On Target
Conquest nails another stellar deck boat with its latest.

There's a reason Conquest's deck boats are some of the finest on the market—the company has its act together and has been building them for years. From the perfect gelcoat and tooling to the remarkable handling and styling, deck boats don't come much better than the Top Cat II.

And it all starts with the performance—without that a deck boat isn't worth a darn. As we've come to expect, Conquest's Top Cat II received the highest marks in the handling department. From slaloms to turns at full speed, it aced them all.

"This boat was stellar," said Bob Teague, Powerboat's lead test driver. "It handles perfectly."

The boat's Mercury Racing HP600SCi engine combined with a Bravo One XR drive and a 30"-pitch Bravo One propeller made for a great combination. The 28-footer reached a top speed of 88.3 mph and was respectable in terms of acceleration, although both test drivers felt it was a bit underpropped.

The deck boat took 5.1 seconds in the 30-to-50-mph drill and ran from 40 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. Time to plane in the twin-stepped boat was 5.5 seconds, while its standing-start acceleration test yielded 72 mph in 20 seconds. At a cruising speed of 60 mph, the engine was turning a cool 4,000 rpm.

And what's a deck boat without tons of room for passengers and gear? The Conquest had plenty of both. Up front in the bow were two forward-facing lounges with angled backrests. There also was an insole locker between the benches, stowage under each of the lounges, a small stowage locker aft of the nonskid platform between the sponsons and two large compartments ahead of the driver and co-pilot spots.

The port-side compartment ahead of the co-pilot included a draining cooler within the carpeted locker, while the carpeted starboard compartment was wide open.

Twin bucket seats and a four-person rear bench made up the seating in the cockpit. The dual-helm setup is what separates the Top Cat II from the company's standard Top Cat. For passengers seated on the rear bench, billet footrests and grab handles were installed on the back of the bucket seats. Conquest also mounted stainless-steel grab rails on the gunwales.

At the helm, the Lake Havasu City, Ariz., builder opted for an Eddie Marine Elite Series throttle-and-shifter unit to the right of the tilt steering wheel, along with Livorsi Marine gauges with red bezels. A pair of cupholders were set into the dash below the gauges.

As for the engine compartment, Conquest did a fantastic job rigging the 600-horsepower engine. The hatch opened electrically on a pair of screw jacks and the engine was mounted on polished L-angles through-bolted to the stringers. The manufacturer provided plenty of access on each side of the motor and the silver bilge was as immaculate as it gets.

With more than $57,000 in options (including the $31,000 upgrade for the HP600SCi engine), the Conquest Top Cat II checked in at $150,600. That's a solid value considering the deck boat was loaded with accoutrements, built to the highest quality and was one of the best-handling boats in this group.—Jason Johnson

Click to enlarge.