TEST Here’s Antudo 23, Italy’s new (7m) 40-knot inflatable boat

Antudo, a company under Katech Ltd. is a name to keep in mind. The Catania shipyard is entering the dinghy stage for the first time, and it is doing so in style with this 23-footer: theAntudo 23.

Antudo 23

Alessandro Chessa ‘s Sardinia also contributed to the birth of this dinghy, as Akesdesign was the engineering firm responsible for signing the lines of the new Antudo. The hull is a
double step
, which means only one thing: absolute performance.

The steps, in fact, allow the living work to be ventilated. Due to the effect of velocity, when the water meets the step it slides underneath it, finding the void. Between the surface of the water and the hull itself, therefore, an air pocket is created that functions as a kind of cushion that cushions blows. We had a chance to sea test the new Antudo 23 in the stretch of water in front of Catania harbor.

You may be interested in:

Gli 8 fuoribordo più potenti del mondo (da 400 a 600 cv)

All the space in a 7-meter dinghy

Upon boarding, we were pleasantly impressed by the management of space. Everything is designed for maximum comfort on board. Let’s start from the stern, where we find a dinette with a U-shaped sofa capable of comfortably accommodating four people even lying down because, if necessary, it converts into a sundeck. The command post is walkaround and very functional, designed to help the captain in all situations, including rough seas.

Because of this, the seat is restraining and much more like a wrap-around seat than the usual kidney-resting stool. What is it for? All this helps (and not a little) in tighter turns. Before our eyes a large chart plotter, analog gauges monitoring the engine and utilities with touch buttons-all very technological and futuristic. We move on to the bow, where the large (and very comfortable) sundeck ends in an integrated overflow stern: here again we can see the refinement in style and elegance given to the hull by this solution.

We also really like the retractable cleats drowned in teak, which avoid hazards when ascending and descending from the bow. The bow, one of the most distinctive features of this rib: it is practically vertical, to cleave the waves and stretch the bow wheel, and inside it hides the anchor moved by a special electric mechanism.

How Antudo 23 sails – Test

It’s time to turn the key and start the 225-horsepower Mercury. In nothing the hiss of the V6 is heard. Throttle forward and off we go. Right away we are impressed by the maneuverability of this 7-meter dinghy “made in Catania,” which allows itself to be maneuvered without disobedience. We exit the speed-limited zone and finally sink the throttle. The thrust is powerful, and we are struck by the ease with which the Antudo picks up speed and the quickness shown in getting out of the water.

Unfortunately, the sea was very calm, so we had to create waves with the wake to understand how the hull reacts to the sea. We started tacking and drawing “8’s” tighter and tighter to catch the waves in all possible ways, and the dinghy always reacted excellently, very comfortably to wave entry-forget the dry, unfriendly blows to your back. We give it full throttle to see how far the 23 can go: within a whisker of 40 knots, measured by GPS, with four people on board and half a tank of fuel.

The sea, as we said, is very flat and there are no boats in the sea-the ideal condition to try some speed maneuvers. We then try a wide turn at high speed, and the hull rests fast and gentle on the tubulars, staying steady on the set course. Against we tack by tightening the angle even more, and you have to be ready to counteract the lateral acceleration that is achieved: truly incredible, as is also the stability of this Antudo 23 in such thrusty maneuvers. The 23-footer under test is the first project of the shipyard, which already has plans to produce a 35-foot cabin cruiser and a 29-footer as well.

Federico Lanfranchi

Antudo 23 data sheet