To maximize the cruiser's efficiency, Formula designer John Adams created a 22-degree, two-step bottom with multiple staggered strakes. (Photo by Tom Newby)

To maximize the cruiser's efficiency, Formula designer John Adams created a 22-degree, two-step bottom with multiple staggered strakes. (Photo by Tom Newby)



Things that happen during our annual Performance Trials range from commonplace, such as mechanical breakdowns, to downright peculiar, such as finishing early. The strangest thing to happen this year? Our lead co-pilot nodded off—during slalom-turn agility drills at 50 mph in the Formula 400 Super Sport.

It was late afternoon in Placida, Fla., and the day had been long, thanks to bad weather. Until then, we wouldn't have thought even the most afflicted narcoleptic could fall asleep during those drills.

Credit, of course, goes to the 40'-long, 11'-wide 400 Super Sport, a boat with such uncommon luxury and smooth performance that you could, well, fall asleep on it during handling tests. If we have tested a boat with a better balance of pampering amenities and seamless performance, we can't remember it.

Base price for the 400 Super Sport with twin Volvo Penta 8.1 GXi DP motors is $354,590. Our test model came with several upgrades including a pair of Mercury Racing HP500EFIs and a $411,535 price tag—a bargain considering what the boat delivers.

Performance

Make no mistake, the 400 Super Sport is big. It weighs 15,500 pounds—without the 250 gallons of fuel it can hold.

To maximize the cruiser's efficiency, Formula designer John Adams created a 22-degree, two-step bottom with multiple staggered strakes. The bottom design was "borrowed," at least in theory, from the company's FAS3Tech performance boats, and like all the offerings in the FAS3Tech line, the 400 Super Sport also had a fiberglass structural grid (stringer) system.

And efficient it was, starting with an impressive top speed of 59.7 mph at 5,200 rpm. Twin 470-horsepower motors dialed into Bravo Three drives with 2:1 reductions and Bravo Three 15" x 28" and 13 3/4" x 28" three-blade propellers may seem like a hefty propulsion package, but when you're talking about pushing almost eight tons of boat through the water, it's not.

The 400 Super Sport didn't exactly leap on plane, but it did an acceptable job getting there in 6.5 seconds with the trim tabs down and 9.8 seconds with them up. In 20 seconds, the boat reached 46 mph and it ran from 30 to 50 mph in 10.3 seconds.

But the 400 Super Sport was most dazzling in handling tests. You might expect a boat with its size and girth to wallow through slalom turns at 30, 40 and 50 mph, but our test boat actually carved. You might also expect such a tall model to lean too deeply into corners and roll excessively to the outside on exit, but the 400 Super Sport leaned comfortably inward during all turns and exited flat.

Workmanship

Thunderbird Products, the Decatur, Ind.,-based parent company of Formula, is one of those rare production boatbuilders that blurs the line between production and custom. The company's paint work, for example, is several cuts above production standards, bordering on sublime. Such was the case with the 400 Super Sport's Imron "Flagship Sapphire" graphics over brilliant white gelcoat.

To list every piece of high-end hardware on the boat would take the rest of this review, but among the highlights was a power windlass and anchor locker on the nose of the boat. Particularly clever were internal mechanicals that automatically stowed the anchor in the correct position.

The entire engine hatch with its rear U-shape lounge section and trunk raised on an electric screw jack, and was further supported by stainless-steel articulating hinges. Thanks to a safety switch, the hatch would not raise if the radiused transom door to port was open.

Interior

Plush—that was the word every member of our test team used to describe the belowdeck areas in the 400 Super Sport. Sleeping accommodations included an aft berth, a dedicated V-berth all the way forward and facing lounges that, with filler cushions and table supports, converted from a dining area to a second V-berth. Upholstered in Ultraleather, those lounges were among the most richly padded we've encountered.

Taking a cue from the aircraft industry, Formula hid the boat's air-conditioning ducts behind the valances in the cabin, and configured them so that cool air would spill over their edges and onto passengers seated on the lounges.

The boat's port-side galley was better equipped than most second-home kitchens. It included a refrigerator with "face-doors" attached to disguise it as a cabinet, a single-burner Kenyon electric stove, a Samsung microwave oven, a hot-and-cold-water sink, bountiful cabinetry and Corian counter tops.

Opposite the galley was a stand-up head compartment with a porcelain toilet and a hand-held hot-and-cold shower.

The amenity parade continued in the cockpit, which included an entertainment center and a vast U-shape lounge with lots of stowage space beneath its bottom cushions. The two-person co-pilot's seat to port faced the dual-person helm seat to starboard.

At the helm, elegant VDO instruments were installed in woodgrain panels. The majority of rocker switches for the boat?s endless accessories were to the right of the tilt woodgrain steering wheel. To left of the wheel were more accessory switches and a remote-control touch pad for the Kenwood CD stereo. Gaffrig throttle and shifters were mounted on the starboard gunwale.

Helm station electronics included a Horizon Omni VHF radio, a Raychart Chartplotter RC320 GPS unit and a Raymarine ST60 depthsounder.

Overall

A lot of builders produce what they call "sport cruisers." Most compromise either on performance or luxury. No such compromises were necessary with the Formula 400 Super Sport.

Hull Information and Propulsion Information
Deadrise at transom22 degrees
Centerline40'
Beam11'
Hull weight15,500 pounds
Engines(2) Mercury HP500EFI
Cylinder typeV-8
Cubic-inch displacement/horsepower502/470
Lower-unit gear ratio2:1
PropellersMercury Bravo Three 15" x 28" and 13 3/4" x 28"

Pricing
Base retail$354,590
Price as tested$411,535

(All prices are subject to change.)

Standard equipment

Five-year transferable limited warranty, electric anchor windlass and stainless-steel anchor, remote-control Halogen spotlight, polished stainless-steel windshield frame, 120-volt shore power with charger, refrigerator/freezer and microwave oven, central vacuum system, 16,000 BTU reverse-cycle air conditioning, Kenwood AM/FM stereo with 10-disc CD player, amplifier, cabin and dash remotes, dual-height cockpit tables with filler cushions, transom shower with hot and cold controls, Bimini top, cockpit cover and cockpit carpet.

Options on Test Boat

Upgrade to Flagship Sapphire graphic ($3,165), Bimini front connector, side and aft enclosure ($2,290), Raymarine 320 Raychart Navigational System ($1,690), VHF radio with antenna ($1,055) and Y-valve with macerator discharge ($835).

Acceleration
5 seconds19 mph
10 seconds29 mph
15 seconds39 mph
20 seconds46 mph

Midrange Acceleration

30-50 mph, 10.3 seconds
40-60 mph, NA

Rpm vs. Mph
10008 mph
150012 mph
200014 mph
250026 mph
300032 mph
350039 mph
400045 mph
450052 mph
500058 mph

Top Speed
Speedometer59 mph at 5200 rpm
Radar59.7 mph at 5200 rpm
Nordskog Performance GPS59.4 mph at 5200 rpm

Planing
Time to plane6.5 seconds
Minimum planing speed21 mph

Fuel Economy
At 35 mph.9 mpg
At 45 mph.89 mpg
At 55 mph.72 mpg
At WOT.73 mpg
Fuel capacity250 gallons

Test conducted at Placida, Fla.

For More Information

Thunderbird Products
2200 W. Monroe St.
Decatur, IN 46733
800-736-7685
www.formulaboats.com.