The water's breaking a good foot high out in Vineyard Sound, off the coast of Massachusetts, but it's smooth as glass on Pompanesset Bay, protected by two narrow spits of land. Bob Scozarri, at the helm of Larson's new SEi 190 I/O, carves up the water with the bowrider like a kabuki chef cutting steak: smooth and precise. Then he points it at the narrow channel at Meadow Point, and suddenly the 190's out in the Sound, surrounded by the chop.

Instead of skimming across the waves like an out-of-control stone, the 190 bites into the chop, and even in turns there's no hint of taking a bow-full of water. Of course, everything has its limits, and while some boaters are brave enough to take this size bowrider eight miles across the Sound to Martha's Vineyard, that's only a good idea if the forecast is predicting minor breezes. Cape Cod has a nasty habit of kicking up big seas with little notice. And bowriders have a nasty habit of taking on water in big seas.

But on this summer day, life couldn't be sweeter. After a long nine months of winter, you savor every warm day you get, especially if it means boating. Bob heads the 190 along the coast for a bit, then turns back to check out Pompanesset Bay, a good place for exploring. The Mashpee-side bay is pleasantly undeveloped, and the multimillion-dollar trophy homes are more tasteful than on other parts of the Cape. The 190 is perfect for protected water, where watersports are common, and it'll even let you land on the spits of sandy beaches without minor inconveniences such as busting a prop. Plus, when the tide's out and it goes way down in the bay, you can still maneuver into areas where big boats would have to be on the horn to Sea Tow.

After taking the boat into narrow channels and past unmarked shoals, Sozzari hands over the wheel. As soon as he's sitting in the plush companion seat, the pedal's to the metal, and with the 190 pointed toward a far corner of the bay, the radar gun registers a top speed of 51.5 mph.

It's a fun boat to drive, cornering tightly under control, and delivering a 0 to 30 mph holeshot in 5.7 seconds when equipped with the 190-hp, 4.3L Volvo GL engine. The 190 has a 'Delta' hull, which has a sharp entry on its modified V for big waves, lifting strakes for faster planing, 21 degrees of deadrise and wide chines to keep it dry. The Boating World hard-right test, where the wheel's turned completely to the right and then you floor it, leaves the cockpit high and dry. On lesser boats, it's likely that a wall of water might come in over the back right corner. And happily, figure-eights don't produce any hint of a blowout ' another positive sign.

The 190 SEi's ergonomics point to safety all around the boat. Handholds are in all the right places, up front in the bow, and along the companion side. It's a good family boat, with a broad swim platform off the transom, complete with four-step ladder, ski-tow eye, and great storage.

There's also storage in the cockpit floor, and up front under the seats. The storage areas up front are carpeted, which will keep gear from rattling around. The anchor locker in the bow can double as an ice chest, and so can the glove box in front of the companion seat.

The helm's a fun place to be, with the wraparound bucket seat, tilt steering wheel, and easy-to-read Faria gauges. There's a 12-volt receptacle for electronics or a cell phone, Aquatronic radio/cassette player (a CD player is a $335 option), and optional depthsounder (an extra $235), which is a real plus in this tidal basin.

One thing that seems out of place is the windshield. It's a four-piece frame, but on the standard layout, the back two wing sections are left empty. Some may prefer that style, but it looks like missing lenses on a pair of glasses. The fact that the wings are a $105 option seems chintzy on a boat that has so much going for it.' Beyond cosmetics, what's most impressive is the feel of the hull. Many bowriders tend to vibrate when you hit waves, but not this boat. The SEi 190 has a label on its side that's worth any extra money you might spend for this boat. Those three letters ' VEC (Virtual Engineered Composite) ' spell long-term relief.

While most builders offer five- and even ten-year limited warranties on structural problems, the VEC label is for life, and for a fee, it's transferable to the next owner.

VEC is a groundbreaking 'closed-mold' technology that Genmar Holdings, Larson's parent company, invested tens of millions in last year. According to Genmar, the VEC failure rate has been nil so far.' You can feel the difference in the solid-ity of the 190. You can also see the hull's consistency in the finish, which is smooth throughout, unlike most hand-laid hulls. Even down in the bilge and anchor locker, there's the same consistent finish, mainly because the boat is two finished pieces that come out of the mold. (Note that the 190 SEi comes in outboard and ski 'n fish models, with many of the same features of the I/O. But ' and this is a major but ' they are not VEC hulls.)

As tested (including the Sport Interior package), the SEi 190 costs $22,265. Considering the VEC hull and amenities, that's a lot of boat for the money.