Life afloat brings you into contact with all sorts of equipment – and my fondness for it is evident from the amount of kit I carry on my boats. Naturally then, I closely follow the various kit reviews, not least here in MBY. But every now and then, you come across some boating gear that solves its task in such an innovative way that it’s difficult not to speak up.

The problem

One of my core requirements for boating with Iron Explorer, my Iron 827 Coupé, is that it has to be towable at 80km/h while remaining manageable and practical to handle, despite the weight of a 3.5-tonne trailer.

The bare boat weighs around 1,700kg, but once you add the engine and onboard equipment, plus water and fuel for both engine and heater, you quickly approach 2,400kg. A 3.5-tonne trailer typically allows a payload of about 2,600kg, and I have no intention of exceeding that limit and risking illegal towing.

Over the years, I’ve used several trailers: first for our Flipper 620, then for a Buster Magnum, and later we bought a trailer with an electric winch for Iron Explorer. It worked reasonably well. But the trailer we encountered at Iron Brothers in Mölndal – the one Iron Explorer sat on when I first came to inspect her – was something entirely different.

It was a Norwegian-built trailer from Svela, featuring a simple yet remarkably clever design. The name Svela is from the founder Sverre Larsen. To the best of my knowledge, they have no dealer in Britain, but I feel certain that will change.

Multiple soft rollers of tilting axles help spread the load and adapt to fit the shape of the hull

The solution

At the rear of the frame sits an exceptionally long cradle, supported by a pivoting axle that tilts as the boat rolls up and down it. But the real stroke of genius lies in the support wheels. They are mounted in pairs on axles that rotate around a tubular shaft, allowing them to adapt to the hull shape.

The boat’s weight is then distributed across many wheels, meaning each wheel carries far less load than on traditional trailers, where most of the weight is concentrated on a few pairs of much harder side rollers and two or three directly under the keel.

On my trailer there are five rows of paired wheels on each side of the keel, which are adjustable in height if the boat has a deeper keel. That’s a total of 28 wheels sharing roughly equal load, making the boat remarkably easy to roll on and off.

Ahead of the main cradle is a smaller cradle built on the same principle, with four wheels mounted in pairs on individual rotating shafts, again adapting perfectly to the hull and adjustable for height. Right at the front sits a conventional bow support, which is adjustable fore-and-aft to achieve the correct weight on the trailer coupling.

There are attachment points for guide poles both fore and aft, but even without them, the winch pulls the boat straight if it comes in slightly off-centre. Perhaps the many low-load wheels help here too but, either way, the difference compared to trailers I’ve used before is really striking.

The trailer comes with an aluminium box housing the winch battery, as well as tie-down straps to secure the boat. It feels genuinely cutting-edge – outstanding in performance, yet elegantly simple in execution – and when that happens, I can’t help but admire it. So when the penny dropped, I sold my old trailer and ordered a new Svela trailer from Norway.

The model I use for Iron Explorer is the Svela B35 MAXE9. It’s rated for boats of up to 32ft, with a payload of 2,565kg and a weight of exactly 3,500kg. And just to underline my satisfaction, when my son Martin later bought his Iron 907, he too ended up with a Svela trailer!

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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.

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This new Manari 52, the first model from the Miami-based brand, is extremely rapid by the standards of an IPS-equipped 52-footer. Equipped with a pair of Volvo Penta D8-IPS800 diesels and a hull form from Mulder Design, it will apparently reach speeds in the region of 45 knots.

It looks the part too, thanks to its clean, purist lines and sleek, low-slung superstructure. But if this boat excites with its pace and style, there’s nothing especially new or unusual about the main deck arrangement.

The aft end feels like a proper beach club

An aft sunbed leads onto a convertible dinette with a central table. Ahead of this, a transverse wet bar butts up against a bank of helm seats and it’s all orbited by a set of symmetrical side decks that lead forward to a second lounge in the bow.

Back aft, an open transom helps connect you to the water and that connection is augmented by a drop-down hydraulic swim platform, plus a pair of folding terraces – one on either side of the central sunbed. It’s clearly a sunny-weather, dayboat-centric, beach-club-style layout with ease of movement and open-air parties at its heart and in that regard, it ought to work well.

But there are some more surprising elements here too. There’s a neat walkway between the split wet bar and the two pairs of helm seats that enables you to move fore and aft along a walkway at the heart of the social zone.

The bright port lounge looks aft to an open twin cabin

The finer elements of detailing, like the subtle angles in the furniture and the stylish T-top that flares out above the cockpit dinette are also very pleasing. And while this is principally a day boat, it does a decent job for some relaxed weekending too.

The lower deck space is split between a forward owner’s cabin and a twin guest cabin amidships. Between them, a lounge on the port side looks across to a starboard bathroom and a breakfast bar. There is only one bathroom and there are no windows, nor an access door in the mid cabin; and cooking has to be done up at the open-air wet bar, so it’s by no means a genuine cruising machine. But long hull windows do a good job of brightening the lounge and the fit-out looks first-class.

Manari 52 specification

LOA: 52ft 0in (15.85m)
Beam: 15ft 0in (4.59m)
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D8-IPS800 diesels
Top speed: 45 knots
Price: €1.5M ex VAT
Contact: manariyachts.com

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Bad weather at the end of an early season cruise to Falmouth meant we had to leave our Duchy 35 Laila in the marina there rather than heading back to our home port of Noss on Dart, so when we returned in mid July for a 10-day summer break it meant we could set off from there instead. With no fixed plans of where to go, the world, or at least the South West, was our oyster!

Tuesday 22 July

We’d arrived a couple of days previously but with the wind still howling through the marina we used the time to stock up on stores and start making plans. Now the weather was looking much brighter, although there was still a stiff breeze from the east.

Confident in Laila’s seakeeping, we departed Fal marina mid-morning and headed up to Malpas. We called the Truro Harbour Authority and a helpful chap confirmed that the pontoon at Malpas was both quiet and deep enough for our 1.2m draft. By the time we arrived, the wind had dropped, the water was like sheet glass and the only sound was birdsong from the trees lining the banks.

Berthed on the pontoon at Malpas

Sara rustled up a quiche for lunch and I cracked open a nice bottle of rosé to kick-start the holiday! A lazy afternoon rolled into the evening, when the lure of the Heron Inn pub a stone’s throw away across the estuary proved too tempting to resist. We both opted for the paella, bursting with freshly caught local seafood – delicious!

Wednesday 23 July

Woke up to a fantastic view down the estuary. After fresh coffee and toast aboard, we headed ashore for a walk along the Tresillian estuary. Before long we came across the hamlet of St Clement with its beautiful Grade 1 listed church and a handful of picture perfect cottages. Phoning ahead to Mary’s Pasty Shop on a tip from the harbourmaster, Sara put in an order for “two Cornish pasties”, adding that we were “on our way from Malpas”. Mary’s reply was priceless: “You mean two pasties, my love, we’re in Cornwall, and it’s pronounced Molpos.”

I decided not to mention that we were from Devon when we arrived to collect our pasties but they were every bit as delicious as promised. Weighed down with pasty, we opted to catch the bus into Truro. The sun was shining and it was market day so all the stalls were doing a roaring trade.

Glassy conditions made for a perfect stay. Photo: Getty

We loaded up with fresh cheese, local honey and other local produce, popped into Fodders for a restorative cup of tea, then walked back along the east side of the estuary to Malpas. With stunning views in all directions and a well-trodden riverside path adorned with gnarled trees and abandoned craft, it was the ideal way to walk off our hearty lunch. We arrived back in Malpas at 1700 just in time for an ice-cold Cornish Orchards cider in the garden of the Heron Inn pub.

Thursday 24 July

We headed downstream and landed at the lower visitor pontoon on the Fal before taking the tender up to the pontoon at nearby Trelissick House. As National Trust members, entry was free and we spent a very happy few hours wandering through the sun-dappled forest, taking our dog Marmalade for a swim from the beach, and admiring the beautiful house and gardens. The weather was so nice, we decided to head back to Laila to feast on all the lovely goodies we’d picked up in Truro the day before.

Sara gets the holiday off to a good start with a picnic onboard

Lunch done, we departed for Helford. Light winds and flat seas made for an easy hop round and we arrived in the Helford at 1630 in the hopes of picking up a mooring. We couldn’t see the mooring officer or reach him on the landline (01326 250749), so we were all set to anchor for the night in Robin Cove or Polwidden Bay when we spotted a day boat leaving a mooring buoy. We grabbed the buoy, scanned the barcode printed on it and paid our mooring fees for three nights, giving us time to explore the whole estuary.

Once settled in, Marmalade and I hopped in the tender for our usual evening walk while Sara rustled up her legendary spaghetti Bolognese. We landed at the Helford Sailing Club’s pontoon, put a few quid in the honesty box and headed into the village over a small footbridge surrounded by picture perfect cottages draped with colourful flower boxes.

Stumbling across The Shipwright Arms, Marmalade insisted we pop in for some liquid refreshment. Chatting to one of the locals over a swift pint, I learnt that the pub’s owner is the son of Roger Taylor, drummer for the legendary rock band Queen.

Their Duchy 35 Laila is ideally suited to cruising these waters

Friday 25 July

Over a late brekky, we studied the weather apps and realised we were in for a settled North Westerly for the following week. We both had a light bulb moment – the Scilly Isles! They’ve been on our cruising radar ever since buying Laila but we’ve never yet had the time or weather to make it there. This was our chance.

I messaged Dave Cockwell, who built our wonderful Duchy 35, for advice. Dave and his family have been going there for over 20 years in his 1936 converted ring netter Marie. As luck would have it he was heading there himself on Monday. His advice was typically forthright: “If you’re going to go, go now!”

This was exactly the confidence boost I needed. I’d been to the Scillies plenty of times before to row in the Pilot Gig championships but I’d never cruised there in my own boat. After a quick conflab, we decided to go for it. While Sara took Marmalade ashore for a quick walk, I conducted a passage plan, checked the fuel and strainers, assessed the winds and tides. F2 to 4 WSW with an easterly tide – not ideal but should be OK! After all, we were in a sturdy semi-displacement vessel with two 380hp V8 Yanmars and a Seakeeper stabiliser.

I called up the Helford moorings officer to let him know of our change of plan. He was kind enough to bank our two extra days for our return trip to the Helford. We let go of the mooring at 1130 with a 60nm passage ahead of us.

We headed south east towards the East Manacle cardinal, refining our passage plan as we went. By the time we reached the Manacle buoy, we had a Plan A and a Plan B, with Sara noting our positions and times in our logbook. We could now relax into the passage, enjoying the moment we passed 2nm south of the Lizard and changed direction due west out into the Atlantic – Scilly Isles here we come!

Keeping a sharp look out for ships as we entered the Traffic Separation Scheme, we switched the radar on as visibility was closing in a bit. Maintaining our speed at 24 knots we romped through the swell with ease, marvelling at Laila’s comfortable ride. In the distance a cruise liner was not moving from our guardrail stanchion so I put the radar’s variable line marker on it to check its ‘closest point of approach’ (CPA) and took a hand bearing to double check.

It was bearing down on us from 6nm so I called L’Austral on the VHF to inform the crew I was reducing speed to pass by its stern. The friendly French captain acknowledged the message and confirmed my intentions.

Our plan was to arrive in St Agnes, stay a couple of nights and work our way around the rest of the Scilly Isles over the coming days. All being well we would anchor to the south east in the cove between St Agnes and Gugh.

Visitors’ buoys are always in hot demand on the Helford River. Photo Getty Images

We arrived at 1415 in perfect conditions. It was busy though, I counted 24 masts and not a single motorboat. Given that we would swing differently to most yachts, we tried to find a spot on the north east side of the cove. We set anchor perfectly but were asked to move by a nearby yacht who seemed to think we were crowding their space.

Minutes later their friends arrived in another yacht and took the exact same spot – they had clearly been keeping it for them. They did look pretty sheepish when we ended up sitting on the next door table to them at the Turks Head pub later that afternoon!

Once we found a new spot and set the anchor for the second time with our new snubber bridle attached, we could finally relax and cracked open a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate our arrival. I hoisted my Isles of Scilly courtesy flag, inflated the tender and we all went ashore for a little explore, through St Agnes across to Troytown Farm for a local ice cream and onto Carnew Point to the best glamping site I have ever seen – the view across to the uninhabited island of Annet with Bishop Rock lighthouse in the distance was spectacular.

Helford village is home to the Shipwright Arms

Saturday 26th July

After a good night’s kip, we woke up early and headed out across St Agnes on a circular walk to see more of the island’s magnificent views and wildlife. We passed through Wingletang Down, pausing to admire the Giant’s Punch Bowl, a naturally balancing stone, Beady Pool and Nags Head, a rock resembling a horse’s head. Later in the day, we went for a refreshing dip at Bar Beach, the narrow sand bar that links St Agnes and Gugh at low water.

Once dressed and warm again, we popped into the Turks Head for a gin and tonic. It was such a lovely evening we decided to head across to Gugh. You have to be very careful not to disturb the nesting petrels, great black gulls and ringed plovers, as we found out when we took the wrong path and the ground erupted with screeching seabirds!

The Isles of Scilly are famous for their pristine white beaches and turquoise waters. Photo: Shutterstock

We beat a hasty retreat back onto the correct path and continued up over Kitten Hill to the ‘Old Man of Gugh’, a leaning stone that was once a Bronze Age ritual monument, before heading back to the boat for a simple supper of jacket spuds, coleslaw and another bottle of Prosecco!

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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.

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This article “Go Now!” A Sudden weather window sparked our unforgettable Scilly Isles cruise appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Welcome to Series 2, Episode 5 of Boat Nuts, the podcast about all things boaty, brought to you in association with Sleipner.

This week, Hugo and Alex dive into one of the most controversial and innovative designs in recent years: the Jeanneau Sealoft 480. They also tackle the essential world of inflatable tenders and get technical with the truth about Lithium batteries.

In this episode:
01:30 – Boat of the Week
15:20 – Product of the Week: The Great Tender Group Test
23:45 – Issue of the Day: Lithium Batteries. Are they the future of silent anchoring or a stop-gap full of risks?
33:10 – The Green Reality: A candid look at the environmental impact of Lithium mining

Special Thanks – This episode—and this entire season—is kindly supported by our friends at Sleipner.

The Boat Nuts is a boating podcast brought to you by Motor Boat & Yachting. Each new episode will provide you with in-depth boat-related insights. Whether you are thinking about your next purchase or you’re interested in the finer details behind new boat launches, the latest designs, or debates on big issues, this show provides a light-hearted, informative look at all areas of the boating world.

Boat Nut Number 2, Alex Smith plays the role of host with Motor Boat & Yachting editor, Hugo Andreae offering his expert insights as Boat Nut Number 1. Each episode the two will discuss what they’ve been testing, provide explanations of the latest new boat launches and upcoming launches, discuss the latest boating kit and how useful it is (or isn’t!) and tackle a big boating issue of the day.

You can watch every episode at our Boat Nuts Youtube page or listen to the latest episode (and every episode so far) of The Boat Nuts below…

Get in touch with Alex and Hugo by dropping them an email at: alex.smith02@futurenet.com or hugo.andreae@futurenet.com. We would love to hear your suggestions for boat reviews to cover, issues to discuss or kit to test out.

You can download each episode of The Boat Nuts from your favourite podcast platform. While you’re there, why not leave Alex and Hugo a review!

This article Lithium Batteries: Game-Changer or Fire Risk? What Every Boater Needs to Know | Boat Nuts Pod S2 Ep5 appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The irony of running a large motor yacht is that even though it’s propelled by a pair of big diesel engines, you still need at least one more to generate electrical power for all its ancillary systems. Not only does this mean running three or even four diesel engines under way, but the constant noise and fumes of the generators at anchor can take the edge off that perfect unspoilt bay you’ve spent so long getting to.

Now, thanks to a new off-the-shelf solution from Norwegian marine technology company Sleipner, that problem could soon be a thing of the past.

Called the Sleipner HPC (Hybrid Power Centre) system, it comprises a pair of 48V DC ‘super-generators’ that run off the main engines’ PTOs (Power Take-Offs), a battery bank to store the power they generate, a Smart Power Controller to manage it and an intuitive User Interface to control it all.

While the idea behind this isn’t new, it’s the first time a single manufacturer has developed a complete integrated system that can take care of everything from the boat’s thrusters and stabilisers to its power generation and management systems. With the sole exception of the battery bank, which the customer can source and specify to suit their needs, it’s all made by Sleipner, promising a seamless user experience and an easier installation process.

The HPC system can draw power from both the batteries and PTO generators then divert it to where it is needed most

Generation game

The heart of the system are the two 48V PTO generators. These are designed to fit onto the standard power take-offs of all major marine diesel engines, with a torque band of 25-120Nm. Sharing much of their internal structure with Sleipner’s electric thruster motors, they use the excess torque developed by the engines to generate electricity.

Such is their efficiency that even with the engines ticking over at idle, each one can generate up to 5kW. At cruising speed that rises to 25kW or 50kW across both engines – enough to charge a powerful 100kWh lithium battery pack in just two hours.

Generating this much power does create a certain amount of unwanted heat so a built-in water cooling system keeps it operating at the correct temperature while an integrated inverter and controller ensures a steady supply of power that can either drive 48V equipment directly or recharge the batteries.

The new HPC ‘super generators’ slot onto the engines’ power take-offs and can send power directly to 48V systems, like stabiliser fins, or the battery

One of the first yards to offer it as a factory fit option is Turkish builder Numarine. Marketed by Numarine as the ‘Mk2 Super Silent Pack’, it enables its latest 88ft explorer yacht, the 27XP, to offer a full night at anchor in complete silence with the air-conditioning and stabilisers running but without the need to run a generator.

The benefits are just as worthwhile during the day, when guests can eat in the cockpit or swim around the boat without the sound and smell of a diesel generator spoiling their enjoyment.

All the systems in green are supplied by Sleipner but the battery pack can be sourced by the customer to match the boat’s requirements

Smart thinking

To make this possible, Numarine has fitted the boat with a high capacity 92.8kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo4) battery bank linked to Sleipner’s Hybrid Power Centre and a full suite of Sleipner dynamic aids, including 48V DC bow and stern thrusters as well as electrical curved fin stabilisers.

This maximises the efficiency gains as it allows the PTO generators to power them all directly and means the boat can be run without the extra weight and complexity of hydraulics. On the hard top, 5.6kWp of solar panels provide an additional boost to the batteries, extending the time it can spend at anchor in silent mode.

Most boats will still need a conventional generator to avoid the need for running the main engines at anchor if you do ever run low on power, but it should significantly reduce the running hours, fuel consumption and servicing schedules to the benefit of guests and crew. It may also enable the fitment of smaller, lighter generators and improve the weight distribution by relocating the batteries further forward.

The HPC Smart Controller is linked to a series of modular switches so it can temporarily shut off non-essential items when power is needed elsewhere

Another key function is the system’s ability to prioritise power where it’s needed most. For instance, if you’ve depleted the battery reserves overnight but still need to use the thrusters to manoeuvre out of a tight spot in the morning, it will temporarily shut off power to less essential equipment, such as the water heater or stabilisers. This is all managed automatically through the intelligent HPC Controller and a series of modular smart switches that can be added to at a later date, future proofing it against further modifications.

Verdict

The advent of new technologies such as joystick control, station keeping and zero-speed stabilisers means the demand for both power on board is only getting bigger and yet the pressure to reduce unwanted noise, emissions and fuel consumption is growing just as fast.

For boats in the 60-90ft size bracket, which might previously have opted for hydraulic thrusters and stabilisers and always-on diesel generators, the new Sleipner HPC system offers a genuine alternative.

By replacing the hydraulics with 48V electrics and the diesel gensets with PTO super-chargers and a battery bank, owners can enjoy all the benefits of a fully stabilised, easy to manoeuvre boat and plentiful power on tap without many of the usual drawbacks. Numarine may be the first yard to adopt the new HPC system but it certainly won’t be the last once Sleipner officially launches it this autumn.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article How Sleipner’s new Hybrid Power Centre is quietly revolutionising life at anchor appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The new 797 Spectre, the second smallest of Frauscher’s six runabout models, delivers all the ingredients that have helped make the brand so recognisable.

There are the scalloped hull sides, the rail-free sheerline, the elegant teak-lined foredeck, the seamlessly integrated swim platform and the sunken cockpit, tucked deep behind a frameless tinted screen. Then there’s the power. While you get a Mercruiser 6.2L V8 350hp petrol engine as standard, you can upgrade that to a 8.3L MAG HO 430 for speeds in the region of 50 knots.

A deep cockpit and an aft sunbed is all you get

As usual, the standard spec is also pretty comprehensive. You get the teak decking and aft platform, the bow thruster, the 12in MFD, the Fusion stereo and the fridge. You can upgrade the white finish with metallic hull paint and diamond-stitched upholstery in a custom colour; and you can also improve usability with a bimini extension, transom shower and cockpit cover.

Given the slick, featureless nature of that foredeck, adding an electrical windlass would also make sense. And if precedent is anything to go by, it won’t be long before we see a slightly more practical “Spectre Air” centre-console 797 joining the fleet.

Frauscher 797 Spectre specifciations

LOA: 26ft 0in (7.92m)
BEAM: 7ft 9in (2.37m)
ENGINES: Inboard V8 350/430hp petrol
TOP SPEED: 45 knots (est)
PRICE: from €259,000 ex VAT
CONTACT: www.frauscherboats.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

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This article Frauscher 797 Spectre first look: Almost 50 knots in this 26 footer appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The award-winning flagship of the Leopard fleet has received a well deserved overhaul – and given that the old model sold 142 units, it makes sense that this famous South African brand should be introducing a set of changes it describes as “evolutionary”. Launched at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2026, the key focus is the enhancement of the exterior living zones.

The aft cockpit, for instance, now offers a choice between a fixed layout and an open-plan deck with flexible furniture modules. It also gets a redesigned walk-through transom plus the option of an upgraded electric swim platform, which supplements its tender and water sports duties by expanding the cockpit in the raised position.

It offers the same choice between three or four cabins

The flybridge gets in on the act with a more spacious seating arrangement plus modular backrests that enable you to adapt the space to your guests. And it’s been treated to new fabrics, a more sophisticated wet bar with integrated sink, grill and fridge, and a helm station with uprated ergonomics.

The internal main deck spaces get a bit of a refresh too with an easier flow of traffic, a more open-plan connection between galley, dining and lounge zones and a cleaner, more modern fit out – including a reworking of the lighting systems – and all without any substantial change in the price point.

The fly features extra seating with handy mobile backrests

As for the accommodation, the Leopard 53PC again employs a pair of layout options to retain its appeal for both private owners and members of the Moorings yacht charter ownership programme. You can opt for a symmetrical four-cabin ensuite layout where each set of guests gets much the same deal; or the three-cabin variant with a private owner’s suite occupying one entire hull and features like a large island bed and a walk-in wardrobe.

Built by the renowned South African shipyard, Robertson and Caine, the hulls and engines remain unchanged. Yanmar 370hp diesels should deliver a top end of around 24 knots, alongside flat, efficient running all the way through the cruising band. But now that all the boat’s major systems are housed in a separate engine room, Leopard is claiming that the cruising experience ought to be smoother and quieter too.

Leopard 53PC specifications

LOA: 50ft 6in (15.40m)
BEAM: 3ft 3in (1.00m)
ENGINES: Twin Yanmar 370hp diesels
TOP SPEED: 24 knots
PRICE: From €1,359M ex VAT
CONTACT: leopardcatamarans.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Leopard 53PC first look: Evolution of a Leopard appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Boat batteries have changed over the years. While most of us grew up on a diet of heavyweight lead acid batteries, the likes of which are still commonly used as starter batteries today, these have increasingly been replaced by maintenance-free AGM and gel variants and, in the last ten years, by lithium boat batteries.

Given their natural advantages – lighter weight, higher energy density, deeper discharge, faster charging and longer life – that’s only to be expected. But as lithium battery banks have continued to find their way into homes, cars, campervans and boats in ever greater numbers and for ever more demanding loads, it’s important to understand their merits, their limitations and the continually evolving picture in relation to their proper management.

What is a lithium battery?

“Lithium-ion” is an umbrella term for any rechargeable battery that carries a charge via lithium ions as part of its cells’ electrochemical function. There are various chemistry types available and each comes with its own characteristics and applications. NMC (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide) is often used for electric cars; NCA (Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide) is popular for e-bikes; and at the smaller end of the scale, LCO (Lithium Cobalt Oxide) batteries have become critical assets for portable tech, powering everything from laptops and mobile phones to handheld GPS and VHF units.

But with its capacity for thousands of repeated cycles, its proven stability, its high safety standards and its modest pricing, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO₄ – often interchangeable in marketing terms with LiFeSO₄) is the go-to lithium variant for boats.

lithium, boat batteries are evolving. Discover how to navigate the benefits, safety, and tech of modern marine power

The basic elements of a lithium iron phosphate battery for marine leisure are quite simple. They use 3.2V prismatic (rectangular rather than cylindrical) cells for increased space efficiency. There are four of these prismatic cells (or in larger batteries, sometimes eight) inside a single battery box.

These batteries are used either individually or in a cluster and equipped with a Battery Management System (BMS), which is designed to maintain their stability and maximise their long-term effectiveness by, among other things, detecting the voltage, monitoring the temperature and controlling the rate of charge and discharge.

How do lithium batteries actually work?

Each cell contains a cathode (the positive electrode), on which a layer of paste contains the active cell chemistry that defines the battery type; opposite this is an anode (the negative electrode), which hosts a layer of carbon particles; and between the two is a separator, which guards against short circuit but remains permeable to ions.

All three are immersed in an electrolyte (usually a liquid or gel), which enables the movement of charged ions through the separator and between the two plates. When you charge the cell, charged ions move from the cathode to the anode; and when you discharge the cell, the direction of the ions reverses. While the inherently unstable chemical reaction that enables this movement produces heat as well as energy, that instability is mitigated by means of a passive coating of lithium salts on the carbon particles in the anode region known as the solid electrolyte interface (SEI).

Lithium Iron Phosphate provides between three and five times the energy density of lead acid, which means you can use much smaller, lighter, more compact battery banks to achieve the same capacity. Installed and managed properly, they will also last much longer than lead acid (in excess of ten years) and they’re also more user-friendly.

It’s vital to understand that a lithium battery bank is only as good as the components that protect and charge it

You can discharge them to a far greater degree and you can do that far more frequently than you can a traditional lead acid battery. As a rule of thumb, if you discharge lead acid to more than 50%, you won’t be able to do it more than 100 times. A decent AGM battery might enable that 400 times and a gel battery around 800 times. But a healthy lithium battery will happily do that 3,500 times, which is every single day for at least a decade.

They are also much faster charging; they retain far more of their charge while sitting idle for long periods; and while they are still more expensive, due in part to the additional protection and management components that modern batteries now use, they are (like-for-like) around 75% less expensive than when they first entered the market just over a decade ago.

Is the quality variable?

Yes, very. There are now lots of manufacturers in China and Vietnam that manufacture lithium cells but they’re by no means always identical, either from manufacturer to manufacturer or even amongst a single batch from an individual production line. To express that quality differential, the cells are graded A, B or C.

However, a great many ‘manufacturers’ are in fact assemblers, which means they buy the components and put them together, before branding and exporting them, so tracing and verifying the quality of the parts can be even more difficult. But while cheaper brands will buy Grade B or C cells, the best brands (like Victron and Mastervolt) insist upon the best Grade A cells for improved long-term performance.

Energy density four times higher than lead acid means even compact lithium banks can handle extremely demanding loads

But what does quality really mean?

Quality in the lithium battery world means Grade-A cells from established manufacturers with precise and consistent manufacturing standards that enable battery packs to meet or exceed specifications regarding energy density and internal resistance. Cells should be as similar as possible across a batch, which is critical for balanced, efficient and long-lasting performance, because it enables easier cell balancing with less heat generation, enabling them to live up to manufacturer claims regarding charge and discharge cycles.

Quality cells will also lose very little capacity while sitting idle; and as regards safety, they will have been tested for stability at higher temperatures without swelling, leaking or risk of fire, achieving UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listing standards for finished products and UL recognition for components. Critically though, however high-quality and well-matched the cells might be, a lithium battery is only as good as the components that protect and charge it. That’s why Mastervolt makes its own BMS units, while also operating a facility in China to directly oversee standards.

It even has a facility in Holland that enables it to test each cell and match them for capacity and voltage so that the cells in any given Mastervolt battery are all but identical.

Installation by a specialist, specifically approved by the equipment provider, is vital

Are there any guarantees?

Given that nearly all lithium cell production (and most associated componentry) takes place in the Far East, production and safety standards are tough to verify. Even a highly reputed supplier’s claim of 5,000 cycles will not have been formally confirmed because it would take too long to achieve that. As things stand, 2,500 to 4,000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge (DoD) remains pretty commonplace but quoted warranties should be treated with lots of caution, particularly as they are likely to involve stipulations about how the battery has been charged and discharged.

The government is looking into safety in use, safety in transport and credibility of performance claims, covering related issues like capacity, labelling and chemistry. But in spite of the industry’s exponential growth in the last decade, there are still no internationally ratified standards for battery production, so it’s vital to source your equipment from a recognised, established and reputable brand.

Do you really need lithium batteries?

No, not necessarily. If you tend to have access to shore power and you’re happy to use a generator at anchor, a good bank of AGM batteries remains an excellent solution. They are maintenance-free, spill-proof and significantly cheaper than a lithium battery bank but they still shouldn’t be discharged below 50%.

On the other hand, there’s a definite place for lithium on yachts that cruise extensively and don’t tie up in marinas every night, because you can save a bit of weight and discharge them to a greater degree, substantially increasing your off-grid autonomy.

It’s quite natural then that, just as we now see lithium battery banks providing the propulsive energy for both standalone and hybrid boats, we also now see high-capacity integrated systems that charge rapidly from the main engines (like the Fathom e-Power system) being used as very quiet, sustainable and user-friendly replacements for traditional diesel generators. And if that means you can run your engines for one hour instead of your generator for eight, that makes all kinds of sense from a cost, as well as a comfort, perspective.

The BMS sits at the heart of operations, monitoring temperature and controlling charge and discharge

How safe is lithium iron phosphate?

Done properly, it’s extremely safe. It’s used for industrial applications like forklift trucks, where it does heavyweight work all day, every day. It’s used in domestic energy storage, where the engineering has to be bulletproof both for safety and longevity. And many of the companies that service these industries also service the marine industry. But there certainly remains a risk…

If the SEI layer is damaged, the cell’s natural chemical reactions can take over, causing an uncontrolled exothermic (energy-releasing) reaction called thermal runaway. This quickly becomes self-reinforcing because the heat produced increases the pace of the chemical reaction itself, until all of a cell’s energy has been released. It can be triggered by physical impacts, cell manufacturing defects, ageing, overcharging at low temperatures, over-discharge or overheating – and it can result in smoke, toxic gases, fire and explosion.

If one cell fails, its heat can also trigger surrounding cells so, in addition to proper management and protection, mitigation measures are also vital.

How can you mitigate the risks?

You could, in principle, import a BMS and a set of batteries from China and fit them yourself. A lot of people are also tempted to simply swap lead acid for lithium. But if you want a safe and effective system that doesn’t invalidate your insurance policy, having it fitted by a qualified professional, specifically certified by the manufacturer of your equipment, is a must.

A high-quality marine-specific BMS is, of course, key. It should be able to handle cell balancing, over/under-voltage protection and temperature monitoring, ideally with independent cell-level (rather than pack-level) monitoring – and it should be properly set up for your specific boat and systems.

Properly managed lithium batteries can be discharged to a far greater degree than lead acid, AGM or gel batteries – and still last 3,500 cycles (or a decade of daily use)

Location and ventilation, as well as impact mitigation and overcurrent protection, with correctly rated fuses and breakers, are also vital. Short runs of properly supported marine-grade cabling with proper connections will help minimise chafe and vibration. Modern fire-proof materials in the casings and, potentially, additional fire-suppression safety measures, can also be fitted.

And a relay per battery that enables the system to isolate a problematic unit without disabling the cluster is a very worthwhile solution.

A low-temperature safeguard is also necessary because, if the temperature drops below zero, you can easily damage the cells by charging them at too high a rate. A self-heating plate is now a common solution. It simply sits at the bottom of the battery like an electric blanket. When the temperature drops to zero, the BMS sends the charging current through the heating blanket and when it reaches 5 degrees, it channels the charge back through the cells. In all cases, though, automation (and effective networking) is critical because it avoids the need for potentially slow and fallible human intervention if things do go wrong.

How green are they?

They’re by no means as green as people tend to think. On the one hand, they appear to help decarbonise transport; they provide storage for solar and wind energy to reduce the grid’s dependence on fossil fuels; and they are much more energy-efficient and longer lasting than traditional lead-acid batteries. On the other hand, they depend on energy-intensive, water-hungry and physically destructive mining practices.

Generating charge from the main engines can be much faster and more efficient than using a separate diesel genset

They are also extremely carbon-intensive to make – far more so in fact than internal combustion engines. And while they are almost entirely recyclable in principle, the global recycling rate is still estimated at less than 5%. Many lithium batteries end up creating toxicity issues in landfill sites and there is still no credible end-of-life recycling protocol to help guide and refine those practices.

The simple reality is that it costs far more to recycle lithium than it does to mine it afresh, so until that changes, these end-of-life issues are going to get worse. And if lawmakers do finally step in to make manufacturers responsible for recycling and disposal at end of life, prices will increase to potentially prohibitive levels.

Are solid-state batteries worthwhile?

They look very promising. By replacing a lithium battery’s liquid electrolyte with a solid (ceramic or polymer) material and using a pure lithium anode, they increase the energy density, further reducing the size and weight of your battery bank. The fact that the internal resistance is two to three times lower means they also generate far less heat during use, which removes the need for cooling systems and reduces cell degradation, theoretically extending the life of the battery. They also offer much faster charging (up to four times faster), while also improving safety by eliminating flammable materials and reducing short-circuit risks.

Predator was one of the fi rst companies to bring lithium batteries into the UK

But while functioning models do exist, this technology is still in its infancy so it will take a few years for testing and cost-effective production to make them truly viable. In the interim, semi-solid lithium batteries may have lower energy density (only a little higher than traditional lithium batteries) but they offer many of the same advantages as solid-state technology and are already available at realistic prices.

What about sodium-ion?

Sodium-ion batteries also look promising. Once again, they use a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte to move ions but their use of relatively cheap and abundant raw materials like sodium, iron and manganese makes them much more sustainable and cost-effective than lithium. They also offer much improved cold-weather performance (down to -40°C), as well as faster charging and improved safety. But lower energy density means they are likely to remain best suited to grid storage and smaller, more affordable EVs.

The Fathom e-Power system is designed to replace the generator on board your boat

The final word

Lithium batteries are by no means the perfect solution. They require careful management, their environmental credentials are questionable and, given the scale and ongoing growth of the modern industry, they remain oddly under-regulated. In a sector defined by rapid and continuous innovation and advancement, it’s also tempting for boaters to resist taking the plunge in anticipation of tomorrow’s game-changing technology – but the reality is that, although lithium batteries are undoubtedly more a stopgap than a final solution, they remain the best option we have today.

So if your boating lifestyle makes it worthwhile, and you can afford to get the latest and best-quality branded equipment installed by a specialist, then a carefully considered lithium battery purchase can have a genuinely transformative impact on the way you enjoy your boat.

Sincerest thanks to Predator Batteries and Mastervolt for their assistance in the creation of this article.

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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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Everything you need to know about lithium boat batteries appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

When you take the world leader in electric hydrofoiling and pair them with the high-performance engineering of Mercury Racing, the result is bound to be record-breaking. The new Fliteboard Race isn’t just an evolution of the brand’s existing lineup; it is a dedicated speed-machine designed for those who find 20 knots a bit too pedestrian.

The 30-knot Barrier

At the heart of this collaboration between Fliteboard and Mercury Racing is a custom Race impeller. This new impeller has been engineered specifically for high-RPM output, which allows the board to hit a blistering top speed of 30 knots (roughly 34.5 mph). To put that in perspective, most recreational eFoils cruise comfortably at 15-18 knots.

To handle that kind of pace without sacrificing stability, Fliteboard has redesigned the geometry from the waterline up:

• Aero-Dynamic Profile: The board component of the hydrofoiler features a longer, narrower silhouette. This reduces swing weight and sharpens the response during high-speed take-offs and aggressive touchdowns.
• Low-Drag Strut: The strut has been optimised specifically for flat-water racing conditions, slicing through the water with minimal resistance.
• FLITELab Integration: This is the first board to utilise the specialized FLITELab surf foiling wings, which the company claims provides the more ‘locked-in’ feel required when carving at pace.

Modular power

What is, arguably, most impressive about the new Fliteboard Race is its versatility. Despite its high-performance design, it remains fully compatible with the entire Flitecell battery range allowing users to pick the battery pack option that best supports their use case:

• The Sprint Setup: Use the 16.8Ah Nano battery for the lightest possible configuration, perfect for short, high-intensity heats.
• The Endurance Setup: Switch to the heavier 40Ah Explore pack for extended sessions where you want to maintain high speeds over longer distances.

Design & aesthetics

Visually, the board makes no secret of its DNA. The carbon fibre detailing isn’t just for weight reduction; it’s a statement of intent. With motorsport-inspired contours and a sleek, aggressive stance, it looks fast even when it’s sitting on the dock.

For the serious enthusiast looking to bridge the gap between leisure and competitive racing, the Fliteboard Race represents the current pinnacle of personal watercraft technology.

Fliteboard Race specifications

Top Speed: 30 knots
Material: Premium Carbon Fiber
Wings: FLITELab Surf Series
Compatibility: All Flitecell batteries
Price: From £12,460

Find out more at Fliteboard.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Fliteboard and Mercury Racing team up for the ultimate e-Foil appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

When you lower the soft top of a 1980s-era Mercedes SL, you insert handles into the windscreen header rail and twist to release the front of the roof. Then get out, reach into the back and pull the lever that releases the rear of the roof. Raising that allows you to lift the deck lid. Carefully fold the roof into the compartment, close the deck lid and you’re done.

Meanwhile, in my own SL several decades later, I press one button.

That manual method wouldn’t be acceptable in a modern luxury car, and the same is becoming true of boats, people simply don’t want to wrangle a canopy on and off anymore. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the difference in value between an open Fairline Targa 38 with a canopy and the hard top sliding-roof version. That being the case, here are four hard top sportscruisers that give you open air thrills and sleek styling but the ability to close the roof at the touch of a button.

Beneteau Gran Turismo 38

Built: 2011
Price: £165,000

Launched in 2011, this model is actually based on Beneteau’s previous MC37, which dates back to 2006, combining an established hull with lessons learned from five years of selling the earlier model. And it proved successful: Beneteau sold 245 of these in four years before replacing it with the Gran Turismo 40.

Plenty of sociable cockpit seating and a rare centreline helm with space for three

Interior

Although the usual owner’s cabin forward, mid cabin aft and saloon opposite the galley in-between, there is one particularly interesting feature of the layout. Rather than putting the cabin door and steps in the centre and then the door to the mid cabin to one side, accessing a double berth that runs transversely, Beneteau put the cabin door to the port side, which allows the mid cabin door to be in the centre, giving access to a cabin that runs lengthways beneath the cockpit. There are a couple of advantages to this. It puts access in the deepest part of the hull, giving headroom without the need to steal it from the base of seating on the deck above. And that allows a deep walkway between two single beds that can be infilled to a double.

Exterior

The benefit of that unusual layout is felt in the cockpit too. Beneteau was able to position the helm on the centreline, and without sideways seating needed to create headroom, there is room for a double helm seat and a further single seat facing forward, which cunningly have a gap between them so everyone can get in and out without causing havoc. A solid sliding roof in the hardtop means the aperture is smaller but more durable.

Performance

Beneteau fitted twin D4 engines in either 260hp or 300hp configuration. Unsurprisingly, 70% went out with the 300s since there’s no size or weight disadvantage, only extra cost when new. Figure on low to mid 30-knot performance.

Offset companionway creates room for a central door into the spacious guest twin/double

Seakeeping

Another unusual facet (this boat is full of them) is Beneteau’s patented AirStep hull. The idea is to draw air under the hull to reduce friction and improve efficiency. We tested the MC37 with this hull, describing it as “very good out on the water. It offers a sporty ride and has the ability to perform incredibly rapid turns.”

Beneteau Gran Turismo 38 specifications

Length: 38ft 7in (11.8m)
Beam: 12ft 2in (3.7m)
Draft: 3ft 7in (1.1m)
Displacement: 7.4 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 650 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D4 300 300hp diesel engines
For sale: One Marine

Azimut Atlantis 34

Built: 2019
Price: £189,950

Italian builder Azimut is one of the most prolific and successful boat builders in the world. From top-end custom superyachts built under the Benetti flag through to production superyachts that fly under the Grande banner, Magellano trawler yachts, flybridge models, Verve dayboats and Seadeck hybrid craft, there’s something to suit everyone’s requirements – provided you’re extremely wealthy of course! Underpinning the fleet is the range of Atlantis entry-level boats. Currently comprising the 51 and the 45, the Atlantis model range once included boats in the 30ft range, such as this Atlantis 34.

The dinette in the open-plan lower saloon converts into a huge double bed

Interior

In the mid 30ft sportscruiser set up, manufacturers can choose to squeeze in a small forward cabin for a two-cabin layout, or opt to just have the mid cabin and use the front of the boat for a large converting dinette. That’s what Azimut did with this model. A large chaise longue next to the helm increases headroom in that mid cabin, making it one of the most spacious in its class – important given it’s the only permanent sleeping space. Convert the dinette to a berth and it’s a huge double, as wide at the aft end as it is long – 6ft 4in! There’s a sense of quality too, with the Azimut parentage elevating the finish.

Exterior

Only ever available as a hard top, the lid is very well integrated into the design; the windscreen frame simply sweeping aft supported by two black pillars that visually disappear. The chaise next to the helm seems an odd place for a sunbed – of course it’s really there to increase headroom below, but in practice it makes a great place to relax underway.

Performance

Only one engine option was offered when this model was born, and it’s the pair of Volvo Penta D3-220 engines fitted to this boat. We hit 30 knots when we tested a brand new example in Italy back in 2013.

The unusual rear-facing chaise longue is needed to create headroom in the cabin below

Seakeeping

“At all speeds it’s very steady across the water, with little tab required,” we reported on that test. “The Atlantis feels utterly solid and rattle-free, helped by the strength and stiffness of the resin-infused hull.”

Azimut Atlantis 34 specifications

Length: 33ft 7in (10.2m)
Beam: 11ft 6in (3.5m)
Draft: 3ft 1in (0.9m)
Displacement: 7 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 650 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D3-220 220hp diesel engines
For sale: Boats.co.uk

Bavaria SR41

Built: 2022
Price: £299,950

Launched in 2020, Bavaria’s SR41 was the blueprint for a new model line of boats that were intended to combine the sportiness of the brand’s S line of open boats with the more upmarket feel of its R line deck saloon cruisers. The SR35 and SR38 have since joined the line-up.

There’s a full beam midship owner’s cabin tucked behind the companionway stairs

Interior

Head downstairs and the lower deck appears entirely conventional – but only for as long as you remain facing forward. You’ll find the usual galley opposite a dinette, there’s a heads forward of that dinette to port and in the bow, a forward cabin with a centreline double bed, so far so ordinary. Turn around and head aft, however, and you’re in for a treat. Instead of the usual compact guest cabin squeezed under the cockpit, there’s a full beam owner’s cabin, complete with hull windows and a double bed that you can access from either side. Incredibly, there is even a private ensuite back here, complete with a separate shower cubicle.

Exterior

There are a couple of interesting features in the cockpit too, the most obvious right aft. Most 40ft sportscruisers have seating that wraps along the transom facing inwards. This does have that but behind it is another section of seating that extends out towards the bathing platform. Rock the aft backrest forward and you have an aft-facing dinette – perfect when at anchor. There was also an option for doors at the aft end of the hard top to make it a coupé.

Performance

When new, options ranged from a pair of petrol V8 Mercruisers to twin Volvo Penta diesels. The latter were more popular with buyers being able to pick from either the four-cylinder D4-300s or six-cylinder D6-380 engines. This boat has the latter, which should push past 35 knots.

The backrest of the aft bench swings over to create a second dinette that faces out to sea

Seakeeping

We described it as tenacious in the turns and enormous fun to throw about, and whilst the conditions were not challenging on our test day, any chop or wash from passing vessels was dispatched confidently. Elevated noise levels were the only fly in the ointment.

Bavaria SR41 specifications

Length: 43ft 3in (13.2m)
Beam: 13ft 1in (4m)
Draft: 3ft 4in (1.0m)
Displacement: 9 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 750 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D6-380 380hp diesel engines
For sale: Argo Yachting

Sealine SC35

Built: 2011
Price: £169,950

It’s hard to overestimate what a seismic shift in style the SC35 was when it hit the water in 2007. Those sharp angles and slab sides were game-changers at the time. This particular boat is a 40th anniversary special edition model celebrating 40 years of Sealine boats, hence the ivory hull and leather upholstery. Interestingly, Sealine also launched an S35 which was this boat, but with an open cockpit. Almost everyone opted for the pricier SC35 version – is this where the shift from open to hard top sportscruisers began?

Wide beam and tall, vertical topsides create room for a very spacious saloon and cabins

Interior

Those tall topsides pay dividends down below, as does its wide beam because whilst this is an entirely conventional layout with a cabin at either end and a saloon/galley in the middle, the room down here, and in particular the sense of space garnered by the headroom, is remarkable. In fact it was so good that it almost single-handedly killed the larger Sealine SC38 that was already in production because it offered almost everything that boat did bar a completely separate shower compartment.

Exterior

The hardtop on this boat stretches right back until it’s level with the transom. This minimises the canopies needed to totally enclose the cockpit, but also means that the fabric roof aperture is vast! Add the fact that you can remove the tops of the side windows and you end up with probably the most open feeling hard-top boat on the market.

Performance

The American Brunswick Corporation owned Sealine Boats between 2001 and 2011, which probably explains the existence of twin Cummins Mercruiser QSD 4.2L 320hp engines on the options list. But the vast majority went out with twin Volvo Penta D4 engines in 260hp or 300hp guise, giving plus or minus 30 knots.

Full-length hard top makes for a very sheltered cockpit with a huge fabric sunroof

Seakeeping

Powerboat racer/designer Ocke Mannerfelt fine-tuned the hull of this one, which probably explains why we enthusiastically described it as “simply one of the best hulls that you will helm.”

Sealine SC35 specifications

Length: 38ft 10in (11.8m)
Beam: 12ft 4in (3.8m)
Draft: 3ft 6in (1.1m)
Displacement: 8 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 750 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D4-260 260hp diesel engines
For sale: Salterns Brokerage

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Four of the best hard top sports cruisers on you can buy now appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

There’s an interesting quote on the website of Finnish boatbuilder Botnia Marin. Attributed to Founder and Chairman Johan Carpelan it reads: “Targas are designed and built according to how the sea in reality is – not as one wishes it to be. Our guiding principle is to send you out to sea as a proud and confident captain with a smile on your face.” Fine words indeed, but does the Botnia medicine work? Well, according to Targa 44 owner Charles Craven, it really does: “You know what?” says Charles. “I feel like this boat looks after me.”

Given that Charles is a self-confessed adventurer whose resumé includes high-end motor racing as well as taking his boat out in conditions where others would turn back, he probably needs a bit of looking after. “I like to challenge myself so that I feel a little bit out of my comfort zone,” he says. “I like to push; I like to push the fear, if you see what I mean. Yeah, but in a controlled fashion and giving myself the best chance of safety.”

To illustrate his thrill-seeking tendencies, Charles recounted the last leg of his journey after collecting his Targa 44 from Botnia Marin’s factory in Malax on Finland’s west coast. “Boy, did we see some weather on that trip,” he says. “On the last day, we were cutting across from Dublin to Inverkip, where I keep the boat. It was an eight- or nine-hour day and for the last three to four hours, it was Force 6 with gusts up to 8 and 9 according to the weather station at Campbeltown. Although I was petrified, the boat was fine!”

Charles went on to tell us that his 44 feels like a tank which simply cuts through the sea, whereas his other boat – a Botnia Targa 32 – is more like a jetski. That said, the twin Volvo Penta D6 440hp sterndrives propelling his Targa 44 top out at a more than respectable 39 knots. Not bad for a boat, which if you include the bathing platform, isn’t far short of 50ft long!

The flybridge is quite spartan by the standard of some rivals

Our 2015 model

The Targa 44 we tracked down for this review, a 2015 example being offered by Berthon, Lymington, for £559,000 excluding VAT, is equipped with the slightly less powerful twin D6 400s which, according to the broker, is still good for 32 knots. Botnia Marin also provided us with fuel figures for a vessel equipped with 435hp IPS 600 units.

Apparently, these forward-facing pod drives will allow it to reach around 37 knots. The key operational difference in Charles’ opinion is that sterndrives make for more of a “driver’s boat” – hardly surprising that’s what he opted for!
While Botnia appears to have all the power, performance and handling bases covered, what about the creature comforts? Charles, who stands 6ft 2in in his stockinged feet, assures us the master cabin bed is more than large enough for him and that in trips of up to nine days at sea there was nothing that he missed.

Large, open cockpit is supremely safe and easy to move around

Among the prerequisites others might consider essential for a vessel of this size is crew, but Charles stresses that the Targa’s 44 twin pilothouse doors opening out onto the side decks’ high-sided, super-safe gunwales make berthing very simple even for single-handed skippers.

If you want to talk about desirability, it’s arguable that the Targa 44 doesn’t have quite the luxury factor that others in its size class might have. But that’s because this boat is primarily designed as a safe and sturdy passagemaker rather than a floating hotel. So although the build quality throughout is impeccable, what you don’t get with the Targa 44 are luxuriously appointed cabins and a separate saloon and galley area.

Similarly, while the aft cockpit is a generously proportioned space with bags of room for deck furniture and the flybridge will accommodate six or seven people, the upper deck is relatively modest in terms of its outright size.

That said, one thing we really like about the Targa 44 is that it has a proper little ship feel about it. That impression begins the moment you step aboard, as the side decks are on a level with the aft cockpit. Protected by waist-high teak-topped handrails, these walkways remain flat until you reach the pilothouse’s full-height sliding side doors, at which point, a couple of steps take you up to the foredeck. Glance back from here and the reverse raked windscreen of the pilothouse confirms that this is a boat built for business.

Swathes of satin-finished teak are a hallmark of the Targa’s top quality interior fitout

Cockpit and saloon

On our review boat, the pilothouse is entered from the cockpit by way of a sliding aft patio door. This was one of two options offered by Botnia, the other being an enclosed aft end to the pilothouse with access only via the side deck doors. This frees up the space for additional storage where the patio doors would have been. The saloon also has a flat floor throughout so the cockpit, dinette, galley and helm are all on the same level, making it very easy and safe for guests of all ages to move around.

Of course, a downside of the wide side decks is that the pilothouse is relatively narrow. It does feel a touch tight as you make your way through, but Botnia has nonetheless managed to fit everything in – a dining table, a six-seater wraparound settee (which doubles as an occasional berth), an oven, a two-burner hob, a sink, a fridge and some storage spaces.

Wide side decks mean the saloon is relatively narrow but well laid out and equipped

There’s also plenty of delicious woodwork and cabinetry on show here, all with a satin finish which again screams quality. Up at the helm, there’s a single driving seat to starboard and twin co-pilot seats to port. Radar and plotter displays sit above two lengthy ranks of Carling switches. And visibility, both to the sides as well as forward through that low-glare reverse windscreen, is excellent.

Split cabins

The boat’s cabins are accessed from either end of the saloon. Three forward steps lead down to the bow cabin, which on our review boat has a double bed nestled into the forepeak. This is a permanent built-in fixture rather than a V-berth with infill, but that option was also available on the Targa 44.

The forward cabin either has this permanent double or a convertible vee berth

There’s lots more satin wood-faced storage space in the forward cabin, as well as a good size of ensuite, which on our boat also comes with a washing machine. Another point of note here is that adjacent to the bow cabin’s entrance steps is another bed – a crawl-into space which can be screened off from view by a curtain. It’s an unusual feature for sure, but one that could prove useful when travelling with a child on board.

At the opposite end of the saloon is the entrance to the owner’s cabin. Again, there are three steps down and there’s another crawl-into bed alongside the stairs, this time a compact double. The ensuite is surprisingly sizable and, while the master itself has a large bed and plenty of storage around it, it’s still a cabin built to meet your practical needs rather than to provide a luxurious retreat.

Will it work for you?

When it was introduced in 2007, the Targa 44 represented an evolutionary step from the Targa 42, with its longer length allowing the possibility to fit Volvo Penta IPS drives. The Targa 46, which was launched in 2017, was again an evolution of the Targa 44. Mainstream production of the 44 would continue until 2024 but even then, that didn’t mean the end because today, it is still produced in very limited numbers for commercial workboat applications.

The aft cabin also has a small single berth at the entrance – ideal for parents with a child

Clearly then, the Botnia Targa 44 feels like a breed apart. It’s not a boat for everyone but for those with a spirit of adventure, who value function over form, and who want the ability to put to sea in even the most demanding conditions, this is a vessel you should consider. As owner Charles says: “I’ve looked at plenty of boats and for me, the 44 ticks all the boxes. It’s strong, solid and dependable. In fact, to my mind, it’s bulletproof – and I like that!”

Botnia Targa 44 specifications

MODEL: Botnia Targa 44
DESIGNER: Oy Botnia Marin AB
HULL TYPE: Planing
RCD: Category B (15 people)
LOA: 47ft 1in (14.36m)
BEAM: 10ft 10in (3.34m)
DRAFT: 3ft 6in (1.1m)
DISPLACEMENT: 12,400kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 2,000L
WATER CAPACITY: 350L
TOP SPEED: 37.2kn (speed and fuel figures supplied by Botnia for a Targa 44 with 2X IPS 600 435hp engines)
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 3.52L/nm @ 25.5 knots
RANGE: 453nm at 25.5 knots with 20% reserve

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Botnia Targa 44 used boat review: A bulletproof passagemaker ready for anything appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”. There is so much truth in this well-known proverb. It reminds us that in life, true strength and skill are more often formed in adversity than on the easy path. That said, I feel I should clarify a couple of things.

Firstly, I do not regard myself as a skilled sailor but I do love to learn. And secondly, I fully appreciate that most of us, including Annette, Joe and me, much prefer calm seas to rough for our boating fun.

Even so, a key reason we bought Iolar, our Dale Classic 37, was for her exceptional seakeeping. This is due, in large part, to her underwater profile, which is derived directly from the legendary Nelson pilot boat lineage. The idea was not to battle the high seas for fun, but to extend our cruising windows, allowing us to go further and with greater confidence. And therein lies the rub. Having bought a boat that is so capable, the only way to realise the benefits was to develop the right skills, and that meant I needed to experience some unpleasant conditions first-hand…

Seasoned skippers use a variety of sources to gauge the likely severity of the sea conditions

Boat & crew

My first sea trial on Iolar, accompanied by Mike from Dale, was a 65nm trip around the islands off Pembrokeshire in conditions I would probably not have ventured out in on my previous boat. The ease with which she coped was astonishing – it was actually enjoyable and comfortable and that was despite having no helm seats at that stage!

Next came an autumnal rough-water training session (again with Mike) off St Anne’s Head. Annette and I both helmed in waves from 3-4m and started learning how to manage Iolar, even though it felt more like she was looking after us. Under the guiding hand of Mike, our competency grew.

Iolar is strong. Her hull is built to RCD Category A and she has plenty of power available. The way she handles steep and confused seas without slamming is difficult to describe. Even if you carelessly launch all 12 tonnes of her off the top of a large steep wave (which I confess I have done a few times) you get a thud rather than a crash. Experiencing how she handles different conditions has built our confidence in her as a boat.

However, the crew are even more important. Nobody wants to be scared so we operate on the principle that there is nothing wrong with staying in port or turning back. I’ve also learnt that helming in rough water is tiring so being able to share duties on a longer passage is vital. lessons learned I tend to obsess over trying to predict the sea and weather conditions but in the end, I accept you don’t know what you’re dealing with until you’re there.

Dale’s semi-displacement hulls are derived from the legendary Nelson pilot boat

I use apps like Predictwind and Windy, plus my tidal atlas, as well as live wave buoys (accessed through Surfline) and even the occasional call to an NCI station. In fact, on a recent trip, we were approaching the Lizard, returning from the Scillies with a decent following sea. A quick call to Lizard NCI confirmed it was “pretty bad” close in but four miles out they could see a ferry passing in more settled conditions – job done!

We’ve also learned to assess the conditions as we go and to change our plans whenever necessary – and honest communication is an essential part of that. On a trip back from Kilmore Quay in Ireland, I was fortunate that my crew was an experienced skipper from Dale.

We set off into a steep head sea with waves up to 3-4m. Backed off to 8 knots, throttling up and down each wave, we were in for a long trip. We discussed how we felt and each agreed we could manage the conditions. Then we assessed if things could get worse or better.

Confident that they ought to improve, for a number of carefully considered reasons, we jointly agreed to keep going. in the event, we were proven right, arriving safely in Wales just a few hours later. It was a satisfying trip and another valuable learning opportunity courtesy of a very experienced skipper.

lolar at anchor in more tranquil conditions

Rough water tips

I had read books and articles that talked about the importance of throttle control in rough water, but it wasn’t until I was in big seas myself that I fully appreciated just how fundamental using the throttles is in keeping control. Another common trait of the experienced skippers I’ve been lucky enough to learn from is their ability to stay calm. It’s a vital attribute for maintaining focus in tough conditions, but it’s also about keeping the crew confident and assured.

You have to understand your equipment too. When conditions are not great, particularly during the winter months, we always have our lifejackets on and wet weather gear close by; and we also carry a six-person valise life raft. It’s ready to go in the wheelhouse, together with our grab bag, which includes flares, a portable VHF and an EPIRB. It’s also become second nature now to monitor AIS and radar, while also keeping a look out for potential hazards.

I’m certainly not advocating boating in dangerous conditions. However, experiencing conditions that have pushed me out of my comfort zone, and spending time with experienced skippers, has been hugely rewarding. In addition to learning new skills, you get a tremendous sense of achievement arriving at a new destination, as well as more confidence as a family to go further and see more. And if we get caught out by conditions, we know we have a very capable boat, plus a bank of experience to draw on when panic may otherwise have been the natural reaction!

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Hard-won lessons from the Irish Sea appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

This new high-performance coupé is every bit as different as you would expect of Spanish builder, Astondoa, and its radical styling fully embodies that. With its plumb bow, fine entry, aggressive spray rails and long tinted windows, all set off by decorative steelwork, recessed LED lighting and dramatic flourishes in the mouldings, it’s a treat to look at.

It’s well arranged too. Ahead of the high-low aft platform, beneath the raised sunbed, the garage is big enough to swallow a 2.8m tender, which is not huge for a boat of this scale. But you do get an interesting choice of engines – either twin IPS-800s or (remarkably) a triple rig of ripsnorting 600hp V12 outboards.

Further forward, it’s good to see that a beam just in excess of 15ft creates a lovely broad cockpit that is covered in its entirety by a full-width hardtop. That provides the shelter for a really sociable eight-man dining station with walkaround side decks and a pair of drop-down terraces to expand the aft deck. Ahead of that, a transverse galley, comprising two big parallel cabinets, provides all the ice, refrigeration, storage and work surface you could want; and beyond the central three-man helm, a set of aft-facing seats in the forepeak creates a neat little lunch zone at the leading edge of the island sunbed.

The broad hardtop provides great shelter for the day spaces

The helm is also a bit of a treat, courtesy of three raised offshore seats, carbon fibre detailing, a central helm position, a one-piece glass screen, an upper tier with three 16in plotters and a neat arrangement of throttles, thrusters and joystick, all at the right hand. And when you step down below, things could hardly be more Astondoa.

The central atrium features a really well appointed day heads to starboard and a large breakfast bar to port, with plenty of little extras, like a coffee machine and wine fridge, so you don’t have to head up top to grab food and drink. There’s also a lovely VIP cabin with a large lounge seat; and the owners midships cabin also feels very striking, thanks to a diagonal bed and all kinds of extravagance in the fit and finish.

All of this luxury does, however, cost a fair bit. While it goes from €1.35m plus tax, a more realistic price is likely to be closer to, or even a little beyond, the €2m mark.

Astondoa 577 Coupé specifications

LOA: 50ft 11in (15.52m)
BEAM: 15ft 1in (4.61m)
ENGINES: Twin IPS-800s / triple 600hp V12s TOP
SPEED: From 40 knots
PRICE: From €1.35m ex VAT
CONTACT: astondoa.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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Lawrence Nathan, the co-founder of WATCHIT, can recall in chilling detail the moment when the boat he was a guest on crashed into a reef. He’d been invited for a couple of days’ cruising around the Greek islands on board an Azimut flybridge he’d sold to a customer. They were making their way back to Athens when the owner asked the captain to help the hostess prepare lunch. Lawrence, meanwhile, was sunbathing on the flybridge.

“I was lying on my back looking up at the sky thinking life can’t get any better, when the boat suddenly shuddered to a halt.”

Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the boat was towed back to port, but embarrassment soon turned to frustration when they realised how easily it could have been avoided.

“The information was all there but none of the systems alerted us to the danger,” says Lawrence. “Modern cars and planes have multiple warning systems to prevent accidents, so we started to investigate whether we could develop something similar for boats”.

The solution they hit upon is as elegant as it is practical. Called the WATCHIT Smart Prevention System, it uses an NMEA-compatible blackbox to take data from existing navigation aids, such as the GPS, depth sounder, AIS receiver, electronic compass and autopilot, as well as its own built-in charting software, to identify potential hazards, determine whether they pose a risk using AI-enhanced algorithms, and alert the user in time to take evasive action.

The WATCHIT Eye high frequency radar adds short-range collision avoidance

Dynamic alerts

This latter point is key, as unlike many boat warning systems, which trigger alerts based on distance, WATCHIT uses a ‘Dynamic Alert Zone’ that automatically adjusts the danger area based on speed, course and operator awareness. After all, at 200m, a static object, such as an island, presents little immediate risk to a sailing boat pottering along at 5 knots, but a jetski at the same distance travelling at 40 knots towards a sportscruiser running at 30 knots in the opposite direction is only seconds away from disaster. WATCHIT’s goal is to give at least 10 to 30 seconds’ notice of impending danger.

The other key point is that it’s an ‘always on’ system that constantly monitors all the variables but only intervenes when imminent danger looms. This could be an above-water hazard such as a ship or exposed rocks, or an underwater one like a reef or shallows that is invisible to the naked eye. Crucially, it will only flag this if it’s on a collision path. If it’s off to one side or the boat is moving away from the danger zone, it won’t sound an alert. It’s even smart enough to recognise when you’re coming into a port or marina so it doesn’t bombard you with unnecessary warnings about nearby boats.

When it does sense a serious risk, it flags this through both visual pop-ups on the boat’s existing MFD and audible warnings via its own Bluetooth speaker system. This starts with a simple beep and a calm voice describing the nature of the threat, such as “Watch it, underwater obstacle ahead” then increases in intensity until action is taken. The idea is to avoid the constant stream of minor alerts that often end up being ignored and only serve warnings when they are really needed.

The software uses AI to assess potential threats and only fl ag those that present an imminent risk

WATCHIT eye

This was, and still is, the basis of WATCHIT’s core early warning system (known internally as Sense), but a recent add-on has made it even more effective. Called WATCHIT Eye, it’s a high-frequency, short-range radar that can pick up objects as small as a human head bobbing among the waves. Light enough to mount on the A-frame of a RIB or the bow of a larger yacht, it can pick out both static and moving obstacles, as well as their speed, bearing and course. And unlike other camera-based systems, it can do this in rain, fog or light.

The reason this is such a game-changer is that the core system isn’t yet compatible with radar or night vision cameras, so smaller craft and uncharted objects won’t be picked up unless they are fitted with AIS transponders. It is something the company is hoping to add in the future, but even then it wouldn’t have the speed or sensitivity of the WATCHIT Eye.

Interestingly, it was developed in conjunction with the Azimut Benetti Group, which liked the idea of the WATCHIT system but felt it was lacking this functionality. It can now pick up anything from navigation marks to kayaks, jetskis and paddleboards, as well as larger boats and RIBs. If the operator fails to heed the warning and take evasive action, it could even be programmed to slow or stop the engines, but for the moment at least, boat builders have shied away from enabling this.

The blackbox has its own built-in charts but also takes information from the boat’s existing navigation gear

MBY Verdict

Although the core WATCHIT system is both retrofittable and compatible with all the major brands such as Raymarine, Garmin and Navico, Azimut’s role in developing the WATCHIT Eye means it has a one-year exclusivity deal on fitting this new feature to its superyachts.

Pricing for the core system starts at around €4,800, with the Eye module likely to add another €6,000 once it becomes more widely available. There’s also an annual subscription of €350 to ensure the charts and software are constantly kept updated. Given the potential WATCHIT Eye has for eliminating many of the most common boating accidents, over 80 per cent of which are caused by human error, that seems like a tempting proposition, especially on a bigger boat where the human and/or financial costs of an accident could prove crippling.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

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This article The ultimate lookout: Can WATCHIT's AI replace human vigilance? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Considering my grandfather, Charles Wadham Lyne, chose to be a poor vicar, he wasn’t quite as hard up as he might have been thanks to the decisions of his forebears. Thankfully his great uncle Charles Lyne chose to be a rich merchant, which meant my grandparents could indulge in the occasional luxury, such as boating holidays on the Broads during the 1920s.

Given his interest in boating, there is every chance he spotted their holidays advertised in The Motor Boat, which by then was already a well-established periodical, having published its first issue in 1904.

Coincidentally, at about the same time, Hugh Poths of Boston, Lincolnshire, and almost certainly another reader of The Motor Boat, retired from his position as the manager of the Tai Thong Rubber Works Co., in Malaya (now Malaysia). Before leaving, Hugh had purchased and arranged for a quantity of the local teak to be shipped back to England for a special project.

Moored on the river Witham in Boston circa 1930. Photo: Charles Lyne

Cover star

Hugh had decided to have a boat built which he and his family could enjoy cruising on the local rivers. Once resettled in Lincolnshire, he chose H C Banham Ltd as the company to build it. As well as being local, Banhams ran a holiday charter business and knew what was required of an inland waterways boat.

Making available his ample supply of quality Malayan teak, Hugh commissioned a boat that would allow him to enjoy the delights of the inland waterways, including the narrow canals.

Sometime in 1925, Banham’s designer, A. H. Comben, put pencil to paper and adapted one of his existing Broads cruiser designs to meet Hugh’s wishes. Boatbuilder John A. Hodgkinson then set about creating this rather special boat.

Photo: Charles Lyne

As it neared completion in the spring of 1926, someone suggested that it might be of interest to The Motor Boat magazine, and sure enough, in the April 1926 issue, it was featured over one-and-a-half pages.

Described as being a “most interesting vessel” the article continues “due to the restrictions necessitated by lock dimensions, it is by no means an easy matter to evolve a good canal cruiser, but in this case the designer appears to have achieved the desired object and the boat is of by no means unprepossessing appearance.”

With the old diesel engine gone, the forward cockpit has been repurposed as a four-person dinette. Photo: Charles Lyne

Reading between the lines, the author was pleasantly surprised by how pretty it was, despite its unusually long, thin design – the LOA of 40ft dwarfs its narrow 6ft 11in beam.

On 10 May 1926 (amidst the turmoil of the General Strike), Hugh Poths registered this boat as ship no. 147966 with a 9.7bhp motor and a cruising speed of 5.6 mph. He named it Malaya.

Malaya crossing The Wash in summer 1938 – quite an undertaking in a boat designed for sheltered inland waterways. Photo: Charles Lyne

Lone Survivor

Malaya may not have been the first cruiser designed specifically as a leisure craft for use on the narrow canals of England and Wales (rather than a converted barge) but as far as we know, she is the oldest surviving example.

The Poths family enjoyed their unique boat for more than three decades, undertaking several long voyages. In the summer of 1938, for instance, Hugh’s eldest son Jack took Malaya across the Wash from Boston to King’s Lynn and up the Great Ouse to Denver Sluice and beyond, to Cambridge– a 14-hour voyage across open seas in a boat designed for inland waters.

Jack Poths with Hugh Poths (jnr) and Mary. Photo: Charles Lyne

After 33 years of happy ownership, the Poths family decided to sell Malaya. Her new owner, Jack Craddock, was a garage owner and a keen supporter of the newly formed Inland Waterways Association. Her history gets a little murky after that before she appeared on the market once again in 1980.

This time she was sold to Rod Beever, who saved her from being scrapped but was possibly not well advised on the subsequent restoration, which removed all her internal bulkheads in a rather ill-fated attempt to modernise her.

The lack of bulkheads, which formed an integral part of the structure, meant that Malaya gradually developed a middle-aged spread to the point where she struggled to pass through some of the narrow canal locks she was originally designed for.

Moored outside the Cutter Inn, Ely, in 1953. Photo: Charles Lyne

Going Cheap

By the time I first spotted an advert for her in 2012, Malaya was in a very sorry state. Being newly retired with lots of time on my hands but very little money, it sounded like just the kind of project I was looking for.

I’d been into boats for years, having grown up watching my grandfather’s 9.5mm films of holidaying on the Broads, so later in life, with an adaptable wife and three sons in tow, I suggested we try exactly the same sort of holiday I’d seen my grandparents enjoying: a cruiser on The Broads. We all loved it.

Hugh Poths (jnr) at the wheel of Malaya. Photo: Charles Lyne

One thing led to another and soon we were regularly hiring narrowboats for holidays. Then in 1998, we purchased a 1/12th share in a purpose-built narrowboat, giving us four weeks of cruising every year at a much lower cost than hiring.

We enjoyed many happy days on that ‘Ditch Crawler’, as some coastal boaters like to call it, and while its speed obviously fell some way short of an adrenalin rush, it most certainly boosted our dopamine and endorphin levels as we pottered along, taking in the fascinating sights and sounds of the rich variety of canal and river scenes.

In Boggs Lock on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal in 1963. Photo: Charles Lyne

So, many years later, when I spotted an advert for an elderly wooden narrowboat in need of restoration, my interest was piqued. Further investigation revealed that it was being sold very cheaply (to the right buyer) as it needed a significant amount of work: £20,000 – £30,000, according to the surveyor’s report.

It came with some disadvantages – such as a rather large and extremely noisy diesel engine – and was only configured to sleep two people. But, with a bit of work from us, she could be ours to cruise whenever we fancied.

Malaya takes to the water again in 2018 after a six-year restoration. Photo: Charles Lyne

Restoring an old narrowboat: Test drive

A short demonstration cruise on the River Weaver proved to be rather interesting! At some point Malaya had been fitted with a 37.5hp Beta diesel engine. It sounded monstrous; every stroke of the pistons reverberated through the structure.

New owner Charles Lyne at the helm of his lovingly restored Malaya. Photo: Charles Lyne

We later discovered that the owners wore ear-defenders whenever they went for a cruise.

Thankfully, I already had a plan to replace it with an electric motor and knew of a spacious under-cover area where I could restore it. I also discovered that the father of one of our son’s friends was a carpenter and a bit of a wooden boat specialist.

Malaya being wheeled into the cow shed in 2012. Photo: Charles Lyne

I invited Dave up to the River Weaver so he could check what work was needed. His response was largely positive but it would require considerable time and expense. He’d be able to do the skilled work as long as I could do the rest of it.

That was all the encouragement I needed. On a cold December day Dave and I drove up to the boatyard to oversee her being craned onto the back of a low-loader but first we needed to remove the heavy diesel engine. Dave set about disconnecting the engine from the diesel tank, cooling system, exhaust, battery and throttles.

Removing the old Beta diesel engine. Photo: Charles Lyne

Even then the engine couldn’t just be lifted out due to the limited gap between the gunwales and the roof. It had to be done in stages: lifting the engine, supporting it on pallets, shortening the strops and repeating multiple times until the strops were short enough to clear it.

Shirley and Hugh Poths, previous owners Mac and Dave, and Barbara Lyne formally relaunch Malaya in 2019. Photo: Charles Lyne

Disaster strikes

Two days later, a huge low-loader arrived at our farmyard with what looked like a very small boat on its back. In the intervening days, Dave had been busy assembling a custom-built trolley from old lorry wheels, timber beams and steel plates, so we could wheel our new (old) boat into the cowshed/workshop.

With Malaya safely under cover, we celebrated Christmas with our traditional Boxing Day BBQ. While the BBQ was warming up, I popped over to the cowshed to check on our investment. Disaster! The rain had flooded the farmyard and the shed. Malaya was still high and dry but many of the things I’d bought to restore her, including an expensive diesel generator, were already underwater. Not a good start.

Sparks fly as the restoration begins. Photo: Charles Lyne

The weather continued to dog our efforts. By mid-January we were under several inches of snow but eventually work could begin. Dave had given me a brief: clear the inside of the boat of everything. Partitions and flooring went first, then the sea toilet, which after polishing up its brasswork and adding a smart new seat, I sold on Ebay.

With the boat empty, we now had to decide where to site the new electric motor – up at the front where the diesel had been or in the middle, closer to the centre of gravity and the batteries in order to minimise cable losses. We chose the latter. Dave set about cutting down the propshaft with a disc cutter while I stood by with a fire extinguisher in case the stream of red-hot sparks set fire to Malaya’s drying timbers.

New deck beams. Photo: Charles Lyne

In order to prevent the boat from changing shape any more than it had already, I supported the roof with Acrow props and once the windows had been removed, we wrapped heavy duty ratchet straps around the hull and through the window frames to squeeze the beam back into shape.

Meanwhile, Dave taught me all about copper nails and roves, so I could assist him with the 2,000 fastenings that were required to hold all the planks securely in place.

The restored helm. Photo: Charles Lyne

Article continues below…

Renovating a bargain boat: I ended up with so much boat for so little money

After a 13-month delay our Rustler 41 motor yacht is finally ready!

Launch day

Perhaps inevitably, the restoration proved far more time consuming and expensive than expected. I’d hoped we’d finish it in two or three years, in the end it was almost exactly six years before we gently lowered Malaya into the Thames at Lechlade.

The original throttle was adapted for use on Malaya’s new electric motor. Photo: Charles Lyne

Despite having carefully caulked all the joins in the carvel-built hull prior to painting, I knew that it would be some time before the dry timbers below the waterline would swell and start to seal properly. I’d armed myself with a variety of pumps for that very reason but I still spent an anxious first night aboard, bilge-watching and pumping until the leakage rate gradually slowed.

‘Sea’ trials proved that most things worked as intended. The one disappointing aspect was the cruising range. I’d made up two coffin-sized battery boxes under the seats in the centre cabin to keep the high current cables (up to 450 amps) as short as possible. Each bank contained six 110 Ah batteries, each of which I’d hoped would be sufficient for a day’s cruising, so I could recharge alternate banks overnight.

Newly rebuilt foredeck overhang. Photo: Charles Lyne

In practice, even with both banks in parallel, there wasn’t enough capacity for a day’s cruising. I tried replacing them with 130 Ah lead-carbon batteries, which were better, but still disappointing. Eventually, I bit the bullet and installed LiFePO4 (lithium-iron phosphate) batteries which offer significantly more usable capacity in the same volume.

This has proved to be been hugely beneficial, not just in terms of range but also because I can now monitor the battery charging, temperatures and tank levels by remote.

A fully restored Malaya is lifted into the Thames at Lechlade. Photo: Charles Lyne

Hooray Henley

That was all in the future, though, back in 2019 we were still learning about our ‘new’ boat. For some years during the restoration we’d been visiting the Thames Traditional Boat Festival in Henley-on-Thames and decided this would be the ideal place to show off her newly completed restoration.

Malaya’s original registration number. Photo: Charles Lyne

Our progress downriver from Lechlade to Henley can best be described as stately. Although we could certainly go faster, doing so flattened the batteries too quickly, so we soon got used to being overtaken by almost every other river user from swans to paddle boarders!

The helm gives few clues to its new power source. Photo: Charles Lyne

We did eventually get to Henley – albeit four days later – having recharged at various locks and in at least one case, a charging point belonging to a fellow electric boat owner.

Having had the good fortune to find the descendants of Hugh Poths still residing in the Lincolnshire area, it seemed appropriate to ask the youngest Hugh Poths to officially relaunch his great grandfather’s old boat at Henley.

Galley mixes modern appliances with classic style. Photo: Charles Lyne

Hugh and his wife Shirley have since joined us at many of the subsequent Henley Trads and will hopefully join us again for Malaya’s 100th anniversary this year.

Malaya recharging her batteries outside the Kings Arms at Sandford Lock. Photo: Charles Lyne

We’re hoping that perhaps Motor Boat & Yachting would like to attend this milestone as well and complete the happy reunion that started all those years ago…

The new electrics panel. Photo: Charles Lyne

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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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Restoring an old narrowboat: The 100-Year-Old teak canal cruiser’s journey to electric power appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

This new 40-footer is claiming to redefine what we expect from the family sportsfisher. Designed and built by Turkish company, Mercan Yachting, which is better known for its work in the light commercial sector, the first and most obvious difference is the deck arrangement.

The bow is relatively short because the wheelhouse, which is also quite short, is positioned way forward, so inevitably, the long, open aft cockpit takes far more than its fair share of space – particularly as it enjoys the whole of that 12ft 6in beam.

The big aft cockpit can be equipped with a second helm

Its arrangement is interesting too. There are lots of subtly integrated fishing features back here, like a pair of bait wells built into the transom, a fold-down seat to starboard and an optional tuna gate to port.

There are also some neat portable armrests to help you configure the L-shaped cockpit bench; and you can add to the wet bar and storage module with a second helm on the starboard side, which is particularly handy, given that the cockpit is the social hub, as well as the fishing zone.

There’s also plenty of space beneath the deck to accommodate a gyro, to store some bulky baggage and to expand those twin 800-litre fuel tanks for extra range.

The two cabins share a single heads

Further forward, the square saloon space provides a galley to starboard with fridge, sink and two-ring gas hob, plus a four-man dinette to port, which can be turned into an occasional double bed.

The reverse screen is great for shade, style and visibility, and while the bow’s island sunbed may feel a shade squat, its raised mouldings provide plenty of headroom in the forward cabin.

There’s lots of volume beneath that squat, raised foredeck

There’s also a second double cabin running fore-and-aft beneath the saloon’s port dinette and a single bathroom to starboard. It does get a bit pinchy, where the doors’ arcs of travel cut into the space, so sliding or two-part units might serve better. But in view of the pre-eminence of the seagoing hull and the open upper deck, the accommodation is perfectly adequate.

So if you want a fast, tough sportsfisher with extra outdoor space, purposeful styling and a sensible price, this looks like quite a pleasing alternative to the established players.

Article continues below…

Mercan Petra SF-39 Specifications:

LOA: 38ft 3in (11.65m)
Beam: 12ft 6in (3.82m)
Engines: triple 350-450hp outboards
Top speed: 46 knots
Price: from €375,000 ex VAT
Contact details: www.mercanyachting.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Mercan Petra SF-39: This boat is redefining the sportsfisher appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Our cruise from Guernsey to the Morbihan aboard our Princess V50 Echo Beach had all gone very smoothly. The V50’s joystick, coupled with the IPS drives and the powerful bow thruster, definitely helped.

Now we had our friends David and Debra Corson joining us. Having another pair of hands on board is always welcome, as is fresh company. Not only that, but Debra is an excellent cook! Fortunately, Echo Beach is well equipped for guests with two comfortable cabins, each with its own en suite facilities. We’d arranged to meet them in Vannes, two hours south of St Malo by train and an easy place to get to if you ever need to leave your boat in southern Brittany.

Echo Beach moored in front of the old walled town of Concarneau.

Vannes is also an attractive walled city, with many interesting features, lots of good restaurants and cafés, numerous boulangeries and a lovely feel to it. This was made all the better by one of the best markets we have been to in Brittany, all in a beautiful setting.

We visited Auray by land and the area by the bridge called Pont de Saint Goustan is small but very pretty and would be great to visit by boat, although given the tides and the shallow approaches there, probably not in a 50ft motor boat that cannot dry out.

The old town centre in Roscoff is well worth wandering through for a browse in the various shops

Vannes to Crouesty

On the day we planned to leave Vannes, it was blowing a F4 gusting F5. Because access is restricted by tide, we were due to leave as soon as the gate opened at 2pm. We followed the marina attendant down the channel, knowing that departing boats have priority over incoming ones.

Camaret town is pleasant… The highlight, though, was the walk around the coast

The gate opened promptly at the published time. However, the operator then had to get back into his dinghy, go to the road bridge and open that separately, which took a further 15 minutes – not ideal when you’re trying to hold station in a narrow channel with a F5 crosswind whipping across it. In fact, thanks to joystick control and my full concentration, it wasn’t as problematic as we had anticipated.

Before long, we exited the channel and were back in the main channel of the Morbihan. Although it was not at its best, due to the overcast conditions, David and Debra still enjoyed seeing the many islands.

Coming out of the Morbihan, there was a nasty wind against tide. Thankfully, the rough patch only lasted for a few minutes and Echo Beach took it in her stride.
A short while later, Crouesty came into view, and we headed in to find a berth.

The walk along the coast to Haliguen encompasses several nice beaches and scenic paths

The mooring in Crouesty was our worst experience of the trip. Having been told they could accommodate us, the marina attendant said they were very full and asked us to moor on the outside of a 40ft motor boat, which was on a small hammerhead at an angle to the main causeway.

It needed David and Linda’s hard work and expertise to tie us alongside as best they could but our bow was left sticking out into the fairway. Without lines ashore to secure us both and a forecast of F5 during the night, I was worried about a boat of our size relying on the smaller boats’ lines to hold us both.

In the end, I telephoned the marina and eventually they found us a much better berth. It was not very accessible from land but we were relieved to be on a secure mooring.

Moored by the Capitanerie in Vannes marina

Crouesty to Trinité

The next morning it was still F4 gusting F5. However, the Bay of Quiberon is like an amphitheatre and sheltered from most directions. Even when the wind is from the south, the islands of Houat, Hoëdic and Belle Île provide some protection. The resulting short chop meant we were able to maintain a steady 25 knots en route to Trinité-sur-Mer.

We called the marina office a number of times on arrival on VHF9 but got no reply. With nobody on site to direct us, we moored on the hammerhead of the visitors’ pontoon just behind a 25ft yacht. I presumed one or both of us would be asked to move later on, when moorings became available, but it never happened so we stayed where we were.

Pont de Saint Gustan in Auray

Trinité proved to be an interesting spot. The town itself is attractive and blessed with a good selection of appealing shops. We also enjoyed an excursion on The Petit Train, a tyred tourist train that takes you on a tour of the Carnac Stones – a series of Neolithic standing stones erected around 3,300 BC.

The marina was undergoing development work at the time of our visit, including the fuelling pontoon, which should now be better able to cope with larger boats. Thankfully, the captain was very helpful and proactive, showing us the old facilities at our end of the marina and the much newer (and better) ones at the other end.

The finger mooring in Roscoff was the perfect size for Colin’s Princess V50

Trinité to Haliguen

Our next stop was Haliguen, just across the bay on the Quiberon peninsula. This proved to be one of the highlights of our trip.

We were met on arrival and shown to a good finger mooring on Pontoon I. The marina is lovely, with three sets of modern facilities and another Petit Train that takes you to Quiberon Town.

In Vannes’ market

Quiberon was bigger than expected and has a pretty beach front with lots of activities. We decided to walk back along the coast to Haliguen, which takes around an hour and encompasses several nice beaches and scenic paths.

Haliguen can also be used as a base to explore Belle Île. A ferry runs there all year round from Quiberon, and in the summer months there’s a smaller one from Haliguen. We very much enjoyed our stay here and will certainly go back again.

We enjoyed Etel so much on the way out that we decided to pop in again on the way back for an additional night’s stay. We knew what to do and when, so as soon as we arrived, David and Debra caught the tourist boat up the river before meeting us for dinner at the Restaurant Le BB and a trip to the market in Rue de la Libération.

Carnac’s ancient standing stones

This was our longest passage since David and Debra joined us, but it was still only 37nm. We passed close to Île de Groix and headed for an old favourite, Concarneau. The marina is pleasant and the walled town is lovely to visit – a bit crowded in peak season, but quieter in the evenings.

The only moorings for a 50ft boat are inside of the breakwater. This looks to be a solid concrete pier but it’s actually made up of several floating sections that move independently of each other so do not tie up between two different sections. Also, ensure you are not too close to the next boat, as the movement can bring you closer.

Article continues below…

Boating in a Princess V50 to Southern Brittany part 1: 'The Semaine du Golfe festival was heaving with people'

Channel Islands boating: Local’s guide to Guernsey and its stunning neighbours

Sainte Marine

Sainte Marine is one of our favourite places and although we had the pleasure of stopping there on the way down, we were keen to drop in again for a night on our way back.

On the day of our departure from Concarneau, I did my normal early morning croissant run to the boulangerie. On the way back, the skies darkened and within seconds the heavens opened, drenching me. It was an amazing thunderstorm and quite rightly, no one wanted to go to sea.

Echo Beach squeezes along the narrow Vannes channel

After a couple of hours, the storm passed, so we left our mooring and motored to Sainte Marine. It was great to be back and a visit to our favourite creperie, La Misaine, completed our day. Knowing how lumpy the Raz de Sein can be in any kind of tide, we left the Odet River two hours before slack water at the notorious overfalls.

Camaret

Although only F3 gusting F4, the forecast was for 2.6m swells. Sure enough, the sea was confused and seemed to be coming from several different directions as we passed through the various tidal streams on the south-west tip of Brittany. Nevertheless, we managed to maintain a steady 21 knots for most of the journey, and arrived at the Raz five minutes early. Our timing was spot on and once through the Raz de Sein, the sea flattened out and we had a good run to Brest.

We had such a good experience of fuelling at Brest’s Chateau Marina on the way down, that we decided to refuel there again. A quick call on VHF9 and the fuel pump was unlocked, with the attendant coming to collect payment once we were done. Very efficient.

Teignouse lighthouse on the tip of the Quiberon peninsula

We left Brest and travelled the 10nm to Camaret, heading for the outer, visitors’ marina, where we called on VHF 9 and were taken to our berth on the inside of the wave wall. It looked fine but the wall is lower than it looks and all visiting boats, including ours, had to quickly drop their fenders so they touched the sea. The bollards are a very old style and there is a constant surge, day and night.

Snubbers and nylon ropes helped take the snatch out of the movement but it was still pretty uncomfortable. It also had the worst facilities, being based in an old German bunker!

Although the marina was very disappointing, the walk to the town of Camaret, past the Vauban tower and the old fisherman’s chapel, is special and the town is pleasant with plenty of places to eat. The highlight, though, was the walk around the coast to see the semaphore at Pointe du Toulinguet, the ruins of the Manoir Saint Pol Roux, the Alignements de Lagatjar stones and the Liberation Cross at Pen Hir – all part of our favourite GR34 walking route.

The tranquil bay at Sainte Marine

After two nights of the unpleasant surge, we headed for Roscoff.

It is a surprisingly long distance from Camaret to Roscoff. You pass Pointe Saint-Mathieu, with its red and white lighthouse and derelict abbey, and up the Chenal du Four past Le Four Lighthouse, before heading east. It’s still 37nm from here, passing L’Aber Wrac’h, and as it was above half tide, slowly along the inside of Île de Batz.

Going around the outside of the Île de Batz is longer still, and can be rough due to the meeting of tidal streams unless you go a long way out.

Roscoff has a new “register my arrival” option on its website, which worked a treat. They were expecting us on arrival and showed us to a great finger berth, one of the best moorings of the trip.

The seafront at Quiberon

The walk to the town and the town itself is always special. We had booked into the Café du Port for lunch and had a great meal.

We had already sent in our “departure from the Schengen area” forms and were instructed to report to the douane office in the departures area of the Roscoff Ferry Terminal at 9:15. The officials were very helpful and efficient.

Formalities done, we headed back to Guernsey, via Sept Îles, and averaged 27 knots all the way back. The end of a great trip in a great boat.

French schooner looking majestic outside Concarneau

Lessons from Boating in Brittany

We contacted the marinas well in advance of our visit to see if they had any large events or rallies on which we should avoid. The only marina to say “Non” was Morgat, which will not take large boats.

None of the marinas take bookings for stays of less than a week, so the best approach with a larger boat is to contact the next marina a couple of days before arrival so they can give an indication of whether they can take you or not. The marinas in southern Brittany are fairly close, so if you can’t get into one, you can get to another in less than an hour. An early arrival, just before or after lunch, is ideal, as the yachts tend to arrive later in the afternoon.

The Liberation Cross at Pen Hir

Most cost around €44 a night for a 15m boat with no additional charge for electricity or Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is pretty slow in most marinas so a good 4G hotspot is the best solution.

The Passeport Escales loyalty card works well too. Etel, Crouesty, Île-aux-Moines, Vannes, Trinité and Haliguen are all part of this initiative. The card or app gets you into most of the facilities, your Passeport Escales number means the marina can look up all of your information and after a while you’ll build up enough points for a free night.

Gasoil is diesel and comes from the yellow pump. If there is a lorry sign on the pump, press it, and the fuel flow will go from slow to not quite as slow. We used 3,147 litres during the 597nm round trip.

Colin and David en route back to Guernsey after a fascinating tour of Southern Brittany

We only saw 16 amp sockets – no 32 amp sockets. Some electric points have push buttons, which you need to press every 24 hours. Take long leads and extensions.

Water connections mostly use the French bayonet type. Some of the cleats are just hoops, so it’s best to thread the rope through and take it back to the boat.
I took a video of Echo Beach going into each marina which you can view on www.digimapmarinas.com.

If it is your first visit, it is a great way to visualise the way in.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Boating in a Princess V50 to Southern Brittany Part 2: 'The walk along the coast to Haliguen encompasses several nice beaches' appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Having now seen the new Greenline 42 at the Düsseldorf show, we can confirm that it isn’t just usefully bigger and more stylish than the current 40, it’s also much more versatile.

Its efficient planing hull design means the standard 250hp Yanmar diesels give it a faster top speed of 25 knots, which, combined with an RCD Category B rating and a substantial 700-litre fuel tank, makes it just as well suited for coastal cruising as for inland waterways.

Drop-down windows make for a bright, airy saloon and galley

It still comes with 4.5kW of solar panels on the roof and a 22kWh house battery, but rather than using this to power electric motors, its main purpose is to allow silent running at anchor of all the boat’s electrical systems without the need for a generator.

Upgrade to the maximum 66kWh battery bank and you can run everything, including the air-conditioning, for up to 48 hours.

There is still an option to make it a full hybrid propulsion system by adding a pair of 23kW electric motors between the engines and propellers for silent cruising at speeds of up to 6.5 knots, but it does bump up the price.

Bulwark cut-outs improve the view from the owner’s cabin

The launch boat was fitted with the optional hydraulic bathing platform, glass transom and face-to-face cockpit dinette, rather than the folding transom and freestanding furniture, which felt like another nod to coastal use.

Drop- down side windows in the galley, in addition to a lifting aft window and helm side door, make the main deck feel even lighter and more open than the 40’s, while the larger second cabin with its optional ensuite heads makes it much more comfortable for two couples to stay aboard.

Second cabin with optional ensuite is impressively spacious

Other nice touches include cut-outs in the forward bulwarks, giving a better view out from the forward owner’s cabin, and a bow lounge with more face-to-face seating and a pair of sunbeds with adjustable pop-up backrests.

Taken together, this should make it much more appealing for those who plan to use their boat at sea as well as on rivers and canals.

Article continues below…

Greenline 45 Fly Hybrid review: Can this Hybrid hold up to my overnight test pushing its systems to the limit?

Greenline 45 Fly: Options abound on wonderfully decadent yacht

Greenline 42 Specifications:

LOA: 44ft 3in (13.5m)
Beam: 14ft 10in (4.3m)
Engines: 2 x 250hp Yanmar (optional 2 x 23kW electric)
Top speed: 25 knots
Price from: €545,000 ex tax
Contact details: www.greenlinehybrid.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

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This article New Greenline 42: Is This the Ultimate Solar-Powered Coastal Cruiser? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

This new 41ft open day cruiser continues many of the ideas laid down on the flagship 52 by Francesco Guida, designer and founder of Santasevera Yachts. The day spaces, for instance, flow one into the next in a very attractive way.

A central island sunbed links the swim platform and aft deck. Ahead of this, a pair of comfy loungers brings the walkway into the centre, guiding you forward to a sheltered C-shaped dinette on the portside with a really clever table that can be angled in any direction you please. There’s also a compact but very elegant L-shaped galley on the starboard side behind the helm with two fridges and a subtly integrated Champagne drawer.

The upper cockpit runs aft to three staggered lounging units

The helm itself is a one-man affair that is specifically designed to steal as little space as possible from the big party zone. And if you need a little more space, you can head up one of the symmetrical side decks to the raised island sunbed at the bow.

Now clearly, this Santasevera 42 is not so much a cruising machine as a high-end day boat for weekending couples, so it comes with just the one cabin – but this is where that bow arrangement pays off. Generous headroom is maximised by means of quite a low-profile minimalistic bed. There’s also a long, comfy changing seat to starboard and a separate heads compartment with shower.

The single helm backs onto a really hardworking wet bar

As for performance, this is a very flexible boat. Apparently, D4-320s on sterndrives are all you need for 30-knot performance, but you can also opt for a pair of D6-480s for 45 knots. IPS pod drives on lengthy jackshafts are also on the cards and so is outboard propulsion.

Of course, a pair of 600hp V12 outboard engines would do little for the beach club but speeds in excess of 50 knots are likely to be a major temptation for some.

A single cabin makes this a posh day boat for weekending couples

Other elements of the boat are just as flexible. For instance, while this Sport model’s enclosed slide windows already give it more protection than the HT and Open variants, a Coupé version is also now an option, with an extended roofline and sliding aft doors. And if you have ideas of your own that the standard palette doesn’t cover, the fact that everything is built in-house at the firm’s own yard means that they are well set up for custom requests.

Article continues below…

Santasevera 52 first look: As fresh as the Mediterranean breeze it's destined for

Yamarin 80 DC tour: A new direction for the Nordic day cruiser

Santasevera 42 Sport Specifications:

LOA: 41ft 2in (12.55m)
Beam: 13ft 1in (4.00m)
Engines: twin 320-480hp diesels/ 600hp outboards
Top speed: 50 knots +
Price: €900,000 ex VAT
Contact details: www.santaseverayacht.it

The compact bathroom does provide a separate shower

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Santasevera 42 Sport: 41ft open day cruiser with flowing spaces appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Lets face it, this boat could have done absolutely nothing and it would still be deserving of its place on the Cool Page because, well, just look at it!

A metallic silver 78ft wave- piercing trimaran built of composite carbon fibre and Kevlar, it looked like an alien spaceship had touched down, seaplane style. That, however, would have been a short story and one thing that this boat does not have, is a short story.

Conceived and developed by New Zealander Pete Bethune, this incredible looking vessel was built to break a world record, literally, because the aim was to be the fastest motor boat around the globe. If that wasn’t enough, it was to be done in the most eco-friendly way possible to prove that performance could be green.

Everything was designed to be as eco-friendly as possible

The original idea was to be electrically driven, with the electric motors powered by low-emission generators, an idea eventually scrapped in favour of conventional marine diesels running on pure biodiesel with the aim of the project being (apart from claiming the record) to raise awareness of alternative fuels.

Three years and two re-mortgages later the boat was finally on the start line in Barbados in 2007. And that’s when the problems really started. From the fuel sponsor backing out to new propellers delaminating, issues came thick and fast, the very worst of them being running over a 26ft fishing skiff in the dark resulting in two of its occupants being seriously injured and one missing presumed dead.

Earthrace was impounded in a Guatemalan military base with the crew in court just days later. They were absolved of responsibility when it became apparent that the fishing boat had no proper lighting and all the crew were asleep. The attempt restarted but eventually failed after the boat (and crew) received such a beating in heavy Med storms that it began to crack up.

Article continues below…

World's coolest boats: Wider 42

World's coolest boats: Nelson 80 Blue Legend – Super-sized 4x4 of the seas

A year and a refit later they were back, and though numerous technical problems had to be overcome, the record was finally achieved, with the vessel making the return to Sagunto, Spain after just under 61 days on 27 June 2008.

The story doesn’t end there because, painted black and renamed Ady Gil, the boat joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, eventually sinking in 2010 after a collision with a Japanese whaling vessel.

Eathrace specifications

Year: 2006
LOA: 78ft (24m)
Beam: 23ft (7m)
Power: Twin Cummins Mercruiser 540hp diesels
Speed: 32 knots
Price: $2.5M (according to Wikipedia)

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article World's coolest boats: Earthrace – Part alien spaceship, part record-breaker appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Two years ago we started looking for our first motor yacht. Little did we know then how long that journey would take and how difficult the decisions would be, but given the money involved, we wanted to take our time, do the research and make the right choices.

Although this would be our first big motor yacht, we are not new to boating as we already have a fabulous Ribeye 811, which we originally berthed in Lymington and then moved to Salcombe, where we also have a holiday house.

Having decided to buy a proper cruising yacht, our first step was to visit a number of different boat shows to get a clearer idea of exactly what was out there, including the Southampton Boat Show, The British Motor Yacht Show and the Palma Boat Show. Who knew there were so many yachts to choose from and so many important decisions to be made?

Duncan and Sophie Fergusson. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

The first thing we had to consider was where to base the boat. We love the Solent and the West County but with the unpredictable British summer, we wanted to base our new boat somewhere different and reliably warm, like the Mediterranean.

We have been visiting Mallorca on and off for more than 12 years now, staying near Puerto Portals and Palma and chartering day boats from time to time. We love the island and basing our new boat there would give us the opportunity to explore all the other Balearic islands as well. We decided this was the best place to start our yachting journey.

Daughters Lucy, Tilly and family making the most of their new purchase. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

Sportscruiser or Flybridge?

The second decision was to choose between a sports-style yacht or a flybridge and work out what drives people to choose one over the other. We always try to buy British if we can and we also really liked the design and quality of the Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline range of boats, so this is where we started.

One of the first ones we seriously considered was the Princess V55 and this still remains one of our favourite yachts.

The deal included a full-time captain, stewardess and management team who handle the running of the yacht. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

The large connected open space between the saloon and cockpit make it really sociable and perfect for entertaining. With great proportions and the added advantage of a tender garage with sunbeds over it, it makes a very compelling package.

We were, however, a little wary of only having an inside helm to drive from. But having not yet had any hands-on helming experience of a flybridge to qualify
this concern, we weren’t sure how important it was.

At anchor off Mallorca. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

All the manufacturers we dealt with were really helpful and surprisingly unbiased. I imagine they must be used to educating first-time buyers like ourselves and the time it can take to make a decision.

We learnt that families with young children often opt for the single-deck sportscruiser so they can keep an eye on their children. Then again, a flybridge gives extra space for entertaining and a place for grumpy teenagers to retreat to. Another plus in the Med is the superior visibility you get thanks to the extra height and lack of obstructions on an open flybridge.

Given that we have four children in their early 20s and one in their late teens, and hoped to invite other family and friends to join us on our travels, we decided a flybridge was the way to go. With that decision settled, we could now move onto choosing the make and model.

Full-time crew take care of the boat maintenance and catering. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

Princess, Sunseeker or Fairline?

We looked at both the Princess F55 and Sunseeker Manhattan 55. Both were really excellent and hard to choose between the two. In the end the Sunseeker won us over. With its large flybridge, multiple fridges (including a separate wine fridge), beach club set-up and crew cabin all beautifully executed in a stylish
and relatively compact package, the Manhattan really stood out as the boat most suited to our requirements.

We thought we were there at last and were close to placing an order for the Sunseeker but then we saw the new Fairline Squadron 58. Three foot seemed more like three metres.

The space was incredible, the flybridge was huge as was the master cabin with a king bed instead of a queen, large saloon and impressive crew cabin. And of course it had those magical folding balconies and bar stools. It was so easy to imagine how well this would all work in Mallorca.

With two master suites, a double VIP and a twin, the Pearl 72 can sleep 8. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

We were now torn between the Manhattan 55 and the much larger and more costly Squadron 58. If that weren’t enough, we also found ourselves tempted by a second-hand Princess S62 and Sunseeker Manhattan 68.

We needed to make a decision and hang our hat on an option, otherwise we would miss out on the 2026 season. Ultimately, we decided a 55ft yacht would be too small for the size of our family and wider friend group.

We knew from our RIBs that when you actually count how many weeks a year you use them (always a bad idea in boating), it’s a surprisingly small number. With busy work commitments, even if we were going to Mallorca one week a month during the higher season, that’s a lot of money sitting there unused for the rest of the
time, even before you calculate the running costs.

Article continues below…

Princess V55 yacht tour: Practically perfect in every way?

Pearl 72 review: What we learned from our Mallorca test drive

What about a Boat Share?

No matter how hard we tried to make it work out, unless or until I either went part time or retired we couldn’t use the yacht enough for the numbers to make sense, especially when splitting our free time between our homes in the Cotswolds, Salcombe and Mallorca. We also didn’t want to be in the position where we felt obliged to go to the yacht to justify the cost instead of exploring other countries with the limited spare time we had.

The flybridge on board. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

I guess if we didn’t have a place in Salcombe, our thinking could well have been different. It was at this point we started to explore the idea of buying into a yacht sharing programme. Princess Yacht Quarters and The Yacht Share Network both had suitable options in Mallorca and both came highly recommended.

The basic premise is that you buy shares in a yacht to give you the number of weeks a year you can spend on it, according to your personal circumstances. The running costs are then apportioned between you and the other owners.

Not only does this reduce both the capital outlay and the running costs but it often enables you to buy into a larger yacht. In our case we were choosing between a Princess Y72 moored in Palma with Princess Yacht Quarters, a Pearl 72 moored in Antibes or a Pearl 72 in Puerto Portals with The Yacht Share Network. The deal included a full time captain, stewardess and a management team who handle the running of the yacht so you don’t have to worry about it.

Duncan and Sophie Fergusson in Mallorca. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

You liaise with the captain and management company as needed but in reality you turn up and the yacht is ready to go and fully provisioned with your preferred food and drink. You don’t have to do a thing.

You can be more engaged and hands-on if you want to; if you have a day skipper licence you can drive the yacht too, but the captain must always be present to protect the other owners’ interests.

Sophie relaxing on the foredeck of their new boat. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

It was a difficult decision to choose between Princess Yacht Quarters and The Yacht Share Network, particularly because we had built up such a good relationship with our contact at Princess.

However, the Yacht Share Network team was equally professional, spending a significant amount of time explaining how it all worked, answering all our questions and meeting us on board the Pearl 72 at Puerto Portals to go through the whole process. We also had the opportunity to meet the captain and stewardess, as well as their day-to-day management team who were based in Mallorca.

They also looked at and sea trialled the latest Fairline Squadron 58. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

We really wanted to be based in Puerto Portals and ultimately, this is what we based our decision on. We have now bought shares via the Yacht Share Network in the Pearl 72 in Portals.

We are confident this was the right decision for our circumstances, at least until I retire or go part time. Sharing the purchase price of the yacht and the running costs feels like better value and lower risk than buying an entire yacht ourselves and it enables us to enjoy all the benefits of a bigger yacht
with a full time captain and stewardess with less hassle and more quality holiday time.

The Pearl 72 also really surprised us with how good it looks and how well designed it is.

Daughter Tilly enjoying the life. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

You have two huge master cabins with more storage space than you need, a double VIP and a twin cabin, sleeping eight plus two crew. The Kelly Hoppen interior has a smart modern vibe to it and is a lovely place to be when you want to move inside. It’s also practical and spacious – even with two crew on board you never feel you need your own space.

The vast flybridge is broken up into different areas with a bar, dining table, sunbeds, and second small dinette next to the helm. It’s also one of the few flybridge boats with a large garage that holds a Williams 345 as well as a jet ski and two Seabobs.

The Pearl 72 wasn’t even on their radar until the idea of a yacht share entered the equation. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

Happy Ever After?

So what is it really like to own a share of a yacht like this with a full time captain and stewardess? Initially, we weren’t sure how comfortable we would be being looked after by a professional crew but the reality is so much easier and more enjoyable than we expected.

When getting up in the morning, we can have our own time and space, or wander up to the cockpit where the stewardess will have already laid out a lovely breakfast for us. We’ll often have breakfast while the captain heads out of port to our chosen destination for a spot swimming or playing with the toys.

The boat came fully equipped with all the toys. Photo: Duncan and Sophie Fergusson

For lunch, the stewardess will either prepare another delicious meal or we might choose to head to a beach club instead, in which case the captain will ferry us there and back in the tender so I can enjoy a glass or two of rosé without having to worry about driving the boat.

After lunch, we’ll head off to another spot to relax and swim while the children buzz around having the time of their lives on the Seabobs. As the afternoon lazily meanders on we’ll head to our evening destination, sitting on the bow enjoying some tunes in the setting sun, watching the coastline of Mallorca scroll by while our glasses are topped up a bit too frequently!

When life is as good as this, why would you do it any other way?

Contact details: www.yachtshare.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article Buying a boat share: A flybridge gives extra space for entertaining and a place for grumpy teenagers to retreat to' appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Southern Brittany is an idyllic place to visit by boat – it seems to have its own climate once you go ‘around the corner’. It also enjoys much smaller tides than northern Brittany and Normandy.

As we are based in Guernsey, it seemed like an ideal place for us to explore in our newly acquired Princess V50, Echo Beach, but would the small harbours and marinas there be able to take a 15m boat, and would we be able to find fuel when most of the local pumps have a card limit of €180? There was only one way to find out…

The Princess V50. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Guernsey to Brest in a Princess V50

We always try to do the long mileages at the start of the trip. Even when travelling from the Channel Islands, let alone the South Coast of England, it is a fair distance to the west coast of Brittany.

We left Guernsey on Wednesday 21 May and headed directly to Brest Château marina. The wind was F3 to F4 from the NW, with gusts of F5. The boat handled the conditions really well, and we passed inside the Sept Îles rocks off Ploumanac’h, where we slowed down for a quick sandwich and cup of tea.

We timed our departure to arrive at the Chenal du Four with a following tide and the wind behind us; it was one of the calmest parts of the trip. This helped us make good time, covering the 140nm in 5 ½ hours at an average speed of 25 knots.

Aboard the Princess V50. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Our friend, John, an experienced yachtsman, was keen to expand his knowledge and experience by coming on this section of the trip with us. Brest Château marina was welcoming and efficient and an ideal functional stopover with easy fuelling and a nearby station for John to catch a train onwards.

Crucially, it’s also an approved port of entry (PPF) so we could clear passport control. The surrounding buildings are commercial but the area by the Marina office has a number of decent bars and restaurants.

We had sent in our forms to the Brest Douane for entry into the Schengen area as per the instructions on the Digimap Marinas website, and sure enough, on arrival in Brest, the stamped forms were already in our email inbox.

Colin and Linda with Echo Beach. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Very helpful, but in our case, we needed to have our passports stamped, as John would be leaving France on a ferry, and we’d be picking up our friends David and Debra for the return leg home. The rules require everyone on board to check out of the Schengen area together, and the only way of doing this was for us all to
have our passports stamped.

We walked to the Douane office, which is seven minutes from the marina, and explained the situation. They were very helpful and duly stamped all our passports. We were now free to enter any other marina without more form filling.

Brest is an interesting city and there is a maritime museum within walking distance of the marina. The other good news is that there is a Paul’s boulangerie near the port, one of our favourites. We stayed for two nights.

There are two fuel pumps at Brest on either side of the pontoon. This worked well as it meant we could fill up without upsetting the local boats and yachties, who only wanted a few litres. We called the office on VHF9 and they overrode the credit card limit of the pump, so we did not have to keep restarting the process every 100 litres or so. Fuelling completed, (Euro 1.77 a litre), we paid our bill at the marina office and went on our way for the next stage of our adventure.

Relaxing under the sunroof as the cruise gets underway. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Raz de Sein

Timing our arrival at the Raz de Sein was crucial. The short, sharp overfalls are notorious and need to be respected. Once again, we used Digimap Marinas’ times. It worked a treat, the tide had slackened and the white-capped passage became calmer as we approached.

Echo Beach took the short waves in its stride. With the two famous towers behind us, we enjoyed a calm run towards Bénodet, completing the 70nm trip in 2.5 hours.

Watching the sun set over the bathing platform of their Princess V50
on the River Étel. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Sainte-Marine

This is a beautiful stretch of Southern Brittany and we were delighted to be back. We were even more pleased to see a couple of vacant moorings on the visitors’ pontoon at Sainte-Marine on the opposite side to Bénodet.

Sainte Marine has a beautiful cove with good restaurants and crêperies and a nice walk to the headland. Bénodet is on the Odet River, and, like most tidal rivers, it is best to moor at HW or LW when the tidal flow is slack. Bénodet also has fuelling and they too were able to override the card limit from the office.

Étel Semaphore flying the flag to warn boaters of the ever-shifting sand bank. Photo: Colin Le Conte

A ferry runs between Bénodet and Sainte- Marine for the princely sum of €2 and there are good walks to the headland on both sides of the Odet River. We found a good patisserie in the road parallel to the riverfront, called Nektar, where we bought a selection of cakes to celebrate Linda’s birthday.

One of the joys of owning a V50 is that there’s enough space in the tender garage to stow our bikes, and the next day we cycled the customs path to Île Tudy (7km). We also took the ferry to Loctudy to check out the marina there.

Squeezing along the narrow channel to the marina. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Port-Louis, Lorient

We made an early start to beat the forecasted arrival of a F5 wind. Our target was Lorient, a relatively short hop of 37nm. We’d heard good things about the area and Port Louis seemed to be the boaters’ marina of choice.

The impressive Citadelle de Port-Louis stands over the entrance to the Bay of Lorient and Port Louis is on the right as you pass it. We were met by a RIB, which showed us to a prime hammerhead berth.

Most of the shops and restaurants in Brittany are closed on Mondays but we found a lovely one called La Reine Suzette in the town, about 10 minutes’ walk from the boat.

The following day, we caught the ferry to Port de Pêche on the Lorient side. It was a 30-minute walk from there to the K3 submarine pens but once we’d found the ticket office (in the Eric Tabarly building) they were well worth seeing.

The tidal gate leading to Vannes. Photo: Colin Le Conte

These massive structures are effectively bomb- proof and still used for commercial activities. You need to take the guided tour to go inside them (in French only, except mid-summer) but you can visit the Submarine Museum and the Flore S645 submarine using multilingual headsets. We can also recommend a detour to the tasty on-site crêperie!

The following day, we caught the ferry to Île de Groix. We had considered taking our boat, but it’s a small marina, and with the F5 winds continuing, we felt this was the sensible choice. Good fuelling is available at the main marina called Kernevel. Access is through the southern end but beware of the beach.

Colin takes the helm. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Étel

Most UK boaters seem to give Étel a miss as there’s a sandbar at the entrance to the river, however, a friend of ours told us it was well worth the effort. Given that it’s only 11nm from Port Louis, we decided to take a look.

We had timed our arrival for HW on a 92 coefficient tide but as the sandbank is constantly shifting, we took things very slowly and were soon safely into the deeper waters of the river Étel.

View from Saint Michel church on the Île aux Moines. Photo: Colin Le Conte

There are new facilities at the marina and the visitors moorings are on the outside of the marina wall. True to our friend’s word, Étel is beautiful. Our stay was slightly spoiled by the wash from passing boats – the locals show no respect for the 5-knot limit – but once they’d all come back in for the night we had a peaceful night’s sleep until 6am, when they all decided to go back out to catch the fish they missed the previous day!

We rode our bikes to Île de Saint Cado and the lovely town of Erdeven, where there’s a great walking and cycle route to Carnac, taking in the historic menhirs, dolmens and stone alignments known as the “Sentier des Mégalithes”.

We also took a small ferry up on a very scenic route up the River Étel via the oyster beds and back down again to the Barre d’Étel at the river entrance.

Article continues below…

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Crouesty

We wanted to be in Vannes in two days’ time to meet up with our friends David and Debra. As the crow flies, the journey is less than 20nm but you have to go around the southern tip of Quiberon, increasing the distance to 25nm.

We did consider some of the inside passages around the tip of Quiberon but decided that given the speed and size of our boat, it was safer to go around the Phare de la Teignouse.

As we passed the lighthouse, we could see 100 or more yachts battling it out in a race towards the island of Houat. We had already been warned by Trinité-sur-Mer that they could not accommodate us until early June due to the Arman Yacht Race, and sure enough, when we arrived at Crouesty, it looked like rush hour. This is a very large marina with over 1,500 boats but the fairways are not that wide, so you have to keep a lookout in all directions.

Île aux Moines was lovely. We ate on board that evening. Photo: Colin Le Conte

We made it to the fuelling pontoon under the tall tower to find no fewer than five pumps: two for smaller boats on the far side of the pontoon and three larger ones on the fairway side.

Once again we called the marina office and someone came to override the pump’s card limit, taking payment at the small office on the fuelling pontoon. Just allow plenty of time, as the marina attendants are all very busy!

‘We timed our departure to arrive at the Chenal du Four with a following tide and the wind behind us; it was one of the calmest parts of the trip’. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Crouesty is a stopping-off point for lots of boats so it’s well set up for it, with four sets of toilets dotted around the marina. The Passport Escales card worked well for accessing these facilities here and at other marinas – a handy tip if you haven’t got the code from the marina office.

Once settled, we walked to the headland of Port-Navalo to see the full force of the Semaine du Golfe festival of traditional boats. It was heaving with people, boats, tents, bands and parades. No wonder the marina was busy!

Safely berthed on a pontoon in Île aux Moines. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Île aux Moines

Turn right out of the marina and you are at the entrance to the Morbihan, a huge lagoon containing an archipelago of over 45 islands but with an entrance just half a mile wide so the tide rushes in and out.

We timed our entry half an hour after HW during neaps but we still had 2-3 knots of tide with us as we passed through the entrance. High Water in Vannes, at the top of the Morbihan, is almost two hours later than at the entrance, so water is still flowing into the Bay even when HW has passed.

With the tide behind us and travelling at a GPS speed of just over 5 knots, our Garmin chart plotter reported a range of over 1,000nm on our full tanks. If only that were always the case!

Calmer waters inside the magical Golfe du Morbihan. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Our destination was Île aux Moines, as recommended by visitors to the Digimap Marinas website. There are two pontoons for visitors outside a harbour in idyllic settings. The pontoons are supposed to have electricity and water but often one or other of them seems to be broken.

On this occasion, it was the water. There are no toilet facilities on the pontoon but there is a free water taxi service during marina office hours. Outside of these times, you are on your own.

The seagull-speckled crags of the Sept Îles. Photo: Colin Le Conte

We were worried there might not be a space for us as there were so many boats around for the festival. However, the marina office had said there should be room and sure enough we were soon moored alongside the outside of pontoon A, only to be moved to pontoon B as they wanted to keep the deeper water available for any yachts.

Île aux Moines was lovely. We ate on board that evening and watched the many boats passing through the passage between us and the mainland only 700m away – but a world apart in terms of tranquillity.

One of the many small fishing boats whizzing in and out of the entrance to the river. Photo: Colin Le Conte

Vannes

The next day was our big one as it would take us to Vannes – the furthest point of our cruise. We timed the one-hour journey to arrive 30 minutes after the gate was due to open.

Vannes Marina had been very helpful, responding to emails and advising us not to come until the big Morbihan event had finished. On arrival, a RIB met us and asked us to wait on the waiting pontoon for an hour, while some boats left but after 15 minutes we were told to follow the marina attendant in.

Southern Brittany. Photo: Colin Le Conte

It is not the widest channel but we made it through just fine and were directed to moor outside the Capitainerie. Watched by a number of visitors, we spun Echo Beach round and moored perfectly.

With a sense of satisfaction and a certain amount of pride we had reached our destination. Our friends from Guernsey would join us the next day for the return leg of our adventure and the opportunity to visit a number of new and not-so-new marinas.

Next month: the return voyage to Guernsey, a handful of surprises and final lessons learned.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Boating in a Princess V50 to Southern Brittany part 1: 'The Semaine du Golfe festival was heaving with people' appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

This new flagship from Italian yard Solaris is a very different creature to its sportier Open and Coupé offerings. As the name suggests, it’s intended as a long-range liveaboard cruiser rather than a glorified day boat.

That starts with a Category A rated semi-displacement hull that’s designed for comfortable fuel-effi cient passage-making at anything from 8-22 knots.

Twin IPS pod drives coupled with 4,100-litre tanks make the most of this to give a claimed cruising range of 900nm at 12 knots.

The window to starboard can be swapped for a door and balcony

That said, it wouldn’t be a Solaris without a few design fl ourishes and the 70 Long Range is no ordinary trawler yacht. The fi rst clue to that is an oversized aft cockpit with two very luxurious lounging and dining areas in addition to an extended hydraulic platform with access to a 4m garage for tenders. Two further lockers hidden in the cockpit coaming provide storage for a pair of Seabobs.

Although the launch boat didn’t have it, there is also an option for a huge folding balcony along the starboard side that links up with a sliding side door in the saloon to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor. The owner of this boat specified a long drop-down window instead with extended galley units on both sides and enough fridges to feed an army.

Unusually, the stairs up to the fl ybridge are tucked just inside the saloon doors and lead up to another large but sheltered outside guest area with rotating louvres in the hard top. This space can be fi tted with as much or as little fixed furniture as you choose.

The full beam owner’s cabin looks very luxurious

Solaris’s fl exible approach to customisation means the lower deck can also be adapted to suit a range of different needs. The show boat had two spectacular full-beam VIP suites at either end with an okay double and a tiny single in between, but the single can be swapped for a day heads or you can opt for three similar sized ensuite doubles and a decent twin. A compact crew cabin adds a final flourish.

Solaris Power 70 Long Range specifications

LOA: 69ft 8in (21.24m)
BEAM: 19ft 8in (5.99m)
MAX SPEED: 24 knots
ENGINES: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS950 or IPS1350
PRICE FROM: €3.9m ex tax

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Solaris Power 70 Long Range first look: Italian yard’s new powerhouse appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Bluegame doesn’t do ordinary and nothing illustrates that better than this new flagship, the BGX83. Even in the confines of Boot Düsseldorf’s mammoth halls, it towered above visitors, striking a Jekyll and Hyde balance between a pumped up adventure boat and a compact luxury superyacht.

It certainly looked pretty imposing with its triple IPS pod drives and Sleipner curved fin stabilisers jutting out from its heavily built hull, although we were a little surprised it only merited an RCD category B rating.

The lower saloon links the beach club and owner’s cabin

The vast open beach club with a folding balcony along the starboard side and a hidden crane to port can be used for anything from storing tenders and toys to operating as the ultimate party platform.

But it’s the way this links up with the sunken lower saloon and full-beam owner’s cabin below that really defines this boat. Fans will love the feeling of a mini apartment by the sea, while critics will point out the relatively small size of the owner’s sleeping area when compared with more voluminous 80ft rivals.

But there’s no arguing with the amount of outdoor space it offers or the easy flow around the yacht granted by those walkaround decks and both internal and external staircases.

Our favourite spot is the deep-set bow lounge with its versatile mix of seats, tables and sunpads, offering a very private space for guests to eat, drink and chill out. The flybridge runs a close second, although the lack of a fixed hard top and low windscreen means it’s not as sheltered as some of its rivals.

The upper saloon, galley and helm with the optional Lissoni package

We’re not convinced the optional Lissoni interior makes best use of the compact upper saloon. It looks very stylish but leaves no space for an internal dining table and the transverse galley with its long slender bar and absurdly heavy sink cover favours form over function.

We’ll reserve judgement on the helm station for the sea trial, as the view through the short windscreens felt a bit confined inside the halls but it may work at sea. As Bluegame readily admits, it won’t be for everyone but for those it does appeal to, nothing else comes close.

Article continues below…

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£5786766

Bluegame BGX83 Specifications:

LOA: 83ft 7in (25.6m)
Beam: 20ft 7in (6.3m)
Engines: 3 x Volvo Penta IPS1200
Top speed: 30 knots
Price from: €5.9m ex tax
Contact details: www.bluegame.it

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Bluegame BGX83: Extraordinarily blending adventure and luxury design appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Wider is an Italian manufacturer of superyachts with a fleet of 150 – 200ft craft.

Although a very innovative brand (the Wider 165 has a float-in tender garage that converts to an indoor swimming pool, and generators under the foredeck that power electric pod drives instead of engines), it’s not immediately obvious where the Wider name came from.

To get to the root of that, we need to delve back to 2011 and the company’s very first product, the Wider 42.

At first glance, this 42ft sports boat was the very antithesis of wide. With a beam of just 11ft 6in and a carbon composite stepped hull designed by offshore racing guru Mark Wilson, the Wider 42 was a narrow go-fast machine.

The reason for the name becomes apparent when you press a button and the sides extend to create valuable extra deck space

The twin Cummins QSB 5.9 480hp diesel engines fitted to the boat powered Arneson Long Finn surface drives to speeds of over 50 knots.

And if that wasn’t fun enough, it came with a 215hp Sea-Doo RXT dock at the aft end with a power launch and recover facility, as well as a cuddy cabin with a dinette that converted to a double berth at the front.

Other innovations included inflatable cockpit furniture that could be tossed over the side if you fancied bobbing about on it, and ‘saddle bags’ that you could pack at home and then fit as lockers inside the cabin. There was even a touchscreen built into the steering wheel that controlled the whole boat. As a first model from a brand new yard, it was, frankly, off the chain.

All of the above would have been plenty enough to secure it a spot in the MBY Cool Boat pantheon.

But we’ve only just got to the boat’s party piece and the origin of that Wider moniker.

At the touch of a button, side panels on the gunwales extend outwards, while rectangular sections of the hull descend into the water on either side like outrigger floats to stabilise the hull. In just 12 seconds, the centre cockpit is 8ft wider, creating vastly more space and cementing the brand name for anyone seeing it in action.

Article continues below…

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Wider 42 Specifications:

Year: 2011
LOA: 42ft 4in (12.9m)
Beam: 11ft 6in (3.5m)
Power: Twin Cummins QSB 5.9 480hp diesel engines
Speed: 53 knots
Price when new: €780,000

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article World's coolest boats: Wider 42 appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The problem with electric planing boats is not lack of speed or acceleration but the size of the battery; too small and the range becomes vanishingly small, too big and the weight prevents the boat from planing. But what if you could recharge the battery from an equally quiet, clean and emissions-free source?

That’s the premise behind Italian yard Tykun’s hydrogen-powered H1 chase boat. By fitting it with a fuel cell that converts hydrogen gas into electricity, it gives all the benefits of an electric craft without the usual limitations. Tykun claims a top speed of over 35 knots and a range of 60nm at a cruising speed of 20 knots.

“It’s like having an electric boat with the charger always plugged in,” says Vittorio Maccone, Sales Engineer at TESYA Group, which is responsible for the H1’s drivetrain.

Fast and Functional

The idea for the project was sparked by a challenge to produce a hydrogen-powered superyacht tender that was “usable and manageable for a customer”, according to Ugo Casadio, Chief Technical Officer at Tykun’s parent company, MED Group.

The decks have been raised by 10cm to make room for the fuel cell, batteries and four hydrogen tanks

Until now the only similar-sized hydrogen- powered vessels have been the high-tech chase boats designed and built specifically for the America’s Cup. Impressive as these carbon fibre foiling powercats are, with their 50-knot top speeds and cruising ranges of over 100nm, they are far too complex, expensive and impractical for use as a superyacht tender let alone a mainstream leisure boat.

The H1, by contrast, is based on a robust 40ft monohull design with proven military roots. Being built from aluminium, it’s still usefully lighter than standard GRP (the hull weighs around 3 tonnes) but far less brittle and expensive to build than carbon fibre. And unlike the semi-enclosed power cats that rely on complex algorithms and multiple sensors to keep them flying above the water on their adjustable foiling systems, the H1 is no harder to drive than a regular planing sportscruiser.

Article continues below…

The boat itself was designed by Tommaso Spadolini with functionality and seaworthiness as top priorities, meaning the hydrogen propulsion package had to be out of sight and out of mind. By raising the deck level 10cm higher than normal, enough space was liberated under it for four cylindrical tanks carrying 32kg of hydrogen at 350 BAR. Ventilation for the tanks was also integrated into the supports for the T-Top to minimise the aesthetic impact.

The high-pressure gas is then fed to a centrally mounted fuel cell, a marinised version of the 70kW fuel cell developed by Toyota for its Mirai car and adapted for marine use by EODev. This passes the hydrogen through a catalytic membrane which splits the molecules into protons and electrons before combining them with oxygen from the air to release heat, electricity and water.

Air vents run down the T-Top supports to feed oxygen to the fuel cell and keep the bilge voids well ventilated

This alone wouldn’t generate enough power to accelerate the boat onto the plane or to reach its desired top speed, so rather than powering the twin 110kW electric motors directly, it feeds into a 240kWh battery bank that acts as both a buffer storage facility and a power booster. This can be charged by a DC fast charger in the marina before you set off as well as by the onboard fuel cell on the go. As with all planing boats, once it’s over the hump it doesn’t require nearly as much power to keep it running at an efficient speed.

There’s a double berth tucked into the bow

Quick to Refuel

Neither the make of the battery nor the electric motors have yet been revealed but the renderings show two relatively tall battery banks set behind the fuel cell. The motors themselves are positioned well aft in a similar location to conventional petrol or diesel engines, but being smaller they don’t protrude nearly as far forward. These are linked directly to a pair of sterndrives with twin counter-rotating propellers. Again, the make and model of these has not yet been confirmed but Mercruiser
or Volvo Penta are the likely candidates.

As well as having a longer range than most electric boats (typically around 20nm at planing speeds), it’s also much quicker to refuel – the four hydrogen tanks can be refilled in just three minutes. Tykun has teamed up with hydrogen infrastructure specialist NatPowerH to provide support for this, and all the systems have been type approved to minimise legislative hurdles and maximise safety. The price of the H1 has yet to be confirmed but if a suitable customer or strategic partner can be found, the prototype could be on the water within 6-8 months.

Neither the deck layouts nor the aesthetics have been compromised by the transition to hydrogen

Promising as this new concept is, its environmental credentials rely on the availability of green hydrogen and/or electricity. While most countries now generate a significant amount of electricity from renewable sources such as wind turbines and solar farms, the vast majority of commercially available hydrogen is produced from either natural gas or methane, known as blue or grey hydrogen depending on whether the carbon emitted is captured or released into the atmosphere.

Only when the hydrogen is made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using wind or solar generated electricity is it considered a truly green alternative. That said any boat which offers the advantages of electric power, such as quieter running, reduced vibrations, instant torque and zero harmful emissions at the point of use, without the usual drawbacks has to be a positive development.

And as the demand for green hydrogen grows, the production capacity and infrastructure will grow with it.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

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This article How hydrogen just ended range anxiety for high-speed electric boating appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

The first boat from new Turkish brand, Aiata, was a 38-footer that came both as an open boat (Sunfinder) and a pilothouse variant (Wayfinder) – and here at Düsseldorf, it was back with a new 50ft Sunfinder flagship that exhibits many of the same trademark features.

Reversible side benches open out over the terraces

There’s a stepped hull with a plumb bow and a massive ‘aircraft carrier’ flare that delivers plenty of space for a secure eight-person bow lounge, as well as the promise of serious splash deflection in the chop. And on the inside, this boat treads precisely the day-centric line you would expect of a Sunfinder model.

The triple V10 400hp outboards, for instance, are backed up by a full-beam aft swim platform and topped with a raised sunbed that projects well beyond the transom. It’s easily large enough for four or five people but you can extend it by raising the aft platform up; or you can optimise the Aiata’s back end for watersports by dropping the swim platform beneath the surface instead.

As an open Sunfinder model, the main deck is very well serviced

Further forward, the cockpit continues the day boating versatility with a big, secure wraparound dinette with reversing backrests on both sides so you can open it up and face outboard, across the drop-down terraces for unobstructed views of (and unobstructed access to) the sea. The bow adds extra sunbathing space, as well as another dedicated lounge.

The big wet bar that nestles against the three helm seats ensures that snacks, cold drinks and ice are properly taken care of too.

Down below, you get a pair of cabins, a small breakfast bar and a relatively compact heads compartment, which is by no means a generous haul for a boat of this scale.

There is a midships double but the bow cabin is the one to pick

But what is more surprising is the fact that, in order to add extra storage troughs beneath the cockpit deck, what might easily have been a full-beam midships cabin is hemmed in by a bulkhead on the port side. It’s a peculiar design choice but this is of course a day-centric platform and Aiata is a brand that likes to do things its own way.

As if to push that point home, the show stand also displayed scale models of the next two 50ft variants – the first, a Wayfinder pilothouse model; and the second, a flybridge variant of this same open boat.

Article continues below…

Aiata Wayfinder 38 review: A Swiss Army Knife of a boat

New Aiata Wayfinder 38: A flared design rivalling ABBA's trousers

Aiata Sunfinder 50 Specifications:

LOA: 50ft 4in (15.35m)
Beam: 13ft 1in (4.00m)
Engines: Triple V10 400hp outboards
Top speed: 44 knots
Price: from €955,000 ex VAT
Contact details: www.aiataboats.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Aiata Sunfinder 50: Day boat with massive ‘aircraft carrier’ flare appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Our prize for the prettiest new boat at the Dusseldorf show goes to this, the flagship of the new Gran Turismo range. Instead of following the herd and building an even bigger, more bloated replacement for the old GT50, Beneteau went back to what sportscruisers always used to be about – good looks, a low roofline and plenty of outdoor living space.

It helped that the show boat was the blinged up Alpine edition in midnight blue with matt black rails, carbon fibre detailing and coloured LED downlights set into the hull recess, but there’s no denying the flowing lines of its svelte new profile.

This is all the indoor seating the new GT50 provides

Its air draft of 15ft 1in is well over 2ft lower than its predecessor, and with its new reverse angle bow and semi-concealed hull windows, the result of that is a very clean and distinctive shape.

Unlike some modern coupés, where the deck saloon is the heart of the boat, the focus of the GT50 is its long open cockpit. A big hydraulic bathing platform, drop down terraces on both sides and a very sociable dinette with two facing curved benches create a very relaxed outdoor vibe with a great connection to the sea.

The owner’s cabin is in the bow so it has full standing headroom

There’s also a rather lovely recessed seating area in front of the foredeck sunpads, a bit like a glorified bow-rider.

There is still an enclosed deck saloon in between but it’s comparatively short with a galley occupying most of the aft end and a big window that opens up to create a long bar overlooking the cockpit. In fact, the only indoor seating area is a compact C-shaped sofa next to the helm.

The low deck and roofline rules out the headroom for a full-beam owner’s cabin amidships so Beneteau has used the space for a small single cabin to port and a large twin/double to starboard.

The sunken forepeak lounge is like a classical bow rider space

The owner’s cabin has been shunted forward where it has sufficient light, space and headroom to feel suitably luxurious. In today’s world, where bigger tends to sell better, it’s a brave call by Beneteau, but we reckon the GT50 is a gamble that deserves to pay off.

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Beneteau Swift Trawler 37 Fly review: 'You don’t expect a trawler-style boat to look pretty'

£273345.97

Used Beneteau GT46 Review: Is it a Budget Buy or a Smart Choice for a 46ft Sports Cruiser?

Beneteau Gran Turismo 50 Specifications:

LOA: 52ft 4in (15.95m)
Beam: 14ft 8in (4.48m)
Engines: 2 x 480hp Volvo Penta IPS650 TOP SPEED: 31 knots
Price from: €950,000
Contact details: www.beneteau.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Beneteau Gran Turismo 50: A modern take on a traditional sportscruiser appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

When I finished my last article, I explained that I was putting a lot of faith in Windy. I had sold my Windy 34 Alizé and committed to the new Windy SR40, based on nothing more than a small 3D model.

Fellow boating friends thought I was mad, buying a new boat off-plan and taking the first boat built! But the moment of truth came with a visit to Windy in Sweden alongside Bruno from Merveille Nautique at the end of March. I would finally get to see the boat for the first time and take it out for a sea trial.

The Swedish sea trial

The omens were good as the early morning sun rose. It was the first day of the year that had seen spring make an appearance. My biggest concern had been the proportions of the boat but it was time for a big sigh of relief. They were just perfect. The walkaround element felt so safe and secure without compromising the helm station and all the other outdoor spaces. But the layout still provided an acceptable cabin and a more than adequate heads with separate shower.

As for the sea trial, that confirmed all the Windy virtues. The boat was put through some hard turns at 40 knots on a lumpy sea and it felt every bit as good as every other Windy I’ve driven. There was of course a snagging list and some modifications to be made.

It’s easier for Tim’s boating dog too

Storage was quite limited but we came up with ways of maximising that. The specification of the boat included mooring cleats on the bathing platform, which is not enough so we added some extra ones. And Windy has all the skills on site to customise the boat in any way.

More to the point, things do go wrong as the boat’s size and complexity increases. The most important thing is that the dealer acknowledges them and works with the manufacturer to fix them as quickly as possible – and Merveille Nautique and Windy were exemplary.

One concern for me was the driving position because, despite using adjustable height seats, it really suited taller people. Some modifications had already been planned and would be retro-fitted. We jointly designed an innovative platform that could be folded down from the seat stanchion.

Hard top and side doors are great in all weathers

The result was a wonderful drop-down teak and stainless steel platform, which you can see in the pictures. Windy really welcomed the challenge and executed it superbly. But now, the race was on to get it ready for the Palma boat show. They only had about ten days left before they had to load my boat (and its sister boat, hull 001) onto trucks for the journey to Palma. And that would be the next time I saw my boat, during the official launch of the SR40 in Palma, where MBY had an exclusive sea trial booked.

The day of delivery

When I took official delivery at the end of May, it already had 20 hours of running under its belt, so its initial shakedown was fully complete. There were a couple of technical issues, which were quickly sorted. One was the failure of the bow thruster, which was tracked down to a wire that had been dislodged when the hi-low cabin table was retro-fitted.

Time at anchor is much more comfortable

The silver lining was that it forced me to use the joystick, which was much better than I had experienced with previous IPS boats. It doesn’t integrate with the bow thrusters but I think that’s a positive, as it gives me an extra degree of manual control.

Making life easy

My primary reason for the change of boat had always been the ease of use of the walkaround layout. The proportions of the seating area and sun bed all work really well – and when you’re on board, it really does feel like a boat from the next sector up. The combination of a full windscreen with sliding side doors and a sunroof provides flexibility for a variety of conditions. And the sliding side doors can be locked in partially open positions, which means the boat can be as open or closed as you like.

Walkaround decks have been very welcome

And what about the Seakeeper gyro, my most expensive option? It obviously needs an accompanying generator but the generator brings many other benefits. The gyro takes 50 minutes to spool up and reach maximum operating effectiveness and our favourite anchoring spot is about 40 minutes away, so one of my first tasks is to switch the generator on and then the gyro. And it really does work well.

It definitely deals with the swell and dampens the roll of the boat. It doesn’t keep it completely flat but it does mean we’re happy to stay put when previously, we would have lifted the anchor and headed back to port. It also dampens a cross swell when cruising, which is so handy when we find ourselves amongst the confused water of our port entrance.

The bespoke foot brace is a major helm upgrade

We wouldn’t normally consider putting fenders out until in the shelter of the port, but the gyro calms the boat’s movement enough to walk around and get the job done.

For us though, the most critical thing is that it increases the days we can anchor up, as well as the length of time we can stay. The boat’s protection does a similarly good job of increasing how often we’re able to use the boat, so I am delighted. We wanted extra usability, safety and practicality and we got it. It’s a great year-round family boat and one that still performs like a proper Windy.

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article Moment of truth: Was buying a Windy SR40 sight unseen a mistake? appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

After the brief teaser appearance of a prototype at Cannes, Axopar finally took the wraps off the production version of its much-hyped replacement for the 37.

Bigger and heavier than its predecessor, it looks and feels more like a shrunken 45 than a beefed up 37, and according to Axopar’s frontman, Jan-Erik Viitala, that’s how it drives too.

The broader bow has room for optional seats on all four sides

For the moment, it’s only available as an enclosed Cross Cabin model with twin 300-350hp engines, but Sun Top and Cross Top versions will follow, along with more powerful Brabus variants. The most noticeable change is the new optional folding ‘activity platform’.

A simple manual mechanism with dyneema retainers minimises the chance of any malfunction. The other big exterior change is a longer, broader bow cockpit with a forward-facing bench and optional seats along both sides that convert to a sunbed.

The dinette converts to a bed or two rows of forward-facing seats

As before, the aft cockpit can be specified with a number of different extras, ranging from a bench to a wet bar or an aft cabin. The latter feels like the best option as the new opening ports and bigger windows make it feel less claustrophobic than before and it provides the base for a permanent aft sunbed.

Inside, the changes are even more extensive, including a proper separate heads compartment (one of the 37’s few weaknesses) and an internal galley. The wheelhouse is also a big step-up thanks to a dinette that converts to an extra bed or two rows of forward-facing seats. The optional swing-up aft window is another valuable addition.

The 38’s uprated bow cabin gets a proper separate heads

An extra 100-litres of fuel capacity (830 litres in total) and a doubling of battery power should improve both the range and duration at anchor, while the deep-vee twin-stepped hull has extra bow flare for a drier ride in the rough.

It all adds up to an even more comfortable and capable all-rounder than the 37, but also a more expensive one. Don’t be fooled by the website’s starting price of €133,000 – by the time you’ve added engines, tax and some choice options you’re looking at parting with almost €450,000.

Article continues below…

Axopar 45 Cross Top review: the world's coolest day boat?

£515784

Axopar 37 review: Award-winning cruiser reborn for 2020 with gull-wing doors

Axopar 38 Specifications:

LOA: 38ft 11in (11.85m)
Beam: 11ft 7in (3.53m)
Engines: 2 x 3-00-350hp Mercury Verado
Top speed: 45 knots
Price from: €240,000 ex tax
Contact details: www.axopar.com

If you enjoyed this….

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.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

This article New Axopar 38: Optional folding 'activity platform' is the highlight appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.