Skicraft Senator XR

Spend a few hours in a Skicraft Senator XR and it's not hard to work out why it was awarded this year's Ski/Performance Boat of the Year.

Designed and built in Australia by Ron Craddock, the Skicraft Senator XR is the culmination of 30 years of boat building experience. The end result is one of the most pleasurable boats I have ever driven.

It's no secret the skiboat market is extremely competitive, especially with the amount of American imports we are seeing Down Under these days. While there is no doubt the yanks produce an outstanding product, it's great to see the local guys giving them a real run for their money. Speaking about money, with the exchange rate the way it is, you don't have to be Einstein to work out the imported boats aren't getting any cheaper.

NATIONAL TESTING
We tested both inboard and outboard versions of the Senator XR at the National Water Sports Centre on the Patterson River at Carrum (Vic). We'll concentrate on the inboard version for this test but check out the adjacent box story for a quick run down on the outboard version.

Our test boat was fitted with an optional 330hp MerCruiser Black Scorpion which really gave the XR a sting in its tail. The standard powerplant for this boat is 270hp Mercruiser while a 315hp Magnum MPI is also available.

The XR is the open bow version of the Senator SST. The open bow is a great addition to this style of boat and means a couple more friends or family can join in the thrill and excitement of ripping around the inland waterways.

A couple of interesting design features of the Senator XR include a patented Vectron hull design which incorporates ZBL (zero bow lift). The XR's 12° shaft angle almost eliminates bow lift when accelerating onto the plane.

While the ZBL is an excellent feature, I did find in the unusually choppy Patterson River, that flat take-off meant a bit of spray on the windscreen and on those in the bow section. This was more noticeable with a graduated throttle increase - the quicker the acceleration the less spray you copped.

The XR runs a 1.125-inch double tapped prop- shaft with all underwater running gear including rudder, skeg and fins specially designed exclusively for Skicraft boats by Ron Craddock.

Although skiboats like the Senator XR are designed to cruise a slalom course at 36mph, it's hard not to rip around and burn a few fossil fuel when you've got 330hp behind you. I love driving shaft-driven skiboats that are set up properly, as it doesn't matter what you do, they won't bite you back. Pulling into a hard turn at near 100kmh isn't something every boat will allow you to do, but the XR let me do it over and over again. Great fun!

The Black Scorpion is an engine with quite a punch and suited the XR to a tee. At a leisurely slalom speed the Black Scorpion was hardly ticking over as we cruised down the river with the Clarion CD player blaring.

EQUIPMENT PLUS
The XR has a huge boarding platform from where you can access an equally large locker. The 'boot' has plenty of room for skis and boards or you can whack in a 'FatSac' if you want to do a bit of wakeboarding.

The entire boat is fully carpeted and finished off with magnificent colour-coordinated upholstery.

A big rear lounge runs the full beam of the boat and could no doubt fit three or four of your mates or mate-ettes. Stainless grabrails are provided for when Evil-Kneival is at the helm and a couple of thumping Clarion speakers are on hand to keep the tunes coming.

The engine box is also heavily padded and two quick-release clips allow easy access to the engine if required. Just forward of the engine box is a centre-mount skipole ready for action.

The fully adjustable helm seat makes you feel like you're in charge of the space shuttle and the adjustable sports steering wheel moves perfectly into place. The testboat was fitted with Morse single-lever gear and throttle controls which are silky smooth to use.

An observer seat is located opposite the helm with an underfloor esky located between the two seats. Good storage space is also provided behind the observer seat.

The dash on the XR is stylishly laid out with all gauges, switches and electronics flush mounted. Highlights include keyless electronic ignition and the aforementioned Clarion CD player with waterproof cover.

The wrap-around windscreen provides adequate protection and includes a walk-through section which allows access to the bow section.

The open bow section is also fully carpeted, completely padded and provides bench seating for two. Stainless grabrails are also fitted around the bow area.

The Skicraft Senator XR was a real buzz to drive and without doubt is a worthy recipient of its Boat of the Year crown.

Skicraft is currently producing around 85 boats a year and will customise boats to suit individual requirements.

OUTBOARD EQUIPPED
The outboard powered version of the Skicraft Senator XR looks almost identical to its inboard powered brethren, however looks can be deceiving. The XR-Outboard is actually an entirely new design from the ground up.

Ron Craddock designed this boat with a stepped running plank specifically for outboard-powered waterskiing.

Our test boat was fitted with a 200hp EFI Mercury outboard which gave the XR lightning acceleration and an excellent top-end speed.

Skicraft has designed the outboard-powered model to provide a good slalom wake at 36mph and an equally good barefoot wake at 42mph.

Unlike the inboard versions, outboard powered skiboats can be more challenging to drive well. Trim positioning is critical, especially in tight turns.

I managed to hold the outboard-powered XR into relatively tight turns up to 80kmh and straight line top speed on the test day was a GPS-verified 100kmh.

Having this much power on tap means the lower revs used at slalom speed translates to reasonably economical towing.

The layout of the XR-Outboard is almost identical to the inboard although there is, obviously, a lot more room in the cockpit. Good-sized boarding platforms are located either side of the outboard and a ski locker is below the deck.

The outboard version was also fitted with SeaStar hydraulic steering and a rear mount skipole.