On Performance Boats

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On Performance Boats by Eric Colby

During his 25-year career Eric Colby has served as Senior Technical Editor at Boating Magazine as well as Editor In Chief at Powerboat Magazine. Read full bio

[ May 15, 2013 ]

The Sutphen 16 is a Family Tradition in a Small Package 3

by Eric Colby

Sutphen 16

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Rich Sutphen Jr. continues to develop new models at Sutphen Powerboats despite the sluggish economy and the slow performance-boat market. A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of testing his Sutphen 21 with small- and big-block power. The little 5-seat hot rod handled like a dream with a small block and blistered the water at speeds topping 70 mph with the big block.

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[ April 16, 2013 ]

The Speedster 3200 SS 12

by Eric Colby

Speedster Powerboats

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Folks in other parts of the country love to take shots at West Coast boat companies, saying they don’t make boats that can run well in the ocean. They haven’t seen the 3200 SS from Speedster Powerboats.

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[ March 28, 2013 ]

Revolver R42 Makes Its U.S. Debut 14

by Eric Colby

Revolver R42

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A new boat designed by famed naval architect Michael Peters of Sarasota, Fla., made its U.S. debut Friday at the Palm Beach International Boat show in Palm Beach, Fla. The Revolver R42 is a performance yacht with a stepped hull designed by Peters and a luxurious cockpit that rivals the most high-end offerings from Europe.

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[ March 4, 2013 ]

The New Ilmor MV8 570 8

by Eric Colby

ILMOR MV8 570

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Spring is just around the corner and for most high-performance boat owners, getting their boat ready for the season means trying to make the boat go faster. Ilmor Marine has a great way to do this with its new MV8 570. This naturally aspirated, fuel-injected engine was developed to give a 145-hp boost as a direct replacement for the old MerCruiser 496 MAG HO. Replace your old twin MerCruisers with the new 570s and you’re getting a 290-hp boost.

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[ February 6, 2013 ]

Fast Boats at the Miami Boat Show 10

by Eric Colby

M41

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If you’re lucky enough to be heading to the Miami Boat Show later this month, make sure you check out the Mercury Racing display at the Sealine Marina in front of the Biscayne Bay Marriott. Every year, this gathering of boats is one of the most popular attractions at the show and with the boats the men in black have assembled for this year, that trend is sure to continue.

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[ January 23, 2013 ]

Tuning Your Prop 341

by Eric Colby

Prop Tuning

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Fine-tuning a propeller to standard specifications doesn’t cut it anymore. Send your propeller to Brett Anderson at BBlades Propellers and he’ll customize it to the performance characteristic you want to improve on your boat.

“We don’t lab finish to standard templates anymore,” said Anderson. “We take each boat at its own merit.”

He continued, “You could have two Baja 24 Outlaws with the same engine and one could be running 100 rpm higher or lower and we would adjust the propeller to that.”

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[ January 7, 2013 ]

Fred Kiekhaefer Steps Down From Mercury Racing 33

by Eric Colby

Kiekhaefer

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About 15 years ago, I walked into the Mercury Racing booth at the Miami Boat Show to talk to company president Fred Kiekhaefer. I didn’t know that he wasn’t pleased with an article that I had written recently about the tactics used by an offshore racing team sponsored by his company. When I extended my hand and said hello, he let me know in no uncertain terms how he felt.

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[ December 11, 2012 ]

Outer Limits Runs Fast at Offshore World Champioships 69

by Eric Colby

Outer Limits 29

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Photo by: Outer Limits

A few weeks after my 12-year-old son Blake and I went to the Outerlimits factory to test the company’s new SV 29, the same boat we tested (read about it here) rolled at about 75 mph in a turn with company president Mike Fiore and a friend aboard. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and Fiore said that a mechanical failure caused the problem.

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[ November 9, 2012 ]

New Deep Impact Makes Debut at Fort Lauderdale 18

by Eric Colby

Deep Impact 330 LS

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Deep Impact Boats unveiled its newest, the 330 LS (33-foot) powerboat during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Breaking from past Deep Impact designs, the boat has a large portside console that allows passage from bow to stern on the starboard side. The larger helm provides three-across seating for the driver and two passengers in supportive race-style bolsters. Additionally, the dash has more than enough space for the latest extra-large screens in navigation electronics.

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[ October 30, 2012 ]

The Return of the Baja 30 Outlaw 13

by Eric Colby

The Return of the Baja 30 Outlaw

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Baja’s introduction of the 2013 version of the 30 Outlaw brings back some fond memories because I ran an older version of the boat in my last offshore race in Point Pleasant, NJ, sometime around 2005 or 2006. The idea of the article was that I was playing the role of a poker runner who wanted to step up and try his hand at offshore racing. Boating’s Associate Editor at that time, Kari Snyder, who had barely been faster than 50 mph in a boat, agreed to strap on a Lifeline vest and orange helmet and ride along with me. She was a trooper the whole weekend.

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