NOVEMBER 2008
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now! To get your copy delivered to your door, simply click on the link be
The latest edition of Modern Boating magazine is out now! To get your copy delivered to your door, simply click on the link be
Modern Boating and Big Hat Productions head out for a glorious day on the water to give the Seawind 1160...
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WORDS + PHOTOS: IAN MACRAE
She's built tough and ready for any offshore challenges.
Time is usually the bane of all boat testers' lives. This time, however, I got to spend four days on the boat at Kangaroo Island in South Australia—that's usually more than enough time to get a good feel for any boat. But there was a problem. The weather gods were kind to us, too kind. The water around the island on this trip was as smooth as a Sydney real estate agent. You could have been out in a canoe and not got into trouble. Sure, the boat was superbly set up, but how would it handle the rough stuff? In a word—brilliantly.
During our last day on the island, we made the run from Emu Bay, via American River to Penneshaw, for a bite of lunch at the local inn. As soon as we tied up at the marina the trees on the hills around us started swaying more vigorously. By the time we'd finished eating the winds had increased to 30 knots and if we didn't get going soon we'd be stuck at Penneshaw. Not that that would have been a bad thing—except for my deadlines of course.
GIMME SHELTER
With me at the helm of the Theodore 720 Coastal Open, the rest of the three-man crew agreed that we were in for a rough, wet ride during the 35 nautical mile dash across Backstairs Passage to Wirrina Cove on the mainland. This was a customer's boat, a man who loves wetting a line and purchased this 720 without even a bimini to hide under—because he reckons they get in the way when he's fishing!
read on below advertisement
But nothing could be further from the truth. Out in the Passage with a 30-40 knot south-easterly blowing from the Indian Ocean and across the bow at 45 degrees, things could have been tricky, but the Theodore 720 handled the conditions with consummate ease.
By trimming the leg out to 'one' on the Volvo trim gauge I was able to run across the open water at 25 knots, without banging and crashing, and more importantly, without getting wet. I didn't even need to level the hull with the Volvo QL trim tabs, so that it didn't lean into the wind. During the entire 35nm trip we only hit two holes in the ocean and the landings weren't that bad—we barely got a drop of water on the windscreen.
Speaking of the windscreen, this one's at exactly the right height, so when driving while seated you have a clear view through it, and driving while standing you can see over it easily. Even when standing, the windscreen deflects the slipstream up and over your head, so there were no watery eyes or splashed faces during this trip.
BACK TO THE RIDE
Jim Theodore designed this hull with a deep forefoot (point where the leading edge of the hull, or 'stem', meets the keel), which is an absolute necessity in any boat regularly running in choppy water. Add to this a heavily-flared bow, aggressive chines that throw water down and away from the hull, so it doesn't blow back inboard and the fact that this is a solidly-built boat, and the ride's brilliant.
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She's built tough and ready for any offshore challenges.
Time is usually the bane of all boat testers' lives. This time, however, I got to spend four days on the boat at Kangaroo Island in South Australia—that's usually more than enough time to get a good feel for any boat. But there was a problem. The weather gods were kind to us, too kind. The water around the island on this trip was as smooth as a Sydney real estate agent. You could have been out in a canoe and not got into trouble. Sure, the boat was superbly set up, but how would it handle the rough stuff? In a word—brilliantly.
During our last day on the island, we made the run from Emu Bay, via American River to Penneshaw, for a bite of lunch at the local inn. As soon as we tied up at the marina the trees on the hills around us started swaying more vigorously. By the time we'd finished eating the winds had increased to 30 knots and if we didn't get going soon we'd be stuck at Penneshaw. Not that that would have been a bad thing—except for my deadlines of course.
GIMME SHELTER
With me at the helm of the Theodore 720 Coastal Open, the rest of the three-man crew agreed that we were in for a rough, wet ride during the 35 nautical mile dash across Backstairs Passage to Wirrina Cove on the mainland. This was a customer's boat, a man who loves wetting a line and purchased this 720 without even a bimini to hide under—because he reckons they get in the way when he's fishing!
read on below advertisement
But nothing could be further from the truth. Out in the Passage with a 30-40 knot south-easterly blowing from the Indian Ocean and across the bow at 45 degrees, things could have been tricky, but the Theodore 720 handled the conditions with consummate ease.
By trimming the leg out to 'one' on the Volvo trim gauge I was able to run across the open water at 25 knots, without banging and crashing, and more importantly, without getting wet. I didn't even need to level the hull with the Volvo QL trim tabs, so that it didn't lean into the wind. During the entire 35nm trip we only hit two holes in the ocean and the landings weren't that bad—we barely got a drop of water on the windscreen.
Speaking of the windscreen, this one's at exactly the right height, so when driving while seated you have a clear view through it, and driving while standing you can see over it easily. Even when standing, the windscreen deflects the slipstream up and over your head, so there were no watery eyes or splashed faces during this trip.
BACK TO THE RIDE
Jim Theodore designed this hull with a deep forefoot (point where the leading edge of the hull, or 'stem', meets the keel), which is an absolute necessity in any boat regularly running in choppy water. Add to this a heavily-flared bow, aggressive chines that throw water down and away from the hull, so it doesn't blow back inboard and the fact that this is a solidly-built boat, and the ride's brilliant.
next page »
« go back
