a close second. Full access to the world’s best performance-boat builders’ ambassador boats is not an
altogether unenjoyable aspect of the job, if you get my drift.
There are the obvious perks, of course. Seat time in a lot of great boats in a very short amount of time. The occasional disappearing act around a bend in the lake, slipping from the testing rotation into pure drMng fun on the lake. Driving them like they’re your own.
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But there’s another thing.
|
the test. Hattett’s beautiful 210
|
|
Getting a group of boats
|
was the quickest boat on the
|
|
together for a test also pro-
|
scene at every increment to
|
|
vides us a rare look at the
|
60 miles an hour, a pretty
|
|
industry as a whole. Take our
|
remarkable feat for a ten-year-
|
|
recent, loosely themed, so-
|
old family bottom. Cougar put
|
|
called “entry level” tests, the
|
one in one of their outstanding
|
|
first installment (of two) of
|
22-foot MTR tunnels and for
|
|
which appears in this issue.
|
barely $50,000 ended up with
|
|
From it we took the usual
|
a spectacular yet hospitable
|
|
thrills you’d expect from
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lake rod that busted out with
|
|
behind the wheel of 18 boats
|
80-plus passes on demand.
|
|
in three days of driving. We
|
Lavey’s 21 XCS and Shock-
|
|
also picked up on a variety of
|
waves 22-foot Lexis ran 70-
|
|
subplots.
|
plus, and Kachina’s 23-foot
|
|
|
Bandit, another design that’s
|
|
THE 496 COMES OUT
|
been around for a while, hit
|
|
First of all, the jury is def i-
|
72 mph on the gun behind the
|
|
nitely in on the 375-horse 496
|
496. It bears noting that the
|
|
Magnum, a/k/a the 8.1 L: This
|
496 is definitely noisier than
|
|
engine is stout to the point
|
other power packages in
|
|
where several builders have
|
some applications, especially
|
|
suggested that Mercury has
|
at low rpm.
|
|
actually undersold the engine’s
|
|
horsepower rating. We can’t
|
I I
,
|
|
imagine that being the case,
|
PRIMO VALUE
|
|
but there’s no doubt that the
|
In addition to savoring our
|
|
496 is a most desirable suc-
|
first concentrated exposure
|
|
cessor to the 330-horse 7.4
|
to the 496, the entry-level
|
|
and even the 502. (Some
|
tests also left us face to face
|
|
would argue, with validity, that
|
with the harsh reality of the ris
|
|
the 502 offers much more
|
ing cost of admission to this
|
|
opportunity for aftermarket
|
great sport of ours. Here’s the
|
|
modifications.)
|
long and the short of it: If you’re
|
|
We tested five boats pow-
|
considering shopping for a
|
|
ered by the 496, and several
|
custom-built performance hull
|
|
of those were among the best
|
with a reasonable degree of
|
|
overall driving experiences at
|
CONTINUED ON PAGE 102
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