Century 22

Some boats are eminently desirable, and Skicraft's Century 22 is definitely one of them. As well as being dark and handsome with extremely sexy, purposeful lines, another thing immediately strikes you about the Century 22 - it's really big for a social skiboat.

Measuring in at 6.7m (22ft) long by 2.2m wide, the amount of internal room is obvious. After you take in the size of this hull, it's impossible not to notice its overall quality, from the glistening black paintwork to the smooth, fair internal mouldings, neat upholstery and top-line fittings used throughout.

Skicraft is far from being a new player on the Australian performance boat scene, with 35 years experience in the industry, but is probably best known for its stunning Senator skiboat, which has won a strong following in recent years. The Century 22 is the Melbourne-based company's latest model, and one that both the manufacturer and its Australian distributor, Performance Marine, is confident will beat the imported ski and wakeboarding boats at their own game.

The influx of precision-built and optioned-up American boats on the local marketplace has forced most Aussie builders to lift the quality of their products overall to compete effectively. Performance Marine's Peter Webb is of the opinion that not only can Skicraft's boats beat the Yanks on quality and finish, but with features designed for Australia's unique conditions. In this case, Aussie inventiveness has been bred by long experience on the water doing what the boats are designed for: social and competition skiing with a good splash of wakeboarding thrown in. In fact, Webb claims that Skicraft is the only Australian skiboat manufacturer with world towboat accreditation.

THE MEAN MACHINE
Once floated off its tricked-up trailer, the Century 22's attitude on the water belies its great internal depth. Its swept-down nose gives it an aggressive profile augmented by its tinted screen and impressive wakeboarding tower.

The fibreglass hull has a variable deadrise - a sharp 26° at the bow (18° is considered to be a "deep" vee) flattening to 5° at the stern. Treated plywood bearers are used throughout, which Webb says lends the hull extra stiffness and rigidity, and I found no reason to contradict this claim during the test. In fact, the company offers a lifetime warranty on the hull.

Pronounced chines did a good job of keeping spray low and wide and not soaking the occupants. The planing surface features just one strake per side to assist with directional stability and tracking.

The stern design of this boat is outstanding. Rather than being tacked on the end like some other boats, the swim platform is fully moulded and incorporated into the stern. This has a number of advantages: the platform refuses to submerge when going hard astern, leaving it nice and dry and assisting with manoeuvrability; and the sides are open, allowing the skier to lay his or her ski across the swim platform. This makes it easier to get them on and off. The whole set-up also looks terrific.

INSIDE INFORMATION
The boat is an open bowrider format with an outward-opening screen to allow access through a passageway, past the helm and observer's positions and into the main cockpit area. Because of the size of this boat, it's very spacious for a high-performance machine, and I reckon the eight-person capacity rating is fair. The upholstered enginebox is quite large but does not adversely affect access past it and down to the rear lounge. The box itself rocks back on a gas strut and allows excellent all-round access to the MerCruiser 315hp MPI powerplant.

The entire interior of the Century is superbly finished with top-quality marine-grade vinyl with contrasting inserts and piping. High-density foam on the lounges is used and all the seats in this boat are very comfortable.

Legroom in the bowrider area is nothing special but two adults can put their feet up and kick back in comfort. A stainless grabrail traces the gunwale for this purpose. The rear-facing observer's seat opposite the driver is again ergonomic and well padded, but it seems there are a lot of very thin people in the skiing industry, because its almost standard practice to call a 11/2-person seat a double. However, the view to the wake is unobstructed and clear. Again, the rear lounge is accommodating and could seat four people.

Cockpit sides are upholstered and the floor neatly covered in marine carpet. Throughout, there was absolutely no evidence of untidy joins or slipshod workmanship. Everything fits together nicely and looks smick, especially the embroidered logos emblazoned on the upholstery.

This boat featured a cavernous boot storage compartment lifting on a gas strut. Think slalom skis, wakeboards, ropes, gloves, covers, whatever. You'd need a mountain of gear to fill this area.

There's more storage for extra ropes and gloves in the moulded fibreglass compartments under the rear lounge, but there was little depth to fit much more in here. Subfloor compartments are found throughout and are all polished and fitted with quality hinged lids lifting on gas struts. There is a further big storage area behind the observer's lounge that might be a little tight for longer skis, but it's just the place for safety gear, clothes and a small esky for drinks and food. Mesh sidepockets hold smaller items.

Stereo speakers are unobtrusively incorporated around the cockpit, and a second set of controls is located on the coaming near the rear lounge. Courtesy lights are brilliant for reducing the chance of a stubbed toe during a twilighter. Grabrails and drinkholders are scattered thoughtfully around this boat and fall to hand when you need them, and the nifty lockable glove compartment in the dash bulkhead is an example of the thought and craftsmanship that's gone into this boat.

BEHIND THE WHEEL
As with all the mouldings and fairings in the Century 22, the dash position is sleek and flowing with a classy black facia. Three 5in Faria gauges relay speed, engine revolutions and engine management. Mercury keypad ignition sits to the left of the wheel, a waterproof switch panel and CD player to the right. Other features include a small depthfinder unit. The sportswheel had a classy brushed aluminium hub and was linked to mechanical steering system that was feather-light except in the hardest of turns at high speed. On the whole, the dash set-up was first class.

The helm seat was height adjustable, slid backwards and forwards on rails and was a snug, comfortable fit. An outsized rearview mirror and side throttle were well positioned and completed the package.

PERFORMANCE & HANDLING
The boat is rock solid at rest. Slide the throttle forward and the boat rises onto the plane with no discernable bow-rise to compromise vision forward. The boat planed without needing a lot of throttle, so beginning skiers won't have their arms ripped out of their sockets when getting up for the first few times. Noise from the 315hp MPI was dampened thanks to the enginebox insulation, although at full power you had to raise your voice to converse with the passenger.

The ride of this boat is exemplary. That very sharp forefoot makes short work of boat wakes, and travelling to a calmer section of the dam or river across disturbed water would be a snack for the Century 22. Good wide shoulders and flared bow also make this a very dry boat - no spray came aboard during the test, even in the slight crosswind.

In terms of performance, the rig returned 34kmh at 2200rpm, 58kmh at 3600rpm and about 75kmh at 5000rpm. Pick-up and acceleration was excellent and throttle response instantaneous. You can see why the 315hp MPI is one of the most popular choices with buyers. The boat was easy to guide at all speeds, turned on rails and felt predictable whichever way you threw it. The safety glass windscreen was nice and high, and you can even slip a snug-fitting Perspex screen into the companionway under the folding windscreen to block the breeze into the cockpit. Not that we needed it on that pleasant autumn afternoon, but had we been running home in the evening, it would have been greatly appreciated.

This boat is pitched as being ideal for social skiing and wakeboarding, the latter improved by a drop-down hydraulic trim tab fitted to the centre of the transom. Back off the throttle, flip the stalk lever behind the wheel and the tab actuates, helping sculpt a longer ramp and a lovely launch pad for aerial manoeuvres.

At higher speeds the wake flattens to a nice skiing wake, not too high but with a firm lip. It has a nice flat table and no excessive prop wash was evident. For a boat of this displacement, the wake is more than acceptable for slalom and is definitely going to please wakeboarders. Both will appreciate the boat's smooth power delivery and predictable handling.

THE VERDICT
The Skicraft Century 22 is one boat where its beauty is matched with a nice personality inside. It's a well-made, superbly finished hull with an intelligent layout and inclusions obviously bred through long hours out on the water. It should deliver on its claim to be a spacious, powerful, comfortable platform for social skiing. According to Peter Webb, there are a lot of happy customers, both here and in the company's many export markets, who think so. Rolling on a custom dual-axle trailer including covers and a comprehensive list of standard features, its base retail price of $47,700 will have the designers over in the land of Uncle Sam sitting up and taking notice.