revolver-44gt

44GT: a good shot for Revolver Boats

The logo says it all: she’s a gun in your hands. Performance lives up to expectations, but you need to be careful.

“The core concept underlying the new Revolver 44GT is the idea of transferring the qualities of a Grand Turismo (GT) car to the sea. The result is an elite, high performance vessel with exciting sporty lines, comfort and safety, and an optimal range for long crossings”.

This is the presentation of a boat whose ambition is to become the McLaren (GT road car) of the sea, an exclusive car in limited edition. And surely it will be a limited edition for the Revolver 44 as well, dedicated to a small number of passionate boaters. People who are used to thrilling emotions, but also skilled for piloting such a boat. She’s not easy, and disappointment (and/or risk) can be behind the corner.

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The test of 44GT

I never appreciated surface drives on pleasure boats: surely they perform good on offshore races, but they’re also dangerous and difficult to manage: that’s why I’ve never seen the point of using them on cruising vessels. This idea stays in my mind while I reach the new, amazing Yacht Club de Monaco where the Revolver 44 GT is waiting for me. The visual impact is impressive, already tells of something different. But let’s leave the look for later and let’s start immediately our test.

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The seats for driver and passengers are comfortable but sporty, like in a Ferrari (or in a Class 1 offshore). 550 HP per engine may seem not too many, but light-composite construction take the power to weight ratio to an excellent figure. On the dashboard, all the instruments are digital, with the rev counter a bit too small for a good reading. Command for trim tabs and trimming of the drives (fundamental with Arneson propellers) are on the steering column, but not integral with the wheel. When you have to tune the balance so often for the top performance, tying them up to the rim would have been better.

In many years with offshore racing I’ve seen boats unable to get to the plane and start too late (if not even retire). With the Revolver 44 GT the risk is the same: without carefully working on the setup the props cavitate and 50 knots are a dream (but even 10). You need the sensitivity to gently take the boat to planing, or you’ll find yourself cruising at 8 knots while the engines rev at 3000 rpm and the fuel is burned at 200 liters per hour. With our best care we move in displacement at 9.5 knots, 2500 rpm, for over 100 lph, another 300 revs and we finally get out of the water. Acceleration is then compelling and in a range of just 500 revolutions (helped by trim regulations) I speed up from 10 to 50.5 knots.

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It’s better to stay focused: the surface drives, and in particular Arneson that turn with all their arms, don’t allow for any distraction, especially on such a performing boat which doesn’t give an innate steadiness due to her shape. The sensation is fantastic though, the cabin offers the same protection of an offshore boat and turns at 45 knots are precise and immediate. Some lightness from the wheel tells me not to risk too much, so I find a good cruising speed at over 30 knots. When I try to reach the minimum planing speed, and I get down to 22 knots at 2000 rpm with the engines burning 100 liters per hour.

The deck of 44 GT

Everything on the Revolver 44 Gt is designed to astonish: starting with the rounded deck sides and the sleek superstructure that protects six single seats for the passengers. There’s no sun bed on the foredeck (who would like to lay there at 40 knots, I wonder…), instead it hosts three skylights that let the sun enter the cabin below. The passageways are not very inviting either, due to the rounded shape of the sides: sure they have a captivating look, but they’re not very practical when side-docking.

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The back “cockpit” features a comfortable sunpad, very well protected by the extension of the deck house. To the stern, a tilting element gives access to the head, while in navigation the shape is sleek and tapered for the best racing look. A good half of the roof is made by a sliding glass, which combines to a vertical window that scrolls down to open (and close) the deck.

The interiors of 44 GT

While describing the helm station, I forgot to mention the perfectly ergonomic position of the throttle levers, on a central mount between the front seats. This means that there isn’t a proper companionway, but two staircases on the sides of the pilot station, which also contains the head. This is a smart idea from Alberto Mancini, yacht designer, whose touch can be found all around the boat. As for the rest, the solutions are quite traditional and reassuring. The layout features a dinette transformable in a double bed for the night, provided that the owner of the Revolver would feel the need to sleep aboard…

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Technical features
 of 44 GT

Length overall 13,40 mt (43 ft 11 in)
Length hull LH 12,65 mt (41 ft 6 in)
Beam 3,57 mt (11 ft 8 in)
Draft 0,60 mt (2 ft)
Displacement 8400 Kg
Engines 2×550 Cummins QSC 6.7
Fuel tanks 1.200 lt (317 US gal)
Fresh water tank 140 lt (37 US gal)
Berths 2

Performance
1000 rpm 7,6 kn 8.6 mph 22 l/h 5.8 gph 75 db
1500 rpm 8,6 kn 9.9 mph 50 l/h 13.2 gph 79 db
2000 rpm 9,0 kn 10.4 mph 77 l/h 20.3 gph 80 db
2500 rpm 9,5 kn 11 mph 106 l/h 28 gph 83 db
3000 rpm 48,5 kn 55.8 mph 196 l/h 51.8 gph 88 db
3200 rpm 50,5 kn 58.1 mph 212 l/h 56 gph 90 db

Range (10% reserve)
2000 rpm ……………… 14h10min
2500 rpm ……………… 10h20min
3000 rpm ……………… 5h30min

Test conditions
Calm sea, temperature 28° C (82 ° F)
Fuel 1.000 lt (264 US gal)
Water 140 lt (37 US gal)
Passengers 5
Clean hull

Price and engines
Cummins QSC 6.7 2×550 HP € 800.000 (provisional)

Visit Revolver Boats website

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