Mazziena 26SP – DF350A dual prop Suzuki
OLR 40SR – 3 x 500Rs V8
Mazziena 26SP – DF350A dual prop Suzuki
OLR 40SR – 3 x 500Rs V8
ZEN 40 – V8 350hp HONDA
North winds of 6-7 Beaufort, with gusts of 30-35 knots. This was the forecast for that day.Once again we carried out a tough test, as many sea friends request, although they shouldn’t in my opinion. ZEN 40 of course, traveled famously, very softly and safely, without even tiring the passengers, in every direction of the waves, wherever we turned our bow, even though the wavelength was quite short with all that this entails.
The question is: do we have the experience and the required understanding to be able to handle a high-speed boat in such weather conditions? But even if we have the appropriate skills, it is wise to avoid traveling in heavy weather conditions, no matter how seaworthy our boat is, because safety comes first. We just need to consider that in the case of any damage we will put ourselves and the entire crew at enormous risk.
On the other hand, however, we live in the Aegean.
Being well aware of that the Aegean is haunted by the Meltemi during the months of July and August, which also happen to be the holiday season for most people, it is absolutely certain that we will be called upon, more than once, to face rough seas. And then, as good captains, not only should we not be afraid but we should have the strength and ability to cope with the particularly demanding conditions and travel safely to the nearest port. To do this, however, it is wise to test our capabilities with a more experienced company, often attempting short rides in bad weather conditions, so that we can better know how our boat behaves, but also how we ourselves should behave as captains, what we are allowed to do and what we should avoid in any case.
And let’s always remember that the sea is sometimes very difficult to navigate, but if we learn to respect her, to read her and to "dance" to her own rhythm, we have absolutely nothing to fear.
As we have emphasized many times, ZEN 40 belongs to that category of Ribs that can travel us comfortably and safely to distant destinations, even in bad weather conditions. Once again, we saw not only the very good quality of construction but also its robust structure, which inspires enormous confidence in her captain.
We began our test by traveling parallel to the waves, where the boat can develop high speeds, proportional to the captain's experience. Her hull maintained a very good riding angle and allowed us to run between the peaks of the waves with great safety and confidence.
Turning the bow to the south, I let ZEN 40 run at a constant speed of 22 knots. We traveled very comfortable with the bow standing steadily high without any tendency to nail, despite the combination of high wave height with short wavelength. In these weather conditions having the waves at your stern, you can travel for many hours with characteristic comfort and safety.
Riding against the wind, where the waves seemed to be raging in front of our bow, we traveled equally comfortably at speeds of 22-25 knots, with the knife-like hull softening each of our landing, while the spray rails took care of pushing the spray away from the deck.
Our test Rib was powered by Honda’s new 350hp V8 engines, the propellers of which were turning the 4-blade 15 ¼΄΄ x 22΄΄ Lexor stainless steel propellers with a gear ratio of 1.79:1.
The new Honda engines, with their particularly sleek and aerodynamic design, seemed to fit perfectly with the aggressive character of ZEN 40. Under their single cowl, a new 5-liter displacement block with a fully balanced crankshaft is housed, built using the same alloy and strength specifications as the engine of the Acura NSX high-performance supercar.
Delving into the technical characteristics of the Honda V8 350hp outboard, it is worth mentioning the included BLAST system, through which not only optimal acceleration in the low-rpm range and maximum engine torque are achieved, but also a significant reduction in vibration.
Honda Marine, with the integration of the innovative Lean Burn Control technology, places particular emphasis on fuel savings, which can reach 17% at cruising speeds.
During our test, the very smooth and soft operation of the engines was evident, without any vibration, while maintaining noise at very low levels.
It is characteristic that in the medium rpm range, in which we operate the engines during our trips, we can converse in the cockpit area without the need to raise our voice.
Without being able to fully record the performance due to the strong winds and high waves, we finally managed to collect some substantial numbers.
ZEN 40 was planning in 7 seconds, standing on plane at 2400 rpm maintaining a speed of 13.5 knots, while accelerating to 30 knots in 10 seconds and reaching 40 knots in 15 seconds. The throttle response and the acceleration were at a very good level throughout the whole rpm range.
At 3000 rpm, we were cruising at 25 knots burning 2.7 liters per nautical mile, while at 3500 rpm we were running at 32 knots recording the most economical cruising speed with extremely low consumption, which ranged between 2.3 and 2.4 liters per mile.
At 4000 rpm we were travelling at 37 knots with consumption at 3.1 liters per mile, while at 4500 rpm, we were running at 43 knots burning 3.4 liters per mile.
At full throttle, ZEN 40 recorded a top speed of 56.7 knots, while the engine reached 6200 rpm, exceeding the maximum speed limit recommended by Honda.
Analyzing the above numbers, we will see very good slip values throughout the entire rpm range, which demonstrates that we had a very good set-up in our hands that will allow the engines to be very close to their maximum rpm limit, even when the boat is heavily loaded.
Manufacturer:
ΖΕΝΜΑRΙΝΕ
36km Leoforos Lavriou – 19001, Kouvaras - ATTICA
Τel.: +30 6945 550 661
email: zenmarine.info@gmail.com
https://www.zenmarine.gr/
