In the automobile and powerboat worlds, a “sleeper” is a vehicle or vessel that’s sneaky fast—something that lulls you to sleep until it blows right by you. And that’s exactly what Robert Winoski of Harrison, N.Y., added to his powerboat collection when he purchased an unassuming Formula 400 SS (Super Sport) built in 2000 from Northern California’s Jason Solomon last winter.
Now based on the East Coast, an 87-mph Formula cruiser is about to get even faster (click image to enlarge). Photo courtesy/copyright Tim Sharkey/Sharkey Images.
The 40-footer is powered by a pair of 850-hp Teague Custom Marine engines with Arneson A7 drives. According to Winoski, a veteran offshore racer and longtime performance-boat enthusiast, the 18,000-pound boat tops out at 87 mph with that propulsion package. That’s a whole lot faster than his last cruiser, a 50-footer that ran 60 mph.
“I thought I would be happy running 60 mph in a cruiser,” said Winoski, who also owns a fleet of Phantom V-bottoms. “I wasn’t. I wanted to run 85 mph. I can do that in this boat.
and then