2022 Italboats Stingher 28GT review

Italboats is a longtime builder of high-quality rigid inflatable boats. Based in Italy, it makeseverything from luxury tenders up to

Its current crop of boats is split between the more workman-like Predator range, the workman-like Avantgarde range, Predator day boats and the Stingher line of luxuryday boats.

Italian-designed, built with outright performance in mind and stunning to look at, the Stingher line of boats stands out from the crowd. They can come in Cabin Cruiser, Sport Classic, or Fast Ryke tender layouts, as well as the line we’re looking at for this test, the range-topping Gran Turismo dayboat.

They can come in the Fast Ryke luxury tender range as well as the GT line of range-topping models ranging from 20 to 32 feet.

A sweet spot in the middle of the Stingher GT lineup that ranges for the entry-level 22 GT to the range-topping 32GT is the subject of our test, the 8.0-metre Italboats Stingher 28GT.

The Giuseppe Risolo-designed 28GT is the newest model in the Stingher line, replacing the former 27GT and benchmarking a number of new model must-haves, including a smoother riding and much dryer hull and new features such as the wrap-around rear entertaining area and the folding back lounge.

We spent some time aboard the Stingher 28 GT on a fairly calm and surprisingly sunny winter’s day at the picturesque Port Hacking, south of Sydney, with our hosts, Marine Co.

Sydney-based Marine Co is the exclusive Italboats distributor for NSW. It has the Italboats Stingher 28GT priced from $218,990 in standard trim including a 250hp Mercury FourStroke outboard engine featuring digital throttle and shift controls.

If more performance is in order, the choices are to upgrade to twin 200hp engines or, for those who want to flex some serious muscle, a single Mercury Racing 450R.

Our test boat is fitted with a 300hp Mercury FourStroke outboard engine with Mercury’s DST digital throttle and shift controller.

Standard equipment is generous, running to stern seating with removable extensions, plexiglass table, a bow sun pad, swim ladder and moulded bathing platforms, an electric anchor winch, marine grade stainless steel rails, flush latches and gas struts on all hatches, a carbonfibre-look dash, stainless steel steering wheel with hydraulic steering, 12-volt and USB charge points, a two-seat helm station, a head inside the console, and even a tube puncture repair kit.

Our test boat featured the optional twin-screen Simrad multifunction touchscreens, a Fusion audio system with forward-mounted speakers, and a Scanstrut wireless smartphone chargers, and the 300hp Mercury outboard engine. As tested, the boat is priced at $300,000.

The Italboats Stingher 28GT has a stunning profile on the water. Long, low and beamy, it looks as though it was made to go fast. Helping with that look is a console that appears to want to hug the profile and a Targa arch that makes the RIB look fast even while sitting still.

It’s light, too, with the entire hull weighing just 1250kg without an outboard engine attached. Even though it is built so light, the Italboats Stingher 28GT will support up to 12 people onboard.

The other benefit of all that lightness is that it makes an ideal platform for dry-stack storage and all the ownership, use and maintenance benefits that the ability to get the boat off the water can bring.

At the core of the Italboats Stingher 28GT is a hand-laid deep vee fibreglass hull with big lifting strakes and an exceptionally steep transom deadrise of 24 degrees – something you’d normally find on an ocean-going cruiser with the vee angle becoming much sharper the more forward it runs.

Around the hull is a tube made from hardwearing Hypalon/Neoprene 1670dtex fabric, ranging in diameter from 570mm at the bow to 660mm at the stern, and featuring in-built safety handles.

Six separate inflation chambers are built into the tubes so that if one happens to deflate, the others continue to provide buoyancy. Even with all the tubes deflated, the Italboats Stingher 28GT will remain afloat.

Externally, the pontoon tubes have double full-length rubbing strip/strakes outboard to protect the hull when the boat comes alongside a wharf.

Onboard, the Italboats Stingher 28 GT features a fibreglass interior with a forward sunbed, a dual-width centre console that serves as a standing height change room with a toilet, an entertainment station and a clever transom lounge aft.

A self-draining deck covered in non-slip EVA foam flooring that conceals a substantial 350-litre fuel tank below.

The upholstery features durable vinyl fabrics – double-stitched for the helm seats – with comfortable padding and double-stitched seams that help them to provide an upmarket feel. As well as the U-shaped transom lounge and helm seats, there is a single forward-facing seat built into the front of the console.? Whole boat is twin needle stitching

Forward, the bow space is elevated to form a large sunpad, but small steps built on either side make it easy to step up, or even disembark onto a jetty.

Navigation lights are mounted in low-profile housings on the bow, while the anchor lights is mounted on the Targa arch. Pop-up stainless steel cleats also fold down so they are out of the way.

The anchor on out test boat is built into the stem and drops into the water vertically. This is not only clever packaging but keeps the anchor clear of the prow – comforting should you accidentally clip another boat while maneuvering into a crowded berth.

There’s not much point in making a boat that’s able to accommodate 12 people onboard if you can’t seat them all.

First and foremost, the Italboats Stingher 28GT is a lifestyle boat, meant to get places fast and make the most of the surroundings and the company on board.

We noted earlier that this is a beamy boat. While that’s true externally, inside the tubes things are a little tighter, with only 1.8 metres of width available.

The interior makes the most of this space, starting with the large U-shaped rear lounge with under-seat storage. It wraps around the transom and features a large drop-down backrest that converts the space into a sun bed, as well as provides easy access to the water via swim boards on either side of the outboard engine well. An extending stainless steel ladder that hides under the port swim board aids access.

To port of the transom is a handheld freshwater shower.

Attached to the Targa arch of our test boat is a large bimini that extends forward to shade the entire area around helm.

Aft of the helm seats is an entertainment station hidden behind a lid supported with gas struts. On one side is a sink, while the other has space for an optional grill or hotplate. Duck around to port, and there’s a small fridge recessed into the space.

Forward of this is the only space on the Italboats Stingher GT that feels tight, squeezing between the console and the tube. Once through, you’re at the helm.

The Italboat Stingher 28GT’s helm station matches the go-fast feel of the rest of the RIB. The carbonfibre-look dashboard is huge and wide enough in this instance to take two 12-inch Simrad multifunction touchscreens side by side, leaving enough room for a pair of Scanstrut waterproof wireless smartphone chargers to sit outboard.

This is what a console should look like. Wings with stainless steel handholds wrap around each edge of the console to give the space a protected feel, while in front a large tinted perspex screen provides wind and – when it occasionally happens – spray protection.

The port helm features a neat bank of easily accessible switches in front of the sports steering wheel, while a centrally mounted binnacle provides an easy-to-reach location for the digital throttle control and bow thruster.

There is also a flush-mounted Fusion audio system head unit installed, and there is still plenty of space to flush-mount a marine radio.

The space in front of the crew’s seat is dedicated to a stainless steel drink holder and a generously sized glovebox.

Walking around to the front of the console, there is a single seat. Personally, I’d prefer a two-seat arrangement here, even if it meant losing the nicely scalloped and shaped backrest.

The front of the console unlatches and lifts vertically and easily on its gas-lift supports to reveal an electric-flush head in a space that’s large enough to provide standing headroom for most people, meaning it can also double as a changeroom. Windows to either side let natural light into the space.

Forward of the console is the large forward sun pad, likely to become the relaxation hub of the boat. It is large enough to support adults and has plenty of storage beneath, and the Hypalon tube is comfortable enough to lean on and read a book.

The forepeak of the boat, which sits proud of the tubes, is given over to the anchor well. A rubber-topped step with storage below allows you to confidently board or disembark from a jetty or mothership via the bow, helped by an anchor that's recessed into the stem.

There’s not much point in having go-fast looks if you can’t back it up with thrilling on-water performance. And that’s exactly what the Italboats Stingher 28GT delivers.

With the 300hp Mercury FourStroke we’re only a single step up from the entry-level outboard engine, but this boat feels alive under the throttle.

Hole shot performance is strong even on a relatively gentle throttle application, while mid-rev response is almost instantaneous. Helping this is the digital throttle control that translates even the smallest input to the stainless steel prop spinning below.

The deep vee hull takes a bit of time to get up on the plane, but once there the Italboats Stingher 28GT moves confidently. It’s where that deep 24-degree vee comes into its own.

Crossing the chase boat’s wake would normally have you backing off the throttle so that you don’t launch the boat skyward off the back of the wave. However, the Italboats’ sharp bow just cut straight through, the bow barely lifting in response.

The response in cornering is just as impressive. Unlike some other RIBs that tend to stay rather flat as they skid around tight corners with the G-forces trying to highside passengers, the Italboats Stingher 28GT likes to lean in sharply, producing prodigious amounts of grip. Yes, the cornering G-forces are still there, only they try and push you down and not just out.

Button off the pace, and the RIB settles down on its pontoons to provide a comfortable, safe and extremely stable platform that is comfortable enough to walk around even when dealing with confused chop.

The other big benefit of the Italboat’s beam is the dryness of the ride, even quartering into the sea. The deep vee hull throws up little spray, and what little it does is easily deflected by the wide pontoons running down either side.

Even with two people on board and the best part of two-thirds of a tank of fuel in its belly the Italboats Stingher 28GT felt light and lithe from the helm, helped in part by the feedback from the hydraulic steering control.

It’s economical, too. Trimmed up and cruising along at around 26 knots, we’re burning just over a litre per nautical mile.

A special mention goes to what has to be one of the best helms in the market. The two-seat station includes a three-position flip-up bolster so that you can sit at the helm, lean supported or stand unencumbered to drive.

Having the digital throttle control mounted centrally is also smart, as there is no chance of accidentally knocking it as either the skipper makes their way out, or someone brushes past the console. Technophiles are also going to go weak at the knees for all that flat dash space to mount gear.

In a world where the New York minute has become the standard measure, having a fast, comfortable boat that can get you far away from the rat race yet still provide all the comforts is a big plus.

It’s very different to cruising, where you take time to arrive somewhere, overnight, and then cruise back home. Now you can condense the same experience into a single day on the water.

The strongest thing about the Italboats Stingher 28GT is that it is above the ordinary. Everything about it speaks quality, from the way it drives to the way it sits on the water once you’re there.

When it’s about living la bella vita, you’d be hard-pressed to do better.

Priced from: $218,990 including stern seating with removable extensions; plexiglass table; bow sun pad; swim ladder and moulded bathing platforms; transom shower; electric anchor winch; marine grade stainless steel rails; flush latches and gas struts on all hatches; carbonfibre-look dash; stainless steel steering wheel with hydraulic steering; 12-volt and USB charge points; two-seat helm station; sink and washbasin behind helm; head inside the console; tube puncture repair kit; 250hp Mercury FourStroke outboard engine.

Price as tested: $300,000 including dual 12-inch Simrad multifunction touchscreens; Fusion audio system; dual Scanstrut smartphone chargers; bow thruster; bimini; Vitrifidgo fridge Raymarine 300hp Mercury FourStroke outboard engine.

Supplied by: Marine Co, Sydney