02
B O A T I N G L I F E B O AT B U Y E R ’ S G U I D E 2002
SPLENDOR
240
Platinum
W
hen someone builds
a product by hand,
you can tell. It has the
builder’s “fingerprints” all over,
and you find some original
characteristics. That’s true of
the Splendor 240 Platinum,
which has a deckboat hull with
a bowrider configuration. It’s a
hybrid on the surface, carefree
fun
at
the
wheel.
The hull in an interesting
piece of work. It’s a stable, fullplaning catamaran design that
we found to love one-foot
chop. We took it into a whitecapping lake, and while the
hull sliced waves, the tunnel
softened the ride. Oh yeah, and
it was quick to plane.
Easy to clean and rigged
with stainless steel, the boat is
salt-friendly. Splendor prides
itself on flexibility, custom rigging all its boats. Our test model
had optional colored bezels and
grab handles, a sport wheel,
swim platform, depth finder and
a pair of 45-gallon fuel tanks.
Once aboard, you notice
the smooth lines and the ease
of movement from bow to
stern. The single-piece deck is
self-bailing. You could add a
snap-in carpet, but mainte-
Nice Touches
Nice
Touches
1.1. Built-in
Built incooler
coolerand
or sink
sinkininrear
rear
corner,
your
choice
2.
corner, your choice 2.Courtesy
Courtesy
lights make
make for
for easy
lights
easy cockpit
cockpit
movement after
after dark
movement
dark 3.3.Rope
Rope
lockertop
top notched
notched for
locker
forrope,
rope,in-interior cleat
cleat for
for cinching
terior
cinching off
offananchor 4.
4. All
chor
Allstorage
storageareas
areasunder
under
seatsplumbed
plumbedto
to outside;
outside; everyseats
everything in
in the
the boat
thing
boat isis self-bailing
self-bailing
Details
Performance
LENGTH OVERALL: 24’
TEST ENGINE : 5.7L EFI MERCRUISER BRAVO III
BEAM: 8’4”
TEST PROP: 22” PITCH
DRY WEIGHT : 3,700 LB.
TEST LOAD : FUEL (14 GAL.); PEOPLE ( APPROX. 800 LB .)
SEATING CAPACITY: 12
TOP SPEED: 48.7 MPH @ 4,800 RPM (IN HEAVY CHOP)
LOAD CAPACITY: 3,100 LB .
TIME TO PLANE: 4.1 SEC.
FUEL CAPACITY: 90 GAL.
TIME TO 30 MPH: 8.0 SEC.
@ 3/4 THROTTLE: 33 MPH @ 3,500
@ IDLE: 63 DB
NOISE @ 30 MPH: 83 DB
MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER: 325
SPEED
WARRANTY: 5- YEAR HULL
Splendor Boat s
800-359-7915
boatinglifemag.com/splendor240platinum
JANUARY /FEBRUAR Y 2002
boatinglifemag.com
128
RPM
NOISE
MSRP: CALL FOR PRICING
On-board head with portable toilet
is roomy and easily accessible.
nance of the non-ski fiberglass deck is so simple that
carpet seems an overkill.
The driver may have it
best, on a seat that can be
height-adjusted, then rides
atop an air cylinder shock
absorber. Beneath each of
two front bench seats, 87-inchlong storage lockers easily accommodate fishing rods and
skis.
The head, placed within
the passenger console, is
roomy. The portable head is
standard, but the space is
plumbed to accept a permanent unit. The head has both
a side door and a top hatch,
plus a light and a porthole.
Wall-mounted near the
driver is an entertainment
center which opens to expose
an AM/FM radio with cassette or CD; there’s also a
space (and a power outlet) for
a 9-inch television or TV/
VCR combination.
One docks this boat with
the notion that this is what
boating is supposed to be;
simple, fast and fun! -- S.G.
JOHN LINN
BL