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Pilot 7 in rough weather from Hamina, Summa to summer cottage. Rough means here locally rough, in Gulf of Finland. For example, in Norway rough might be something else. But bottom line is Pilot 7 is capable of handling well all those conditions when you will go to the sea. As Powerboat & Rib magazine states: "I am a great believer in first impressions, and when it came to driving the Pilot 7 Weekend I was not to be disappointed. This was just as well as the weather was looking truly testing - blowing 5 and strengthening fast. In fairness, the conditions were perfect for testing a boat built for all seasons, but by the end of the day it was becoming a borderline case for a 7m craft as things were returning to the feisty conditions of the previous days. The narrow beam and sharp hull entry make this a great boat to drive into a head sea - ideally at between 22 and 25 knots, which is clearly this boat’s sweet spot, with the leg trimmed out halfway. Its transom deadrise angle of 16 degrees is medium-vee territory, but the hull sharpens noticeably around amidships, providing a relatively soft ride, and at over 22 knots the extra stern lift brings this part of the hull into play. Finnmaster supply Bennett trim tabs, which it certainly needs with the wind on the beam to keep her on an even keel. However, when you are throwing the boat around they are not really realistic to use. Ideally this boat needs an automatic trim tab system like that made by Mente Marine, which, being made in Finland,
I imagine could be specified from new. Such a system would be an ideal complement to such a
capable and lively boat. As the day got rougher it was apparent that the Pilot 7 was built to take a beating. It was becoming a bit of a white-knuckle moment pushing her up to her top speed just shy of 34 knots, as by that point the short Solent chop had heaped up to such a degree that it was
constantly plastering the windscreen. I can confirm that the substantial windscreen wipers
perform as effectively as one would imagine from their appearance. She is reassuringly sure-footed when thrown into hard turns. Though there is quite a bit of heel, as you would expect
from a 7m wheelhouse boat, the Pilot 7 runs on rails when banked over provided you trim the
outboard leg in. If you forget, as I initially did, and then power through a turn trimmed out, she
can cavitate a touch."