Olympic 30SR – Twin 250AP Suzuki
Focchi 7.30 – Six Cylinder Verado 275+hp
Black Mamba - Twin DF 250AP Suzuki
The Cadillac of Olympic-Ribs!
I don't know if it is a pretty eccentric Rib, but it’s certainly very different.
Black Mamba has its own extraordinary personality and combines in a unique way the style and luxury with ergonomics and great performance.
Black Mamba, a result of Olympic Yard's collaboration with the MEKY-VELOS Group, continues to be an innovative project, though it’s been over than ten years since it was first launched.
It is a special and distinctive Rib, the design features of which are very different from the moderately classic lines of the other rigid inflatable boats.
The only thing left to see is whether it is really aggressive and "venomous", as its prototype name also indicates.
Just a few minutes of observation are enough to find out that this is an offshore inflatable boat with design features that guarantee smooth and dry navigation.
The Black Mamba Rib is built on a racing hull, on the transom of which a two-level bracket of 70cm of length has been integrated.
With 55 degrees of bow entry and 21.5 degrees of deadrise at the transom, it is characterized by the presence of two ventilated steps and the configuration of a 24.5 cm wide pad at the aft section.
Three spray rails start from the bow area and reach with negative inclination to the boat transom. The chine starts with a height of 10 cm in the bow area, reaches a maximum height of 25 cm in the helm area and ends at the transom having a height of 16 cm.
On deck
With a strong emphasis on construction quality and finish, the Black Mamba deck is characterized by a particular and very ergonomic design, boasting many innovative and pioneer features.
What stands out at first glance, however, is its sleek and beautifully designed cabin that extends just a few inches above the tubes.
Its roof forms a very comfortable sunbed with a length of 2.04 meters and a maximum width of 1.85 meters in the console area.
The passageways to the port and starboard of the console have a maximum width of 39 cm, making it easy for us to go up or descend from the superstructure of the sundeck.
The quite narrow door to the right of the pilot station leads to the interior of the cabin which is large enough related with the size of the Rib and this is mainly due to the absence of tubes in the first 2.50 meters of the bow.
Adding the appropriate extension, a large berth with 2.22m of length and 1.35m of maximum width is formed, which can comfortably accommodate two adults.
Underneath the berth cushions, there are valuable storage spaces, one of which is used for the installation of a nautical toilet, while on the lateral surfaces of the front part of the cabin there are two particularly useful compartments that can accommodate all of our clothing and the necessary blankets of the berth.
The maximum height of the cab reaches 1.45 meters allowing us to sit comfortably and easily operate either when we want to change clothes or when preparing the bed for our night sleep.
The helm station is to the port of the console and consists of three levels. At the upper level there is a suitable space for mounting the engine gauges and a large navigation device. Below, the horizontal plane houses the boat's electrical switches and the stainless steel cup-holders, while the lower level accommodates the steering wheel and the electronic engines’ controls.
The independent helm seats are properly designed to occupy as little space as possible and provide full lateral support and shock absorption, giving the operator complete control of the boat even when traveling in heavy weather conditions.
Just behind the seats is the elegant wet-bar, with a folding double seat facing the stern of the boat.
Between the wet-bar and the three-seater aft couch, a huge free deck surface with dimensions of 1.60m x 1.23m is formed, not even met at much larger boats, providing complete freedom of movement.
The aft sofa reaches 1.70 meters wide and can comfortably accommodate three adults, while right behind is formed the aft sunpad measuring 2.05m of width and 0.85m of length.
In the stern area, of course, we meet the impressive roll bar made of large diameter stainless steel pipe with a high inclination backwards, becoming one of the most stylistic and inspiring elements of Black Mamba.
At sea
On the Black Mamba bracket, two DF 250AP 4028cc V6 Suzuki engines were mounted, the lower units of which were turning 16΄΄ x 23΄΄ Suzuki 3-blade stainless steel propellers with a 2.08: 1 gear ratio.
On the day of our test, the sea was dreamy and so we had the convenience to find out the behavior of the hull and evaluate its performance in terms of acceleration, cruising speed and throttle response.
The Black Mamba Rib planed in just 3.7 seconds, accelerating to 30 knots in 5.7 seconds and up to 50 knots in 12 seconds. These numbers show explosive acceleration and immediate throttle response, something that was directly perceived in the helm with our backs sticking to the backrests of seats at every touch of the throttles.
It is noteworthy that even when the tachometers showed 5000 rpm, the throttle response continued to be excellent and the Rib accelerated forward with remarkable speed.
The handling of the Rib, even at high speeds or when attempting tight turns, was perfectly friendly while we were impressed by the high level of stability and flexibility during the abrupt direction changes, a fact that filled us with a great deal of confidence, having the feeling that we had in our hands a very fun and enjoyable machine.
Every time I was crossing our wake, running at particularly high speeds, the Rib was showing its robust construction as I never received annoying noises, while the sharp bow entry was taking care to soften any impact with the wave.
At the midrange rpm, the Black Mamba was already standing very high in the water, and we felt it hover in the aft portions of its hull minimizing the drag and thus increasing its performance, which we can see in detail in the table below:
With 200 liters of fuel and 2 people on board, the Rib got on plane at 2200 rpm with 11.5 knots, which is extremely important and it would be highly appreciated when travelling in rough seas.
At 3000 rpm, the GPS showed 23 knots having a fuel consumption of 1.56 liters per nautical mile. This was also the most economical cruise speed we recorded in which the boat held a very good ride attitude and showed excellent handling.
At 3500 rpm, we were traveling at 30 knots burning 1.66 liters per mile, while at 4000 rpm we were running with 35 knots and the fuel consumption continued to remain at about the same level.
The above figures show us that we can travel at speeds from 23 to 35 knots with very low fuel consumption and thus quickly and effortlessly reach distant destinations.
At wide open throttle, the engines approached the maximum rpm recommended by their manufacturer and Black Mamba reached 56.5 knots of top speed.
If we take a closer look at the above table of our measurements, we will find that the slip values we recorded, even at low rpm, are unique constituting the ideal goal for any boat-engine combination.
It's really great to be able to travel at 3500 rpm and get almost the maximum speed from our propellers, which means we've achieved the greatest possible autonomy and, of course, an enviable set-up.
At 5500 rpm and at WOT, our speed was exactly the same as the theoretical speed of our propellers, so the slip was 0%, a truly rare and amazing number.
The above measurements coupled with the behavior of the Rib at high speeds, show that it would be very interesting to test Suzuki's 24.5-inches of pitch propellers, raising at the same time one hole higher the engines thus allowing the Black Mamba’s hull to maintain much more wetted surfaces.
It would also be interesting to experiment with smaller diameter and longer pitch propellers while maintaining the same engines’ mounting height, if our primary goal is to achieve higher top speed.
Manufacturer:
Olympic
Karyofyllis Dimitris
19100 Megara
Tel.: +30 22960 22002
www.olr.gr
e-mail: info@olr.gr
N. Greece’s dealer
Dynamic Custom Boatworks
Μitrousis A.
Apollonos 3 – Pylaia – Thessaloniki
Tel.: +30 2310 489 008
e-mail: mitrousis1@yahoo.gr
