Stingray 220SX

When the archetypal kid on the street says something is fast - what he really means is it's red. A pair of red shoes, a red jacket, a red bike are all fast. The sexy Stingray 220SX with fire-engine red gelcoat is fast, too. It looks fast at idle, but start the V-eight engine and the real meaning of fast becomes clear.

I roared along Middle Harbour at 100kmh without a hint of a wobble or chine walk, ran from one end of the estuary to the next in literally minutes, and enjoyed an adrenaline rush that could awaken the dead.

Even Mr Bean would look cool in this hip-hop sportsboat with bright red gelcoat and Grand Prix-style graphics.

The Stingray 220SX is a sportsboat for those with a fondness for going fast, a head for high performance, and enough good sense to buy a solid boat that won't shudder or shake the fillings loose when the going gets tough.

One of very few remaining independently-owned boatbuilding companies in America, Stingray has earned a reputation for making top-line sportsboats over the past 20-odd years. The company uses the latest cutting edge production techniques and, to ensure consistency, it limits its range to about 20 models from just 18-24ft.

Every Stingray boat is built from composite materials with hand-laid woven rovings and Klegecell and Coremat cores. The construction method results in a high strength-to-weight ratio. Computer-aided design and virtual 'crash-test dummies' are then used to ascertain such things as appropriate legroom and driver ergonomics.

A multi-axis 3D milling machine produces full-sized models from which the hand-laid hulls are eventually built. The boats are assembled along a computer-controlled production line. Water-jet cutting machines and CNC routers cut carpet, foam, vinyl, canvas, rubber and some fibreglass panels with precision.

The small amount of treated marine ply on the dash of the Stingray 220SX comes with a lifetime rot-free warranty. The boat's integrity comes from a foam-filled fibreglass stringer system. Soft engine mounts cut vibration and the end result is a stiff, solid and sporty hull backed by a five-year warranty.

Z PLANE AND SIMPLE
Stingray says its patented Z-plane hull is up to 30% more efficient than the hulls used by some of its competitors. On the water the 220SX seems slippery. Internally, a fibreglass cockpit liner and plenty of good gear create a sportsboat that's a cut above your average pop-out production rig.

For example, the 220SX had a Humminbird digital sounder, trailer trim switch, bimini and covers - plus that sexy, solid red, fast gelcoat - as the only options. The compass, CD player, adjustable steering, porta-potty, sink and so on are all standard issue.

Among the smart touches are a removable faceplate for security with your sound system, flash Faria gauges, a Ritchie compass, seat bases fashioned from polypropylene to stop rot, and with most models you get a dedicated anchor locker - unusual for a Yankee trailerboat.

On the 220SX the steering is tilt adjustable, the drinkholders are oversized so they can take a sports drink bottle, and the windscreen is curved safety glass without a hint of distortion. Stainless hardware is through-bolted to backing plates, while the swim platform is full-width.

Then there are the flashes of brilliance. I found a neat swing-away step on the 220SX which lets you climb over the dash and windscreen to reach the long foredeck. And I came across a porta-potty, sink and bed under the 220SX's big red bonnet - perfect for a couple of fast happy campers.

SPORTY SPICE
No matter which way you look at it the Stingray 220SX has well-proportioned lines and style derived from quality red, white and black trim. The hull has a sleek profile with a long foredeck for go-fast looks, but a broad cockpit for sharing the thrills and spills with three or four people parked on its contoured aft lounge.

Unlike a lot of point-and-shoot sportsboats the sleek Stingray 220SX also has freeboard. It has a surprisingly deep forefoot - more than the company's 22ft bowrider - and enough depth to take on Sydney Harbour, Port Phillip Bay or Moreton Bay in a blow. Actually, the boat borders on being a pocket offshore racer.

Even with the standard Alpha One sterndrive leg I noticed very little slip in corners with the leg trimmed out. The 5.0lt EFI MerCruiser produced a handy 240hp, but performance options range all the way up to 6.2lt, 320hp MerCruiser and various Bravo III leg combinations.

With a 21-inch standard alloy propeller, the hull banked as beautifully as any 22-footer I've driven, gliding through the bends, imparting a sense of strength for chomping over chop. According to the speedo, I obtained 100kmh top-end. Maybe it was generous, as the company quotes 90kmh flat out with the 5.0lt EFI engine.

Best of all, cruising at 3600rpm returns around a snappy 70kmh. With such speed up your sleeve, you can run from one end of town to the next without wasting time travelling. Before you know it you'd have the prawns from the fish markets and would be lying at anchor or carving rooster tails in the backwaters from whence you came.

READY FOR WATER SPORTS
The Stingray 220SX encourages a variety of water sports by virtue of its layout and deck gear. The transom has a full-width boarding platform with ladder, tread steps and handy grabrail. There's a ski tow eye, twin aft cleats, and a full-width sunlounge across the engine bay for when you want to do nothing much at all.

You get storage for ropes, hardware and so on under the sunlounge in lockers either side of the motor. The bimini top also hides here, accessible but out of the way. The sunlounge itself is a fantastic sculptured model capable of carrying four people with a welcome degree of security.

Cockpit space is generous and you don't feel as though you are kicking the person in front. The non-skid cockpit liner is flanked by handy moulded sidepockets, drinkholders, grabrails, and there are opening side windows in the wraparound screen for ventilation.

The pedestal helm seats provide good hip support and have flip-up footrests to make space for standing. There's a central icebox moulded in the floor, courtesy lights and an armour-plate windscreen with a walk-through section. Not to mention that neat fold-out step.

The copilot has a lock-up glovebox, grabrail and Clarion CD player linked to four weatherproof speakers. Carbon-look dash inserts add some extra spice to the helm, which also has a smart moulded matt black dash to reduce glare in the windscreen.

Trick Faria gauges - engine oil, temperature, rpm, speedo, trim, fuel and volts - are recessed alongside a digital Humminbird sounder. Switchpanels left and right of the wheel control the blower, nav lights, bilge pump, horn and so on. The throttle was the latest 2001 Mercury model that has incremental positions.

More signs of quality are dotted about the decks, such as the stylish stainless anchor cleat on the bow, the split nav light, stainless steel rubbing strip, amidships horn cleats, and trendy Euro-style foredeck hatch. The Grand Prix graphics on the foredeck say 220SX High Performance - but the boat is more than that.

YOUR SECOND HOME
The way the tax system is set-up in parts of North America you can claim a rebate on a boat if it is your second home. To this end, the lock-up cabin of the Stingray 220SX is fitted with an Orico alcohol stove, a small sink and a porta-potty.

Okay, so there are just 11lt of water at your disposal and you have to poke your head through the hatch to sit on the loo, but these are handy amenities for a 22-footer. Sitting room inside the cabin on benches, twin reading lights, and a 2.1m-long V-berth make for a boat you could camp aboard. The cabin is comfy with a fully-lined carpeted floor, storage nets, storage under the berths, and a mirrored bedhead.

The Stingray 220SX isn't a cheap boat, but it's a quality product. Moreover, it is more than just a sportsboat. It's a kind of RV on water. And with red gelcoat, hot graphics, a throaty V-eight and a trick hull, it's definitely fast.