Name some high performance boat companies from other countries
 

I got to thinking about how many boat companies are in the USA that are known around the world for being leaders in the high performance boat building world and was wondering are there companies in other countries that also hold such reputations for quality and speed. Take for instance the board member 38kv, he lives in Sweden and has a Wellcraft Scarab. He posted that his neighbor just bought an Apache. This got me wondering are there companies in say Sweden, Britain, or other countries that has a boat company as famous as say Cigarette or Apache. To get a boat of this caliber in one of these countries, do people have to import a U.S. brand boat? Just curious as I cannot think of anything that rivals these boats.

Re: Name some high performance boat companies from other countries
 

Tulio Abate(sp) I believe they are Italian???

Re: Name some high performance boat companies from other countries
 

CUV..... Don't forget Cougar.... :eureka:

Re: Name some high performance boat companies from other countries
 

Sunseeker has some pure performance boats in addition to their yachts: http://www.sunseeker.com/range/high_performance.htm

From their web site:

"The breathtaking new XS2000 is a glorious demonstration of Sunseeker's continuing commitment to progressive design. Taking performance to new extremes, the high technology 38 ft hull features a double-step design and anti-stuff nose for quick recovery. Built around surface drives, and controlled by a two-speed gearbox, the twin diesel 420 hp engines deliver the most impressive acceleration and an almost unbelievable top speed of up to 80 knots."

80 knots I believe is about 92 MPH.

In the more performance yacht area, in addition to Sunseeker, Pershing has some killer rides, but very big $'s. They use Arneson drives a lot and run over 50 MPH even on their 88' boat. Big, big, dollar line. http://www.pershing-yacht.com/

Azimut has just entered into Sunseeker's and Pershing's space now too with their open line which include the 68s and 86s. 86 can come with std. drives, arneson's or water drive. They rate this at 'above 45 knots', so its in the 50's as well for an 88' boat.

The other thing that is very big in Europe are RIB's. I don't remember the brands, but I believe there is quite a bit of racing around these boats. RIB's (Rigid Inflatabale Boat) are basically inflatable's with fiberglass V-Hull. Avon in UK is a big manufacturer but not sure how Hi performance they go. I think there are other brands that are more race oriented, but not something I know a lot about.

John