Going Deep: Outerlimits Powerboats hits a home run with its 42 Legacy carbon-fiber layup.

Even now, carbon fiber remains exotic stuff. A number of builders use the material - and replicas of it - for appointments such as gauge panels, but when it comes to hulls and decks, complete carbon-fiber offerings are still somewhat rare.

A few years back, Outerlimits began offering carbon-fiber layup as an option. Now, according to a representative from the company, most of the boats the company builds, such as the 42 Legacy we tested in Sarasota, Fla., are carbon fiber, despite that it is a significant up-charge for the material.

Look beyond the lime green, blue, white and silver paint, and you'll notice the high-tech material "exposed" in the paint work. The custom builder is proving that beauty is more than skin deep.

PERFORMANCE
The 42 Legacy provided our first opportunity to test a boat with a pair of Mercury Racing HP850SCi power plants. The 557-cubic-inch displacement engines, which feature screw-type Lysholm superchargers, were introduced last year at the Miami International Boat Show.

The stepped V-bottom was a good candidate for the engine package. With the boat weighing more than 5 tons - still light for a 42-footer - it would need plenty of power to run well beyond the 100-mph mark.

The 850-hp engines were paired with Mercury Racing's No. 6 dry-sump drives with a 1.42:1 gear ratio. Hering 17 1/2" x 34" five-blade propellers put the power to the water.

Our test driver liked what the engine package offered, even though the boat could handle significantly more power. The boat got on plane in 4.8 seconds and 15 seconds later was running better than 85 mph. At that speed the engines were turning 4,000 rpm and still had plenty left. Top speed was 117.1 mph on the GPS with the engines at 5,600 rpm.

But the top-end hardly tells the whole story. The boat shot from 40 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and 40 to 70 mph took 6.6 seconds. The V-bottom handled superbly during all acceleration drills.

When the water turned crummy, the 42-footer truly excelled. Our tester gave the boat nothing but top marks in quartering, following and head-on seas. The V-bottom tracked perfectly and rarely did it need tabs while running in the Gulf of Mexico. The 1- to 3-foot waves we found offshore were no match for the 42 Legacy, and thanks to top-flight construction there were no rattles.

WORKMANSHIP
Outerlimits vacuum bags the hull and deck on all of the boats it builds for added strength and rigidity. The boat is then put in a computer-controlled oven for three days, which the company says ensures the epoxy resin has cured and reduces cosmetic problems.

The result was an error-free canvas for The Art of Design to embellish. Outerlimits left the carbon-fiber material against the clear gelcoat so that the painter could incorporate it in the graphics.

As always, the paint was precisely applied and the plastic insert in the stainless rubrail was painted to match. The hardware for the fuel and waste were flush-mounted on the hullsides, and a clear vinyl piece around the fills prevented the paint from getting chipped. Vents for the engine compartment were also recessed into the side of the boat.

To protect the paint when entering and exiting the boat, the builder installed Dana Marine billet aluminum step plates with rubber inserts on top of the gunwales. The attention to detail continued in the engine compartment, where the hatch opened high with a pair of hydraulic rams. The underside of the hatch was painted to match the boat.

Outerlimits installed the Mercury Racing engines in a short staggered configuration, with the engine to port sitting forward. The motors were mounted on through-bolted L-angles, which were painted black to match the bilge. The entire bilge, including the stringers, was covered in carbon-fiber material.

The rigging in the engine compartment was among the best we saw at this year's Performance Trials. Where hoses passed through the firewall or bulkheads, riggers installed aluminum bezels to protect it. All wiring was neatly organized and properly supported with stainless-steel clamps.

The same went for the wiring behind the dash, which was accessed through a panel in the head compartment. Wiring was neatly done and properly labeled in case a gauge needed to be replaced.

INTERIOR
Few offshore boats offer a cabin as inviting as that of the 42 Legacy. Outerlimits put a lot of thought into the cabin and its builders executed precisely, especially with the padded leather headliner.

The cabin included a V-berth that could comfortably sleep two people and a sizable U-shape lounge. On the starboard side was an enclosed head compartment, which featured a pump-out toilet and a stainless-steel sink. The sink's nozzle could also be used for a shower.

Rather than going with a Plexiglas door to close off the head compartment, Outerlimits used two leather panels with a vertical zipper. Across from the head was a galley with a sink and a countertop. Stowage was above and below the galley.

Cabin lighting came in the form of recessed lighting throughout the cabin. For natural light, two Bomar hatches could be opened as well as the cabin door on the port side.

Out in the cockpit there were two bolster seats with electric dropout bottoms. (A third bolster can be dropped in on the port side.) A rear bench also offered seating for three more people.

At the helm, the custom-painted dash panel included Livorsi Marine gauges, a Mercury Racing System View screen and a large Garmin GPS map. The nontilting helm was from Marine Machine.

To stow lines, Outerlimits created zippered compartments in the gunwales. Fenders could be stashed in a holder in the engine compartment or in a wide stowage space between the rear bench and the engine hatch.

OVERALL
The 42 Legacy was a stylish and rugged offshore V-bottom boat that was built without compromise. For more than a decade, Outerlimits Powerboats continues to deliver the complete package.

TEST RESULTS

TEST CONDITIONS

HULL INFORMATION

PRICING INFORMATION
Base retail with triple Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines: $695,000
Price as tested $989,751

ENGINE & PROPELLER

OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT
Upgrade to twin Mercury Racing HP850SCi engines ($107,851), double core bottom and carbon structure ($60,085), The Art of Design graphics ($55,500), all-carbon deck ($39,375), fuel cell ($18,000), Hering propeller upgrade ($11,025) and carved carpet ($2,915).

ACCELERATION

MIDRANGE ACCELERATION

RPM VS. MPH

TOP SPEED AT RPM
Radar: 116.8 mph at 5,600
GPS: 117.1 mph

PLANING
Time to plane: 4.8 seconds
Minimum planing speed: 18 mph

FUEL ECONOMY

FUEL CAPACITY
300 gallons

TEST CONDUCTED AT
Sarasota, Fla.

MANUFACTURER
Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats, Dept. PB, 91 Broad Common Road, Bristol, RI 02809, 401-253-7300, www.outerlimitspowerboats.com

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