| Advantage X-Flight 29 Cuddy Open Bow | | Print | |
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Inside and Out
But the X-Flight 29’s high style didn’t come at the cost of versatility or functionality. The boat’s layout placed a premium on passenger comfort with amenities such as a double-wide seat at the co-pilot’s position and twin U-shape lounges in the open bow. In terms of performance, the boat was equally strong. We didn’t think Advantage could top itself for 2008. Turns out we were wrong, thanks to the new X-Flight 29 Cuddy Open Bow. INTERIOR Let’s be completely candid: The average mid or cuddy cabin is uncomfortable for adults. Headroom is minimal and legroom is typically nonexistent. Beyond shelter for the kids, most owners use them as large, open stowage lockers. The midcabin in the X-Flight 29 presented a notable exception. On the starboard side of the cabin, there was a two-person lounge on which someone 6-feet tall could sit up comfortably without touching the ceiling and its nicely installed headliner. Opposite the lounge was a big rectangular berth that would have been generous in a full-size offshore catamaran, much less a deck boat. To pull it off, Advantage’s longtime designer Gary Ferguson positioned the berth lengthwise or “longitudinally” in the boat. In essence, the port-side berth ran the length of the cabin, which was every bit of 6 feet. To make things even more comfortable in the cabin, the builder added a deck hatch and a fan. A fan and hatch also were provided in the main cabin area. Per Advantage Party Cat tradition, the X-Flight 29 was supplied with a blender. Like the bow-rider version of the X-Flight 29 we tested last year, the midcabin model had two U-shape lounges in the bow. With a filler cushion, the lounges converted to a sun pad. Stainless-steel elliptical handrails were installed on the gunwales for security. For boarding the boat when it’s beached nose-in, Advantage supplied a ladder under the top step to the foredeck. A wet locker was provided in the second step to the deck. The cockpit layout was equally well planned. Thanks to a transom walk-through and a removable section of the L-shape lounge, entering the cockpit was easy. As drivers, we appreciated that the two-passenger lounge was located at the observer’s position rather than the helm, which had a bucket seat, Livorsi Marine gauges and a Livorsi throttle and shifter. Few things are more aggravating than banging elbows with the person sitting next to you when you’re trying to drive. WORKMANSHIP Advantage laid up the 29-footer with 25 to 30 mils of marine gelcoat, vinylester resin, 1-1/2- and 3-ounce mat, Knytex and end-grain balsa. The boat’s stringer system was fully encapsulated in fiberglass. Gelcoat and mold work were excellent, which was exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Lake Havasu City, Ariz., company. The X-Flight 29 Cuddy Open Bow had abundant hardware including stainless-steel grab handles within reach of every seat and properly placed cleats. More than sleek and stylish, the raked windscreens for the driver and co-pilot actually deflected wind. A screw jack hoisted the engine hatch for access to the Mercury Racing HP525EFI engine. Though the X-Flight 29 likely will pull duty on the Colorado River lakes, its engine was installed to handle true offshore abuse, meaning it was mounted on solid feet and L-angles through-bolted to the stringers. Evenly spaced cushion clamps were used to gather the conduit-sheathed wire looms in the engine compartment. Trim cables and steering lines were organized in parallel runs. PERFORMANCE Despite the short air-entrapment “sponsons” on the forward section of the hull, the X-Flight 29 for all intents and purposes was a true stepped V-bottom. That translated to deeply carved turns and excellent tracking at all speeds, as well as a smooth ride in what little rough water we could find on our test day. Handling was crisp and consistent. Sure the X-Flight 29 was nimble, an essential handling trait for a family boat, but it also was predictable and easy to drive. In line with that driver-friendly presentation was the deck boat’s performance in all our acceleration drills. With its 525-horsepower engine running 5,150 rpm, the 29-footer topped out at 70.5 mph. (Minus the glassy water, it might have gone a few ticks faster.) That’s more than enough top-end for a family sport boat. Equally appropriate for the target audience was the boat’s acceleration numbers. After coming on plane in an impressive 3.9 seconds, the X-Flight 29 accelerated steadily. From sitting pretty—and still—in the water it hit 63 mph in 20 seconds. Midrange acceleration numbers were solid, as the 4,400-pound boat ran from 30 to 50 mph in 5.2 seconds. Bigger power is offered for the X-Flight 29, and that might be the right call for younger buyers without a herd of kids to haul around. But for owners with families, the HP525EFI engine is the perfect choice. OVERALL In its 2007 debut, Advantage’s X-Flight 29 impressed our Test Team. Sure, it had a few—very few—rough spots, but the overall concept and execution of it was strong. Not content to just smooth out the rough spots, which the builder did, Advantage added to the model one of the most useable midcabins we’ve ever seen. We didn’t think the 29-footer could get a whole lot better, but Advantage proved us wrong.—Matt Trulio Click to enlarge.
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From form to function, the X-Flight 29 introduced last year was the most cleverly designed deck boat to come from Advantage—or any custom builder—in a long time. Essentially a stepped V-bottom with an air-entrapment bow for lift, the 29-footer took traditional deck-boat styling and turned it on its ear. The result was a futuristic model that grabbed attention wherever it went.
