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Engineering Corner with Tony Martens

In the last issue of Rampageous, we introduced you to Tony Martens, Director of Product Development and Engineering at Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts. The “Engineering Corner” provides Tony an opportunity to share his insights and expertise in boat design.

Right now Tony and his team are finishing up their work on the new Rampage 34 Express IPS. After months of development and testing, the finished product was unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show starting on Oct. 30th.

Recently, Rampageous sat down with Tony and talked about the new Rampage 34 IPS.

Rampageous: Tell us about some of the key features of the new 34 Express IPS and their benefits to offshore fishermen.

Tony: The marriage of our 34 Rampage hull design with IPS power has taken comfort and performance to a whole new level. Fuel economy is a big issue right now and the 34 IPS delivers 23% better fuel economy than a standard diesel installation. Better fuel economy means lower operating costs and more range. In fact, the 34 IPS has a 500 mile range which is very important to offshore fishermen. Passenger comfort is vastly improved compared to a conventional diesel powered boat. There is virtually no diesel exhaust odor and vibration and engine noise are significantly reduced. Anyone who spends long days trolling will appreciate the fresh, clean air and quiet ride. And then there’s the maneuverability; it’s simply amazing. We’re the first production boat builder to offer Volvo Penta’s new IPS Sport Fish Mode technology as an option.

Rampageous: How does the optional IPS Sport Fish Mode perform differently than a standard IPS?

Tony: Every IPS installation combines pod drives and joystick technology for great close quarters handling around the dock. With a standard IPS installation, use of the joystick limits the RPMs of the engines so maneuvering speed is limited. The new Sport Fish Mode is intended for use in open water. It provides an additional “mode” that allows unlimited engine RPMs while you control the boat using the binnacle controls rather than the joystick.

Rampageous: How does the optional Sport Fish Mode directly benefit anglers out on the open water?

Tony:When a big fish runs, you need to be able to follow the fish quickly and smoothly. Sport Fish Mode allows you to back down on a fish, turn from side-to-side in reverse and spin on a dime much faster than a standard IPS. It’s much quicker and more nimble than a conventional inboard boat too. In my opinion, there’s not another boat of any size or configuration that can match the new 34IPS with the optional Sport Fish Mode when it comes to offshore maneuverability. Except maybe another Rampage 34 IPS with Sport Fish Mode.

Rampageous: Has the IPS installation provided any additional design features on the 34 IPS?

Tony: Because of the IPS configuration, we actually have additional space below decks that we can better utilize. We’ve taken that space and added another fish box; something offshore fishermen are always asking for. The 34 IPS will have a fish box aft and another fish box forward of the fighting chair location. We’ve also been able to add fuel capacity, increasing the range of the 34 IPS to 500 miles. There’s not another 34’ boat with that kind of range.

Rampageous: Is IPS being considered for other models in the Rampage line-up?

Tony: We presently have two other Rampage IPS models in development.

Rampageous: What’s on the horizon for Rampage in terms of new boats?

Tony: The dealer meeting afforded us a great opportunity to gather input from both domestic and international Rampage dealers. During the meeting we presented concepts for several new models of various styles and sizes. They were all very well received.