SMALL BOAT TEST FORCE F23

WITH a half a metre of multi-directional wind chop stirring up the waters of Sydney Harbour I was starting to question my earlier decision to take a seat in this 23-foot performance boat that was now pulling close to 75mph straight into the teeth of the stiff breeze. The hull dance across the surface with what seemed like only the propeller in the water &m dash; we were literally flying.

What made the situation worse was only day before I had watched the video footage of boat building and racing legend, Bill Barry-Cotter, flipping his new boat Maritimo at high speed during the Austrian Grand Prix. Was that to be our fate?

Actually, I felt quite safe and even resisted the temptation to grab the “bejesus” bars positioned in front of the passenger’s seat. When you are seated next to a driver of Rod Bickerton’s calibre — one of Australia’s most successful ski racers and ski boat designers and manufacturers — and he’s grinning like a Cheshire cat, what’s there to worry about.

I had driven the boat earlier and while I did stick the boot into here for a short while, pushing her up to a bit over 60mph, I hadn’t had the time to become fully acquainted with the capabilities of the hull, especially in rough conditions. And besides, when it’s not your boat and you only have a short while to put it though it’s paces. Most boat testers tend not to push the envelope to the point where it might tear. What I did note when driving the boat was how extremely stable it was, the way it sliced through the water cleanly and the way it tracked straight and corrected its own running attitude even after flying off a wave.

So, during the speed-to-rpm runs — I record actual speeds with a GPS — when Rod hit the “WOT” speed of 76mph, I knew I could trust his driving ability and his familiarity with this hull’s capabilities. Rod has been driving boats since he was four years old and racing competitively for 18 years. And since he was a small boy he dreamed of designing and building ski boats for a living. Then, with the trade qualifications under his belt and years of driving, racing and skiing experience behind him, in 1995 he designed the first F18. It took him three years to perfect the design and performance of the hull before producing a record-breaking machiene — the F18 holds both the 2003 Grafton and Sydney Bridge to Bridge records. With the knowledge gained form developing the F18 it was an easy transition to the bigger 23-foot F23.

Pretty girl, pretty boat.

Working in a small factory on his property on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, Rod and his wife Kelly, built the F23 prototype, a hull they could test first; then, make the mould after it had been perfected.

The deck of the F23 wouldn’t need changing, so the deck plug was built from craft wood then filled and sprayed before moulding. But the prototype hull would need changing many times.

Rod shaped the chines, transom setback, running plank, lifting foils, strakes, shaved edges and the likes, before spraying the hull with a thick filler and rubbing it back to make sure the hull was straight and true. The prototype was then tested for speed and handling, on rough and smooth water. On the river, down in Sydney Harbour and out to sea in all conditions. Different loads, weight distribution, balance, one skier; then three skier — nothing was left to chance.

So, what did I have to worry about? Doing 76mph across half a metre or more of chop was child’s play for the F23. It was fun.

So, what’s the secret to this boat’s exceptional handling abilities? It’s no secret, just clever design. And the harder you drive it the better it performs. I’ll try to describe the hull in laymans terms. Look at the accompanying photos and you’ll notice the foredeck “stoop” downwards. It doesn’t detract from the boat’s looks, it improves them and makes her look fast even when she’s standing still. But it’s real job is far more than cosmetic. It also acts as an airfoil, which forces the bow down at high speed.

250hp of Yamaha gruntreally got the F23 singing.

The bow entry is extremely sharp and the chines start right at the bow, widening as they extend towards the transom where they form — semi-tunnels between their outer edges and the keel. They do an excellent job maintaining directional stability, generating lift and throwing spray down and away from the hull.

There are two strakes and both — like the chines — are “stepped”. This helps control spray, but it also breaks the water’s surface tension — less friction, greater speed.

The deadrise at the transom is 21 degrees and the transom has a 10 inch setback, which increases water pressure to create less cavitation and generates more lift. There are also outer steps extending from the transom down each side of the outboard. These help the hull onto the plane and increase the hull’s planing surface at speed. They also help stabilise the hull if it flies off a wave. If the hull comes down transom-first, the steps are the first to make contact with the water, which throws the bow down and corrects the running angle. So that’s why he was smiling, I really didn’t have to worry about the boat flipping as we continued to fly off the wind driven chop during these flying speed-rpm-runs.

Great conditions on Sydney Harbour for high speed runs, but then the winds came.

There’s also a “planing flat” that continues most of the way along the keel, so it was easy to figure out why this boat rocketed out of the hole in what seemed like less that a second. Suffice to say with all these pluses going for it, Rod and Kelly have created a high speed, top performance machine that is also a great ski boat. But this boat is also one of the best harbour day boats I have ever driven. Nothing the harbour threw at it could phase it. Not only does the F23 have the performance and handling, but the hull is also super tough. The F23 hull is hand-laid fibre-glass over a balsa core, while the decks are vacuum–bagged fibreglass over a foam core to reduce weight. There are five stringers encapsulated in fibreglass and the deck and hull fibreglassed together for added strength. The transom has also been heavily beefed up to support outboard motors from 200 to 300hp.

Low head room may make some feel claustrophobic

To help the F23 fulfil its day boat role there is a large double berth under the foredeck. While it’s a bit of a squeeze getting in, once on the bed it’s quite comfortable. The cabin is fully lined and has shelving down each side At the helm, full instrumentation is mounted in the carbon fibre dash, The Momo steering wheel and foot throttle adds a touch of class and the heavily padded driver’s seat is fully adjustable. Like most day boats there’s drink holders everywhere, the cockpit is carpeted, the rear lounge is removable and the side coamings are padded and comfortable to lean against.

Rod has also fitted a carbon fibre deflector strip across the top of the dash, which does a top job of ensuring all and sundry don’t get continually hammered by the slip stream when cruising, or should I say flying around.

The standard features and options are extensive; suffice to say if you can put it in, or on, a ski/day boat, I’ll bet it’s there. Things like pop-up fender cleats, a fridge, six –stacker CD with 200 watt sub-woofer – the list goes on and on. Underfloor locker, deep side pockets and cleverly designed lockers in the steps on either side of the motor.

But not only do Force Boats build the boats, they also build the excellent custom trailers the boats sit on. The trailer is fully galvanised with black gel fibre mudguards and is two-pack, etch primed and painted.

The tandem trailer also has two curved axels, so the boat’s hull fits into the trailer as opposed to on it.

Fault, I wouldn’t call it a fault, but the throttle cable runs from the pedal across and under the driver’s seat. There is a slight chance the driver may catch their toes under it. I pointed this out to Rod who assures me he would rectify the routing problem.

Slip, slop, slap is definitely the way to go on days like this.

Rod and Kelly have left nothing to chance building this boat and the result is an excellent, soft riding ski/day boat that I’d have no qualms about running up the coast if I had to. And, you’d better believe it would be fast. Stylish lines, excellent workmanship, quality fixtures and fittings, outstanding performance and inherent safety, what more could you ask for from a 23-foot ski boat that was also designed as an all-water day boat.

If you’re looking for a high sped harbour boat, the F23 is well worth a look. Prices start at $57,000, while the fully optioned test boat cost closer to $80,000.

For further information contact Rod or Kelly at Force Boats on telephone (02) 4575 4038.