BOAT REVIEW
Reviewed by Erwin Bursik
K
EVIN Duncan of Atomic Power Boats arrived at Durban Rod & Reel Club’s slipway following a long tow up the coast from the Cape with his new Atomic 22 hitched behind his Ford Ranger. What a stylish entry this large monohull made to impress those of us eagerly awaiting her arrival. This sleek, almost racy craft in her centre console configuration and light grey and white linage looked stunning as she nestled on her tandem axle trailer, ready to be launched into Durban Harbour. My long-term habit is to slowly walk around the craft I am about to review, oblivious to manufacturers, salesmen etc. — just getting a feel for and absorbing the look of the craft. As I run my hand along her side marginally above her waterline, I not only feel the craft’s shape, but also note the external finish and smoothness of her gel coat and flow of her moulding. My immediate impression was just how perfect the Atomic 22’s mould must be to produce such a superb external finish. Before we got on the water, Kevin explained his interesting road to becoming a boat manufacturer. With a life-long love of boating and offshore fishing, he changed his successful commercial career a few years ago and began to engage in producing an offshore ski-boat that he envisaged would suit
22 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2021
his exacting needs and would be a craft that he himself wanted to own. Experience, research and an incredible amount of hands-on work resulted in the Atomic 22 I was about to review. The craft was powered by twin Mercury Optimax 125hp motors swinging 15 pitch props that purred as they gently pulled the Atomic 22 off its trailer into the calm waters of Durban Harbour. This sleek monohull, with three of us aboard, soon exited the no wake zone, and as I applied power she got up on an easy plane as we headed for the harbour entrance and out to sea. With that power behind us, I couldn’t help reminiscing about the feel of the same size mono that had been my own craft for nearly 20 years — happiness! The hull cleanly sliced through the ocean’s surface as I opened the throttles to exit between Durban’s piers and take on the inevitable chop that persists as bay water pushes out and meets the surge of open ocean. I was thus able to begin to get her real feel as she used her sharp entry and aft stabilising wetted area to produce an effortless ride at around 18 knots. Out at sea off Durban’s beachfront, I had to contend with our dreaded south-easterly wind and the ocean swell it produces. Conditions were not that great for a day on the ocean, but were good for extracting any “ride” faults a craft may have.
