After designing, building and racing world-beating boats, the Mannerfelt Design Team and Vector Powerboats are looking to conquer the leisure market. With their 130mph Vector V-40, they couldn’t have chosen a better weapon.

Despite carbon-conscious environmentalists, economic woes and an increasing drive toward risk negation in society, a brief perusal of the Miami Boat Show indicated that the supercharged, adrenaline-charged, hard-charging offshore powerboat scene is still very much alive and kicking. Out of the sea of sparkling artistic paint jobs and glamorous models bristling with aftermarket bolt-ons however, one boat stood out for us – and it was the V-40 by Vector Powerboats.

The V-40 could have come from nowhere else other than the house and mouse of the Mannerfelt Design Team. Having scooped a number of design awards and 15 UIM world titles since it was first introduced in the early-1990s, the distinctive ‘Bat Boat’ silhouette is instantly recognisable. About 15 years and eight generations of Bat Boat development later, a new generation of the Mannerfelt family is contributing to the launch of a leisure version of their 40-foot racing flagship model.

Having started powerboat racing at the tender age of 12, at the same time as his famous father Ocke Mannerfelt, Ted Mannerfelt plays an important role in the Mannerfelt Design Team. When asked to explain the concept of the Vector V-40, he said: “This is the same hull that runs in the P1 Offshore Championships, so its performance and reliability is proven. For the leisure market, the hull is perfect, as it is fast, but also safe and stable at high speed. We’ve developed the cutting edge design to include more luxury, and to offer useful spaces and facilities for the owner and their guests - not something you see on every boat in this class.”

He further explains that the craft’s stability when running at high speed in high seas is primarily due to its distinctive winged design: “Many ‘go fast’ designs concentrate solely on hydrodynamics. But figuring that only the pad, a fraction of the hull’s total length, is in contact with water when running at speed, the ‘Bat Boat’ is the result of hundreds of additional hours spent studying the craft’s aerodynamics.” On the V-40, the wings (the result of that very thought process) glide open at the press of a button, and can be retracted to make berthing and transport easier.