80-83 Remarkable Raiders.indd - Raider Boats UK

John Steele grabbed a recent
opportunity to step on board
three of the latest offerings from
Raider Boats during a day on
Loch Lomond…
Large Playground!
Raider Boats UK Ltd based at Carnforth,
Lancashire recently paid a visit to Scotland
bringing three of their most popular boats. Namely
the ‘18 Fisherman’, the ‘580 Ultra Sport’ and the
‘18 Cuddy’. The venue was Loch Lomond, Britain’s
biggest sheet of freshwater.
Set amidst magnificent scenery, the loch is 18
miles long, five miles wide and at its deepest point
630 feet. With such a huge expanse of water it
is not surprising that the loch is a very popular
watersports playground attracting visitors from all
over the UK.
Easy To Tow
On the journey north to Scotland’s largest inland
loch the boats proved to be easily trailable,
even more so as the last ten miles along the
loch’s eastern shore is a bumpy potholed single
track. On arrival at Rowardenan Jetty it was
encouraging to find interested parties already
waiting, eager to test out the boats. Chatting to
the boat enthusiasts was Paul Mellotte, Area Sales
Manager for E P Barrus, UK importer and distributor
of major brands of outboard engines such as
Mercury and Mariner. Also on hand was Ewen
Whyte, owner of ‘Sea & Shore’ at Dundee - the
Scottish dealer for Raider UK.
The three Raider boats were quickly launched
and immediately became the centre of attention
as they commenced trial runs from the jetty on a
regular basis. The first group waiting to participate
had travelled from Newcastle. Second in line were
two members from The Heads of Ayr Sea Angling
Club. The club members were on the lookout for
a suitable new boat for their club. As I watched
from the jetty it was exhilarating to see the Raiders
putting on such an impressive display. After his
trip potential buyer Mike Johnson, an Education
Liaison Officer at St Andrews University, was most
enthusiastic about the performance of the 18
Fisherman.
At The Helm
Soon it was my turn to board the 18 Fisherman
and take the wheel. I was accompanied by John
Nicholson, the managing director of Raider UK Ltd.
I admired the full head height walk in wheelhouse,
the 52 Square feet (4.83 square metres) of open
deck space, and the conveniently positioned rod
holders.
We were joined by the 580 Ultra Sport, powered
by a Mercury 150HP and the 18 Cuddy with an
80HP Mercury. Communicating via hand held
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The three test boats head out into the loch.
What a great day for a play!
radios we sped down the loch
and carried out a number of tight
turns, twisting and circling at high
speed. We had a large expanse of
the loch all to ourselves to carry
out manoeuvres. At this point the
other two boats took it in turns to
repeatedly pass the Fisherman 18
at high speed creating huge bow
waves. The 18 fisherman rode the
waves smoothly with no resounding
thud. With us all at high speed this
was not only very exciting it also
proved the boats to be very stable.
As for their overall performance, it
was superb. Our outboard, a Marine
Mercury 80 HP 4 stroke was bursting
with energy. It had considerable
power, clean running efficiency
and was very quiet when we were
cruising. After this magnificent display
we all headed back to the jetty as
there were more than a few impatient
parties waiting.
Closer Look
In-between the boats traversing the
loch I had the opportunity to have a
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closer look at each of them. Starting
with the Fisherman 18 (which is 18
feet in length) I took note of the
standard features and equipment
such as the bow rails, the toughened
safety glass in the wheelhouse and
the more than ample storage lockers
under the swivel seats. The well fitted
out cabin area is not only naturally
lit and ventilated it allows for multipurpose
use including a toilet facility.
The 3ft (91mm) freeboard is an ideal
safe height for boat anglers and the
space under the rear platform is the
perfect location for fuel tanks.
There is an excellent non-slip
surface on decks and floors and from
a boat building point of view the hull
and decks are laid up with the latest
high tech materials that combine
high strength and lightness.
There are many other interesting
features and it is good to know that
there is a choice of 18 optional extras
that can be factory fitted. Just as
the 18 Fisherman was departing on
another test the 580 Ultra Sport was
mooring at the jetty. This was the
ideal opportunity for me to board
and have a closer look at what was
on offer.
At 18ft 6in (5680mm) the standard
features includes two rod holders,
a ladder, windscreen, two transom
doors, an instrument panel,
navigation lights, stainless steel railing
and cleats. It also has an inboard
fuel tank, a full set of blue and white
waterproof cushions and a table.
Having already witnessed this boat
being put through its paces and
giving an excellent performance I
knew it was ideal for boat anglers,
divers and skiers. With room for six
people, offering ultimate stability
and a solid ride what more could be
asked for. Just at that I could hear
the Mercury 80HP engine on the 18
Cuddy approaching, right on cue
for me to check it out and what a
beauty she is.
At 18 feet in length and an open
deck space of 64 square feet it is
ideal for anglers. This is a brand new
model from Raider UK and has been
designed specifically for the world
of boat fishing including the serious
offshore boat anglers. It is capable of
being powered by outboards up to
90 HP. The beam is 7ft, (2.13m) draft
is 1ft (0.30m) and the weight is 1391
pounds (631 Kg).
Raider boats are built to the latest
European CE Standards, come
with a two-year warranty and are
very competitively priced. I was
exceedingly impressed with them
as it was obvious they had been
exceptionally well designed and built
by craftsmen.
You can waterski off the back of this baby!
CONTACTS
Raider UK Ltd, 72 Sunnybank Road,
Bolton Le Sands, Carnforth.
All enquires tel: 01524 823 963.
E-mail: john@raiderboats.co.uk Website
www.raiderboats.co.uk Sea & Shore.
Dundee. Scottish dealer for Raider UK,
tel: 01382 450666.
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