Cigarette 42ft Huntress

At this week's Miami International Boat Show, the world was introduced to the third collaboration between the Cigarette Racing Team and Mercedes-AMG. Only the dashing new 42' Huntress, inspired by the G63 AMG, boasts a few more horsepower.

The Huntress is powered by five (yes, five!) 350hp Mercury Verado race engines taking the 42-foot monster to nearly 70 knots.

The stunning helm is ergonomically designed with a CNC double-anodised dash panel whose controls are grouped together by function. The dash can be equipped with three Garmin GPS screens and four Garmin Digital Marine Instrument displays to keep track of the engines. Radar and sonar can be added to the Garmin GPS systems if desired.

The helm includes pull-down bolster seats, which allow the driver and navigator to stand or sit. The cockpit has a high-end audio system and multiple air conditioning vents, as well as controls for a bow thruster for easy slow speed maneuvering.

The deck of the Huntress is designed for a racing run or a day's holiday out on the water. Although listed as a centre console by Cigarette, the console actually forms a 'peninsula' that is attached on the port side, thereby leaving free a roomy traffic lane between the bow and stern decks. Cigarette says the seating and lounging areas do show the influence of the G63, as they are elegantly upholstered with stitched patterns.

The newly designed T-top is hardly an add-on but, rather, an intensely engineered aluminum structure attached directly to the vessel's stringers, providing additional torsional stability to the boat. Such added strength is welcome when throwing the boat around in choppy conditions.

Special attention was given to the cabin, with unexpected levels of luxury and space thanks to the increased beam of the Huntress. The door to the cabin is on the port side of the deck within the console. A companionway leads down to a remarkably large-scale cabin sporting more than 1.80m of headroom, a large sofa that converts into a double bed, a mini-galley, flat-screen television, and a sink outside a head with Vacuflush toilet and shower facilities.

Cigarette Racing's new Huntress is a well-executed example of nautical engineering in a true rocket ship. In its basic configuration, the price for the Huntress has been announced at US$750,000. According to our sources it isn't cheap to run either. Fuel consumption figures reveal that this boat will chew through 9.5 litres of petrol per minute! That'll give about three hours running from the 1892-litre tank. But, hey, you'll reel in quite some sea miles at breakneck speeds!