SportsRIB 8000
Review by Robert Avis
Off And Running
It was time to take her out for a bit of fun. But I was treated to a very special
surprise when Pascoe introduced me to his racing associate. Her name, Donohue,
Sarah, Donohue. Sarah you might well know, achieved great notoriety after appearing
as a stunt double in the Bond Film 'The World Is Not Enough'.
Together we headed out for a blast. The wind was WSW and blowing a good 5-6 and
although there were no large seas, it was certainly choppy! "The nice thing
about this boat is it can really perform," said Pascoe. He then asked if
we were holding on and opened up the 225hp digital OptiMax rocketing us onto
the plane towards Hurst Castle.
On Top
The helm station is low, once again less wind resistant and follows the sports
feel.
Both driver and navigator can duck behind side-by-side wind dodgers for when
they really want to boot it. There is ample seating for 7-8 people, with two
bench loungers behind the console and a padded seat that forms the front. The
foredeck is a raised flat section that houses storage space and doubles as
a sunbed. More storage is found under seats and the console.
A CD tuner pumps sound via waterproof Pioneer speakers and a 50mm stainless
A frame finishes the RIB off nicely.
Performance
Moving across the surface, she flattened out the bumps and ignored the troughs
in true sporting fashion. Not a drop of water came over the tubes, even as
we drove at up to 70mph into a head on Solent chop. Turning easily with a well
matched heel angle, she disposed with the following sea with consummate ease.
I found that while this boat had the potential to give a nasty bite, in true
high performance style, I felt very confident even after a short time playing.
I
tried not to make Pascoe cringe too much by over revving the engine every time
the prop left the water, but I felt the old horns come out
more and more as I became used to the hull. The SR8 is certainly is a
quick craft! The stepped hull rams air between the water surface and wetted areas
of the hull, introducing bubbles and
therefore, reduces the contact between hull and water.
In addition, the steps provide multi planning surfaces, which provide stability
especially at speed.
Can You Handle It?
Although this is definitely not a boat for the extreme novice, with a smaller
engine package it wouldn't take long for anyone to master.
A free powerboat course is included in the price and a lesson from Mark Pascoe
isn't something to be sniffed at. I asked Sarah Donohue why she is so keen
to promote the SR8 and she said: " If I had the choice of any speedboat
or RIB in the world then this is the one I would go for.It's high performance,
it's exciting and the hull is so good it's right up my street." I would
have to agree with her.
