THE GREATEST RIB TEST EVER Hydromax 10.5 PRICE £198,000 TOP SPEED 53 knots 0-40 KNOTS 10.9 seconds


H


ydromax might just be the coolest RIB builder you’ve never heard of. Tucked away in a business park in Hythe, Southampton, the team


churns out splendid race-inspired RIBs and luxurious superyacht tenders. The company was founded in 2011 after


owner Ronnie Hall decided he’d enjoyed his two years on board his fi rst sportsboat so much he wouldn’t just buy a bigger boat, he’d build an entire company. He approached the well-known powerboat designer Adam Younger and asked him to design a hull and that was that. They built the mould with a


sliding transom so that one hull design can be implemented over a range of different sizes and the 10.5 is as big as you can go. After that absolutely everything is up to the owner. We’re not just talking choosing the colour of your tubes and cushions here, we’re talking here’s the hull, here’s the deck now tell us exactly what you would like on top of it – absolutely anything goes. The 10.5 for our test was the yard’s demo


responsive with enough heel to raise a smile but you never feel as if you’re going to get punished for going a bit too mad. Don’t take this forgiving ride and


handling to mean the Hyrdromax is sedate, though. With 700hp on board, this thing absolutely fl ies through the water and it takes very little effort to get it barrelling along at a rock solid 40-knot cruise. The top speed and acceleration times


You build your own RIB –


what you want on top of it


here’s the hull, here’s the deck, now tell us


boat, built for fast offshore blasts and showing off this supremely talented hull. This is a boat that fl atters the helmsman, as it is very easy to drive fast. The pick-up from standstill is smooth and simple and the hull feels amazingly surefooted and secure, landing square and softly no matter what you do to it. The steering is light and


may seem a little disappointing but bear in mind the boat had fi ve crew on board and, according to Hydromax, the canvas T-top roof affects performance by 20-30%. Even though there’s so


much scope when it comes to the deck layout on these boats, the balance on board this demo model seemed really good. The four main seats are brilliant: comfortable, supportive and they can be used as seats or leaning posts. The stainless steel T-top is beautifully


crafted and, as well as providing shade means you always have something to grab on to in this part of the boat. Forward of the console is the ‘suicide seat’ (standard issue on all RIBs for those passengers who really fancy themselves) and a large triangle of sunbathing space. For such a young company this is an


astoundingly capable boat. It treads the line between racing machine and leisure boat perfectly and as a way of going fast in comfort and with confi dence it’s pretty much unbeatable. Jack Haines


Exceedingly capable: a perfect mix of all-out speedster and surefooted leisure boat


THE DATA SPECIFICATIONS


LENGTH 34ft 4in (10.5m) BEAM 9ft 2in (2.8m)


DRAUGHT 3ft 9in (1.2m)


WEIGHT 2,845kg


FUEL CAPACITY 760 litres


ENGINES Twin Mercury Verado SCi 350hp


MAX SPEED ON TEST 53 knots


0-30 KNOTS 5.0 sec 0-40 knots 10.9 sec


PRICE FROM £180,000 inc VAT (twin Mercury Verado SCi 350hp)


PRICE AS TESTED £198,000 inc VAT


CONTACT Hydromax Powerboats. Tel: +44 (0)2380 982027 Web: www hydromaxpowerboats.co.uk


AUGUST2013 51


The four main seats are very supportive


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