With the Sensation SX170, we have a truly “exotic” GRP racer at the start. The open sports boat was produced in South Africa. Powered by an 84.6 kW Mercury F115 CT, the easily trailerable bowrider turns out to be an absolute fun machine. Please get in for a test drive…
It’s relatively easy to find out how the dashing speedster, which is lifted from the
mold a few kilometers south of Johannesburg in the small town of Randvaal, ended up in the province of Lower Saxony and on the Aller river for the SKIPPER test. EK Marine Service OHG from Neustadt am Rüben- berge, which recently became the exclusive German importer of Sensation, was made aware of the sportily styled model range with the promising brand name by fellow Gummersbach dealer Siegel. The first step was a friendly phone call to the shipyard, and it wasn’t long before the brothers and EK Marine owners Christopher del Castillo (34) and Francesco Esser del Castillo (23) traveled to South Africa to meet Andre van Helsdingen, the founder and CEO of Sensation Boats, in person. The visit was to bear fruit. Last November and in January 2023, two Sensation boats were on display at the water sports trade fairs in Berlin and Düsseldorf, attracting at least curious glances or concrete interest on both the Spree and the Rhine. The first units have now been sold and delivered. At the same time, the ambitious importers from Steinhuder Meer are experiencing a steady increase in demand. Now, on the occasion of Boot & Fun Inwater from August 25 to 27, EK Marine intends to fly the flag again with two Sensation models in the Brandenburg water sports center Werder, both on land and in the wet element. There will therefore be an opportunity to get a personal impression of the product quality and running characteristics of a Sensation SXI230 during a test run on the Havel. So much for the “prehistory”. Before we turn our attention to the Sensation SX170, which is moored ready for use at the Aller jetty, perhaps some further explanatory information. The Sensation Boats repertoire currently ranges from a four-meter fishing boat to a seaworthy 44-foot catamaran with double diesel power. However, CE certification is required for the European market, which is only available for five bowrider types. As a result, only this quintet is available in this country. The plastic boats, manufactured using the modern vacuum infusion process, are between 5.10 and 8.04 meters long. Trailer transport is no problem with suitable towing vehicles, although the small excess width of the “large” Sensation SXI250 – exactly five centimetres – requires a special official permit.
This procedure is of course not necessary for the unladen SX170, which weighs 565 kilograms and meets the classification criteria of CE category C, allowing it to sail on coastal waters. As the smallest design in the Sensation fleet designed for Europe, our test candidate measures a compact 5.10 x 2.15 meters. Five people can sit in the anti-slip structured self-draining cockpit, which is fitted with either a perfectly cut button carpet or elastic EVA covering, and the maximum payload is an impressive 675 kg. The somewhat unorthodox arrangement of the accurately stitched but, in our opinion, slightly too softly sprung seats takes some getting used to. The front passenger sits on a bench positioned lengthways, which is part of the L-shaped seating group that can be combined with a table. More than sufficient stowage volume and the expertly installed battery system are revealed in the substructure. The aft passageway to the integrated stern walkways is located on the starboard side, where a steel telescopic bathing ladder is also fitted. The skipper looks at a classically instrumented dashboard and through a relatively high and unfortunately not anti-reflective real glass windshield. It would be great if the shipyard could remedy this and also modify the unstable locking mechanism on the center step-through – we have no other points of criticism. On the contrary: the gelcoat finish is just as impressive as the flawless topcoat sealing of the numerous compartments. In typical Bowrider style, the Sensation also shines with additional storage capacity in the foredeck. Bulky equipment, such as fishing rods and landing nets or even a water ski set, can be stowed away effortlessly,
On the drive side, the 17-foot sensation is designed to be fitted with long-shaft outboards. We recommend a minimum output of 51.5 kW (70 hp), the upper limit is officially 150 horsepower – but you can confidently do without it. With the aforementioned Mercury F115 EFI CT, the agile exotic is very harmoniously motorized. The perfectly balanced hull with a moderate V-keel impresses even during extreme maneuvers with an impressively high level of driving stability. The phantom-black 115 hp in-line four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.1 liters demonstrates excellent acceleration, so that the test boat with three occupants takes off like a fire engine. Gliding speed is achieved within five seconds, and with the help of the engine trim, even spectacular flying maneuvers with butter-soft landings can be achieved. The top speed measurement is 37.7 knots, equivalent to 70 km/h. The answer to the price question is still missing: the motorless standard boat costs 22,998 euros. The package with the snappy Mercury and some useful options costs 42,498 euros.
PROS
-
Very sporty and safe running, extremely maneuverable bowrider
-
Extremely powerful and fast with the Mercury F115 CT at the rear
-
Careful GRP processing with impeccable gelcoat finish
-
Ample stowage capacity in the self-draining cockpit area
-
Optimum space conditions for an easily trailerable 17-footer
-
Many options in terms of plastic and upholstery colors
-
Important equipment details are already included as standard
-
Attractive and fully competitive price-performance ratio
CONS
-
Intermittent reflections in the windshield
-
Disc locking mechanism on the center step-through could be improved
ENGINE ON THE TEST BOAT
Mercury F115 EFI CT, four-stroke outboard with electric fuel injection, power 84.6 kW (115 hp), number of cylinders: 4 in series, bore x stroke: 90 x 81 mm, displacement: 2,100 ccm, weight: 165 kg, max. speed range 5,000-6,000 rpm, unit price: € 17,129
