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 Dedicated to the safe enjoyment of the Alaska outdoors... Fall, 2004 SEAARK PREDATOR SPORTJET: Celebrities, say someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, get used to people they don't know coming up to them to pay a compliment. You typically don't get this kind of attention if you are not a celebrity of some sort. So, imagine my surprise when people, out of the blue and eager to say nice things, approached me during a fall road trip. "Nice boat," they'd say. Or, "Hey, that's a cool looking boat you've got there." A few proclaimed, "Yeah, I've heard about this boat, she's nice huh?" "Can't beat that in shallow water," noted a few. I even spoke with a decent chap who works for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, when he saw me, errh, the boat, parked at a gas station. He pulled off the highway and stopped to say hi and to tell me that he had bought, "one of those boats. It's super, I love it."
So, yeah, I must admit all the compliments were directed to the cool looking camouflage-painted boat I was towing, but it was still neat to get the attention. Up and down the length of the Richardson Highway, and in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Glennallen, and Valdez, dozens of people were intrigued enough by the new SeaArk Predator Sportjet to stop and talk. If you are familiar with the Phantom SportJon, already popular in Alaska and especially in the Interior where shallow-water rivers abound, then you have a good idea what the Predator Sportjet looks like: impressive. The boat looks impressive and performs impressively. The really cool thing about the Predator though is the boat's heritage. The SeaArk Predator is constructed Outside (that's not-in-Alaska) and rigged locally, but the practical boat was born in Alaska. Craig Compeau, of Compeau's in Fairbanks, the exclusive dealer in the state for the SeaArk Predator, explained to me that he worked closely with SeaArk to develop the boat. Compeau said that Phantom was unable to keep up with the growing demand for the SportJon and so when Compeau's became a dealer for SeaArk the two businesses worked together to produce the Predator. Compeau flew to Arkansas to try the prototype that SeaArk built. Since then, Compeau's and SeaArk have worked together to refine the boat's design and features with the goal of producing a boat perfect for Alaska. Some might consider the Predator the offspring of the popular Phantom SportJon. The design is similar but with some notable differences. Compeau, who delights in providing knuckle-whitening, feature-proving demo rides for his customers, summarized features of the SeaArk Predator that differentiate it from the Phantom SportJon:
I've been able to try both the SportJon and the Predator. I like them both and both performed superbly in the water. I must admit I like the camouflage paint scheme on the Predator over the SportJon's look. But, if you're not into "camo," you can also get the boat in a nice, dark green. I've motored both boats through the saltwater out of Valdez and again, both were impressive and were great fishing platforms for silver salmon.
To test the weed evading capabilities of the Predator's tunnel-hull and 175 hp inboard Mercury jet, I cruised the boat into shallow, weed-infested waters and did a few "360s" that more than alarmed my novice boat-riding buddy who came along for the adventure. I expected the powerful impeller to suck up those weeds in no time but that didn't happen. The predator sprinted through the weeds like they weren't even there. Determined to provide a true "weed test" for this boat I settled on the ultimate experiment. I cruised, on-step, into a particularly ominous-looking weed bed and stopped and killed power. First I assured my buddy everything was okay and then with just a little doubt in my own mind, I turned the ignition and the motor rumbled to life. I then turned the boat towards an open stretch of water and throttled forward. Two things happened. One, the boat rocketed out of the weed bed. Two, about fifty feet or so out of the weed bed the speed dropped and I knew that weeds had partially clogged the intake. I stopped the boat, turned off the motor and then gave the built-in stomp grate three stomps. I restarted the motor and throttled up and cruised away like the Predator had never encountered a single weed. Wow. If that isn't practical performance for a boat, I don't know what is. In Alaska, to be a practical boat, it has to get you to and from your favorite fishing and hunting spots. Many of these favorite locations are not easy to get to. Ask Chris Zimmerman, a Fairbanks attorney, about that. Zimmerman took a prototype Predator on a hunt up a shallow-water river in the Interior. "I couldn't believe that it hauled so much weight in such shallow water. I was truly impressed," said Zimmerman. Zimmerman made me promise not to reveal his favorite fishing and hunting spots but I happen to know a few of them and know that the water getting there is often on the dry end of shallow during many of the days of a typical year. Zimmerman relayed one memorable experience getting to a hunting spot: "Heading up, we were a little front end heavy and I slid the side of the boat over a mud bank in a tight corner. You should have seen how wide the other guy's eyes got. We dropped off the bank and kept going. Amazing performance! " For people considering buying a boat, Zimmerman recommends testing out a Predator, "I'd encourage them to drive one. I think they'll find that it's as good as it gets for shallow water. It has plenty of power and will get you where you want to go fairly quickly. I think that anyone who tries one will be impressed. "Needless to mention, but Zimmerman is pleased with his Predator. When I called his office one day and mentioned to his secretary I was calling to talk to Zimmerman about his "Predator," his friendly secretary said to me, "Oh, you mean his toy! Chris is always talking about that boat. "So, while it won't turn you into a genuine celebrity, having a SeaArk Predator will likely make you more happy and popular and you'll probably have a few people stop to talk about the, "cool looking boat you got there." FOR MORE INFORMATION: Wear a Personal Floatation Device when you are boating! |
