4.35m Allycraft Intruder: “So easy to turn on the face of the swell and surf it back”
I am overwhelmed with the improvement the Boat Collar has made to our pride and joy. At the pontoon, Rhonda found it far more stable to climb into. The difference I did note was a lower planing speed than previous running and very easy to trim quickly. On slowdown it was also less prone to swamp from following wake as the boat sat higherin the water. The inlet and Tweed River was full of chop and wash to contend with [but] hitting full throttle at 31 knots with Rhonda in these conditions we would get a fair spray over the bow and windscreen but not this time.
Absolutely no spray at all and no more tinny slap. The boat still has its ups and downs but so much softer than before.
Having a 2.00m beam on a 4.35m runabout, it was reasonably stable before and I expected no much difference but I was wrong. Moving around the boat was like being on dry land and even being beam on to the swell/wash, it would not duck and dive to the point that you would hold your breath hoping nothing came over the gunwale. Great stability and supreme confidence in moving around without thinking of the consequences. We increased load to 3 adults and a small dog and felt like nothing changed at all.
Allycraft Intruder with Kapten Boat Collar
I finally got to do some inshore testing by myself in the late afternoon and boy was I amazed. Top speed under wind/tide conditions was identical at 37 knots and I could manoeuvre the boat in a tight turn with only a small trim adjustment unlike the slowdown and trim change needed before the Collar. Following a big cruiser along the river I was actually playing in its wake with total control and driving pro-actively instead of reactively; what great fun.
I thought I would go look at the Tweed bar from the nearby Jack Evans boat harbour just inside the mouth. The outgoing tide and wind direction resulted in a considerable swell rolling around the first bend of the river. Under normal circumstances I would turn around but this was my best chance for a real test of the Collar. Heading straight into the swell (estimate 1.5m) I was in uncharted territory and used all my boating experience to navigate carefully and slowly.
In a short time it was evident that the boat was now in a different league and I had the confidence to push it a little more. I got to the point in the river where the bar really starts, and I felt like the swell was getting to the 2m mark and was starting to break. Time to turn it around, and to my surprise it was so easy to turn on the face of the swell and surf it back to the calmer water. I did it a second time but this time I came from the back of the swell and over the top with a little more throttle without any loss of control. 3rd time was textbook riding the back of the swell all the way back and so stable. Can’t wait to fit all the appropriate safety gear for bar crossing and have someone teach me in my own boat now I know the collar has made it so much safer.
Allycraft Intruder with Kapten Boat Collar – transom view.
I really need to thank you for the friendly and professional service that you all gave Rhonda and myself when getting our collar fitted. You have the most amazing product that has no equal and has transformed our boat into the safest pleasure craft we have been in for it’s size. I have parked the boat outside the house, hoping to get some enquiries about the Collar. Stay tuned for a review of the offshore performance.
