Stealth 540, psyched over a blank helm

Stealth 540 in build c Panbo

I hadn’t noticed this in my first pass through photos of the Cape Town trip, but now it’s got extra meaning. That big sculpted helm belongs to a Stealth 540, in fact hull #1. While most South African boatbuilders seemed just a tad behind the curve electronics-wise, Stealth plans to fill in that white space with fairly cutting edge systems—MAN electronic diesel monitoring,  an OctoPlex power distribution system, and Raymarine E-120s (given the size of this salon helm, maybe they should consider an E on the fly bridge and the new G monitor here?). If I understood the project manager correctly, all three can be interfaced via NMEA 2000, but the plan is to run them separately at first.
  The electronics, though, are minor compared to the 540’s hull design and hydrofoil assist, which Stealth claims will result in a 55 mph top end, a soft ride, and good fuel efficiency. Plus it seems pretty good looking for a power cat (much more info and art at StealthYachts.com). Of course all this is conjecture until the 540 is actually in the water, and that’s what tickles me about the picture, just confirmed: Hull #1 will be at the Miami show in February, where a PMY team, myself included, is scheduled to test it.

Stealth 540



Ben Ellison

Ben Ellison

Panbo editor, publisher & chief bottlewasher from 4/2005 until 8/2018, and now pleased to have Ben Stein as a very able publisher, webmaster, and editing colleague. Please don't regard him as an "expert"; he's getting quite old and thinks that "fadiddling fumble-putz" is a more accurate description.

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