Carrera 228 Twister
Perennial Favorite
THE 228 TWISTER OPEN BOW FROM CARRERA BOATS IS A WEST COAST CUSTOM CLASSIC.
A few boat builders, particularly out West, inspire almost cult-like devotion among their customers. These buyers wouldn't dream of owning anything else, can't imagine why anyone else would and are willing to argue about it until well beyond last call.
That's extreme brand loyalty, the kind Carrera Boats of Corona, Calif., inspires. Carrera's customers usually are repeat customers-the best kind from a builder's point of view-and judging from the 228 Twister Open Bow we tested on the Colorado River in Parker, Ariz., we can see why. The 22'8"-long, 8'3"-wide bow rider isn't a new model (it was introduced in 1993), but it is a classic.
Base price for the 228 Twister with a MerCruiser MX 6.2 MPI engine is $45,900. A few upgrades including a custom paint and a color-matched interior raised the as tested price to $48,125.
PERFORMANCE
Without question, the performance of the 228 Twister has had a lot to do with its success over the years. Wisely, the people at Carrera have not changed the original 20-degree hull, which has four strakes-the outer set runs full length and the inner pair terminates about 6 feet from the transom-and flat chines.
What has changed over years, however, are power options and the MX 6.2 MPI-introduced for the 2001 model year-was a great choice for the boat. Dialed into a Bravo One drive with a 1.65:1 reduction and a lab-finished Mercury Bravo One 15 1/4" x 26" four-blade stainless steel propeller, the 320-horsepower motor delivered enough juice for the boat to run 62.5 mph at 5,000 rpm. And it did so on a 106-degree day.
Time to plane was a reasonable 4.2 seconds, and the boat's bow rose minimally during the process. The 228 Twister also ran 48 mph in 10 seconds and 60 mph in 20 seconds. Midrange acceleration numbers were consistently strong. The boat ran from 20 to 40 mph in 5 seconds and from 30 to 50 mph in 5.9 seconds. That performance fell off predictably at the high end, because it took 10.3 seconds for the boat to go from 40 to 60 mph. Still, for small-block power, and on a day Powerboat test team members described as "stupid hot," that's not bad.
One thing we noticed immediately about the 228 Twister was its soft ride-especially for a 22-footer in chop. That made slalom-turn drills, which the boat slashed its way through without a misstep, at 30, 40 and 50 mph all the more pleasant. The boat also carved through circle turns at cruising and full speeds with a comforting inward lean and almost zero lateral roll on exit. Even as the radius of those turns decreased, to the point where our lead test driver had the wheel locked to the left or right, the boat refused to blow its prop.
Fairly tall for its length, the 228 Twister was mildly affected by wind gusts. Tracking, however, whether accelerating or decelerating, was perfect.
WORKMANSHIP
The 228 Twister's wild gel coat graphics, matched to the boat's interior, couldn't have been better executed. Our inspectors had a hard time finding more than a few tiny waves in the boat's mold work, and the manufacturer did a solid job installing the extruded aluminum rubrail with a rubber insert for exterior protection.
Carrera hand-laminates its boats and we gleaned that it was bi-directional, tri-directional fiberglass and coring were used in the boat.
The builder outfitted the 228 Twister with sleek hardware, all of which, except for four Accon Pull-Up cleats, was powder-painted white. Those items included various handrails and grab handles throughout the boat, bilge vents and a ski tow above the bolted-on fiberglass swim platform. Rather than using a walk-through windshield, which would have been a poor stylistic choice for the boat, Carrera installed dark acrylic windscreens at the driver's and co-pilot's stations.
White powder-painted hinges also secured the engine hatch, which raised on an electric screw jack. Inside the engine compartment, the motor was installed on L-angles through-bolted to the stringers and the standard MerCruiser transom assembly. All lines and wires were neatly routed and supported by nylon cushion clamps. In addition to what we expected to find inside the engine compartment-trim pump, batteries, stowage pockets, etc.-there was a small ice chest in a dedicated spot created by gel coated wooden blocks.
INTERIOR
Carrera made good use of every inch of the 22-footer's interior space. The open bow area, for example, included an anchor locker behind a vertical cushion in the forward-most section of the seating well. (And all back cushions in the boat, it sported an embroidered Carrera logo.) More stowage space was under each bottom cushion for the two bow lounges.
Cutouts in each side of bow walkthrough provided access to the stowage areas in the driver's and co-pilot's consoles. That means passengers can reach items stowed there without having to ask the driver or co-pilot to get out of his or her seat.
The entire sole of the 228 Twister was covered in plush carpet, as was the bottom of the in-sole ski locker with a lift-out, aluminum-bezeled lid. The cockpit layout consisted of bucket seats for the driver and co-pilot, and three- to four-person rear bench with stowage space below the bottom cushion and a sun pad. Throughout the cockpit, there were various drink holders, gunwale trays and stowage pockets.
To port, the co-pilot's station had a contoured grab handle. A rear-facing jump seat was built into the backside of the co-pilot's bucket.
A full complement of Beede gauges, privately labeled with the Carrera logo, was at the starboard-side helm station. The steering wheel tilted and the Mercury shifter/throttle was mounted on the padded gunwale.
SKIING
Though it wouldn't be the choice of serious water-skiers or wake boarders, the 228 Twister was a capable tow boat. Our ski and wakeboard test pilots appreciated its polished handling manners and, like our performance test team, soft ride. Though a little tall for aggressive slalom skiing, the wakes were decently sized and shaped for boarding.
OVERALL
Passionate brand loyalty takes years to establish. It's the result of consistently high quality. And that's a fair description of Carrera's classic 228 Twister.
WORTH NOTING
With a 320-horsepower small-block, the 228 Twister easily entered the 60-mph club. And that wasn't all-the bow rider packed plenty of punch in midrange.
A soft-riding 22-footer? You better believe it. The 228 Twister made short work of river chop, thanks to its conventional 20-degree bottom.
FROM LEFT-CARRERA BOATS PAID ATTENTION TO SMALL DETAILS SUCH AS THE BEEDE GAUGES WHICH CAME WITH CARRERA'S LOGO. THE 228 Twister HAD A SMALL-BLOCK ENGINE BUT PROVIDED BIG NUMBERS-TOPPING 60 MPH IN PERFORMANCE TESTS. INSIDE THE COCKPIT, THE DESIGNERS MADE GOOD USE OF SPACE.
Test Results
Hull Information
Dead rise at transom 20 degrees
Centerline 22'8"
Beam 8'1"
Hull Weight 2,975 pounds
PRICING INFORMATION
Base retail $45,900 (w/o trailer)
Price as tested $48,125 (w/o trailer)
ENGINE & PROPELLER
Engine MerCruiser MX 6.2 MPI
Cylinder Type V-8
Cubic-inch displacement/horsepower 377/320
Lower-unit gear ratio 1.65:11
Propeller Mercury Bravo One lab-finished 15 1/4" x 24"
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Five-color gel coat with fade, high-tech core laminate, 54-gallon fuel capacity side tanks, custom marine interior, marine carpet, full instrumentation with anodized bezels, auto bilge pump, stainless steel bow rails, windshield, running lights, fiberglass swim steps, ski tow, rear boarding and grab handles, stainless steel pop-up deck cleats, drink holders, cabin lights, courtesy lights and power motor hatch.
OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT
Upgrade to custom paint and interior ($900), tilt steering ($350), one-piece custom swim step upgrade ($350), aqua step for swim step ($350) and dual batteries ($275).
ACCELERATION
3 seconds 19 mph
5 seconds 28 mph
10 seconds 48 mph
15 seconds 56 mph
MIDRANGE ACCELERATION
20-40 mph 5 seconds
30-50 mph 5.9 seconds
40-60 mph 10.3 seconds
RPM VS. MPH
1000 7 mph
1500 8 mph
2000 12 mph
2500 26 mph
3000 34 mph
3500 44 mph
4000 50 mph
4500 55 mph
5000 62 mph
TOP SPEED AT RPM
Speedometer 61 mph
Radar 62.5 mph at 5050
Nordskog Performance Products GPS 62.4 mph
PLAINING
Time to plane 4.25 seconds
Minimum plaining speed 17.9 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
At 25 mph 3.7 mpg
At 35 mph 3.6 mpg
At 45 mph 3.1 mpg
At 55 mph 27 mpg
At WOT mph 2.5 mpg
FUEL CAPACITY 54 gallons
TEST CONDUCTED AT Parker, Ariz.
MANUFACTURER
Carrera Boats
Dept. PB
1802 Pomona Rd.
Corona, CA 92880
800-600-5112.