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On our test boat the
platform was empty, but there was still a RIB onboard, deflated and stowed
in a transom garage that’s big enough for a PWC. The hydraulic remote-controlled
passerelle to starboard can double as a davit to launch tenders and toys.
Of course, these generous
dimensions wouldn’t be nearly so significant if the boat weren’t
fast, too. We ran trials in the open Atlantic off Turnberry with a light
offshore wind and seas of just a foot or so. With Darren Datson, Pershing’s
service manager, at the helm, twin optional 1,050-hp MAN diesels propelled
the boat to just two-tenths shy of 55 mph at WOT (2300 rpm). At 2000 rpm
we cruised at 41 mph on the nose, giving us a range of more than 350 miles
from the 711-gallon fuel capacity.
How does the 52 manage
this? A number of factors make contributions. First, of course, were the
MAN D2840LE403s, which surpassed the standard twin 800-hp MANs by a total
of 500 hp. Now there’s added scale for you. Second, although the
52’s hull bottom is solid fiberglass, her sides as well as her deck
and superstructure are cored with closed-cell PVC to keep weight down
and make it easier to lift more of the 21-degree-deadrise deep-V form
out of the water. And finally, like all Pershings longer than 45 feet,
the 52 has a little something extra under the water, too: Arneson surface
drives, which are famous for boosting top speed by reducing running-gear
drag.
The thrill of driving
this scaled-up express was considerable. With some instruction from Datson
on trimming the drives for cruising speeds and turns, I ran the coast
for a while, doubling back now and then in true-tracking, dramatically
banked turns tight enough that I had to move fast to dodge our own angry
wake. Visibility forward was unobstructed, and aft I had a wide-open expanse.
But during turns I found myself (at about six feet) crouching a bit to
get a good look through the side windows, which narrow as they sweep forward.
Our decibel readings
at these speeds were, for the most part, typical of fast open boats, on
which the rush of wind and water plays a role. But at 2000 rpm we did
spike to 91 dB-A–65 dB-A is the level of normal conversation–mainly,
I suspect, due to the vibration of a strange, triangular "chart holder"
that Datson said would have made more sense to me if I’d seen the
size of certain European chart books. Back at the dock, after Datson had
proved the Arnesons’ close-quarters operation in a flawless landing,
I had a closer look at the curious sheet of hinged Plexiglas and determined
it would be easy to remove without affecting the cockpit’s attractiveness.
Other items at the helm
were much more substantial. An extensive custom electronics package, assembled
by Concorde Marine Electronics of Fort Lauderdale, which works closely
with Pershing, included a Northstar 952X GPS, Furuno NavNet radar/chartplotter,
Navigator autopilot, and Raymarine 430 loudhailer.
When it came time to
drop down into the engine room through a 26"x32" hatch in the cockpit
sole, I was afraid I’d find the one space onboard that didn’t
match the 52’s general scale. But as I stood nearly erect in the
wide ally between the MANs, I learned otherwise. I worked my way outboard
of the diesels without much trouble and, once there, found more that two
feet of working space inboard of the hull sides. All the major noisemakers
were quarantined here, including a 10-kW Kohler genset in a soundshield
and handlers for the 32,000-BTU Marine Air air conditioning. Among other
considerate touches, lighting was well placed and the air-conditioning
pumps were mounted high on the forward bulkhead for on-your-feet servicing.
In the final analysis,
it’s not so strange that ideas about sculpture would occur to me
onboard a Pershing. The Italian builder’s sweeping lines epitomize
the radically formal European styling that has transformed the appearance
of yachts worldwide. But it would be a serious error to go too far in
comparing the 52 to statues. I mean, c’mon. This thing really moves.
Pershing Yachts
Phone: (305) 637-8885. Fax: (305) 637-1077. www.pershing-yacht.com.
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