An atypical river trial for a boat used to large bodies of water
We sailed the new SR41 on the test base of the Bavaria shipyard. The latter is installed on the Main, a tributary of the Rhine located near Giebelstadt, the stronghold of the German pleasure boat manufacturer. If the setting is suitable for pretty pictures, with its banks covered with trees in autumn colors, it is unfortunately less suitable for testing the boat's wave passage and its maneuvering abilities. The tight turns are reserved for the pilots of the construction site, because of the proximity of the banks and the gaze of the German river police. Nevertheless, we were able to observe the boat's very respectable speed performance and its comfort at the helm.
Speed and comfort of navigation
Comfortably seated in the cockpit, with a comfortable seat height, we were able to test the straight line speed of the SR41 speedboat. At the time of our test, our launch was equipped with two Mercruiser gasoline engines of 350 horsepower each. The fresh water tank was empty, while the 750 L fuel tank was 50% full. The light displacement of the boat is announced at 10.5T.
With its V-shaped hull still quite marked on the rear sections, the stability of the course is sometimes a little limited if the lift is not frank. However, as soon as the planing is started, the driving comfort is good, with a good visibility on the front, particularly necessary with the barge traffic in the meanders of the Main!
With the 700 horsepower Mercruiser engines and their Bravo 3 bases, the boat reaches its cruising speed at a fairly high speed of 5,000 rpm. The consumption is then 185,5 l/h for a speed of 29,85 knots, that is to say a consumption of 6,2 l per nautical mile. With a tank of 750 L, the autonomy is thus approximately 4 hours.
At full speed, the boat reaches a maximum speed of 33.5 knots. The consumption then reaches 217 L/h.
Different motorization options
As an alternative to the 350 HP Mercruiser 6.2L gasoline engines, Bavaria offers the Volvo Penta V8 gasoline engines in 2x355 HP. For those who prefer inboard diesel engines, the Volvo Penta D4 2x300HP or D6 2x380HP are also available, although there is a weight difference in the boat.
