Testing Flipper’s new 605 and 705, I had an epiphany. I suddenly knew why it was that people buy boats that others think inferior. I knew this because I was utterly smitten by the 605, and I still am. I love the bluff, squat bows, said to be inspired by the Audi TT (well it makes a change from hearing: “Our boat is
the BMW of the water”) but which remind me of retro raceboat classics.

The shimmering silver topsides and the wraparound screen for the console combine to make this a very modern and very clean boat. I love the looks of this boat so much that I wouldn’t have cared if it had average handling, a ridiculous price tag, anything. As it happens though, the ride quality is good – don’t take my word for it, take that of our photographer Will Payne, who thought the boat looked merely ‘ok’. Having initially misheard the price tag as being €40,000 (excluding the engine), I still entertained the idea of buying one, and was very happy to hear it was actually just €14,000, or just under £14,000 inc VAT in real money.
With an outboard motor of between 100hp and 150hp, that makes it a £20,000 boat like no other and, with main dealer TL Harvey offering some all-in trailer packages, the value for money element keeps getting better.

Teak interior detail, some of it optional, covers the sole and coamings, the upholstery is high quality Alcantara, colour-coded in a rich grey to match the hull. That dominant helm console affords good protection and comes with a Windy-style grab rail along its frame and suggests that this is no mere show-pony. Practicality abounds: walk around the deep teak decks and you find locker after locker, offering gallons of stowage all properly lined and draining.

The 35-knot top speed delivered by the Verado is nothing outrageous, but it suits this classy dayboat very well, all the time feeling composed and solid but just a little firm, harsh even (the result of that broader bow perhaps) over the chop.

Backing up the style is a new high quality build method. Parent company Bella is using a structural liner or tray to provide the strength and finish to these new Flippers.

Look anywhere on these boats and a clean finish stares back. If open boats aren’t your thing, then the 705 is well worth a look. A diesel sterndrive hardtop boat, it’s on a different level to the 605 in terms of price, but it’s another cracking mix of style and substance.

With the same silver, Audi-inspired hull form, the looks are there, giving the 705 a sporting edge to its practical but still low-swept hardtop.

From the teak-detailed bathing platform, you peer into a very smart cockpit. The upholstery is a soft tan
that looks reassuringly expensive, and the U-shape seating (converting to a summer berth) leads on to very comfortable helm seats, safely sat under the hardtop. With its open back, light and air are not going to be a problem but, just to be sure, two large slide-to-open glass hatches are set into the roof.

In typical Scandi-style, the galley is secreted under the helm seats, which fold forward to present a hob and sink, and with a fridge tucked under the helm, it means that a cold beer is never far away. The hardtop obviously adds some great protection forward but, if you want to cover the whole cockpit up, a canopy hidden under a tan cover pulls out from behind the seating. That’s a typically neat feature on a boat packed with detail and thought, as with the solid teak table that folds out of the way or the sturdy, big-gauge grabrails.

In fact, the boat’s only problem is that the deep, spacious cockpit feels so luxurious, so up-market, that you fully expect to find a four-berth cabin behind the smoked cabin door, rather than a still impressively finished cuddy. But remember, this is a 23ft boat, a trailable one at that – it just feels bigger, especially out on the water.

The 190hp Volvo Penta 5cyl D3 the test boat came with provides 33 knots of wonderfully assured, smooth performance. The sterndrive gives you plenty of fun but the underlying stability of the boat makes you think that a shaft might lurk beneath. Our test boat came with the standard cable throttle rather than the optional EVC electronic control. For me, the standard controls are fine, the new throttles looking and feeling as good as the supportive helm seat. If you really want to feel the fun, you can stick your head out through the sun hatches above.

Moving from the sanctuary of the cockpit, the decks are superb for a boat this size. The fact that it has decks is a start! The side decks are supported by grab rails along the coachroof and tall stanchions outboard, while the gripped foredeck comes with a big anchor locker. All in all, this is a serious boat that looks very cool. Perfect for having a lot of fun on.

T L Harvey Ltd,
Whitworth Close,
Darlaston,
West Midlands
WS10 8LJ
Tel: 0121 568 8837
Email: marine@tlharvey.com
Web: www.flipperboats.fi