Trade-A-Boat — January 2018

spacetosafelygivethebigBrigthe
berries and see how it shaped up. If you
want the short version let’s just say it’s
truly amazing.
A glint flashed in Webster’s eye
when I asked him to run through the
rev range to wide open throttle so I
could record fuel figures. Hang on then
he suggested. W hen we hit 52kts he
apologised that the T-top robbed the
boat of around 7kts. I should add that
on many occasions it’s hard to read my
writing after a boat has been bouncing
around at full tilt. On this occasion
the ride was so smooth it’s perfectly
legible.
I prised the wheel away from Neil for

my turn on the throttles. Acceleration

is scintillating. Editor Tim doesn’t yet

trust accelerometer readings from

phones so I can’t tell you the digital

result but I can say in analogue terms

we were planing before I could count

two.

There’s no denying the Eagle is

fast. W hat is uncanny though, is

how safe it feels at speed with the

hull shimmering and shaking below

us, charging into insane chop and

backwash around the shoreline.

A small swell was running offshore

so we hightailed it to South Head –

purely for research purposes of course.

Trimmed-in, the boat hugged the

swellwithasoftrideandsure-footed

steering. Trimmed-out we found

enough air to confirm landings were

soft and, importantly, safe.

SHOCK ABSORPTION

The air tubes act as buoyant pontoons

in turns, to keep the hull flat, and over

wake to absorb the shock. Heading

back into the harbour we found a

section of close to 1m chop at the

headland that in most boats you would

have to back off. Held wide open at

50kts we sailed over it without a jolt.

Is there a downside? Well maybe for

the wallet challenged. At 5500rpm fuel

usage jumps to 170Lt/h, at 6000rpm

“If you want the short version let’s just say it’s truly

amazing”

62 trade aboat.com.au