Grand Entrance: Pull up to the beach in the Trident Revolution Ibiza and—thanks to a unique power-ramp feature and more—you'll draw big-time attention.

By Matt Trulio

Plenty of high-performance custom deck boats have boarding ladders on the bow. Actually, plenty of production deck boats have them as well. That makes sense, as deck boats are often beached bow to shore.

But with Trident Custom Boats' "mechanized power accommodation ramp" on its superb Revolution Ibiza custom deck boat, the El Cajon, Calif., company has taken things to the next level. Press a button and the ramp, which closes off the bow in an aerodynamic wedge, flips forward and creates a boarding and debarking zone.

True, the power ramp is an option that will cost buyers $5,500, but it's an upgrade we wouldn't pass up. It appeared to be, at least on the model we ran this spring in Parker, Ariz., well built, sturdy and functional.

The same could be said for the boat, which featured a tri-hydro hull designed by Ron Holder that is similar to some Unlimited hydroplane race boats. As it happened, the test day featured some of the worst conditions we've ever seen on the Colorado River in the form of random 3- to 4-footers separated by nasty holes. Within 30 seconds of clearing the no-wake zone, we found ourselves catching air in the 27-footer.

Getting air—unless you happen to be photographer Tom Newby and helicopter pilot Mark Watters—isn't exactly a common occurrence in Parker. As soon as the boat caught flight, Bob Teague and I glanced at each other with the kind of "Damn, this is going to hurt" look we've exchanged many times over the past 12 years.

Not so. The Revolution Ibiza landed so softly that Teague decided to launch it again. More air, another soft landing. We looked at each other with another expression, the one that says, "Cool. Let's do it again."

Without question, the Revolution Ibiza proved to be a tough boat. No big surprise there, as Wes Inskeep, the owner of Trident, has seen his share of mechanical things fail, and he didn't want his deck boat to be one of them.

The builder equipped the offering with a 550-horsepower MV-10 engine from Ilmor Marine and a Teague Custom Marine Platinum XR drive. With the engine turning 5,800 rpm, the boat reached 89.6 mph. On a calmer day, we're convinced it would run 90 to 92 mph. But given the wicked test-day conditions, which included 25- to 35-mph winds, the speed we reached was plenty impressive.

Overall acceleration was strong, especially for the tame power. Time to plane was a snappy 3.2 seconds, and in 20 seconds the boat reached 74 mph. In the midrange, the boat ran from 30 to 50 mph in 5.1 seconds and from 40 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.

Responsive as it was, thanks to full hydraulic steering from IMCO Marine, the Revolution Ibiza earned above-average marks in slalom turns. But in middle- and high-speed sweeping turns, the boat carved and leaned in, then leveled off cleanly. The rough-water ride was, like the landings after a launch, surprisingly smooth. Tracking at all speeds was disciplined.

Knowing that deck boats need to be able to handle a crowd, Inskeep wisely maximized the boat's unique seating configuration. On the starboard side of the bow area was an L-shape lounge. Opposite that was a bench that ran all the way into the cockpit and terminated at the transom walk-through. Slightly staggered and side by side, a pair of bucket seats were installed at the helm.

Trident dressed the Revolution Ibiza with plenty of high-end accessories including an optional 3,200-watt stereo system, Auto Meter Pro-Comp Marine gauges and indirect cockpit lighting in the gunwale trays and seat bases. The sole of the boat was finished in rough nonskid that would punish the soles of bare feet, but Inskeep said he plans to go with something a bit less abrasive in future models.

As tested, the Revolution Ibiza rang in at $172,000 and change, which definitely puts it at the high end of the custom deck-boat price range. Then again, from everything we saw, it deserves that price.

Contact Information
Trident Custom Boats, 1677 N. Marshall Ave., El Cajon, CA 92020, 619-448-8584, www.tridentboats.com.

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