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Sail-World.com : Raptor sizzles on the water
Raptor sizzles on the water
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Hang on for the thrill a minute, ride of your life. Streaker Boats has unleashed the Raptor, a pocket rocket jet machine that will pin your ears back when you floor the throttle.
More fun than a PWC, faster than most and capable of carrying four people, the Raptor from Streaker redefines the meaning of fast.
Shoehorned in to the 4.40m Raptor fibreglass hull is 200hp of hi-tech Mercury OptiMax Sport Jet. Think about it for a second.... small hull plus big engine equals lots of speed and fun.
'If you want to run hard and fast on calm water, then this is the spirited jet boat for you,' said Leon Savage from Streaker Boats.
'While Streaker is renowned as the manufacturer of fishing boats, bow riders and runabouts, we decided that the boating world needed a serious injection of spirited fun. So we have unleashed the Raptor.'
By any measure the Raptor is a small boat. Only aluminium dinghies and inflatables are shorter than the Raptor. While small in length (4.4m) and beam (2.10m) the Raptor still has a full width bolster seat for three plus an upholstered forward lounge.
With striking exterior graphics, the Raptor has crisp, sharp lines. The interior of the Raptor comprises a moulded fibreglass interior which has anti skid in all the right places. At the end of a day on the water, all you need is a hose to wash down the interior and flush the engine.
At the driver’s position is a fully featured dash with a full set of engine monitoring gauges. The speedo and tacho on the top of the instrument cluster are the two which attract most attention while out on the water.
The drive position is set off with a sports steering wheel and to the right, a hand throttle which delivers responsive power settings. Being a jet drive, the throttle shift also governs the reversing bucket.
Under the rear deck hatch lies the heart of the raptor beast... the Mercury OptiMax 200 V6 Sport Jet. This is the same high powered engine that Mercury sells as an outboard, the OptiMax 200. The only difference is that this engine drives a jet pump, mounted directly underneath the hull.
With the safety lanyard strap attached to your wrist, the Raptor leaps onto the plane with a touch of forward throttle. Initial impressions of this boat will get your attention.
First off it’s a jet and handles like a jet; it’s different to a prop driven boat. The second thought to flash through your brain will be the bucket loads of power available under your throttle hand. Even with half throttle applied the speed is mounting and the water rushing past ever so quickly.
Slam the throttle all the way down to the stops and you’ll see the speedo hit in excess of 90 km/h.
'The Raptor is a sports boat that appeals to anyone who likes to go fast across the water,' Leon Savage said. 'You can certainly get places quickly if that’s what you want to do, but you can also ski or use the Raptor as a very economical commuter for house boating or cruisers on lake systems.'
Raptor – the perfect combination of the best attributes of a PWC and a ski boat.
Specifications:
Make Streaker
Model Raptor
Length 4.4m
Beam 2.10m
Deadrise 21 degrees
Weight 510 kgs
Passengers cap 4 persons
Engine OptiMax 200 V6 Sport Jet
Streaker Boats is a leading Melbourne marine retailer, being authorised dealers for Quintrex, Streaker, Lewis Ski Boats and Yamaha outboards. The company is one of the few Yamaha dealers in Australia that has been awarded the status of Platinum dealer.
by Bob Carter
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http://www.powerboat-world.com/index.cfm?nid=82974
7:34 PM Fri 29 Apr 2011 GMT
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