Mirage Hot Shot Bowrider

Ignoring the traditional method of boatbuilding - that is, drawing an outline in the sand with a thumbnail dipped in tar and shaping the stem with an adze - most modern trailerboat manufacturers adopt one of two common approaches. They either start anew or modify an existing boat.

In the first instance things like computer-aided software programs, three-dimensional models, ergonomic dummies, graphic packages, milling machines and even tank-testing may be employed to get a idea of how the boat will look, feel and perform.

In the second method the boatbuilder has a foundation that is proven - an existing hull, for example - and fine-tunes the layout, the mouldings, the dash, upholstery and any other areas that experience has revealed needed a rethink. They may also boost the standard inclusions to keep pace with market demands.

This latter approach is the most cost-effective way of producing a new boat. A boat that evolves like a well-loved tree, shaped over years of pruning, owes something to its past, promises happiness in the present, and should continue to please in the future.

The Hot Shot bowrider from Mirage subscribes to this latter school of thought. The boat was first released about four-years ago. Since then almost one Hot Shot every three months has been produced. No two are the same except for one detail - from the moment the time-proven performance hull first hits the water, it needs no fine-tuning.

Manufactured by boatbuilder Andrew Pink, the Hot Shot is promoted as a serious through-the-water boat for someone coming from, say, a Connelly or a Haines SO. While the lemon-coloured hull seen here mightn't be everyone's cuppa, Pink offers a wide range of colours, trim combos and motor options.

Fitted with a 320hp MerCruiser MX6.2 MPI motor and a Corsa Captains Call side exhaust system, the Hot Shot pictured was a resounding thoroughbred designed to deliver driver pleasure - I hit mid-90kmh - and plenty of wind-in-the-hair thrills for the crew. In keeping with today's trends you can also wakeboard or ski behind the boat and a tow tower wouldn't look out of place.

HOT SHOT HULL
The deep-vee performance is the Hot Shot's best attribute. Inherited from a big-name American boat manufacturer, the Hot Shot hull has a very sharp entry and surprisingly deep forefoot. Deadrise is an aggressive 22° to cleave wind waves and boat wakes.

Far from being confined to the river, you can traverse big bays and harbours in a blow in this boat. There are two strakes aside, down-turned chines and down-turned or reversed strakes near the transom for lift and spray deflection. A three-inch mini delta pad (read planing plank) and an integrated platform with a ladder are tucked out of the way back aft.

What is also hard to see is the time-honoured construction method used to make the Hot Shot. Boatbuilder Pink prefers 'glass-encapsulated laminated marine plywood for the stringers and frames. Wood is good, he says, except when it used for seats and other high-wear areas.

The hull is laid-up by John Steber of the famous boatbuilding family. It's made by hand in fibreglass with chopper gun on low-impact areas and coremat in the sides. The test boat didn't have an internal moulded liner but was equipped with options such as covers, canopies and clears.

The Hot Shot is backed by a five-year structural warranty, two-year material and workmanship warranty, and there was three years on the MerCruiser 6.2lt 320hp inboard. On the layout front you will find everything you need to go dayboating including a throaty V8 note.

EVOLUTION CONTINUES
In my experience the Mirage boats have high-quality deck fittings that haven't been sourced from some backyard chandlery. The pop-up cleats and optional recessed driving lights, the stylish tempered windscreen, and the marine carpet and thick vinyl upholstery all hail from the United States.

Attention to detail counts for plenty. The press-studs to which you attach the covers are not riveted, but instead are self-tappered to the hull; storage under the bow seats is fully lined; and there is an eyebolt in the forward locker so you can attach the anchor rope.

Since it was launched, Pink has enhanced the standard inventory on the Hot Shot. The bowrider now comes with a marine stereo/CD player as standard, has dedicated footrests for driver and passenger, and comes with your choice of carbon fibre or mock walnut dash panels.

The test boat's dash was fitted with chrome-rimmed Faria gauges, an optional Lectrotab automatic trim tab system ($1200) and a switch to throw open the optional $2750 side exhaust system. Let the big-block V8 rumble and you will find an extra 8kmh top-end speed.

Steering was power-assisted and the wheel was a sporty number. The Faria gauges including tacho, temp, oil pressure, trim, volts, fuel and mph - oh yes, mph! There were two accessory switch panels. Ahead of the passenger were deep glovebox and handy grabrail.

The helm seat is adjustable fore and aft and both it and the passenger seat are high-backed buckets that keep you contained in tight turns. Which is just as well, as the boat can be driven hard through the turns.

Carpeted throughout, the cockpit will comfortably carry six or seven adults - two in the bow, two behind the windscreen and three on the full-width aft lounge. The lounge has special optional contoured backrests that added $750 to the bottom line.

Access to and from the water is aided by a full-width boarding platform. The hull is fine up front but surprisingly beamy back aft to support a heavy load and that big-block V8 motor. When you pull the throttle back, the boat's wake doesn't wash aboard.

While the layout doesn't break any new ground, it's nice and functional. A lot of the frills found on other boats have been left in the powderroom. Practical design counts for more. For example, there is a big underfloor storage locker for skis and wetsuits and room under the rear lounge for stowing a wakeboard. Sidepockets are beside the engine bay. Inside, you will find plenty of room to perform pre-race engine checks.

DRIVE TIME
Pink has fine-tuned his favourite boat in the range. But the Hot Shot is still true to its original design. It was conceived to leave other boats in its wake when the winds pipe up, the harbour is a washing machine, or you want to hightail it across town for a spot of wakeboarding or skiing.

The boat arrived on an Easy Tow dual-axle trailer with manual override brakes and decent 14in wheels. Fitted with full-length carpeted skids, the trailer supports the boat nicely. However, the hull doesn't slide off the trailer and is best launched by submersing the cradle.

Once floated free of the trailer, the boat announced it presence once the V8 was started. When the baffles were opened it solicited looks from fishos in tinnies returning to the ramp - then we were off like the proverbial bride's nightie.

The standard 260hp MerCruiser 5.7lt EFI with Alpha One leg will propel the Hot Shot beyond the benchmark 80kmh barrier. But with the 320hp MX6.2 MPI spinning a 21in stainless three-blade prop, much better speeds were in store.

While the boat porpoised abnormally due to a problem with the prop or the auto trim tabs, past drives in Hot Shots have been just great. Pink says the boat needs a 23in prop to go close to 110kmh. The best I could milk out of it was about 100kmh. Comfortable cruise came in at 50kmh at 3000rpm.

But by the time you read this, Pink will have the next version of the Hot Shot on the water - a closed deck model that should appeal to the retired ski-race driver. Now I'd like to see that! Stay tuned.