The hull makes navigating easy and the Sport Touring version has an extra room under the console. So, you can enjoy a day at sea with no problems
by Niccolò Volpati
THE RIB DIVISION OF RANIERI INTERNATIONAL WAS CREATED A FEW YEARS BACK. It is fairly young, but can already boast a large number of models with a range of set-ups. That is thanks to the continuing investment of the yard at Soverato to renovate and extend its range of RIBs.
The 23.0 Sport Touring is one of the new products for 2022. What is the difference between the Sport Touring version and the 23.0 Sport? The deck is slightly different in that under the dashboard there is room for a small WC. But the hull is the same. In Genoa, I had the chance to try it out in fairly tough conditions and thus to appreciate it even further. The 23.0 doesn’t have any redans, let’s say that it is more “traditional” and doesn’t have any steps, although the yard uses them a lot and they are practically a company hallmark. But in this case, the sides are smooth, without any indentations, from stern to bow. There is a 175 horsepower Suzuki on the transom, which is about halfway between the minimum recommended of 100 hp, and the maximum, which is 250.
Sport Touring is the version with a small room underneath the console which you reach from the door forward of the bridge house.
The DF 175 Suzuki engine is fairly large, and the full 2,867 horsepower makes itself felt quickly. It is outboard with a lot of torque and indeed we started to plane in less than three seconds. The sea outside the harbour wall wasn’t especially comfortable. There were long waves, which were dying down after the south wind of the previous day and another group of shorter and steeper waves joined them, because of the north wind that started to blow in the early morning. What resulted was cross waves of over half a metre with at least ten knots of wind, gusting at fourteen.
But the hull of the 23.0 behaved extremely well and showed it isn’t affected by that kind of condition. Non just because it accelerates and starts planing in very few seconds, but also because it manages to fend off the waves well without getting too out of shape. It has no problem taking them on the bow, diagonally, or on the beam. Even if one isn’t too careful, the boat doesn’t struggle. I became aware of it because a multi-function plotter with all of the figures that I needed hasn’t been fitted yet.
The hull handled extremely well, even with rough sea. It doesn’t suffer from it, and that means you can be relaxed at the helm because it never gets into trouble.
Cayman 23.0 Sport Touring is completely new and was brought to the Boat Show without yet having all of the electronics that you can install.
To check speed, fuel consumption and sound, I had to check the three different tools that I took with me. The logical outcome is that I didn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to how I was handling the boat. I couldn’t concentrate on the direction of the waves and on how best to deal with them, and despite that, it wasn’t particularly stressful. Once I had finished the readings, I managed to concentrate more and further appreciate the seafaring qualities of the hull. I found myself in a situation in which how you applied the power of the engine was important. Accelerating and decelerating is important in taking on the rough sea. The thrust from the 175-horsepower Suzuki was perfect for that. You just have to open up the throttle a bit, and the outboard immediately reacts and so the RIB was never in danger of heeling over in the waves. The steering isn’t particularly soft, but the boat is nevertheless agile. It turns without any problem, doesn’t cavitate and doesn’t lose power even when turning tightly.
It has another characteristic that can’t be taken for granted: is that it is a very dry boat. The gusts made it one of those winds which can easily produce a lot of spray on deck. But there was nothing. The hull cuts through the waves well, the tubes and the rubbing strake, keeping the spray from the bow wave a good distance away from the deck. Even the cockpit stayed dry: there was no blow-back of vapour from the spray. Looking at the bow wave, it always seemed very clean, which was a reflection of the fact that the waterlines are simple and effective.
The amount of power we had, in my opinion, was the right amount. The transom can even take a 250 hp engine, but frankly, 175 hp seemed more than enough to me. The conditions meant that we got to 5500 rpm, but it felt like even more. With a calm sea and if we had the trim mechanism with us to get the right pitch, and without any hurry, we would have done a bit more still. But in any case, the GPS showed nearly 39 knots, and at 15 the hull had already left the water.
Fuel consumption also shows how good the hull is. The litres per hour figures is driven by the engine, but the flat curve for litres per mile is the product of both the outboard and the waterlines. At top speed, we got to 1.3 litres per mile and at minimum planning speed, we were at just 0.8 litres. So, in practice, the Cayman 23.0 always uses around a litre per mile and that is good news, not just because you save money at the pump, but also because of the less fuel you use, the greater the range. The tank holds 200 litres and so the RIB can do around 200 nautical miles when full, up to a top range of 250 miles. That is a figure that is more than enough for a boat that is only just over seven metres long, given that – and to get an idea – two hundred miles is the distance between the Balearic Isles and Sardinia.
Engine data
A single outboard motor, with a minimum, recommended output of 100 horsepower, with 250 the most that can be fitted. We had a 175 hp engine, so the perfect middle path, and that seemed more than enough to me.
MOTONAUTICA F.LLI RANIERI
Loc. Caldarello
I-88068 Soverato (CZ)
T. +39 0967 25839
[email protected]
www.ranieri-international.com
PROJECT: Shipyard technical department
HULL: LOA 7.10m • Maximum beam 2.80m • Tubes diameter 0.60m • 5 compartments • Displacement 750 kg • Fuel tank volume 200 l • Water tank volume 45 l (as optional) • Maximum rated power 250 hp
MAIN PROPULSION: Suzuki DF 175 • Outlet mechanical power 129 kW (175 hp) • DOHC 16 valves • 4 cylinders in line • Swept volume 2,867 cc • Bore&Stroke 97mm x 97mm • Compression ratio 10.2:1 • Maximal rotational speed 5-6100/min • Weight 235 kg
EC CERTIFICATION: CAT B
PRICE: 37,000€ Excl. VAT, bare boat (December 2021)
(Ranieri Cayman 23.0 Sport Touring, day long – Barchemagazine.com – December 2021)
