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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A holiday in the Hampton
There are the usual entertainment appliances such as a fridge and barbecue as well as a flat screen TV that folds down from the hardtop.
This boat had the optional crew quarters, which are accessed through either the saloon, via a companionway well hidden in the cabinetwork, or from a door in the transom. The internal companionway leads down to a utility room with an aluminium-topped workbench. The bench is almost too good to work on. I would be reluctant to bolt an engineer's vice onto it.
A watertight door leads into the engine room where the twin 1015hp C18 Caterpillar ACERT diesels wait for the call to fire up. The boat was also equipped with Wesmar stabilisers and 15hp bow and stern thrusters.
Smooth and quiet
Out through the Southport Seaway the stabilisers did their job well, but in deeper water offshore, the boat was in its element. The Hampton 680 was a delight to drive, with the sweet spot around 20 knots. At this speed, the engines were ticking over at around 1900rpm. Dropping the engines down to 1526rpm and the boat was equally happy running along at 15 knots. Open the throttles wide and the Hampton ran up to a respectable 25.6 knots.
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The underwater exhausts kept the noise at a pleasant conversation level, but they are bypassed when the engines are run at low idle when manoeuvring or coming into a berth. Then there is just a gentle burble. From the flybridge and the lower helm station the corners of the boat can't be seen, so a third control station is positioned in the cockpit for docking. Which makes it easy if there are no helpers on the dock and only two people on board.
The value will sell you
The list of standard items that come with the boat is long and at a tad under $3 million, the Hampton 680 is well positioned in the market. It's an emerging market for well-priced, economical, pilothouse designs that lend themselves to long-distance cruising.
Since the test was conducted, the boat has been optioned up with the new Raymarine electronics package, which will be released at the Sydney International Boat Show, and includes two C120s on the flybridge and in the pilothouse, a VHF radio, autopilot and a 72 nautical mile radar.
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This boat had the optional crew quarters, which are accessed through either the saloon, via a companionway well hidden in the cabinetwork, or from a door in the transom. The internal companionway leads down to a utility room with an aluminium-topped workbench. The bench is almost too good to work on. I would be reluctant to bolt an engineer's vice onto it.
A watertight door leads into the engine room where the twin 1015hp C18 Caterpillar ACERT diesels wait for the call to fire up. The boat was also equipped with Wesmar stabilisers and 15hp bow and stern thrusters.
Smooth and quiet
Out through the Southport Seaway the stabilisers did their job well, but in deeper water offshore, the boat was in its element. The Hampton 680 was a delight to drive, with the sweet spot around 20 knots. At this speed, the engines were ticking over at around 1900rpm. Dropping the engines down to 1526rpm and the boat was equally happy running along at 15 knots. Open the throttles wide and the Hampton ran up to a respectable 25.6 knots.
read on below advertisement
The underwater exhausts kept the noise at a pleasant conversation level, but they are bypassed when the engines are run at low idle when manoeuvring or coming into a berth. Then there is just a gentle burble. From the flybridge and the lower helm station the corners of the boat can't be seen, so a third control station is positioned in the cockpit for docking. Which makes it easy if there are no helpers on the dock and only two people on board.
The value will sell you
The list of standard items that come with the boat is long and at a tad under $3 million, the Hampton 680 is well positioned in the market. It's an emerging market for well-priced, economical, pilothouse designs that lend themselves to long-distance cruising.
Since the test was conducted, the boat has been optioned up with the new Raymarine electronics package, which will be released at the Sydney International Boat Show, and includes two C120s on the flybridge and in the pilothouse, a VHF radio, autopilot and a 72 nautical mile radar.
« go back
