40-KNOT BARGAINS
We track down four top secondhand performance boats
The term ‘high performance’ covers a multitude of sins – you could buy a Fletcher speedboat with a 200hp outboard and justifiably claim to own a high-performance boat. And there are superyachts that can crack on at a fair pace. However, for my four choices this month I’ve chosen boats that comfortably exceed 40 knots yet still give a reasonably smooth ride. They are all useable in harbour or at anchor and you can overnight on them comfortably too, even though these kinds of boats are often used as ‘fast commuters’ to get you quickly between ports or out to an anchorage ahead of the pack rather than for extended long range cruising.
But what these boats offer most is a thrill, the visceral sensation of power and of speed. For all the practical purposes of shrinking time and distance, it’s the joy of simply covering ground (or in this case water) that shines brightest.