Power Play

First you Feel the power. The intensity and thrill rise and fall as you move the throttle. Beneath you, the boat is almost alive with movement, slashing across the waves, throwing up brilliant white plumes of spray. You feel the wind in your face, tugging gently at the corners of your eyes. But first you feel the power.

Powerboating is back, and if you've ever imagined yourself at the helm of a sleek needle-nosed craft cutting a swath through the Gulf Stream or nailing the throttle of a nimble runabout as you head for your favorite fishing hole, now's the time to go for it.

For those of you who feel a twinge of guilt at the thought of running some gas-guzzling, noisy stinkpot--lighten up. There's no denying powerboats burn gas and diesel fuel, but the fuel crunches of the Seventies sent marine-engine makers and boatbuilders hurrying back to the drawing boards to create lighter, stronger hulls, and back to Detroit for gas-stingy power plants. The result: Today's four- and six-cylinder stern drives crank out more power per pound than ever; they run quieter, cooler and cleaner; and they're a lot more reliable.

The same holds true for outboards. Long gone are the days of blue smoke and messy oil-and-gas mixing containers. On-board computers integrate fuel injection, fire the ignition and monitor operating temperatures and pressures--adjusting all the details so your engine starts easier, runs quicker and idles more smoothly.

Today's marine engines are also the quietest ever. Sure, there are still macho grandstanders who think that revving up dockside is a real turn-on or that unmuffled through-transom exhausts are a high-performance necessity. But more and more boat owners are equipping their boats with systems that keep down loud noises until they're well away from highly populated areas.

The following are six boats selected for comfort, ample storage, reliable operation and abundant power for nimble performance. Welcome aboard!

Chris-Craft 1930 Model 103

Among the powerboating pioneers who created the pleasure factor in boating, one name is legendary--Christopher Columbus Smith, a turn-of-the-century master builder of wooden rowboats and duckboats. His decision to install a naphtha-gas engine in a duckboat to improve its range and speed fostered a company that carried his name to international markets and gave birth to a multibillion-dollar industry. Chris Smith designs were also well known in the boat-racing world. (continued on page 145)Power Play(contitnued from page 110) The boats won big and they won often, helping spread Smith's fame and secure his place in history.

Those who want to flaunt a piece of that history are in luck. Although fiberglass replaced wood as the boatbuilder's material of choice in the Fifties, causing even the staunchest innovators, such as Chris-Craft, to convert, a handful of entrepreneurs held fast, unwilling to forsake the warmth, character and beauty of varnished planks. Thus, the timeless designs of Chris-Craft are still available and still hand-crafted one at a time, but with some interesting technological innovations.

Grand Craft Corporation of Holland, Michigan, builder of fine runabouts, currently has a contract with Chris-Craft to build a limited edition of 24 reproductions of the 1930 Model 103, a stunning 24-foot mahogany runabout. It boasts a beautiful varnish finish just like the original one, but the wooden structure is encapsulated in epoxy resin to protect it against the harsh marine environment. Aside from additional reinforcements to accept the 351-cubic-inch OMC/Ford engine, it's virtually identical to the 1930 model, right down to the red-leather seats and Chris-Craft name etched into the glass of the wind-wings.

Aronow Alpha 45

Another well-known boatbuilder who subjected his designs to the rigors of international competition was the late Don Aronow. During the Sixties, Aronow owned offshore racing. Formula, Donzi, Magnum, Cigarette--all were founded and raced by him, often in collaboration with noted designer Jim Wynne, who also invented the inboard/outboard, or stern drive, propulsion system that's standard on many powerboats.

The Aronow Alpha 45 is one of his best designs, an eight-foot-wide needle with a triple-engine stern-drive power plant and an aggregate power output ranging from 1100 to more than 2100 horsepower. The latter installation will take you up to speeds of 90 miles per hour if you dare to open the throttle.

The lines of the Aronow Alpha 45 are decidedly knifelike, with a deep V-shaped bottom to cut waves and cushion impact at high speeds. The helm console is a study in functional simplicity. Throttles and gear shifters are to your right, lined up so that you can make a fist around the throttle heads and control all three engines as one. You fly this bird by the nose. When it begins to rise or when the props leave the water at high speed, a quick pull on the throttles chops power, and as the stern settles back in and the bow levels off, a quick shot of power keeps you at speed.

Below decks, Aronow Powerboats builds cabins to specification. You can have it your way, from a stripped-out speed machine to a luxury cruiser with burled-hardwood paneling and gold-plated hardware.

Boston Whaler Outrage 25 Cuddy

Can you fish from an Aronow Alpha 45? Sure, but who'd want to? Fishing is far more pleasant when form follows intended function, such as taking you to some potentially inhospitable places--30, 40 or 50 miles offshore, out where the big ones are. To get there, you'll want a boat that's totally reliable. You'll want a Boston Whaler.

When Boston Whaler founder Dick Fisher designed the first Whaler 13, and pronounced it unsinkable, he knew he'd have to prove his claim. So he arranged a demonstration, photographed by Life magazine in 1961, that showed him sitting in a Whaler that was being sawed in half. Both halves floated perfectly, and the Boston Whaler name suddenly became synonymous with safe boat design.

The Whaler's foam-filled hull was rigid and strong. It sported a cathedral-shaped bottom, which gave it walk-right-out-to-the-edge stability. Varnished-mahogany plank seats and side steering consoles added a touch of warmth, and low stainless-steel grab rails provided secure handholds.

Today there are 34 Whaler models, ranging from nine to 31 feet in length. The Outrage 25 Cuddy is a fine example of the practical fishing machine. It's nearly all cockpit, perfect for fighting fish on all sides. The helm console concentrates all operational, navigational and fish-finding equipment in one central structure. Seating for two behind the protective console can be either a padded leaning post with built-in rocket-launcher rod storage and space below for a 94-gallon cooler or dual-swivel pedestal seats that let you face aft when slow-trolling. If you want more room in the cockpit, order the Whaler Drive, a special transom extender that will accept two high-horsepower outboards. When you're planning to run offshore, two motors can ensure that you'll have one to return on, just in case.

To escape the sun--or for, perhaps, a more pleasurable pursuit--you can always take refuge in the Whaler's forward cuddy that's complete with a portable head and a forward V-berth that will sleep two adults. There's also cabin lighting, bunk cushions, shelf storage and even a forward hatch and two aft-facing windows for ventilation and light. For a dedicated fishing machine, it's also a pretty good platform for catching some rays or just kicking back and cooling off with a beer.

Donzi Sweet 16

Another real comeback story, this time in the performance field, is the return of the Sweet 16, Donzi Marine's low-profile 16 Ski-Sport. For most of the Sixties and Seventies, the Sweet 16 was the toast of small bays and lakes all over the country. But the power-hungry Eighties did the Sweet 16 in. Larger performance boats became the boats to own, so the pocket-rocket 16 was retired in 1981.

Now it's back, virtually unchanged.

The same stainless-steel grab rail wraps the cockpit. There are the same clean look and lines, no windscreen breaking the smooth flow of deck from bow to stern. The controls are elegantly simple, from the Momo steering wheel to the single-lever shifter and throttle. Slip a slalom ski and a jacket out from under the forward deck, hook a rope on the towing eye and head for the smooth water.

Wellcraft Excalibur Phantom 20

If you're looking for high-performance excitement in a slightly larger, contemporary-styled package, the new Excalibur Phantom 20 from Wellcraft definitely fits the bill. The company that gave us Scarab and Nova performance-boat lines as premiere muscle boats for the past two decades went one better with this design. Instead of boxy windows, the Phantom 20 has side-by-side deck cowlings, reminiscent of some state-of-the-art offshore-racing cockpits. This may be one of the cleanest, most aerodynamic styles on the water, with lines that flow uninterrupted from the bow to the integral swim platform that's sculpted out of the transom.

There's substance to all this style. A Mer-Cruiser 350 Mag is the top power option for the Phantom 20, with a nominal cruising speed of 39 mph (sure, you can go slower, but who in his right mind would buy this beauty to go slow?) and a top end of 65 mph.

Like any efficient runabout, the Phantom 20 has ample storage space under the front deck and jump seats aft for friends. But it also has some other nice touches--courtesy lights to illuminate the cockpit after dark, comfortable swivel pedestal seats forward, a custom sport steering wheel and full instrumentation--not just the basics. Resemblances to aircraft operation are intentional. At 65 mph on the water, the helm of the Phantom is like a fighter plane's cockpit. And you'll appreciate the clear view, the power steering and the finger-tip controls that the Phantom 20 offers.

Glastron Carlson 33CSS

Now that you're ready to fly one of the best-looking muscle boats ever to hit the water--a sports boat with equal emphasis on style, performance and creature comforts--take a demonstration ride in the Carlson 33CSS.

Thundering along with two MerCruiser 454 Magnum motors pouring out a respectable 70 mph, the 33CSS is a sight to behold. On the outside, the emphasis is on aerodynamics. Stainless-steel safety rails, mooring cleats and opening hatches are recessed neatly into the foredeck, available for instant use but tucked away, out of the air stream. The radar arch is kept purposefully low to reduce drag and relate to the sculpted transom. It's a thing of beauty that inevitably draws comparisons to top sports cars.

The cockpit is a well-padded playpen. Two convertible padded bolsters allow you to stand or sit. A bench with headrests that conceals two ice chests spans the cockpit's aft end, and it's a short distance across the sun-lounging area (when the boat's at rest, of course) to the wide swim platform. Belowdecks, there's standing headroom, a galley and a head, two plush padded facing seats and a large V-berth all the way forward for an overnight couple.

That's Playboy's power fleet. All of our selections are fast, sleek and fun. Some are eminently affordable; others are the stuff that a lottery winner's dreams are made of. Come on in, the water's fine!

"The latter installation will take you up to speeds of 90 miles per hour if you dare to open the throttle."