{"id":138605,"date":"2026-03-11T06:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T06:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=138605"},"modified":"2026-03-11T06:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T06:01:09","slug":"duchy-25-review-game-changing-first-trailable-duchy-is-outboard-powered","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/day-boats\/duchy-25-review-game-changing-first-trailable-duchy-is-outboard-powered","title":{"rendered":"Duchy 25 review: Game-changing first trailable Duchy is outboard-powered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fans of the Cockwells<\/a> shipyard in Falmouth will be well aware of the Duchy line. Introduced in 2012, its semi-production approach made the builder\u2019s celebrated quality far more accessible to regular boaters than its one-off custom projects had ever been.<\/p>\n

As traditional shaft-driven gentleman\u2019s launches with long keels and heavyweight construction, they were still relatively niche and costly but here, in the form of the smallest Duchy yet, the first outboard-powered Duchy ever and the only one designed for trailering, the new Duchy 25<\/a> is being touted as the most accessible model to date.<\/p>\n

\"The

The sociable aft layout has a fold-down backrest so it\u2019s easier to step over<\/p><\/div>\n

Duchy 25’s u<\/b><\/span>ser-friendly layout<\/h2>\n

As it nestles at the pontoon, looking for all the world like an open version of the established Duchy 27, the user-friendliness of the design is very clear. In tandem with the 27, with which it shares an identical front end, the bow lifts significantly, adopting a pretty fine entry with a substantial flare and a set of elevated guardrails to protect you as you make your way along the single-level side decks.<\/p>\n

In line with the rest of the fleet, those external decks use artificial teak for ease of maintenance but as you get closer to the shelter of the interior, solid wood joinery puts in precisely the appearance you would expect.<\/p>\n

\"Wraparound

Wraparound bench seating creates a very sociable arrangement<\/p><\/div>\n

Before we get to that though, it\u2019s worth checking out the stern, which features a pair of small platforms on either side of a Suzuki DF140.<\/p>\n

Little extensions to these platforms provide handy stepping points as you make your way on and off. Given the depth of the cockpit, that makes plenty of sense and the backrest for the transom bench also assists with ease of movement by hinging forward, allowing safe and easy access directly into the cockpit without having to climb over it.<\/p>\n

\"Duchy

This boat is the only Duchy designed for trailering<\/p><\/div>\n

As for the cockpit itself, it makes best use of the Duchy 25\u2019s modest length by adopting a layout that looks like it\u2019s been borrowed from a classical inland picnic boat. Unbroken wraparound bench seating lines the deck on three sides, facing in toward a central oak table, creating a very sociable arrangement for six or seven people.<\/p>\n

The helm and co-pilot seats also spin around to face aft but their relative elevation does inevitably separate them from the goings on down at the cockpit table.<\/p>\n

\"The

The raised upper dash provides space for a second MFD<\/p><\/div>\n

That said, there\u2019s a bit more versatility here than you might expect. The two compact swim platforms, for instance, provide access to storage cavities that continue forward beneath the lateral bench seats so storage volume is very good.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the option of slats and infill cushions so you can remove the table and create one huge sunbed. And the fact that you can extend the spray hood with all-over covers means you can shut the space off in bad weather or even use it as a second double bed so you can sleep two couples rather than one.<\/p>\n

\"Space

Headroom beneath that raised bow is far more generous than you might expect<\/p><\/div>\n

Hard-working cabin<\/h2>\n

Moving forward, there\u2019s some extra storage inside the base of the port helm seat and an optional fridge beneath the starboard co-pilot. And as for the joinery, well if you need evidence that Duchy\u2019s traditional quality has made it unscathed onto this smallest, most accessible model, this is the place to find it.<\/p>\n

Beyond the varnished oak table at the heart of the cockpit\u2019s wraparound seating and the solid iroko grabbing points at the helm, you head down below, away from the wind, salt and water, to be greeted with lots of lovely woodwork.<\/p>\n

\"Duchy

This is the first outboard-powered Duchy ever<\/p><\/div>\n

While most boats (even premium ones) tend to use a simple glue and screw approach to idiot-proof butt joints on drawers and storage lockers, alongside veneered panels to reduce cost, what we have here is far more pleasing \u2013 solid oak joinery throughout, alongside the kind of expertly executed half blind dovetail joints that you just want to show off to your friends.<\/p>\n

As for the layout, simplicity is again key. There\u2019s a compact wetbar-style galley next to the companionway steps so you can stand fully upright and take advantage of the extra headroom here. That\u2019s great for light, air and sociability, and it\u2019s also handy for keeping an eye on the horizon and warding off the nausea if you\u2019re forced below in a swell to make a cup of tea.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much space to play with here, of course. Just a sink and a section that looks ripe for a compact gas or induction hob. But the storage is again very strong, not least in the form of a dedicated cup rack and some automatically lit hanging storage.<\/p>\n

\"V-berth

The fact that you can use the backrests as the infils for the convertible bed is very useful<\/p><\/div>\n

The space ahead of this is rigged as a V-shaped lounge and, thanks to the pronounced elevation of the coachhouse roof, there\u2019s plenty of room for a family of six-footers to sit here and chat.<\/p>\n

You can also turn it into a double bed for overnighting duties and it\u2019s really good to see that, when you do so, the infills double as backrests for the seats, so you don\u2019t have to waste any storage space during the day.<\/p>\n

\"The

You can augment the ready-rigged spray hood with full cockpit covers<\/p><\/div>\n

As for the heads compartment, the access door is, by necessity, quite low but it provides everything you need \u2013 an opening portlight, an electric toilet on the angle to maximise the space, and an optional shower fitting and deck drain so you can use it as a wet room or as a private place to wash off the sea salt.<\/p>\n

\"Duchy

While the rotating helm seats are too high to feel natural, the dinette is impressive<\/p><\/div>\n

Article continues below…<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n Used Boat Review: Cockwells Custom 32 \u2013 A work of maritime art<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
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\n World\u2019s Coolest Boats: Cockwells Titian Tender \u2013 A Modern Masterpiece<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
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\n \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n <\/section>\n\n

Soft and settled at sea<\/h2>\n

While the established 27 has proven itself to be a very sound sea boat, there are some key differences here. The 25 is a shade shorter and 750kg lighter. It\u2019s also significantly shallower than the 27 and its engine is positioned not beneath the cockpit deck but on top of the transom. None of those things are of great benefit in a chunky sea but the early signs here are actually very good.<\/p>\n

\"Joinery

It\u2019s not big but the quality of the solid oak joinery is lovely<\/p><\/div>\n

The upward sweep of the sheerline, the elegant flare of the bow and those enormously raised guardrails combine to give you a very reassuring sense of confidence from the helm. It feels commendably soft too; and as the compact bow rides gamely over the west country swells, the dryness is equally striking.<\/p>\n

As a semi-displacement hull, travelling at moderate speeds through reasonable chop with a robust wind, you wouldn\u2019t necessarily expect to witness the deflected water clapping its approval 10ft off the beam, but that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re seeing.<\/p>\n

\"Even

Even a 40hp unit will push this boat along at 8 knots<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s very quiet at low revs too, without any of the rumble or reverberation of an inboard diesel, so it immediately feels like a very useful boat for low-speed work on the inland waterways. Steady straightline tracking and \u2018spin-on-a-sixpence\u2019 manoeuvrability also lend themselves to that kind of application but it does get a shade noisy when you get up beyond 16 knots.<\/p>\n

With the pram hood erected and that Suzuki DF140 whirring away at 5,000rpm, sound readings of about 80dB(A) increase to around 85dB(A) at our 21-knot top end. But the engine is, of course, something you can change.<\/p>\n

\"The

The access door is quite low, but the wetroom-style heads makes great use of modest space<\/p><\/div>\n

The 25\u2019s transom is designed to operate with anything from 40-200hp and even with the basic 40, you could expect this boat to hit 8 knots so it\u2019s by no means a power-hungry platform.<\/p>\n

It makes good sense then that electric propulsion is also on the cards \u2013 and there\u2019s plenty of space beneath the cockpit deck for a battery bank to make that relatively simple.<\/p>\n

\"Compact

Compact platform extensions make boarding much simpler<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\"\"If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\n
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Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fans of the Cockwells shipyard in Falmouth will be well aware of the Duchy line. Introduced in 2012, its semi-production approach made the builder\u2019s celebrated quality far more accessible to regular boaters than its one-off custom projects had ever been. As traditional shaft-driven gentleman\u2019s launches with long keels and heavyweight construction, they were still relatively […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4647,"featured_media":138615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1620,1593],"review_manufacturer":[357],"review_category":[3146,3268],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/138605"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/138605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138622,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/138605\/revisions\/138622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138605"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=138605"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=138605"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=138605"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=138605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}