55Gibson

After 3 weeks on Kalamalka Lk in BC, Canada (what a beautiful lake!) have to say I'm quite pleased. A lot of second guessing about the 430 hp but I'm glad I did it now. Planing is very fast and top speed is around 53-54 mph whether 1 person or 4 on board. Handling is terrific at speed but will need more experience to handle around docks. That said, I am able to back into docks to pick up/let off people (if there is no wind). Throttle is very touchy so I use docking mode a lot. Ski mode and Eco mode are well used but Cruise seems to have no use since the boat holds steady where ever I set the throttle. Wish neutral wasn't so rigid and abrupt. Neutral needs to be there but would like to pass through neutral smoother. Puzzled about Eco mode. All web comments I've read say Eco sets their boat around 29-30 mph. Mine is 35 mph whether 1 or 4 passengers. I'm also concerned about the tendancy to turn to Port when I'm trying to drive straight. To compensate I have to steer to Starboard....sometimes quite a bit. Is it the weight distribution? The breeze? Maybe something is not lined up? Trouble is this is not consistent. Love the storage and the space. Making full use of everything, except the bow ladder which is useless for getting out of the water because it is too short. It is ok for getting back into the bow from a beach. One thing I regard as a rather serious design mistake; you cannot tow from the tower with the bimini open. The forward leaning tower makes sense but BRP needs to redesign the bimini so it can be open while towing (while keeping the head room). Overall, it's quick and fast and handles like crazy, looks good and has lots of room and storage. I can drive it "normal" or I can let 'er rip (what the 430 hp is for) and rip she can do very well. You won't be doing some of this stuff with a stern drive or a wake boat! Then again, you won't be mak'n a wake like a wake boat either.