Lord 25 Fast Launch

In a strange way, Marshall Lord is both a traditionalist and heretic. For the past five years, the niche boatbuilder has made neoclassical launches from modern materials. These period-style boats have proven popular with adventurous boaties chasing the romance of motorboating.

Therefore, it comes as a shock to discover Lord's latest craft is a frightfully fast launch. The rakish 25-footer is made from fibreglass, fitted with gadgets such as a CD stacker and 12V fridge, and powered by a thoroughly high-tech 144hp turbocharged diesel engine.

But in keeping with his way of doing things, Lord's unruly runabout celebrates a golden age. Like a classic Riva, Grand Craft or Chris Craft, the Fast Launch conjures images of the pioneering days of powerboating.

Unlike those imports, however, the Fast Launch is Australian-designed for Australian conditions.

"I made the boat to beat the European marques on places like Sydney Harbour, which have unusually choppy waters," explains Lord as we traverse yet another set of ferry wake. "It's a classic runabout in the period style, but it has more creature comforts and is more affordable than the imports."

MEETING THE CHALLENGE
As with all Lord's period boats, the Fast Launch owes everything to its hull design. Quite different from his clinker-sided classics, the Fast Launch has a variable-deadrise or warped-plane hull drawn from scratch to meet the conflicting needs of speed, stability, rough-water ride and style.

The challenge for naval architect Peter McLean, who has worked alongside the late and great Alan Payne, was successfully creating classic-boat looks with sufficient freeboard to include a self-draining cockpit and high stability factors to meet Waterways survey requirements. After all, the boat's primary role is that of a commuter launch.

Initially, Lord and McLean were trawling the 1930s. But as McLean says, you can't do anything more with the boats from that era than you could back then.

The biggest problem with 1930s powerboats, McLean says, is hollow bottoms with a kind of gull-wing shape towards the keel. With today's high horsepower engines these hulls become hard-riding.

"I guess what we created was a boat which looks more like something from the '50s," says McLean. "It's got a raked stern, tumblehome towards the transom, but is deeper and has more freeboard than a classic 1950s boat.

"Where they used medium-speed diesel engines hard-pressed to make more than 90hp, we have fast, lightweight engines to play with."

Both McLean and Lord are satisfied that the Fast Launch does what it set out to do. Made from solid, handlaid fibreglass, the 25-footer has pretty lines, a sharp forefoot to slice the swell, and a small amount of flare in the top sides.

The boat I drove was some 250kg heavier than the production versions to follow. Future boats will benefit from weight savings in the bow area. But construction is a high point. Built to survey, the boat has a feeling of solidity and longevity derived from its solid-glass frames.

EASY TO MAINTAIN
Maintenance, or lack thereof, is an attribute of the Fast Launch. Finished with isothalic, blue-tinted gelcoat - and with a low-maintenance shaftdrive - the boat will be at home moored in the water. A 12-month service, slipping and antifouling, and touch-up of the teak are it.

While trailerable, the boat is therefore perfect for parking at the foot of your waterfront and using at short notice to run to a restaurant, tour the big city with guests, or take-off for a swim somewhere.

The most striking thing about the fitout is the quality of the joinery. Oiled Burmese teak is used for the cockpit sole and foredeck, while the wide coamings, dashboard, windscreen framework and transom have a high-gloss teak finish derived from 12 coats of two-pack epoxy.

Teak plugs cover all the screwheads on the deck, the hull and deck are glassed together, there is a collision bulkhead built in and foam buoyancy is added. The boarding platform is a lovely bit of work, with a rubbing rail that wraps around the hull at water level and helps deflect spray.

Deck gear includes eight pop-up chrome cleats, navigation lights, a flagstaff that can double as a ski-pole, and a canopy over the helm.

Safety glass is used for the windscreen, which has a wiper. Chic chrome engine air intakes and breathers are mounted on the fore and aft decks.

The set-up of the helm contributes to the dapper drive. The leather-bound wheel is linked to Morse hydraulic steering, while the clear windscreen and level trim angle combine for a good view ahead. The skipper's swivel seat is mounted on slides, the throttle falls comfortably to hand, while Vetus gauges in the dash report on everything from water depth to engine revs and speed.

THE LONG AND SHORT...
The Fast Launch is offered in two versions - long and short deck. The long-deck version offers accommodation, whereas the short-decker has room only for a pump-out loo, circuit-breaker board, portable 12V fridge, and storage space under its foredeck. Both versions are priced the same, so the long-decker is better value considering you get two berths.

The boat's carrying capacity is 10 people on the short-deck version and eight on the long-deck model. Either way, you get big U-shaped seating covered with soft-touch marine vinyl, storage below the seats, and a central, teak-covered engine box. With the helm further back on the long-decker, there's a bench seat in place of the skipper's seat and an L-shaped lounge behind the windscreen.

The layout is best described as minimalist, with the floor-to-wall teak fitted with cockpit and courtesy lights and four waterproof speakers linked to a Clarion stereo with CD stacker in the glovebox. I noted a 12V outlet for the must-have mobile, but no marine radio.

Ideally, you would add a few extras to your Classic 25 Fast Launch - a hot-cold transom shower, two-burner stove or microwave oven, icebox, permanent 12V fridge, and a self-stow anchor and windlass. These would make the Fast Launch a better dayboat and/or overnighter.

Hidden below the bonnet of the Classic 25 is a modern, quite amazing, diesel engine. The 2.1lt, four-cylinder, 144hp Steyr Daimler engine from Austria boasts the best power-to-weight ratio in its class. Weighing around 250kg, the engine pushes the 1500kg boat to 26kt in a jiffy.

Matched to a stainless Aquamet shaft and 13 x 13-inch Austral four-blade prop, the Steyr Daimler engine has a heck of a lot of punch. In fact, the progressive turbocharging takes some getting used to.

The other unique thing is the way the engine is built. The block and head are cast as one. In other words, the monoblock engine is built from the sump up.

Encased in an alloy sound shield, and with additional sound proofing on the engine box, the engine was exceptionally quiet. Computer-controlled fuel-injection kept the smoke level low, while freshwater cooling aids longevity. Both water and diesel filters are inside the engine hatch and easily checked.

There are servicing centres for the Steyr Daimler engines in Queensland and New South Wales. Plug-in diagnostics provide a history of the engine's working life. With 160lt of diesel in two tanks, you can cruise for views and flaunt your style for up to 300 miles between fills on the Fast Launch.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES
Thus, Lord seems to have achieved what he set out to do - to celebrate the pioneering days of powerboating. The Classic 25 Fast Launch is an exciting drive. We zoomed from Manly Wharf to Darling Harbour, paid our $15 for a berth, and drank Illy coffee under big umbrellas.

Admittedly, we got a bit wet on the return trip to Manly. But I suppose the odd lashing of spray is an intrinsic part of olde-worlde powerboating.

While the asking price of $155,000 isn't cheap for a classic fast-cruiser, the stylish boat beats a Bentley as a way of reaching your waterfront eatery. And with the long-deck version, you could crack another bottle of wine and sleep over.

HIGHS

LOWS