EDITORIAL By Kevin Falvey16 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018
A
s the world’s largest powerboat magazine, Boating represents the
mass media. So why, some ask, would an organization that caters to
the masses cover boats produced either at such high prices or in such
low numbers that few people will buy them?
Newsworthiness is one aim. We’d be remiss if we didn’t report developments,
such as Jim Hendricks’ story in this issue on the creation of HCB Center Console
Yachts’ 6500 Estrella. A behemoth of a boat, the 6500 Estrella presents wow
factor for sure. But there’s more to its story than sheer size.
With size and a big budget comes the ability to innovate. In reading this
month’s report by Hendricks, and in viewing the accompanying video he
produced, you’ll get a glimpse at some of those innovations, including the way
a single space or area aboard the boat can be used
for multiple purposes with as little compromise as possible. Many
such innovations, proven aboard the elite boats that sell in the 10s,
make their way into boat models that sell by the hundreds. The Euro
transom, the hullside dive door and the through-stem anchor chute
comprise prime examples of such innovations that migrated from the
elite to the fleet. So, as the 6500 Estrella becomes fully realized, we’ll
be there to cover it, informing you of milestones met and challenges
overcome, right up to the moment it hits the water and we run the
6500 Estrella — and the five 627 hp Seven Marine outboards that
power it — through performance trials. The expected launch date is
sometime this summer. Stay tuned.
Another boat that few will ever own but has the potential to affect
the boats of many owners, will, by the time you read this, have either
set a new world speed record for V-hulls or failed in the attempt. (We’re betting on the former.)
The run is technically called a kilo. The boat is a 40-foot Fountain, and overseeing the design,
construction and propulsion is none other than boating legend Reggie Fountain himself. Back
from retirement, Fountain looms large and in charge, and during a recent conversation, told
me he is confident he’ll break the V-bottom world kilo record of 180.46 mph set by Outerlimits
Powerboats with its SV 43 in 2014. (Fountain held the record prior to Outerlimits, set at 171.
mph in 2004.)
Speed and efficiency are different sides of the same coin. Now, the most obvious effect of
racing on boats for the masses is the prevalence of boats with stepped hulls. But innovations as
diverse as weight-saving construction and propeller evolution were born on the race course.
We’ve assigned Charles Plueddeman to attend the record attempt and also visit Fountain’s
facility to find out what goes into designing and building a world-record boat.
To make you, dear reader, the most well-informed boater on the dock is a big part of our job.
Enjoy the issue.Kevin Falvey, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]WORLD RECORDS
Why we cover some boats few people will buyNow, the most
obvious effect of
racing on boats
for the masses is
the prevalence
of boats with
stepped hulls.
BOAT DOC
SPECIAL
As much as we
love getting out on
the water to run
boats or cruise
to cool locales,
going behind the
scenes at a boat
plant or designer’s
offi ce brings its
own special re-
wards. Check out
what we learned
about the world’s
largest center
console, the HCB
Center Console
Yachts 6500
Estrella, on
pages 48-49.