SEA TRIAL- LIFETIMER BOATS

2700 LE (Limited Edition)

 

The 2700 arrives in Maple Bay for the sea trial

 

Eric Duncan started the company some 30 years ago with a friend, who he eventually bought out and has build the company from strength to strength so that today, in spite of the recession and some pretty impressive competition, he sells custom boats to discerning owner by the hundred. Not huge in the big scheme of things, but rock steady, just like the boats they build. I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of aluminum boats because of the noise and their propensity to ‘pop canning’ and the overall utilitarian look they have had for many years.

Well, here is something worth trying.

 

CONSTRUCTION

 

Pre stressed construction is used in every facet of the build process in the Duncan yard on Vancouver Island. Think of a flat piece of cardboard, put pressure on the middle and watch it bend. Now bend the panel deliberately and try pressing down on the crown of the bend and see the difference. It’s tough to bend it now right? Right! When these boats are put together, the amount of bend they put on the panels is staggering to the uninitiated, but it works. There are curves everywhere that one wouldn’t normally associate with aluminum boats, and in this case, even the windshield has a modern curved look. The floors are the only non metal surfaces on the boat really as they are plywood with 3 coats of epoxy applied for protection, giving a warm look and feel to the boat. Of course you can have aluminum floors if you wish. That’s why they call themselves “Custom Boats”. There is plenty of added floatation and sound deadening applied throughout too as it is built to TP1332 Transport Canada standards for boats over 6 meters

 

4” reversed chines are used on their tapered delta-planing hull aft to stabilize the boat in all conditions, and with a sharp entry 55 degree dead rise forward and 18 degrees at the stern, you have a boat here for all conditions.

 

ON DECK

 

Forward there is a bow roller and anchor locker and a circular hatch giving ventilation to the ‘V’ berth and access from there to the foredeck. The curved modern windshield mentioned above has a walk through, so access is easy from either direction. There are two cantilevered wipers.

 

The biggest and most striking thing about this boat however is the “sun shade” that has many uses. You can put your radar up there along with antennas and whatever, you can have rod holders by the dozen, or, as in our case a wake boarding hitch. This is a very strong piece of plumbing that makes Owner Eric Duncan justifiably proud of his staff who fabricate these things.

 

 

Canvas is stretched across this frame giving a neat and functional appearance.

 

There are 4 hideaway cleats let into the gunwales plus brackets just ready for your downriggers. There are electrical outlets all ready here too, plus a shore power connection. It seems they have thought of that!

 

THE COCKPIT

 

As mentioned above, the structure above covers the whole cockpit are, except at the aft end where you would want to do your fishing and skiing etc., and even though we were out on a cold and rainy day, I had no trouble keeping out of the weather.

 

The helm station is functional with Susuki LED instruments that can be programmed to show almost anything in two instrument units. A Clarion stereo is built in here and there are speakers at all 4 corners of the cockpit. Of course you can plug in your iPod too. Apart from a sring of switches for everything such as wipers, bilge pump etc, there is no clutter here at all. Easy to read and functional.

 

To port there is a double passenger seat arranged fore and aft and not athwart ships in the conventional way. This gives great access to the cuddy forward. Aft there is an upholstered bench that stretches the whole width of the boat and has HUGE storage beneath it. Up in the transom the is another locker that can easily be a bait locker if you so required and there is ample room for fish storage below the flooring. Just ask, and your wish will be their command at Lifetimer Boats.

 

The attention to detail on the electrical side is excellent. Neat rows of wiring show that the staff have pride in what they do, and you can be “as sure as eggs is eggs” everything will work as a result.

 

Looking up under the dash at the wiring.

 

ACCOMMODATION

 

Bearing in mind that this is a 27 foot boat, there is a lot of space unaccounted for in this article. I was amazed to find that down below the foredeck is not only a ‘V’ berth, but a toilet and a vanity unit! The door is tinted Plexiglas and lets in lots of light along with two opening hatches on each side of the hull and the foredeck hatch mentioned earlier. The ‘V’ berth is huge and should provide a comfortable nest for weekends and even trips away. Put a BBQ in one of the rod holders and you have everything you could want.

 

MECHANICALS

 

There really isn’t much I can say here except that our boat was equipped with a 300 HP Susuki that was so quiet I didn’t realize it was running. As this was a brand new boat, it may not have had the right prop on it, but boy was I impressed. There seems to have been a quantum leap in engine design lately, and Susuki are popping up all over the place as the engine to match. It certainly proved itself this day.

 

Having an outboard does free up a lot of space that would otherwise house an inboard/outboard unit, and now that they are quiet, economical and environment friendly (4 cycle of course) why wouldn’t you have one? This boat will take up to 600 HP, so you could have two if you like, just ask!

 

Quiet as a mouse, the 300 HP Susuki

 

SEA TRIAL

 

Since I started writing this I have been itching to tell you all about the sea trial bit! It was staggering. I am not used to aluminum boats being quiet. This was really quiet. And not just because of the engine, but because of the way it was built. We idled out of Maple Bay on Vancouver Island and I was pretty upset by the float plane that disturbed the quiet of this place on a spring day. But that’s what they are for, making noise and getting you places in a hurry. Well, we could do that to! Eric engaged the gear and gently eased the boat onto the plane. The bow did not lift at all and in seconds we were doing 50 mph. And it was still very quiet for the speed. I took over.

 

This time I punched it and the boat hopped out like nothing else. Wow! I looked back and realized why this boat would be so popular with wake boarders. This was perfect. The passenger seat made even more sense now that I was looking at it from a wake boarder’s point of view, or at least the spotter’s. Keeping an eye on your charge and still be able to communicate sensibly with the helmsman is not always easy to achieve. This boat does it really well. I had no trouble holding a conversation with Eric, and we were in effect in the open air and subject to wind noise too.

 

I noticed a ski pole let into the transom along with a transom door for retrieving skiers, boarders and fish alike.

 

Great wake for tubing, skiing and especially wakeboarding

 

I put the boat into a series of tight turns in a figure of eight pattern, you know, the one you do when you want to guarantee to throw off the person on the tube when they have got just a little too cocky? Well, I ran over the conflagration and the boat barely moved. This was one solid ride, and as they say in their brochure, it has to be one of the safest and most seaworthy boats I have tried in a long time.

 

Our test boat had a minimum of options fitted, one of which was the Webasto diesel heat. But otherwise they prefer new owners to choose what they like to have on a boat, and not have it forced upon them. Just ask.

 

Good on you Lifetimer Boats, you have an excellent product here. And as for new owners, or those looking for something a little bit out of the ordinary, give them a call. They have no dealer network, so you are dealing directly with the factory and paying accordingly. In the past they have struggled a little with the competition, but now they are right in there, kicking bottom!

 

Lifetimer Boats are at #1 2905 Allenby Road, Duncan, BC V9L 6W2. Ph: 250-748-2187 or you can email them at info@lifetimer.bc.ca. You might like to check out what else they do on theor website too at www.lifetimer.bc.ca. They are happy to talk to you. Oh, and by the way, they have a sale on so you can save over $11,000, just ask!

 

Eric Duncan of Lifetimer boats, and he has been for 30 years!