Any chance you have to get out on the water in a brand-new boat is welcome, but when that chance comes during a lull in the middle of what seems to be a never-ending series of cold fronts and thunderstorms ' the kind of weather that makes you remember how to smile again ' it's even sweeter. So sweet that it makes perfect sense to drop everything else that's going on so you can get out on the water and make the most of that opportunity. And that, in a nutshell, is the backstory explaining how a couple of guys find themselves with ear-to-ear grins as they tool around Lake Marble Falls in the Texas Hill Country aboard a brand spanking new Kayot S225 deck boat.

Although it's a full-fledged member of the Highland Lakes chain that was created when the Colorado River was strategically dammed up to bring electricity to central Texas (and enormous wealth and power to the Brown & Root construction company and their number-one political ally, Lyndon B. Johnson), Lake Marble Falls is greatly overshadowed by its siblings. Lake Travis has cliffs and proximity to Austin; Lake Buchanan has fish; Lake LBJ has size. Lake Marble Falls, on the other hand, is relatively small and narrow, and doesn't even have a gas dock anywhere along its shoreline. As a result, you often feel as though you have the place all to yourself. 'If you get six or seven boats out here,' explains David Rodgers from Bay Marine, who's come along for the ride, 'that's a real busy day.'

In spite of the near-perfect weather ' the first decent weather in weeks ' this still doesn't qualify as a 'busy day' on Lake Marble Falls. In fact, it wouldn't qualify as a busy day on a private slalom lake in central Florida. There's exactly one boat on the water, the Kayot S225, and Rodgers is one of the guys on board.' In truth, the lake isn't completely deserted. About a half-mile or so north of the launch ramp, there are a few head of cattle roaming someone's ranchette, and they occasionally wade out into the water. Not exactly the sort of bathing beauties one might hope to spot along the shoreline.

Then again, having a whole lake all to yourself is pretty fine. While the non-existent boat traffic, as well as the almost total lack of wind, means that you might not be able to test the Kayot S225's hull quite as emphatically as you might like, you won't have to worry about the surroundings quite so much while putting the boat through some pretty hardcore maneuvers. It's a tradeoff, and it's a tradeoff that most boaters will gladly take.

Admittedly, most boaters might still be shaking their heads and refusing to believe that it's possible to elicit hardcore maneuvering from a deck boat, but you must remember that everything's relative, so 'hardcore' in a discussion of deck boats will be slightly different than 'hardcore' in a discussion of offshore racers. Under those terms of engagement, yes, the S225 can actually acquit itself fairly well in terms of handling, maybe even achieving 'hardcore' status.

No, the S225 won't snap a 180-degree turn at full throttle, but you wouldn't expect that from a smallish deck boat. What you would expect and hope for from a boat this size and shape is stable, predictable handling, without sliding or hooking unexpectedly, even at fast speeds. And that's just what the S225 delivers. Turn the wheel and the boat does almost exactly what you expect, and that's good stuff in anybody's book.' Also good stuff is the way the S225 hull provides decent wakes for both recreational skiers and wakeboarders. The weekend warriors who ride combos will find the S225 wake negotiable enough, and it's not so tall at 30 to 36 mph that it's insurmountable for novice slalom aficionados. At around 20 mph, the wake cranks up enough to provide a passable launch ramp for most wakeboarders who don't have sponsorship deals, and it's no stretch to see that with a full crew on board, all seated on one side, the S225 would throw a really nice little wakesurfing wave.