298 871544. Mob 07831 271755

Telephone: 01702 258885 email: sales@boats.co.uk

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ES3008

This year we are exhibiting on Princess, Williams, Arvor and Jeanneau Sail.

Come and say hello, take a look at our great line up of new boats or have a chat about our latest used boats that we have taken in during the show.

EAST COAST & POOLE

Open 7 days a week.

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Looking to sell? We are the UK's #1 sellers of used boats.

Essex Marina, Wallasea Island. SS4 2HF

+44 (0)1702 258885

www.boats.co.uk

237 SSX

EXPERIENCE THE STUNNING 237

EUROPEAN DEBUT AT SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW 2015 Superior performance - folding arch tower - Side entry with chase lounge - Oasis lounger ALL NEW £54,331 INCL. VAT

ONLY AVAILABLE AT

IDEALBOAT.COM

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