Alex Smith heads for the expanding MRL fleet to test the latest and reputedly greatest incarnation of the Stingher 800 GT

I have enjoyed some very cheerful times with MRL at Drivers Wharf in Southampton - partly because the famously engaging boss, Ed Pedley, has achieved almost celebrity status in the marine world and partly because his fleet of boats is always very quick to develop and adapt to new trends. Today, not only are MRL the sole importers of high-performance Predator and Stingher RIBs, but they also offer the altogether hardier looking Redbay Stormforce RIBs and Sea Champion fishing boats. And yet, if I were to pick any craft from the company’s burgeoning fleet for a dedicated test, the 800GT, an uncommonly pretty RIB with a Verado 300 on the transom, would still be very high on the list.

A tale of two halves

When you step on board the 800 GT, you quickly realise that this is not your everyday boat. Rather than soft optioning its way into yet another hackneyed regurgitation of the accepted RIB formula, the design team has conjured up a very distinctive layout and it is divided quite cleanly into two halves - a back end built for driving pleasure and a front end rigged for lounging in the sun.

The driver

Forward of the three-man aft bench (which is framed between the thick stanchions of the radar arch and equipped with strong stainless grab handles), things are beautifully arranged for the keen driver. Here, instead of allowing the demands of deck space and seating to bully the console off to the side, where it really doesn’t belong, the helm is slap bang in the middle of the deck. Better still, it is equipped not with the commonplace two-man jockey units you might expect but with a couple of splendidly engineered shock mitigation seats from KPM Marine.

We first saw these things at the 2010 Sports Boat and RIB Show and stylish though they are, their purpose is to make you more secure and comfortable so you can get on with the all-important job of driving. You can pick just about any form of helm seating you like (including an electric drop-down bolster) but if you can afford it, these shock-mitigation seats will add a fresh dimension of pleasure to a day on the water. You just plant your feet against the angled footbrace, jam yourself back and relax into the experience, as the seat’s lateral ‘wings’ hold you in place and every impact is pleasantly nullified. As a proper driver’s environment, the helm station on the 800GT is very hard to beat.

The lounger

As for the front end, the layout is equally committed to purpose - and the purpose is plainly sunbathing. You get the same vast bow expanse that we have previously seen on the ten-metre Stingher - and again, you get a two-tiered plateau of Flexi-teek decking, allied to huge storage spaces and a set of cushions to turn the entire front end into a lounging area.

For the full test of the Stingher 800GT, pick up a copy of the September issue of Sports Boat and RIB magazine. In shops from 22 August.