Eliminator Delivers First Single-Engine 255 Speedster To Illinois Customer

The first Eliminator Boats 255 Speedster powered by a single outboard engine—a Mercury Racing 400R—Stephen Sink’s carbon-Kevlar constructed 25-foot catamaran is currently tucked up for the winter with the Grayslake, Ill.-based boater eagerly anticipating getting to run it for the first time on the Fox River this spring.

Illinois performance boater Stephen Sink is excited about his new Eliminator Boats 255 Speedster powered by a Mercury Racing 400R engine. Photos courtesy Eliminator Boats

“I can’t wait to start running the boat back here on The Chain,” said Sink, a first-time cat owner who does a majority of his boating on the Chain O’Lakes in Northeast Illinois. “The boat is back here in Chicago now—we got to spend a whole day driving around Lake Havasu just before the new year and then we hauled it back home. It was kind of crazy because we had people taking pictures and videos of the boat the whole time we were driving back to Illinois.

“The boat rides really good and it got the 90-plus-mph top speed we were hoping for,” he continued. “I’m not looking to squeeze every last mph out of it anyway—it’s a light boat—but I wanted something quick and this boat accomplishes that. No one out here has a boat like it. There are some older Eliminators and a bunch outboard-powered boats, as you might expect, but none like this one. There aren’t even very many 400R or 450R powered boats, except for some twin-engine pontoons.”

Sink said he opted for the 400R because it was the most powerful engine he could get without having to make a significant price jump for the 450R. The team at Eliminator also suggested installing a new Porta Products R-Series adjustable hydraulic transom bracket—mainly because the company wanted to try one on one of its boats—and both Sink and Eliminator’s Mark Baker said they were impressed with the bracket’s functionality.

“I didn’t know anything about the Porta bracket before Eliminator recommended it,” Sink said. “The guys at Eliminator thought it might help get more speed out of the boat so I figured why not give it a try. So far it seems pretty awesome and it should be cool to mess around with once I get used to running the boat. Being able to adjust both the trim and the lift is different, but once we figure out the best settings, we’ll be able to adjust on the fly and set everything exactly where we want it.”

Check out the slideshow above for more images of the 255 Speedster.

Baker added that the Porta bracket is pretty fun to play with and that he expects to install more on upcoming builds.

“The day we delivered the 255 to Stephen was a less-than-ideal day on Lake Havasu because we had 30-mph winds,” said Baker, who estimated the boat’s top speed to be between 90 and 93 mph, depending on the conditions. “That did allow Stephen to see how it handles in rougher conditions, which was good. We also took the boat pretty far upriver so he could see how it does in shallower water, which is what he’s used to boating on.

“We feel like this boat is the ultimate entry-level cat that will have you running the lakes and rivers in Eliminator style,” he continued.

Sink didn’t shy away from the amenities either as he installed GatorStep nonskid flooring with a unique pattern, a color-matched suede interior with seating for six in the cockpit, a hidden bimini top, Mercury DTS controls, a 7-inch Simrad display, LED lighting throughout, a black stainless-steel rubrail and all black hardware.”

Sink believes having the cat on his home waters could open up a whole new market for Eliminator’s 255.

“I’m happy with how the boat turned out—everyone at Eliminator was great to work with every step of the way,” Sink said. “We tweaked a few things here and there during the build and in the end it came out better than expected. I can’t wait for summertime.”

Eliminator Delivers First Single-Engine 255 Speedster To Illinois Customer

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