Lomac Turismo 660 2023 Review

The northern Italian city of Milan is recognised internationally as one of the world’s most important fashion capitals. But because of the nearby Lake Como, it’s also one of the world’s most fashionable boating destinations.

Milan is also where Lomac, one of Italy’s oldest boat-builders, is based.

Over the last decade, Lomac has engaged the talents of internationally renowned luxury and racing yacht designer Federico Fiorentino to transform its range of fibreglass-hulled rigid inflatable boats into capable high-speed cruisers.

The brand has evolved into producing seven lines of luxury RIBs ranging from the top-end luxury Granturismo day boats through Adrenalina sports models to Big Game dedicated fishing boats.

The brand’s all-rounder is the Turismo line of practical RIBs ideal for families and groups wanting to take to the water in a safe, easy-to-use package.

Sitting in the middle of the Turismo range is the Lomac Turismo 660, a 6.5-metre model geared towards day boating and the subject of our review.

The standard equipment list for the Lomac Turismo 660 is fairly short but delivers a usable layout. It includes the helm leaning post with a table built into the trailing edge; the two-person helm with hydraulic steering, stainless steel wheel, low windshield and handrail; a six-bank switch panel for the boat’s electronics; bow roller; cushions for the console and passenger seat; swim ladder; bilge pump; a two-colour finish on the tubes; and safety gear including an inflation pump.

Owners can also select bits from an extensive options list. This includes the Targa arch fitted to our test boat; an anchor windlass with 5kg anchor and 25 metres of chain; courtesy lights; bow and stern sundeck extensions; freshwater shower with a 47-litre tank; chemical toilet; Fusion audio system; and a Garmin GPSMAP 992 with a sounder.

The base price for the Lomac Turismo 660 from Gold Coast-based distributor Flagstaff Marine starts from around $120,000 for the bare-bones package fitted with the minimum-rated 110hp outboard engine. 

As tested, with a number of options including an upgrade to a 150hp Mercury Pro XS outboard engine, the Targa arch, transom shower, bimini, ski pole, anchor, an integrated fridge and a sunbed extension, the price lifts to $144,000 on the water.

You can also get a set of covers for the seats and console that protect the interior while the boat is off the water.

The Lomac Turismo 660 is a rigid inflatable boat featuring a fibreglass hull ringed in an inflatable tube that gives stability and comfort.

Even though it measures 6.45 metres long and has a beam of 2.55 metres with the tubes inflated it weighs only 770kg, which is a fraction of the weight of a similar-sized fibreglass boat. On a trailer it would easily come in at around 2000kg, meaning once the tubes are deflated to transport it the Lomac Turismo 660 will easily tow behind a standard passenger car. The hull is also light enough that it is ideal for dry-stacking at a marina.

The interior of the Lomac Turismo 660 is built like a traditional fibreglass boat with the hull married to the top deck, with the tube forming a ring around it. Our test boat includes a smart-looking Targa arch that breaks up the long and low profile of our test boat, as well as makes an ideal support for the optional bimini.

The Lomac Turismo 660 features a deep-vee hull carried a long way forward that helps it slice through chop and swell, while the wide beam of the tubes carries well forward to help deflect spray from splashing into the boat. The hull includes a pair of reversed chines to help lift the Lomac Turismo 660 onto the plane.

The Lomac Turismo 660 uses hard-wearing 55cm Hypalon-Neoprene tubes divided into five separate chambers so that if one tube punctures, the other four remain inflated. The tubes are inflated to a pressure of 0.2 bar, which is around the bursting pressure of a balloon.

The tubes include a pair of rubbing strakes to protect the outside of the tubes and seven fabric loop handholds down each side of the forward cockpit.

Something we did not see on our test boat was any davit lifting points built into the hull, making it easier to transport this boat on a mothership.

The thinking behind the Lomac Turismo 660 doesn’t really reset any benchmarks in RIB design, although it does have an overtly squared-off bow section that’s handy for loading and offloading passengers nose-first into a jetty.

Otherwise, the formula is familiar, with a lounge up front, a console in the middle and an aft bench across the walkover transom. Inside the tubes, the internal space on the boat is long (5.4 metres) and narrow (just 1.45 metres wide) – a common limitation of any traditional RIB no matter what the size.

There is one difference, though, and it is that the Lomac’s console is offset to sit flush against the starboard side of the deck level, creating a large and safe port-side companionway between the forward and aft cockpits.

The forepeak of the Lomac Turismo 660 features an anchor well topped in a non-slip surface – we mentioned earlier this is an ideal boat to sift passengers by nosing into a jetty. There’s a bowsprit to carry the anchor rode forward, and an exposed cleat to tie off the rode or attach a painter.

Behind it is a three-quarter-length sunbed with three cushions that attach with Velcro. The quick-release cushions give access to a huge amount of storage below the raised deck level. 

Facing the bow lounge is a wide jump seat built into the forward part of the console – an exhilarating place to sit on a fast passage over smooth waters. To one side of the seat is a pull tab that releases the seat and allows it to swing wide to reveal the space below the console. It’s easily large enough to serve as a head once you add a chemical toilet, but the lack of standing room will make it a very cramped space in which to change clothes.

Aft of the console leaning post, our boat is fitted with a bench seat framed overhead by the Targa arch that mainly provides an aesthetic function, although it does house the all-around anchor and running lights, and supports the optional bimini.

The rear bench seat, which can fold forward and lift up to provide access to the bilge, is also offset to starboard and features a walkthrough section on the port side that gives access to the outboard engine well.

Behind it, a hull extension wraps around the outboard engine pod where a freshwater transom shower and swim ladder both feature. Our test boat also has an optional ski pole fitted. 

The Lomac Turismo 660 is tared to carry 14 people, but for longer transits it would easily carry seven passengers comfortably once some of them are sent to sit forward while underway. 

The offset helm station is cleverly positioned so that the skipper will sit along the centreline of the boat – handly for balance if there’s just you onboard and no passengers. 

The helm wraps around the console, featuring stainless steel grab rails to either side, a leather-look three-spoke steering wheel and a starboard-side recess for fitting the shift and throttle control.

Our dash includes a Fusion audio system head unit and a display for Mercury’s VesselView engine monitoring system that connects directly with the 150hp Mercury Pro XS outboard engine powering our Lomac Turismo 660.

The switchgear is arranged below the screen using waterproofed rubber-capped toggle switches. That leaves a large space to the other side of the dash to flush mount either a single reasonably large multifunction touchscreen or a pair of smaller 9.0-inch units for those who like the big-boat feel of running different displays on separate screens.

Small item storage is good, with a parcel shelf up high behind the tinted windscreen, or below in a Perspex-covered storage recess below. This space also has a 12V socket for recharging a smartphone or other device. Neither space is lined to protect their contents from sliding from side to side.

Below the console is a large integrated footrest. You’ll need it, because behind the helm is a large leaning post-style seat that you do need to climb up onto. There are no side supports on this leaning post, so the rail beside the windscreen comes in handy.

The leaning post sits above a huge under-seat storage space.

You can fit an outboard engine with a maximum of 175hp to the transom of the Lomac Turismo 660, but if the performance on tap from the 150hp Mercury Pro XS is any indication, you’re not going to need to stretch the budget that far to snare a fast, agile boat.

Our test day on the Gold Coast Broadwater was perfect winter weather, with the conditions presenting no challenges whatsoever.

The Lomac Turismo 660 is quite sensitive to trim, with only small amounts of adjustment needed to help the hull up onto the plane and then hold it there. 

The boat is a typical RIB, wanting to run bow high once it gets up onto the plane. Once there, it is extremely responsive to throttle and trim inputs. Pitch into a turn, and the Lomac Turismo 660 will cut a gentle arc with almost no tip-in.

One up and with no challenges the Lomac Turismo 660 takes a little while for Mercury’s Command Thrust larger-ratio gearbox to get it up onto the plane, but once there the performance feels like it belongs to a significantly larger engine. It also gets up onto the plane quite quickly.

Would you go for a smaller engine? Sure, if you’re not regularly shuttling many people and it’s just you, the spouse and kids heading out for a day of towing sea biscuits around, stepping down to a 150hp Mercury FourStroke will save some budget. That said, under the Lomac is a performance hull that is at its best cutting through the water at speed.

Performance

Maximum range based on 5% reserve for 180L fuel tank: 110nm@4000rpm

Our tests indicate you’ll get roughly the same range out of the 180-litre fuel tank across 3500-5500rpm, giving the Lomac Turismo 660 a huge range of versatility while poking along in heavy weather or running home in glassed-out conditions. 

RIBs are known to be a bit wet at speed, especially in windy conditions, but we didn’t really get a chance to test if the 660’s pronounced squared-bow design compared with other RIBs helps in this respect. The deep vee carried forward sliced through passing wakes with ease, requiring almost no adjustment to the throttle to compensate.

At rest, the RIB platform is brilliantly stable, even when the passing wake of a motor yacht rolls across the water.

By all appearances the Lomac Turismo 660 is a basic boat, but one that looks a cut above everything else out on the water.

As a social platform, it is ideal, featuring plenty of seating, copious amounts of storage and the convenience of an enclosed head to support extended day-tripping.

But it is also a stellar performer, happy to run fast when the conditions are good without a big penalty in fuel use, especially with our performance-honed engine option.

The offset console is a clever play, too, creating a user-friendly space that makes the most of the boat’s narrow internal beam.

As a social boat that’s geared towards long, lazy days on the water with a minimum of fuss, it comes as a highly rated package.

Specifications
Model: Lomac Turismo 660

Priced from: $120,000 including helm leaning post with a table built into the trailing edge; the two-person helm with hydraulic steering, stainless steel wheel, low windshield and handrail; a six-bank switch panel for the boat’s electronics; bow roller; cushions for the console and passenger seat; swim ladder; bilge pump; a two-colour finish on the tubes; and safety gear including an inflation pump

Price as tested: $144,000 including Targa arch; transom shower; bimini; ski pole; anchor and rode; integrated fridge; sunbed extension; 150hp Mercury Pro XS outboard engine

Supplied by: Flagstaff Marine, Gold Coast