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Electronically reprinted from March 2008
www.powerboatmag.com
PURE
LUXURY
ELEGANT OUTERLIMITS
46 LIMITED HITS 127 MPH
OUTERLIMITS 46 LIMITED EDITION
FAST FINERY
Custom to the core, the 46 Limited Edition from Outerlimits is among the fastest and most efficient V-bottoms in its class.
I
N ALL REGARDS, MIKE FIORE AND HIS HARD-
working team at Outerlimits Powerboats
continue to push the envelope with their
exquisite custom V-bottoms. So consistent is
the construction quality and performance of
the Bristol, R.I., company’s products that it’s
easy to become blasé about them—until you
realize you’re flying along at more than 127
mph in a V-bottom that’s as well appointed as
many second homes.
Having tested our share of Outerlimits
offerings, including another version of the 46
Limited Edition, we expected great things
from the 46-footer. And it delivered.
PERFORMANCE
To power the stepped V-bottom, the builder
chose staggered Mercury Racing HP1075SCi
engines with No. 6 dry-sump drives that had
1.42:1 gear reductions. Getting the power to
the water were a couple of 35"-pitch Hering
propellers.
With POWERBOAT test drivers Bob Teague
controlling the throttles and John Tomlinson
handling the steering chores, the 46 Limited
Edition topped out at 127 mph on both radar
and GPS.
At that speed—and all speeds faster than
110 mph—a touch of negative trim on the
Mercury Racing 380S K-Planes helped keep
the boat stable and tracking cleanly.
With the K-Planes all the way down, the 46footer popped right on plane in 4.9 seconds,
which was particularly impressive for a boat of
its size. The “acceleration show” went on for
the next 15 seconds, where the V-bottom
reached 89 mph.
“With the tabs down, the boat comes up
totally flat,” Teague said. “The bow never
rises, so you never lose your forward view.”
Even more of a dazzler in the midrange, the
46 Limited Edition ran from 30 to 50 mph in
4.2 seconds, completed the 40-to-60-mph drill
in 4.3 seconds and went from 40 to 70 mph in
6.7 seconds.
We were unable to find any sea conditions
during our tests that could remotely challenge
the big V-bottom. In fact, it was tough to even
feel the 2- to 3-foot swells, which were the best
and “baddest” the Gulf of Mexico had to offer
on the test day.
The 46 Limited Edition turned well at all
speeds. Like most high-sided V-bottoms, it had
a tendency to lean into the wind. But it stayed
on track without steering correction whether
accelerating or decelerating, and was completely
unaffected by passenger weight shift.
WORKMANSHIP
Outerlimits did its typical bang-up construction job with the 46 Limited Edition, which
was composite-built and autoclave-cured.
Paintwork and tooling were immaculate, as was
the installation of the flared acrylic section of
the deck fairing and the molded-in, hand-finished bilge vents in the boat’s hullsides.
Protecting it all was a color-matched molded
rubrail with a stainless-steel insert.
With the exception of a retractable cleat on
the boat’s bow, mooring hardware was limited
to pushpin-style cleats/fender holders.
Additional hardware included navigation and
stern lights, as well as grab handles throughout the cockpit.
The engine hatch was connected to the
transom on billet hinges and raised with a
single hydraulic ram. The underside of it was
color-matched to the boat’s graphics. Access
to the 1,075-horsepower engines installed on
through-bolted offshore mounts was excellent.
The flat-black bilge had been sanded to a
smooth finish for easier cleanup.
Much of the engine compartment wiring
was nicely protected and hidden in tubes that
were fiberglassed into the boat. What wiring
we could see, however, was supported in evenly
spaced stainless-steel cushion clamps. All
batteries were secured in billet boxes with step
plates engraved with the Outerlimits logo.
INTERIOR
TEST RESULTS: OUTERLIMITS 46 LIMITED EDITION
TEST CONDITIONS
Temperature/humidity
Wind speed/water conditions
86 degrees/54 percent
1 mph/2' to 3' chop
HULL INFORMATION
Deadrise at transom
Centerline/beam
Hull weight
24 degrees
43'6"/9'2"
12,000 pounds
PRICING INFORMATION
Base retail with twin Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines
Price as tested
ENGINE & PROPELLER
Engine
Cylinder type
Cubic-inch displacement/horsepower
Lower-unit gear ratio
Propeller
Twin helms (with the wheel-less steering
hub properly capped) and an insert cushion to
create a third cockpit bolster position created
versatility in the 46 Limited Edition’s deep
cockpit. Like the bolsters, the rear bench had
an “overstuffed” look and feel that provided
security. Grab handles were within easy reach
for its occupants.
Lay-in carpet covered the cockpit sole.
Throughout the cockpit, gunwale padding
was excellent—a must in a V-bottom designed
to tackle offshore water.
The helm included a mix of Livorsi Marine
and Mercury SmartCraft gauges, as well as
Livorsi throttles, shifters and mechanical drive
and tab trim indicators. Other instruments
included a Garmin 3206 GPS unit and an
Azimuth compass. Toggle switches activated
the accessories.
To get on the boat’s deck, the builder
installed steps in the port-side observer’s dash.
Access to the cabin was provided by a radiused
aluminum door, not unlike those found in
vintage Apache and Cigarette models.
That’s not surprising, as Fiore has consistently credited Apache for having a significant
$790,714
$1,152,542
(2) Mercury Racing HP1075SCi
V-8
557/1075
1.42:1
Hering five-blade 18" x 35"
OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT
Upgrade to twin Mercury Racing HP1075SCi engines and No. 6 dry-sump drives
($255,260), The Art of Design graphics ($55,000), Hering five-blade propellers
($12,129), 20-inch LCD TV and DVD player ($7,345), wood strips in head wall
($6,498), wood upgrade ($6,064), second helm ($6,064), billet package ($3,960),
carved cockpit carpet ($3,205), carved cabin carpet ($3,205) and Mercury
SmartCraft Race Edition display ($3,150).
ACCELERATION
5 seconds................................................................................................23 mph
10 seconds ............................................................................................48 mph
15 seconds ............................................................................................69 mph
20 seconds ............................................................................................89 mph
MIDRANGE ACCELERATION
30-50 mph ......................................................................................4.2 seconds
40-60 mph ......................................................................................4.3 seconds
40-70 mph ......................................................................................6.7 seconds
RPM VS. MPH
1000........................................................................................................10 mph
1500................................................................................................................NA
2000........................................................................................................34 mph
2500........................................................................................................46 mph
3000........................................................................................................58 mph
3500........................................................................................................73 mph
4000........................................................................................................85 mph
4500........................................................................................................96 mph
5000......................................................................................................108 mph
5500......................................................................................................116 mph
influence on his designs.
But the carpeted cabin of the 46 Limited
Edition was far from the utilitarian affair
found in early offshore boats. In fact, about
the only belowdeck similarities between the
Outerlimits and those venerable offerings were
facing lounges and a V-berth.
Loaded with luxury, the cabin of our test
boat included a head locker with a shower, a
porcelain head and a stainless-steel sink. The
cabin also had a galley with a sink and woodgrain cabinetry, a DVD system and a flatscreen television. That entertainment system,
as well as the cabin lighting and all other
appliances, were controlled via a touch screen.
Headroom in the 46-footer’s cabin was
excellent, as was the padded headliner.
Like that in the cockpit, the first-rate cabin
upholstery was plush and durable. So, too,
were the cabin’s “zipper doors,” which have
become an Outerlimits’ staple.
OVERALL
It wasn’t all that long ago that V-bottom
speeds faster than 127 mph were limited to
stripped-down, barebones race boats. Thanks
to reliable power and more efficient stepped
hulls, those days are gone. The exceptional
Outerlimits 46 Limited Edition is one fine—
and very fast—example of the state of the art
in custom V-bottoms. 
Clockwise from top left: The cockpit included a three-person bench and optional third bolster up front. The rigging
of the twin Mercury Racing HP1075SCi engines was perfect. At the dash, Outerlimits installed Livorsi Marine and
Mercury SmartCraft gauges. A GPS speedometer was mounted on the back between the driver and observer seats.
TOP SPEED AT RPM
Radar......................................................................................127 mph at 5,750
GPS ....................................................................................................127.2 mph
PLANING
Time to plane ..................................................................................4.9 seconds
Minimum planing speed ........................................................................18 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
At 30 mph ......................................................................................................NA
FUEL CAPACITY
TEST LOCATION (ELEVATION)
300 gallons
Fort Myers, Fla. (Sea level)
MANUFACTURER
Outerlimits Powerboats, Dept. PB, 91 Broad Common Road, Bristol, RI 02809,
401-253-7300, www.outerlimitspowerboats.com.
FOR MORE PHOTOS VISIT WWW.POWERBOATMAG.COM
WHAT WE LOVED: The insane acceleration numbers
and the V-bottom’s 4.9-second time to plane.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE: A bit more stable tracking at
high speed and a more user-friendly swim platform.
Posted with permission from the March 2008 issue of Powerboat Magazine © Copyright 2008, EHLERT Inc. All rights reserved.
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