Centurion's Enzo SV240

Centurion's Enzo SV240 will give watersports enthusiasts a new reason to go wakeboarding

by Dave Kelley

January 9, 2007

This is the first time I've been able to relax in days, "says Centurion's Tim Lopes, as he happily hands over the wheel of the brand-new 2007 Centurion Enzo SV240. "I may just take me a little nap." You have to feel for the guy, but only a little bit. A lot of people would gladly swap jobs with Lopes, even if part of that job entails staying up all hours of the night every year at the BoardStock wakeboard and wakesurf event. But Lopes won't be doing much napping, because on a beautiful day on California's Clear Lake in a brand-new boat like the Centurion Enzo SV240, taking it easy is completely out of the question.

Clear Lake may seem like a thousand miles from nowhere, but there's enough traffic on the water this day to kick up some pretty good chop out in the middle of the lake. Still, the lake is big enough to offer some reasonably secluded and smooth water for comparison's sake. The sun is high and the sky is blue. It's a perfect test situation. And as Lopes nestles into the observer's seat with the thought of 40 winks, the engine roars, and the hull does battle with the wake of a passing boat.

A boat the size of the Centurion Enzo SV240 should be able to handle fairly serious chop without too much effort. It's a full 24 feet in length, with an 8-inch-6-foot beam, and a hefty 4,600-pound dry weight - measurements that used to be unthinkable for a performance watersports boat. But despite the size, it doesn't handle like the aquatic equivalent of an offensive lineman; it's more like an outside linebacker - big, but mobile. Blasting through the rollers, though, a few rattles are heard. Lopes explains that the test boat is a preproduction unit that spent a full week at hard labor, pulling boarders at BoardStock immediately prior to the test. Taking that into consideration, a few stray rattles aren't overly worrisome, although they are worth a mention.

Aside from those rattles, the Centurion Enzo SV240 cuts through the chop as smoothly as expected, the weight working to carve cleanly. In addition to cleaving the water, the hull does a good job of directing the spray well away from the passenger compartment, delivering the kind of dry, stable ride that keeps passengers happy.

The sheer interior spaciousness of the Centurion Enzo SV240 should keep the passengers - potentially, a lot of passengers - happy, too. The bow area is plenty big for two full-grown adults to kick back in, and the bow area walkthrough features a nifty little step to add a sense of upscale luxury. Back in the main passenger compartment, the full U-lounge seating configuration is, well, huge. It doesn't take much to imagine six or eight people riding comfortably in the Centurion Enzo SV240.

It's nice to see the added thought that Centurion Enzo SV240 has put into the swim platform access. As on the SV230, the starboard side (driver's side) of the Centurion Enzo SV240's swim platform is hinged and flips up to provide an easy walkthrough to the swim platform, as well as a path that you can drag wakeboards, skis or other watersports gear across without worrying about tearing up the upholstery on the sunlounge.

Step off the swim platform and duck under the hull (remembering, of course, to kill the engine beforehand), and you'll get a look at Centurion's optional SwitchBlade, a hydrofoil similar in theory to Malibu's Wedge. The SwitchBlade can be deployed downward to add drag and increase the wake without adding ballast, or it can be retracted to the point where it actually adds a wee bit of lift at the transom, flattening and improving the ski wake.

A hundred years of nautical architecture has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that hydrofoils work effectively, as seen in the SwitchBlade. You can easily tweak the wake to match the rider, and it's a lot quicker and easier to deploy or retract the SwitchBlade than to fill or empty ballast tanks. Of course, the truly hardcore will opt for ballast tanks anyway, in the never-ending quest to build the "Mt. Everest" of wakes.

Even without a full complement of passengers or filled ballast tanks, the SwitchBlade provides a fine wake for novice and recreational wakeboarders, and an acceptable wake for recreational skiers alike. Fill the ballast tanks and load the Centurion Enzo SV240 with passengers, and the SwitchBlade brings the wake to tournament class.

One inescapable fact of hydrofoils, however, is that an increase in drag decreases the boat's speed and affects the overall handling, and the SwitchBlade's no exception. Lopes estimates that opting for the SwitchBlade will lop about 3 mph off the Centurion Enzo SV240's top speed, and there's no reason to doubt that. Then again, if you're that worried about top speed, you probably shouldn't be looking at a watersports boat anyway. Since you wakesurf at about 15 mph, wakeboard at 22 mph and ski at no more than 36 mph, the only real question regarding the speed is whether the Centurion Enzo SV240 can go 36 mph with a full load of passengers.

With the optional SwitchBlade attached, three-fourths of a tank of fuel, empty (but heavy-duty) a ballast tanks, two people and a full complement of gear on board, the Centurion Enzo SV240's 6.2L Scorpion engine reaches a top speed of 38.7 mph. Acceleration is solid, with the Centurion Enzo SV240 going from 0 to 30 mph in 7.4 seconds. Both are decent numbers for a boat this size.

The handling is good, and it's worth noting that, according to Lopes, Centurion offers the SV240 with a choice of clockwise or counterclockwise prop rotation. Experienced drivers know that it's actually easier to drive a straight line if there's a tiny bit of prop steer to work against, so Centurion Enzo SV240 lets you choose the rotation you prefer. Fitted with starboard-side steer, the boat has no problem holding an arrow-straight line. However, it does take some effort to overcome that steer when maneuvering, an issue that could be easily alleviated with a little fine-tuning of the steering.

Regardless of the prop rotation, the Centurion Enzo SV240's hull performs well in both rough and smooth water. There's a lot of lift in this hull, so even though the boat has a substantial dry weight, once the boat gets up to speed, it feels light and responsive on the water. The turns are initiated and executed predictably, regardless of speed. It's good to know that if you need to make a move, the Centurion Enzo SV240 will make the move you want, with no surprises.