Highfield ADV9 review: Dry, stable, and easy to drive

With a foot in both the RIB and sportsboat market, the new ADV9 is hoping to offer the best of both worlds. Does it deliver on its promise?

The RIB used to be the weapon of choice for performance-minded day boat buyers, but ever since Axopar burst onto the scene in 2014, offering an equally engaging driving experience plus a whole load more functionality at a similar price, the RIB market has been feeling a little – how shall we put this – deflated.

There are still plenty of entry-level starter RIBs and superyacht chase RIBs but many of the mainstream offerings have either moved upmarket or disappeared altogether. Highfield is one of the exceptions, taking advantage of its lower-cost manufacturing base in China to build a range of affordable, robust and exceptionally seaworthy aluminium-hulled leisure RIBs.

But latterly even Highfield has felt the need to offer a more direct alternative to the Axopars and Saxdors that now dominate the European sportsboat market. Its first offering was the ADV7, a 23ft crossover model with a foot in both camps.

Built in Poland using a robust GRP hull with a beamy cockpit offering all the style, space and modularity of a ‘Saxopar,’ but with a slender inflatable collar that gives the built-in fendering of a RIB, it does a very decent job of delivering the best of both worlds. The only fly in the ointment is that with only a small T-Top and half-height windscreen offering any kind of weather protection, and no cabin for overnighting, it remains a largely fair-weather day boat.

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This all-new ADV9 hopes to resolve that limitation, and a whole lot more too. At just over 30ft long with a substantial 10ft 7in beam, it offers a far bigger and more versatile cockpit and a much better protected helm station. It also has a proper cuddy cabin under the foredeck with all the facilities needed for overnighting.

Throw in a wide range of single or twin outboard engines, a comprehensive outdoor galley and options that include everything from heating to air-conditioning to Seakeeper’s new Ride auto-trim system and it all adds up to a weekender that looks just as well suited to Northern European waters as the Med. The big question is whether it can do all this while retaining the robust seakeeping for which Highfield RIBs are renowned. There was only one way to find out…

Solid Seakeeping

We catch up with the ADV9 on the day before its debut at the Palma Boat Show. Come to Mallorca, they said, the sun always shines and the sea’s always calm. Well, they were right on the first point but the second, not so much. By the time I arrive, an onshore breeze has built up during the day causing a messy chop and a 1.5m swell. The result is a really awkward sea that would challenge most 30ft RIBs let alone a leisure oriented weekender.

Lifejackets on, we nose out of Port Molinar to see what we can salvage from the test. Recording a full set of performance and fuel figures is clearly out of the question (hence the reason we are publishing Highfield’s own figures) but at least these conditions should provide a good test of the ADV9’s rough weather abilities.

With the Seakeeper Ride system switched off, I ease the electronic throttles forward on the twin 250hp Hondas (Mercurys up to 300hp are also an option). The ADV9 rises swiftly onto the plane, settling into an easy 25-knot canter. Safely ensconced behind a full-height windscreen and side screens that connect with the T-Top, there is little danger of getting wet, even in these conditions. But I was still surprised at what a good job the inflatable collar does of diverting spray down rather than out, where the wind could blow it back on board.

The ADV9’s slender vertical bow and heavily built deep-vee hull also do a fine job of cutting through the waves. The deadrise angle of 22 degrees at the transom may not be as sharp as the 24 degrees of Highfield’s Sport 900 RIB, but it’s usefully deeper than most sportsboats and helps explain its impressively soft ride.

Inevitably the bow does pitch up and down a fair bit in these conditions but it never lands heavily and both the hull and the T-Top feel reassuringly strong. Nothing flexes, creaks or bangs, and other than a couple of missing latches and one or two refinements to the transom gate and folding backrest mechanisms, all of which Highfield is already onto, I’d never have guessed it was the first boat off the line. The displacement weight of 4,000kg (almost 1,500kg more than a Saxdor 320GTC) confirms it’s every bit as heavily built as it feels.

Fast and Stable

Reassured by its solidity, I crank up the speed to 30 knots and try throwing a few turns into the mix. The steering is perfectly weighted and geared to deliver fast, stable cornering. At very slow speeds the slight delay in response from the Honda fly-by-wire mechanism does cause it to wander from side to side a little as you correct in one direction and then over-correct in the other, but at planing speed, it all feels very natural.

The decision not to add steps to the hull and sacrifice a bit of speed and efficiency in return for a more forgiving and predictable driving experience seems like a sound one. It’s quite quick enough for most people’s needs (it’ll do 50 knots with twin Merc 300s) and even when pushed hard through the turns there is no sign of either the hull or propellers relinquishing their grip on the water. The tubes play their part here too, being mounted far enough above the waterline not to touch the surface, even when heeled right over.

Confidence in the hull now firmly established, I switch on the Seakeeper Ride system to see if it allows me to push even harder. The effect is palpable, immediately reigning in the pitching and keeping the boat on an even keel as it skips from one wave to the next. It feels so controlled and stable that I keep piling on more speed until the throttles are pinned hard against the stops and all I’m doing is applying ever faster armfuls of steering to prevent the bow from being knocked off line.

I never thought this would even be possible in these conditions, but here we are running at 42 knots as flat and level as a cruise missile. I’m not sure if I’m more impressed with the ADV9’s hull or the Seakeeper Ride system but together they make a formidable combination.

Looks and layout

Back in the shelter of the marina, it’s time to switch focus from seakeeping to housekeeping – after all, that’s where the ADV9 should really score over its RIB brethren. First up, this is a good looking boat, both in terms of the overall shape and the detailing. The flash of colour in the coachroof (four other schemes are available), the high quality diamond-stitched seating, the black powder-coated bow rails, the glass skylight at the aft end of the T-Top, the treads on the stern tubes all add a touch of class as well as practicality. They are all standard equipment too.

However, the real genius is the layout of the cockpit. Those skinny 44cm diameter tubes don’t intrude on the internal width at all so there’s plenty of room for bench seating along all four sides of the thick teak table. Cleverly, both the starboard-side bench and the forward one fold flat for better access to the stern platform and wet bar when needed. The whole area also converts to a giant sunpad thanks to a folding backrest, drop-down table legs and fill-in cushions. There’s even the option of full camper covers if you want to sleep a couple of extra guests on deck.

You’ll need to spend a bit of money equipping the wet bar with cooking facilities and one or more fridges to make the most of its substantial size, because there’s plenty of space for storing other stuff under the rear and port benches, both of which open on struts without having to remove the cushions.

The helm is also very well laid out with sensible ergonomics, clear sightlines and supportive seats (with optional heating) that bolster and adjust for reach. The only minor flaw I could find is the bulge in the roof lining to house the wiper motor that I bumped my head on a couple of times.

Access to the cabin is wide and not too steep, while the large side windows with opening portholes keep things surprisingly bright and fresh down here. The double bed is properly proportioned, the roof and bulkheads are all lined in fabric, and little touches like red and white reading lights and USB sockets help elevate it above more basic cabin RIBs.

The one compromise is the lack of a separate heads compartment. There is still an electric toilet and holding tank hidden away under a wooden seat locker with pull-down window blinds for privacy and a small sink but it’s not quite the same thing – then again very few 30ft RIBS offer this either.

Highfield ADV9 specifications

LOA: 30ft 2in (9.2m)
BEAM: 10ft 7in (3.27m)
DRAFT: 2ft 0in (0.6m)
DISPLACEMENT: 4,000kg (inc 2 x Honda 250hp)
FUEL CAPACITY: 450 litres RCD: B for 8 /C for 14
ENGINES: Single 400hp Mercury, twin 250-300hp Honda or Mercury
CONTACT: https://www.highfieldboats.com/

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