Raptures from the Raptor

When you wrap a big engine into a small package the instant outcome is excitement and heaps of fun -- and that is what Streaker Boats has done with its newest and smallest boat, the Raptor.

At just 4.4 metres overall, the Raptor is smaller than most tinnies but the sleek fibreglass hull holds a Mercury OptiMax 200 V6 Sport Jet engine and jet drive that promises unlimited thrills.

Streaker reckons the Raptor is more fun than a PWC, is faster than most and is capable of carrying four people or towing a water skier. The 200hp Mercury motor that has been shoehorned into the hull is the same drive until that powers the company's OptiMax 200 outboard, so there is grunt to spare.

Streaker's Leon Savage says that if you want to run fast on calm water then the jet powered Raptor should be on your shopping list. "While Streaker is renowned as the manufacturer of fishing boats, bow riders and runabouts, we decided that the boating world needed a serior injection of spirited fun," Savage says. "So we unleashed the Raptor."

With a beam of 2.10 metres, the Raptor has a full-width bolster seat for three and an upholstered forward lounge.

Like the rider of a PWC, the skipper of a Raptor drives with a safety lanyard attached to his or her wrist as the terrific acceleration from the jet drive could catch some people by surprise. Out of the hole, the boat leaps onto the plane and if the throttle is pushed all the way to the stops it can hit more than 90km/h.

The moulded fibreglass interior has anti skid in all the right places and after a day on the water the boat just needs to be hosed out and the engine and jet drive flushed.

Savage says the Raptor will appeal to anyone who likes to go fast across the water. But he adds that the small sports boat can also be an economical commuter or cruiser for lake and river systems.

The Raptor will have a recommended retail pirce of $37,900 which includes a custom-built trailer and registration.

For more information go to www.streakerboats.com.au