A professional rib, even in the name: the Nuova Jolly 800 Pro has a seaworthy hull and much space aboard, making it ideal for holiday resorts and diving schools. And more…
We tested the first unit just some days before it took off for Caribe: final destination, a holiday resort, to become the best water shuttle between the small islands of the archipelago The choice couldn’t be better, for this Nuova Jolly 800 Pro: it’s been selected for one of the mission where it’ll perform better. The sturdy construction, the dark grey tubular, and the large space aboard make it all ideal to transport tourists and live its versatility.
The Caribbean sea (but the Med as well…) can be annoying sometimes, so the deep-V hull will allow to face even bad conditions safely, especially with a powertrain such as the one we tested: twin Mercury 150 EFI outboards. We also recall that this model has been used during the Genoa Boat Show, as a support boat for the final stage of the “Audi tron Sailing Series 2014”, thanks to the technical partnership between the Shipyard and the Championship.
The Deck of Nuova Jolly 800 Pro
It’s hard to desire more versatility and rationality. The target is clearly to host as many passengers as possible, within the maximum capability which is 16. But it’s also possible to use the 800 Pro for gaming, so the cockpit boasts tilting benches to leave all the space for fishermen and their gear. With benches in place and padding on the handrails the cockpit will turn into a dinette, although at the moment a table is not considered (but it will be easy to mount). With a center piece, anyway, the area becomes a solarium. The engine bay at the transom and the two swim platforms provide teak decking and add elegance to the whole.
The wheelhouse clusters the engine instruments and the GPS screen on the top dark half; the rest of the switches are on the lower white part. A simple design and a narrow structure have been conceived to leave space for the passageways and the hardtop. The latter, made of thick SS pipes, is also a safe handrail, whose structure can be finished with rod holders and cockpit lights. The tubular features reinforcing patches on the access corners and an antiskid fascia through the whole length, on both sides, so it can be used as a seat without being slippery.
The foredeck boasts some benches, easily removable or transformable into a sun bed with a central piece. The cushions are just a little, and even the storage underneath the seat is not that large, while the area under the helm station hosts the 300 lt fuel tank. Another tilting seat is just ahead of the pilot house; while at the extreme bow there’s a fiberglass structure for the anchor winch and the chain (accessible thru a hatch). There’s even a small platform for front mooring and dives.
Mercury FourStroke 150 EFI, forefather of a species
“Target of our designers was to build the most reliable 4-stroke outboard in the world, in its segment of power”. Given this premise, Mercury started with a clean sheet and came to the 150 EFI. Large displacement (3 liters), four pots, just two valves per cylinder, and an original power of 250 HP reduced to 150 making it very reliable. Along with that, one of the lowest weights in the class (206 Kg) and small size. Thanks to an easily removable cowling, maintenance is simple, at least for oil change or fuel filter replacement. The distribution doesn’t need any adjustment.
The test of Nuova Jolly 800 Pro
On a flat lake I have to provide my own waves. So I can realize the seaworthy hull that shows a smooth impact at every speed and any direction. I pass to the second test: veering port and starboard, at increasing speed. No problem with steadiness and safety, jut the mechanic throttle lever is a bit hard to move, as opposed to an extremely light power-assisted rudder wheel.
Acceleration is impressive, especially with 19” propellers: the two Mercury units take the 800 Pro to planing in just 2,8 seconds and to 30 knots in 6. It’s better to hold tight, because the pace increases up to 46 knots to 5600 rpm. Over 3000 revs I suggest working with the trims, to improve efficiency and the speed/consumption ratio. A cruise speed of 30 knots at 4000 rpm sees the outboards burning 50 lph totally, that drop to only 15 at 11 knots and 1900 revs. Below that the hull stops planing, but it’s positively slow indeed.
A good match between an excellent rib and two very good engines. I believe that it would be enough to mount two new Mercury 115 EFI, saving money and keeping good performance. Of course, it also depends on the usage: with 15 passengers ready to dive in the Caribe 300 HP are surely the best choice.
Technical features
Length overall 8,00 mt (26 ft 3 in)
Beam 3,00 mt (9 ft 7 in)
Tubular diameter 60-42 cm (23.6 – 16.5 in)
Chambers 6
Passengers 16
Weight1 350 Kg
Max power 350 HP
CE certification B
Performance
1000 rpm 5,2 knots 6.0 mph 7,8 lph 2.1 gph 67 db
1500 rpm 6,8 knots 7.8 mph 10,8 lph 2.85 gph 71 db
2000 rpm 10,4 knots 12.0 mph 17,0 lph 4.5 gph 76 db
2500 rpm 16,7 knots 19.2 mph 22,4 lph 5.9 gph 79 db
3000 rpm 22,2 knots 25.5 mph 28,0 lph 7.4 gph 80 db
3500 rpm 26,2 knots 30.1 mph 37,0 lph 9.8 gph 82 db
4000 rpm 31,5 knots 36.2 mph 48,0 lph 12.7 gph 84 db
4500 rpm 36,3 knots 41.8 mph 62,0 lph 16.4 gph 85 db
5000 rpm 40,0 knots 46.0 mph 77,2 lph 20.4 gph 88 db
5500 rpm 43,6 knots 50.2 mph 90,4 lph 23.9 gph 88 db
5900 rpm 46,3 knots 53.3 mph 109,0 lph 28.8 gph 89 db
Test conditions
Calm sea, temperature 18° C (64° F). fuel 80 lt (21 US gal), fresh water empty, passengers 2, clean hull
Price
Nuova Jolly 800 Pro, without engine€ 43,800 + VAT
Visit Nuova Jolly Marine website
Visit Mercury Marine website
