During a conversation with Eliminator Boats’ Jake Fraleigh and Mark Baker yesterday regarding the upcoming Speed On The Water 2021 Year In Review magazine, I was reminded of a recent catamaran delivered by the Mira Loma, Calif., manufacturer—a beautiful new 27 Speedster powered by twin Mercury Racing 450R engines—that I meant to follow up on after seeing the Eliminator father-and-son rigging team of Chris Camire and Chris Camire, Jr., water-testing the 27-foot catamaran on Lake Elsinore almost two months ago.
Powered by a pair of Mercury Racing 450R engines, the second “walk-off” 27 Speedster from Eliminator Boats is a beauty. Photos courtesy Eliminator Boats
While on location in early October filming for the latest Speed On The Water “In The Lead” episode featuring DCB Performance Boats’ Tony Chiaramonte, who worked for Eliminator Boats in the mid- to late-2000s, we got a quick peek at the Eliminator, which I didn’t realize at the time was the West Coast custom boat builder’s second “walk-off” 27 Speedster. (I wrote a story on the first one featuring the open-bow walk-off option after it was delivered to an Ohio couple in June.)
Ordered in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic by first-time Eliminator customers Lance and Carla Berry of Southern California and delivered a couple of weeks before its public debut at the 51st Eliminator Regatta in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., in late October, the 27-footer exceeded the Berry family’s expectations.
“We’re very happy with the boat,” said Lance Berry, who owned a 27-foot Hallet sportboat they used up and down the Colorado River near the Laughlin and Bullhead City area of Arizona. “The team at Eliminator delivered a great product—they nailed it. The boat is very clean and the detail is awesome. The craftsmanship is really nice. It’s everything Jake (Fraleigh) and the guys said it would be.
“It’s even performing a little above expectations,” he continued. “It’s very quick—the acceleration with the 450R engines is a rush. At first we were going to order the boat with 400R engines, but then my wife said maybe we should go with the 450s. I agreed immediately, of course.”
Berry laughed, adding that he’s had the chance to run the boat five or six times since taking delivery of it. One of these outings was when he and Carla took the Tres Martin Performance Boat School on Lake Havasu.
Check out the slideshow above for more images of the new 27 Speedster.
“Doing Tres’ class helped us get more comfortable in the boat,” Lance Berry said. “We learned a lot from him. Then we got to experience the regatta and meet a lot of other Eliminator owners. That was a fun weekend. We can’t wait for boating season next year.”
Baker said that the boat, which includes Porta Products R-Series adjustable hydraulic transom brackets to precisely dial in engine heights, was outfitted with an ideal mix of audio and electronic equipment as well as plenty of cockpit LED lighting, color-matched GatorStep flooring and plush black and gray interior.
“All around, this is one of the best-performing, most-functional cats out there,” Baker said. “It offers the ultimate in performance and functionality thanks to its impressive handling at any speed and seating for up to 10 people. Lance was a great customer to work with—I’m very happy for him.”
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