New Formula 500 SSC | Outer Reef 700 | Sharrow Marine - 12/08/20

BoatTEST Newsletter December 8, 2020 

New Captain's Report

Formula 500 Super Sport Crossover:

New Flagship Advances the Genre

The Formula 500 SSC has an LOA of 53’4” (16.26 m) with a beam of 14’6” (4.42 m).

Formula Boat’s new 500 Super Sport Crossover is the next evolution in the company’s popular breed of do-everything, go-anywhere outboard-powered boat. She has no fewer than seven venues for social interaction, a 71-sq.-ft. (6.6 sq. m) stern platform with water access to both sides and four locations for cocktails or dining. Below, she has a large dining banquette/bed, a master cabin with queen bed and sofa, a second galley and a full head. She comes standard with a 16-kW diesel generator, a Seakeeper 9 gyro stabilizer, 64,000 BTUs of reverse-cycle A/C, radar, full electronics and a Mercury Joystick to harness five 400-hp Mercury Verado engines. She’s a combination day boat and express cruiser without much compromise. Her rugged build means she can go anywhere owners can find fuel for her 650-gallon (2,460 L) tank.



She was spawned by the immense popularity of the Formula 430 SSC, which was launched in 2017. She seemed huge when we first saw her, but now picture the new 500 SSC, which is 10’ (3.04 m) longer and 2.5’ (.76 m) wider. At 41,000 lbs. (18,636 kg), she has 64% more displacement.



The new Formula 500 SSC is a world-class vessel that should be at home anywhere in the world. The first one launches in February 2021, and we’ll be testing her then. But, those seriously interested shouldn’t wait for our test video and inspection, as production is limited, and the buzz in boating circles will be starting today. More...

 

Features Video

Outer Reef 700:

Built for the Long Haul/2,200 NM @ 8 Kts.

Outer Reef builds its 700 like the proverbial tank. But her integrity comes not from sheer bulk, which is expensive to haul around, but from smart building techniques. To add structural integrity, all athwartships furniture extends past the finished joiner bulkheads and terminates at the hullsides, where it’s bonded in place with fiberglass tabs. This adds strength and creates a monolithic structure. The boat isn’t pulled from the mold until all the structural bulkheads and tanks are installed. That prevents hull distortion, which will lower the perceived value on the used boat market. After the hull is removed, it lives in a steel cradle until launching. At 8 knots, she has 2,200-nm range.

More...

 

Boating Business

Sharrow Marine To Build Facility in Detroit

The Sharrow propeller is designed to improve fuel efficiency and performance throughout all rpm ranges.

Because of the overwhelming number of orders that Sharrow Marine has been receiving for its new revolutionary loop props — which will start shipping next month — it has decided to locate its manufacturing, customer service and new-prop development headquarters to Detroit, MI. According to CEO Greg Sharrow, this will allow his company to respond quickly to needs of the marketplace, give his engineers on-site inspection and provide quality control and rapid turnaround of custom orders. More...

 

Test Video

Mako 236 CC:

New, Improved and Ready to Fish

The new Mako 236 CC is a big improvement on the old 234 CC that Mako built for years, a boat that was hailed as the second coming when she was first launched. The new boat comes standard with a Garmin GPSMap 8610 multifunction display, a canvas T-top with an integrated electronics box, two 22-gallon (84.23-L) livewells and a hullside door. For cruising, there’s seating on the front of the console and cushions in the bow. Note the crease in the hullside, which adds a distinctive element for style.

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Virtual Boat Show

Greenline 45 Fly:

Designed to Cruise off the Grid

The Greenline 45 Fly is designed for sustainable long-distance cruising with two “electric machines” that become either a motor or a generator, depending on what is needed. This allows the yacht to alternate between the motor for propulsion and the generator under diesel power for electrical generation. In this way, the boat can keep running for days with fewer stops for fuel. When she does tie-up for the night, plugging to shore power tops off her lithium-ion batteries to get a jump on the next days’ electrical travel. Her 300-amp solar panels molded into the coach roof are icing on the cake and can keep the A/C, refrigerators and freezers running without the need for shower power or a conventional generator.

More...

 

Boating News of the Week: Episode #32

General Motors says it will have 30 new electric vehicles on the market by 2025, which will account for 40% of its production. Volvo Penta, the largest supplier of diesel engines to the boating industry, plans for its truck engines to be all-electric in the next decade. At least four companies are marketing electric outboards, and this is just the beginning. Just wait until Mercury and Yamaha get involved. Find out what’s going on and how it could change your boating future. More...

Episode #32 All BTR Episodes

 

Photo of the Day

"A great day on board."

We – and our 160,000 newsletter readers – want to see your boating photos and videos! Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your submission in our newsletter.

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Expert Boating

OOOPS!!!

They Should Have Watched Smart Boating!

Sometimes it's not what you know, but what you've forgotten. We have the perfect solution for you.

Based on the feedback we've been getting about BoatTEST.com's Video Boating Course, it's clearly not only for beginners but for veteran boaters as well. Perhaps that is why the NMMA started promoting the course after just one look. It's the most complete boating course available... period. Order your 4-disc box set...

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