Those chines also contribute to just about every aspect of the Eclipse’s performance. The deep chines and the concave tunnels keep displaced water and spray down and away from the boat, producing a dry ride that’s comfortable for all on board under a variety of water conditions. It nestles itself lightly across the water, rocking the hull smoothly as it runs across any wakes or wash from other craft. The shape of the chines, the tunnels formed between them and the veed hull, make the boat extremely smooth and easy riding. This plate – called a “wake enhancer” on the option list – is fully controlled and adjusted from the driver’s seat. Like a number of other builders Lewis have also resorted to mechanical devices to enhance the quality of the wake for the die-hard wakeboarders. The turbulence coming from the prop and underwater running gear does not churn up the centre of the wash too much, leaving a wake that skiers from basic novice to hardened professional will find conducive to good skiing. The wake has a clean edge that is even and clearly defined. The position, length and shape of the strakes and keel plank the overly wide, drooped chines and the concave shape created inside the chines, combine to give a ride and all-round ski boat performance that is as good as you will get from any ski boat on the market. The underwater shape of this boat holds the key to just about all of its performance and success as a wakeboarding tow-boat. But it’s this boats on-water performance that makes it so popular with serious and social skiers alike, particularly with the wakeboarding enthusiasts. The Eclipse is an inboard centremount bowrider, which has all the onboard ingredients to make boating comfortable and enjoyable. The Lewis Eclipse is an excellent example of what has to be done to satisfy today’s demanding market.īut this is not just another quality inboard ski boat it is a boat of world-class standards in design, performance and finish. Also running costs and noise levels need to be addressed. While pulling power and consistency of the tow, combined with the ability of the boat to hold its line are prime ingredients in any ski boat design, the shape of the wake and surface turbulence now need to be considered when building a specialist ski boat. Then, the increase in popularity of wakeboarding placed more emphasis and importance on the shape and quality of the boat’s wake. Parker realised that the long-term future of any inboard ski boat lay in its design, layout and performance for the specialised role it’s called upon to perform.īut at the same time the boat had to provide all the comforts, finish and fit-out that a family man could get if he brought one of the many fibreglass family runabouts on the market that you could still ski behind. It was then that Steve Parker purchased Lewis Boats and set about re-evaluating, re-designing and re-building the range. In addition to a lot of big name companies, there were numerous backyard builders, using moulds that were often taken from timber ski boats, producing inboard ski boats for a market that was showing a lot of potential. But Lewis didn’t have that market to itself. Lewis’s popularity continued right up to the mid 60s, when moulded fibreglass construction sounded the death knell of those beautifully handcrafted timber ski and race boats.īy the time Lewis had made the change to fibreglass construction, their dominance of race circuits had ended, leaving the ski and social markets as their sole source for production. When water skiing increased in popularity during the late 60s Lewis became one of the most sought after brands by ardent racing drivers and social skiers alike. Lewis saw each new boat as a challenge, pushing the workmen to improve on the quality and performance of the last boat built. Craftsmen dedicated to the final product built these boats from only the finest timbers. Its story began more than 60 years ago when the company built handcrafted inboard ski racing boats. Lewis Boats is a company steeped in history and tradition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |