Hydrolift 24

 
Hydrolift's S-24R tames nasty seas at a sizzling speed.

By Capt. Stuart Reininger

I have a couple of requests when I sea trial performance-oriented boats, especially when I've been told the one I'm about to test will exceed 75 mph, even in conditions reminiscent of the rinse cycle of a cockeyed washing machine. That aptly describes the state of Connecticut's Fisher's Island Sound on the day I drove the Hydrolift S-24R. I would have preferred to be safely ensconced in a padded wraparound bolster seat with a five-point harness. I would have liked a competition life vest, along with a crash helmet. But none of these items were aboard the Hydrolift that was bobbing at the dock, waiting for me. It sported a pair of modernistic, stainless steel chairs for the skipper and navigator, plus a comfortable-looking aft bench that would seat three more. Sure, those chairs were upholstered in heavy vinyl, but they looked like they would be more at home in front of an executive's desk. Bolsters? Forget it. I saw armrests. Harness and crash helmet? Nope. The required life vests were stashed in a locker. The factory representative was hanging out in a T-shirt, shorts and a pair of flip-flops. This guy didn't act like we were about to confront Mother Nature at her nastiest. In Norway, where Hydrolifts have been built for 30 years, what we call a gale, they call boring. "We don't need that other stuff, the fellow said.

Upon closer examination, I could see his point. The Hydrolift has an entry you could shave with (it reaches back to a 24-degree deadrise at the transom), and I've seen roll bars with less meat than the stainless steel rim of the curved, tempered glass windshield. On the off chance that you might need something to hang on to, an equally beefy stainless grabrail runs all the way underneath the windshield rim. The Gaffrig Platinum competition controls, wheel and instrumentation set in the brushed aluminum dash scream hot performance.

If I needed any more proof of this boat's mission, the engine compartment said it all. Inside reposed a 320-hp MerCruiser 6.2-liter V-8 fitted with a belt-driven Procharger supercharger and a Bravo One XZ sterndrive spinning a four-blade, stainless steel prop. This hull/power train marriage had the Hydrolift gamboling in the gray-bearded seas as gracefully as Bambi in a meadow. Not once did I experience a slam, even when going wide-open through a six-footer. We were pulling breakneck 180s in conditions that would have had other boats of this breed screaming for a tow. Essentially, it showed all the advantages of a serious deep-V craft and few of the cons. Even when riding the crests in a cross-breeze, there was little chine walk and no slip; the handling was exceptional.

This version of the S-24R is bred for fun. But, if you want a great yacht tender, Hydrolift builds the same hull and power combination in a RIB. I ran that version, too. Same thrills, same performance—yet at slow speed you can bounce off things harmlessly. It doesn't get better than that. Leave the five-point harnesses and helmets to the gold chain set; they'll need them when they try to catch up to the Hydrolift S-24R.

©Motor Boating Magazine, June 2004

Other Sea Trials featured this month:

• Cabo 40 Express
• Rampage 34 Express
• Maxum 3100 SE
• Azimut 50
• Sea Ray 48

Electronics Archive

• More Electronics from past issues.