Boat test for the 2007 Sparkman & Stephens with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2007 Sparkman & Stephens.

I was impressed with her speed and range, but the 65's handling was equally outstanding. Power-assisted Hynautic hydraulic steering enabled me to turn the 65 like a professional skater making figure-eights—although my figure-eights were done at about 37 mph. Predacious maneuvered like a boat half her size, with the rudders reacting instantly to the movement of the wheel. Such active boat handling is encouraged by clean views ahead through the three four-foot-high glass panels and a trim angle that never rose above 3.5 degrees. I did note that at higher speeds the bow tended to slightly rise and fall, and I wondered if her center of balance needed to be shifted a bit forward to keep her running level at these speeds. Greg Matzat, chief naval architect for Sparkman & Stephens, agreed she might be a little light forward or even a bit heavier aft, perhaps due at least partly to the way her owner loaded her. However, a little tab dropped her bow and allowed her fine foresections to do their work in a seaway. Adding to her stability as her fuel load varies is the fact that her three fuel tanks (one 800-gallon and two 600-gallon) are over her center of gravity.

Finishing up my wheel time was tough, as the flat-calm conditions on Biscayne Bay were conducive for all-day, high-speed cruising. But all good things must come to end, so I turned the wheel back over to the owner and gazed at the openness of the saloon with its abundant, seamlessly grain-matched cherry in both high-gloss and satin finish, accented by the granite in the U-shape galley. The modern Miele appliances, Raymarine E120 displays, and quiet electronic diesels reminded me it was 2006, but the wood's warmth and varnished dorade boxes on the trunk cabin transported me back to that Downeaster I grew up on. This day on the water took me to the end of my own rainbow: my on-the-water childhood. And if one day aboard could have that effect on me, I can only imagine what awaits the owners of this one-of-a-kind cruiser.

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