INDEPENDENT BOAT TEST RESULTS |
| || Back to Boat Test Index || |
January 1998 by Dave Mull |
| Consider deck boats as pontoons with an attitude--they're just as roomy, and their speedier, more versatile and more readily available with I/O power.
While testing the brand new Hurricane FunDeck 232 from Godfrey Marine, one of the early deckboat companies, we sure learned a lot. For one thing, we no longer feel this style of vessel is an annoying fiberglass barge run by people who know nothing about boats. We also learned just how nice a deckboat can be. Our Hurricane 232 I/O was paired with a 5.0 MerCruiser with the Alpha outdrive, and delivered a smooth, comfortable ride that's pure stability. And it was no barge when it came to performance and handling. Plus, this roomy platform was more comfortably "fishable" than most boats designated as fish-ski hybrids. We don't mean to make disparaging remarks about pontoons, which are still among our favorite watercraft. It's just that the latest generations of deckboats, such as the 232, perform and look better. According to Godfrey Marine officials, pontoons are no longer the main competition for decks. "We originally got into the deckboat business because we thought the deckboats from other companies were a threat to our pontoons, which we'd made since the 1950's," said John Deputy, who, with his brother Mike, met me for our test run on Diamond Lake, not far from the company's plant in Elkhart, Indiana. "Now we think deckboats are more of a threat to runabouts." The Deputy's work in marketing and research and development for the family business. ("We call ourselves 'corporate volunteers,'" quipped Mike.) They said that the 232's main market--like all Godfrey deckboats--is the southeastern United States, with big recent gains in the Midwest. Godfrey itself has strong Midwestern roots, starting in the industrial conveyor business back in 1919, entering the boat business in the 1950s. Among their firsts were all aluminum pontoons, introduced in 1958. Pontoons are still Godfrey's largest business, selling them under the brand names Sanpan, Aqua Patio, Sweetwater and Parti Kraft. That said, John Deputy was quick to point out that deckboats, which the company makes in lengths from 17 feet to 24 feet long, are the most rapidly growing segment of their business. Other boat brands under the Godfrey umbrella are Polar Kraft aluminum fishing boats, Polar Skiff utility boats. The FunDeck we tested was 23 feet long with an 8-foot, 6-inch beam. Notable among many features was the one-piece, self-bailing deck with scuppers, making it ideal for leaving in the water at a lake cottage. It is also saltwater-ready, with stainless steel used throughout. Godfrey uses fiberglass-encapsulated wood stringers and gives the hull a five-year warranty, with a three-year warranty on carpets and vinyl. The vinyl upholstery was one of the first striking things we noticed--it's designed to drain water immediately into gutters built into the molded seats. The material is 30-ounce "expanded" vinyl, and the upholstery is made in-house to monitor quality. Another boon to easy maintenance is the snap-out carpeting, which makes it a cinch to keep the interior clean. Rated to carry 12 people, this boat could fit six in the bow area quite comfortably. The whole floor plan makes this boat one big lounge area, with a sofa wrapping all the way around from the starboard-side galley to the port-side transom entryway that leads to the swim platform. The galley has a stainless steel sink, trash holder, recessed cup holders and cooler.
The helm is wider than those found on most boats of this size--the console has a small room inside that's intended for changing clothes. The door to this enclosure is on the side of the console. This changing room also accommodates a porta-potti. At 6'2" and 250 pounds, I was glad I didn't have to change in this space, but I could have--probably with only mild contortions. There's even a porthole and a small electric light inside. Instrumentation on our test boat included all the standards: voltmeter, speedo, oil pressure, temp gauge. Ours also had an optional Hummingbird flasher that didn't work at higher speeds, probably because the transducer was installed on the outside of the transom instead of in the bilge where it could shoot through the hull. An hourmeter is also available. The console had ample space to mount more electronics to the right of the steering wheel. The AM/FM radio with cassette in the console had two speakers. One feature not often seen on boats was the 232's removable windshield, which facilitated cleaning the console top. An optional compass fits nicely on the rounded dash between the windshield and console. There is storage under all the sofas and in a large floor compartment that could handle skis, wakeboards and fishing rods. Highlighting the potential for pure fun, this boat has swim ladders fore and aft. We really liked the design of these ladders, which telescoped open and closed so that they could fold flat underneath hatches on both the front and rear swim platforms when not in use.
Although our test boat didn't have it, an optional fishing package adds a livewell, two swiveling fishing chairs and a trolling motor plug to the front deck. Powered by the optional 5.0 MerCruiser with the Alpha outdrive--the 4.3 liter is standard--the boat pretty much performed like a 4,000-pound deckboat. If there's one compromise to the deckboat design, it's that a lot of the hull surface is in the water, causing drag and keeping the speed down. We peeked at 44 mph, assisted by the wind, three of us aboard and a half-full tank of gas. That said, with all the hull surface, plane time is almost immediate, and the nose of the boat barely rises as the boat as the boat comes out of the hole. This boat is great for skiing and wakeboarding, with a good compromise wake--fairly flat, but with enough ridge for a wakeboarder to do some tricks when the boat is moving at about 25 mph. It took the boat more than six seconds to get to 25 mph, and all of 18.4 seconds to reach top speed. Although that kind of performance won't be setting any speed records, the wide boat handled exceedingly well in turns, thanks in part to the standard power steering. Access to the engine was a cinch through the rear engine cover, which was insulated with convoluted foam, keeping engine noise to a minimum. Routine checks of oil would be simple. The battery was easily accessible through a hatch on the starboard side of the swim platform, and there was room for installing more batteries in that area if an electric trolling motor were to be part of the package. In all, this boat exhibited great design and handling. Although the 232 I/O might not beat many runabouts with similar power in a race, it would certainly beat all of them in useable space and just maybe in pure fun.
Performance
Ski tow bar/eye OPTIONAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
Livewell with pump Noted for its superior power-to-weight ratio and outstanding value, the new-generation 5.0L utilizes GM's Gen+ block, high-flow cylinder heads, roller cam engine design and and one-piece serpentine belt system. The 240-hp fuel-injected version of the 5.0L features an advanced water-cooled fuel system, while the 220-hp carburated version features Merc's Thunderbolt V ignition. For more information, call MerCruiser at 800-624-2499. Boat Specifications |
Standard Equipment Includes:
stern cockpit table 
Long popular among pleasure cruisers, Merc's small-block V-8 engines cover the spectrum from 220 to 300 horsepower. For 1998,
Merc reintroduced a perennial favorite, the 5.0L in both carburated and fuel-injected versions.
| Length Beam Draft Weight Fuel Base Price |
23'2" 8'6" 1' 3,980 lbs. 61 gals. $24,000 approx. with Merc 5.0L |
| Back to Boat Test Index || Top of Page |