Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

The Rigid Inflatable Boat has come

a long way from its humble beginnings

as a simple workboat. Formerly

the tool of professional divers and

the on-water authorities, modern

RIBs are stylish and glamorous

high-performance dayboats and

the Sacs Sport 900 is a prime

example of this evolution.

Mate a race-bred deep-vee hull with

a Christian Grande (of Sessa fame,

as well as various superyachts) deck

design and you have something that

looks every penny of its £125,000

asking price. Yep, £125k – RIBs have

come a long way.

The Sport 900 is a performance

machine capable of 43 knots with

the largest engine option of twin

200hp outboards, but it’s also an

intelligently designed family dayboat.

The aft seating area is comfortable

and served by both a flip-up table

attached to the wet bar and a proper

slot-in table that can be lowered

to create a sunpad. Overhead, a

substantial bimini rests neatly on

the stainless-steel A-frame to offer

protection from sun or showers.

Forward, there is a triangle of

sunpad and a suicide seat that lifts

up to reveal what on the test boat

was a gigantic storage void, but

can include a toilet if preferred.

For dayboating, it’s a useful option.

As comfortable as it is, this is

a driving tool at heart, a boat that

from the instant you slot in behind

AT A GLANCE

Length 29ft 5in (9m)

Beam 10ft 2in (3.1m)

Engines Twin Mercury

Verado 200hp

Top speed on trial 43 knots

Price from £100,200 inc 20%

VAT Price as tested £124,894

inc 20% VAT

Sacs Sport 900

the curvaceous helm you want to grab

by the scruff of the neck and bury the

throttles into the dash. The response

is tremendous, as 400hp of Mercury’s

finest burst into life and rocket you

towards the horizon with boundless

enthusiasm. The boat feels alert and

poised on the plane, ready to react

to helm inputs at a moment’s notice,

devouring high-speed turns and the

short, awkward chop that the Solent

has dished up for us.

As stylish as the helm is, it’s not

a case of form over function, with

chunky handholds close by and

plenty of protection from the

prominent scooter-like windscreen.

The bolstering section on our test

boat was too thinly padded for longer

journeys though, and more sculpted

sides would help to keep you in place

when it gets bumpy.

It’s a serious amount of cash but

one of the finest examples of the

modern RIB you’re likely to find.

Contact Bates Wharf Marine Sales.

Tel: +44 (0)1932 571141.

Web: http://www.sacsmarine.it

This is a boat you want to grab

by the scruff of the neck and

bury the throttles into the dash

57

The hull deals

comfortably

with the chop

The scooter-style

windscreen looks great

The twin Mercs

provide bags of grunt

The sociable aft seating

area and table

The bimini

stows neatly

on the A-frame

Attention to detail

is impressive

STARS OF SOUTHAMPTON