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Coastal Craft 400 IPS
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An aluminum-hulled cruiser from British Columbia turns in a superb performance.
By Peter A. Janssen
It's not often that something new comes along in boating, but when it does, you've got to sit up and take notice. This is certainly the case with the Coastal Craft 400 cruiser, an aluminum-welded boat with IPS technology. It has a warm, inviting interior and sports-carlike performance. "This is a sleeper," Jeff Rhodes, president of Coastal Craft, tells me as we wheel through a 30-knot turn in English Bay off Vancouver, British Columbia. "There's a lot going on here that most people don't know about."
Made in Gibsons, British Columbia, about 18 miles north of Vancouver, the Coastal Craft 400 IPS has a relatively low profile; a raked, pilothouse-like windshield; two staterooms; and a 36-knot top speed. At a comfortable cruising speed of 30 knots, it has a range of 360 nautical miles; dial back to 7.5 knots and the range extends to 850 nautical miles. On the one hand, you have a fast performance cruiser, on the other, a long-range passage maker.
Rhodes, a former tugboat captain, has been making Coastal Crafts since 1996. All are made of commercial-grade, heavy-duty welded aluminum. Awlgrip and nonskid deck coatings give the boats a finished look; indeed, the 400 looks like any other high-quality recreational cruising boat. Rhodes says the aluminum planing hull is lighter and stronger than fiberglass, with a superior horsepower-to-weight ratio. The safety of an aluminum hull is another advantage, he says, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where there are a lot of logs and debris in the water. "If you hit something," he says, "you'll just make a dent. You won't sink the boat." Rhodes also placed fins in front of the forward-facing IPS props as additional protection.
On our test, the boat performed admirably. It was quiet, fast and, for a 40-footer, absolutely nimble. Acceleration from a dead stop — and throughout the entire speed range — was terrific.
Coastal Craft; www.coastalcraft.com
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LOOK AROUND. The salon offers big views. |
Other Sea Trials featured this month:
- More Electronics from past issues.
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