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The Hornet Eclipse When we test boats here at Escape, we like to cover everything from top to bottom. In this case, I want to start right at the bottom, because this boat has a very special bottom. This is the Hornet Eclipse - so called because it eclipses any other aluminium hull made for Bass or barra boats. Not that long ago - most tinny hulls were still pretty much flat.. because boat builders could only form very simple shapes with the aluminium. A flat bottom meant sore bottoms for the passengers, because the hull had trouble cutting through the water. But computerised plasma cutters and new metal presses now mean Quintrex can produce far more complex hulls. So they've gone from this To more sophisticated shapes…And finally to the sharp edge of the new Hornet Eclipse. OK, lets see how she goes… The hull does seem to cut through the chop like the blade of an ice skate, so it feels like a much smoother ride. The Hornet drives like a sports car - it picks up speed quickly and gets up on the plane very easily. At low speed, high speed - either way, the boat handles well. Smooth comfortable and easy to drive - fantastic. I'm pleased to see there's more storage than previous models - with plenty of compartments under the floorboards, and a live well for your bait. Once it's all tucked away, there's a nice open space to cast from. One of great features is stability. I can stand right up front on the edge and the boat hardly moves. That's because they've lengthened the beam underneath the boat - kind of like training wheels, so it's a more stable boat at rest. Quintrex have also added more positive foam buoyancy underneath the boat - to make the new Hornet Eclipse a very safe setup. The Hornet Bass Pro Eclipse 435 can be powered by up to 50 horsepower. We used a four-stroke engine and the low vibration makes it a good choice for quiet trolling. This latest version of the
Eclipse costs just over 20-thousand dollars including the Yamaha
engine and trailer. |
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435 Hornet Eclipse Length: 4.35 m Beam: 1.89 m Fuel: 40 litre Power: Up to 50hp Cost: $20,100 inc. Yamaha 50hp & trailer |
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