Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Motor Boat & Yachting

As every boat owner knows customer service is everything. Boats are complex things and even the best built ones occasionally go wrong. The real judge of quality is how well you’re looked after when it does happen. If the yard/dealer’s response is swift and efficient, you may even think better of the boat than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place. If it’s slow and painful, the chances are you’ll opt for a different brand from a different dealer when the time comes to replace it. So how come some airline companies don’t seem to care how they treat their customers? Last year, on the way back from the Cannes boat show my Easyjet flight from Nice to Gatwick was cancelled and I had to fly back to…

September saw two of the year’s most important shows take place and, despite less than perfect economic backdrops and challenging weather conditions in the UK, most of the big yards reported impressive forward order books and resilient new boat sales. CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL In the usual perfect Côte d’Azur conditions, this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival demonstrated yet again how creative boat builders can be. The list of world premieres was longer and more impressive than usual – we counted over 30 motor boats making their debuts this year. You can see our full report of the most interesting ones in our Best of Cannes review (pages 24-37). The most notable trend was the influx of new motor catamarans. Bluegame, Aquila, Sunreef, Four Winns, Silent Yachts and newcomer YOT all unveiled…

An all-electric sportsboat that flies on foils has been unveiled by Italian start-up Futur-E. On display at the recent Cannes Yacht Festival, the 17ft-long prototype features supercar-like styling with Lamborghini-style scissor doors on either side and a sliding roof. The cabin is focussed around a single central bucket seat with an F1-style wheel and futuristic helm console. There is room for a couple of extra passengers on a rear bench seat. Sea trials have already been successfully completed at speeds of up to 32 knots using a conventional 115hp Mercury Verado outboard engine. This is located beneath the “tailgate” and will ultimately be replaced by an electric sterndrive leg that will draw its power from a battery bank located underneath the “bonnet”. Four independently adjustable foils enable it to start…

An auction held during MDL Marina’s Captain’s Dinner on 1 September raised over £11,000 for three charities – the Ocean Youth Trust (South), Blue Marine Foundation and the Maiden Factor Foundation. Timed to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of both MDL and the original Whitbread Round The World Race, the event was held at the Harbour Hotel in MDL’s Ocean Village Marina. Nicholas Bonham, a member of the famous auction house family, officiated the sale. Some of the highest-bid items included a day sail aboard the training vessel Prolific (£3,000) and a name placed on the hull of the recently restored racing yacht Maiden. The latter is an entrant in the 2023/34 Ocean Global Race and famously took part in the 1989/1990 Whitbread with Tracy Edwards as skipper of the race’s…

OTTO TORQUAY First impressions last, it is often said, and it’s true – for when I look back at the photos of the facade of Otto, MDL’s new restaurant in its Torquay Marina, I still can’t help but think of King Tut’s tomb. Inside, just for a moment, I felt the antiquities theme might continue as the concrete floor where you wait to be seated looked as if it had last been painted around the time the pharaoh was interred. That blemish aside, the rest of the news is good – Otto is a great place for an informal bite. The restaurant takes its name from the Italian for ‘eight’. That’s because it’s located at Unit 8 on Vaughan Road, adjacent to the marina, and its management wanted to reflect…

LOA: 78ft 8in (23.99m) BEAM: 22ft 3in (6.78m) ENGINES: 3 x 900-1,000hp Volvo Penta IPS1200-1350 TOP SPEED: 21-23 knots PRICE: POA We’d love to know what planet Wally founder Luca Bassani is really from because it’s hard to believe that any human would come up with such outlandish ideas that not only work but make every other boat look staid by comparison. His latest creation, the WallyWhy 150, may follow the template set out by last year’s Why 200 but it’s no less surprising when you first set eyes on it. With its double-height vertical bow towering over every other craft in the vicinity and a pilothouse that looks like a prop from a Star Wars movie, there is no mistaking it for any other craft. In some ways it feels…

LOA: 74ft 4in(22.70m) BEAM: 26ft 7in (8.15m) ENGINES: Twin 550-625hp Volvo D8 IPS700 & 800 TOP SPEED: 20 knots PRICE: from €6.4m ex VAT CONTACT: www.bluegame.it After all the hype about Bluegame’s first multihull not being a motor cat but a monohull that happens to have two hulls, it was fascinating to see how it works in practice. Inevitably the truth lies somewhere between the two. Legendary French naval architect Philippe Briand has done a good job of disguising the usual boxy aesthetics of a motor cat by limiting the beam to around 35% of the length (most power cats are around 50%), concealing the gap between the hulls at the stern with a tender garage and adopting some of the styling cues of the BGX range, but there’s no…

LOA: 74ft 1in (22.57m) BEAM: 18ft 5in (5.62m) ENGINES: twin MAN V12 1,400hp TOP SPEED: 32 knots PRICE: €3.3 million ex tax CONTACT: www.azimutyachts.com Azimut managed to launch three new boats at Cannes this year; the Magellano 60 which we sea trialled in last month’s issue, the Verve 48 you can read about on p36, and this new 72 Fly. As with most of its recent flybridge and sportsbridge craft, the exterior design is by Alberto Mancini, but for the inside, Azimut brought in Fabio Fantolino in place of Achille Salvagni, whose pastel colours and fluid shapes might have proved a little too Marmite for some. By British boat-building standards the decor is still relatively brave, deliberately mixing up colours, textures and shapes with designer light fittings and statement furniture…

LOA: 35ft 10in (10.92m) BEAM: 13ft 1in (3.99m) ENGINES: 2 x 225-300hp Mercury outboards TOP SPEED: 35 knots PRICE: from €380,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.yot-power-catamarans.com The Catana Group is one of the world’s most prolific builders of sailing catamarans but now it has turned its attention to powercats. Marketed under the brand name YOT (TOY spelled backwards), it will eventually include inboard- and outboard-powered craft of all different sizes, but first out of the traps is this new 36ft sporting weekender. The show demonstrator was fitted with a pair of 300hp Verado V8s for an estimated top speed of 35 knots, but it’s the stylish looks, clever packaging and versatile cockpit layout that are likely to impress buyers the most. At 3.99m wide, it is designed to fit into a…

LOA: 59ft 1in (18.00m) BEAM: 20ft 8in (6.30m) ENGINES: twin Volvo Penta IPS-800s-950s TOP SPEED: 32 knots PRICE: POA CONTACT: www.evoyachts.com One of Cannes’ most hotly coveted boats was this offering from Evo. Built on the platform of the existing R6 but with a wheelhouse structure crafted from skeletal aluminium and glass, the new R+ looks superb. What you don’t expect it to do is make any practical sense and yet, when you get on board and check out the details, it really does. The clever aft platform and tender garage are present and correct, as are the vast automotive-style air vents at the back end. The option of Evo’s unique push-out (rather than drop-down) extendable bulwarks also makes a difference and the cockpit’s convertible dinette is extremely smart. But…

LOA: 41ft 6in (12.64m) BEAM: 21ft 0in ENGINES: Twin Volvo Penta D4 230-300hp TOP SPEED: 24 knots PRICE: Around €1m ex taxes With both Aquila and Leopard launching similar-sized powercats at the Cannes show, this was a perfect opportunity to see how the two new models differ. On the face of it, the Aquila looked marginally the sportier of the two with its raked windscreen and more curvaceous styling. It also seemed to offer a bit more flexibility with two-, three- or four-cabin layouts thanks to a curious ‘flex-cabin’ located in the bridge deck between the two hulls forward of the saloon. This only has around 5ft of headroom to reduce the chance of it impacting waves passing between the hulls, but this does increase to full standing headroom once…

After a brief trip home we are back at Zea Marina in Piraeus, Greece where our Marlow 72, Azura, awaits us. The inner harbour is completely surrounded by apartment blocks but it does mean that shops, restaurants and supermarkets are all within easy walking distance while diesel can be delivered by tanker trucks. They drive to the quay and then roll out their hoses. However, our need lies in another direction: water. We drink more water than ever before due to the unrelenting heat of 25°C at night and 35°C or more during the day. We barely feel like leaving the air-conditioned comfort of our yacht but we are in a country with some of the richest cultural history in Europe, so there’s no way we’re going to miss it.…

SEE MORE mby.com/q27c Established in 2021 by three highly respected Finnish boat builders, Quarken has enjoyed an almost comically auspicious start to life. Its debut model immediately scooped the MBY Sportsboat of the Year award for its great looks, keen pricing and brilliant dayboating flexibility. That has since been joined by a T-Top V2 model, which addresses the original T-Top’s absent cooking facilities with a transverse wet bar at the transom. And another new model has now emerged, again on the same 27ft platform, but this time with all the four-season practicality that an enclosed pilothouse brings. SENSITIVE UPGRADES As on the T-Top model, rather than opting for a full walkaround design, Quarken has offset the wheelhouse to starboard to create more space inside the cabin at the expense of…

Using lightweight high-tensile fabrics based on kite surfing technology, the smallest 250 model of the EzRaft weighs just 11kg, and measures 80x30x30cm when packed up, making it back-packable. Its construction means strength, safety and durability are assured while the patented three-tube design requires no heavy structural parts. Even the paddles are telescopic. EZraft says it takes about five minutes to inflate and deflate. Inflated, the 250 is 250cm long, the 280 is 280cm long and the 310 is, well… you get the picture. Once afloat, the trimaran design means it’s more like a raft than a conventional inflatable. You sit high, and since the floor is above the waterline, it self-drains. There’s a removable transom mounting plate for an outboard engine, with all three sizes taking up to 4hp (3kW).…

When cruising the crowded waters of the French Riviera, Corsica is always a tantalising temptation. At just 100 miles away, it’s right there, winking at you whenever you zoom out on your boat’s plotter. In truth, the waters between the French mainland and Corsica are plagued by strong westerlies, which can make the sea passage unpleasant at times. And the end result is that timid boat-owners like me tend to pour another glass of rosé and postpone the big Corsica trip until next year. But in the end, curiosity got the better of me and I booked a two-week slot on Bateau9, our shared-ownership Princess 61. That ought to give me enough time to visit both Corsica and the islands off northern Sardinia. SCANDOLA AND CARGÈSE A smooth crossing is…

Neighbours of mine have possibly the most beautiful 1960s Porsche 911 I’ve ever seen. Period-perfect details include the Fuchs alloys it sits on, the delicate chromed vents in the front, the chrome overriders on the rear bumper and the twin stainless steel exhausts jetting out of the centre of the rear. Inside there is beautiful chequered upholstery and a period-appropriate three-spoke Momo-style steering wheel. But what’s really interesting is that it’s not a Sixties car at all, it’s a Nineties 964 version 911 and that means that it drives like a far more modern car and has such modern niceties as heated seats and air conditioning. The result is all the style of the Sixties era but with the comfort and dynamics of a far more modern car. And it’s…

BUILT: 2019 PRICE: £630, 000 ex VAT Visit Cockwells in Cornwall and you’re likely to find founder and managing director Dave Cockwell in overalls in the factory helping to build some of the finest custom made boats in the country. He is a proper boat builder and he builds proper boats, from one-off superyacht tenders to private yacht commissions. A few years ago the company started producing a series production boat called the Duchy 27 which could be built on spec rather than requiring a firm order. So successful was it that a larger version was launched in 2017, the Duchy 35. INTERIOR Two layout options were offered, either two cabins, each with a double berth, plus the heads on the lower deck and the galley in the saloon, or…

Fairline’s all-new Squadron 58 was the undisputed star of last month’s Southampton Boat Show. The first of a new generation of flybridge cruisers from the Oundle yard, it wowed visitors with its slick styling and a raft of innovative features. The most striking of these were the folding platforms on both sides of the cockpit, which not only foster a closer connection with the sea but free up space for extra seating to starboard and a lovely little bar area to port, complete with plug-in stools and guard ropes. Dropdown windows at the back and side of the aft galley help make the most of this arrangement. That was just the start of it though. A clever new ‘slide & hide’ extending bathing platform that stows flush with the aft…

Finnish yard Quarken is gearing up to launch a larger model at the Düsseldorf boat show in January. The 35 Cabin is a Category B model that picks up where the 27 Cabin leaves off. Like its smaller sibling it features a near-plumb bow and an asymmetric wheelhouse to maximise internal space, while still leaving room for a deeper, wider side deck to starboard. A forward raked windshield with slender mullions and deep windows all round should guarantee impressive visibility from the helm as well as plenty of natural light. Doors at the stern and next to the helm give easy access and a large sunroof overhead helps open things up even further. Various different layout options are possible in the wheelhouse and cockpit, including inside and outside galleys, swivelling…

The RNLI is marking its 200th anniversary with a series of podcasts. Called 200 Voices it features first-hand accounts of 200 people whose lives have been impacted, and in many cases saved, by the RNLI. The list includes a number of celebrities, such as Griff Rhys Jones, Timothy Spall and Ruth Jones, as well as serving RNLI crew. Radio Caroline DJ Nick Richards, for example, recounts the final hours aboard the 134ft pirate radio ship before it drifted onto the Longsands Bank and sank, leaving him and his crewmates to be rescued by the Sheerness lifeboat. The first podcast went live on 18 August and a new episode will be released every day in the run-up to the actual bicentenary day of 4 March 2024. You can find them wherever…

The Freedom Boat Club has opened four new sites in Spain. All four used to be Fanautic franchise locations but have now been rebranded to become part of the fast expanding Freedom Boat Club. They were acquired by FBC’s parent company in July 2021. Benalmadena, El Candado and Caleta de Velez are all in the Malaga area while the fourth is in Mataro, Barcelona. FBC is owned by the world’s largest boat and engine builder, the US-based Brunswick Corporation. It sees FBC’s shared-access club model as the perfect way to get new customers into boating and help sell new boats. It now has a club presence in 400 marinas across 34 US states and a further 45 locations around the world, including 27 in key European boating locations.…

LOA: 49ft 10in (15.18m) BEAM: 14ft 9in (4.49m) ENGINES: twin IPS-650s (2x480hp) TOP SPEED: 28 knots PRICE: from €890,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.prestige-yachts.com Prestige’s new F4 was one of the busiest boats at Cannes and it’s easy to see why. While the external styling is relatively modest, there’s a freshness to the deck arrangements that makes everything feel just that bit more special. The Ocean View Galley is a case in point. Positioned low and a good way aft, it adopts a transverse orientation, enabling it to straddle the zone between saloon and cockpit to great effect. You can look back toward the benches of the aft deck or forward toward the saloon dinette, while continuing to feel like a very natural part of both. Better still, the manipulation of…

LOA: 59ft 9in (18.20m) BEAM: 16ft 10in (5.12m) ENGINES: twin Cummins 715s / Volvo D13-1000s TOP SPEED: 22-30 knots PRICE: from €1,386,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.greenlinehybrid.com With base prices from around €1.4 million ex VAT, this traditional trawler-style cruiser represents a lot of boat for the money. It uses a symmetrical walkaround layout with a flybridge that extends way out over the side decks for extra space up top and extra shelter down below. The bow also does a very effective job. In addition to unobstructed skylights, it provides central sunbeds with lifting backrests and hinged sun shades, plus sufficient space in the forepeak for a five-person dining station without impeding the anchor, rails or cleats. Back aft, the cockpit benefits from a C-shaped aft galley with a fold-out bar to…

LOA: 83ft 0in (25.29m) BEAM: 20ft 0in (6.08m) ENGINES: Twin MAN V12 1800-1900hp TOP SPEED: 31 knots PRICE: from £6.6m ex taxes CONTACT: www.riva-yacht.com The launch of a new Riva is always a moment to savour, and the 82 Diva does not disappoint. But this time it’s not just the elegant styling and exquisite detailing that impresses. It’s the innovative layout too, which puts much greater emphasis on outdoor living and uses multiple interior deck heights to break up the usual predictable arrangement. That starts with a pair of folding terraces on either side of a low-level tender garage/sunpad large enough to house a Williams 395 Sportjet. Steps lead up on either side to the raised aft cockpit, which breaks with convention by offering a pair of longitudinal benches split…

LOA: 40ft 8in (12.4m) BEAM: 11ft 2in (3.4m) ENGINES: Twin 300-400hp Mercury outboards TOP SPEED: 50 knots PRICE: from €223,000 CONTACT: www.saxdoryachts.com Saxdor’s new flagship was mobbed from the moment the show opened. The promise of a rock bottom starting price, twin outboard power, folding balconies and a vacuum-infused twin-stepped hull offering 50-knot performance certainly got us fired up and there was plenty more to discover once we got on board. The optional glass aft bulkhead makes more sense when you realise that as well as reducing spray and noise, it links up with clear side canopies that pull out from the hard top pillars Marex-style to create a fully weatherproof wheelhouse under the hard top. Bi-fold doors on one side of the glass bulkhead and a huge swing-up window…

LOA: 38ft 5in (11.71m) BEAM: 14ft 7in (4.47m) ENGINES: twin 300-350hp outboards TOP SPEED: 30-34 knots PRICE: from €554,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.fourwinns.com Among the huge fleet of powercats at Cannes was Four Winns’ debut multihull. Known as the TH36, it’s a good looking boat by cat standards, with a pair of widely spaced outboards on the transom. You can pick 300hp V8s for 30 knots or 350hp V10s for 34 knots but either way, the deck layout here is very likeable. The cockpit’s two L-shaped seating units can be slid together in the centre to create a complete unit which can then be cocooned beneath the shelter of the all-over canvases. They can also be slid apart, creating a broad unbroken companionway from the aft passerelle-cum-swim-platform right the way…

LOA: 49ft 4in (15.03m) BEAM: 13ft 5in (4.10m) ENGINES: triple Mercury 600hp outboards TOP SPEED: 50 knots PRICE: Pending CONTACT: www.azimutyachts.com Azimut’s Verve 48 is a really thoughtful upgrade on the outgoing 47 and that all starts with the drive. The use of carbon fibre in the deck, superstructure and hardtop keeps the weight nice and low, and while the twin-stepped Michael Peters hull feels very effective, the helm helps too. With adjustable seats, good protection and impressive all-round visibility, it enables you to embrace all the grunt on offer from that trio of 600hp V12 outboards. The day spaces are also intelligently conceived. A drop-down starboard bulwark expands the aft deck, providing easy access from the swim platforms when the party is in full swing. There’s also a clever…

LOA: 40ft 0in (12.19m) BEAM: 21ft 8in (6.61m) ENGINES: Twin 250-370hp Yanmar diesels MAX SPEED: 22 knots PRICE: Approx €950,000 on the water inc VAT South African company Robertson and Caine have a long track record of building comfortable, sea-kindly cruising catamarans, and the latest Leopard 40PC reflects that hard-earned experience. It may not look very sporty or boast any clever folding balconies or full-beam cabins, but what it does offer is plenty of living and entertaining space. It also provides slender hulls that cleave through the water for a soft ride, as well as a pair of 370hp Yanmar diesels on straight shafts for reliable, fuel-efficient cruising at speeds of up to 22 knots. Vertical windows all round maximise light, space and views from the sociable saloon with doors…

When the new Sargo 45 was launched at the 2023 Düsseldorf Boat Show, it wasn’t some glossy impersonal PR exercise. Thomas Sarin, son of Edy, who founded the company more than 50 years ago, was right there, walking visitors through the boat – and he and the rest of the Sarin family remained on hand for the duration of the show. That’s a very enjoyable part of the way Sargo operates and in this case, it was also useful from a practical point of view because there are details on this new flagship model that you might not immediately notice; modestly pleasing details that improve the ownership experience without making a song and dance about it. For instance, if you step on board at the bow, as many Nordic owners…

Most boat builders recognise that an all-electric future isn’t yet viable for planing boats over a certain size – the weight and cost of the batteries required to give a sensible cruising range simply don’t add up. However, hybrid drivetrains with a limited electric-only range for low-speed cruising in sensitive areas such as rivers, harbours and marine parks, and petrol or diesel engines for faster, longer range work make perfect sense. The trouble is they are notoriously tricky to install unless the boat was designed with a hybrid drivetrain in mind – trying to integrate an electric motor, battery pack and control unit into the space of an existing engine room is no easy task on a shaft-driven boat. As for trying to adapt a sterndrive or outboard powered craft,…

We wrote about this electric outboard in last month’s New Gear pages and now I’ve had a chance to try it for myself on my own 2.3m Lodestar inflatable. The idea behind it makes perfect sense; rather than mounting the battery on top of the shaft, like the engine on an old-school petrol outboard, Remigo has integrated it into the shaft and shaped it like a rudder to minimise drag and maximise steering effect. This results in a sleeker, more elegant design than its rivals from Torqeedo and ePropulsion with similar power and range but slightly less weight. The key stats are a 1,000W motor that delivers around 30kg of thrust (roughly the same as a 3hp petrol one), a battery capacity of 1,085Wh, and a total weight of 14.5kg…

Quite often, I use my Mitchell 28 Classique by myself. That increases the potential dangers of falling overboard compared to sailing with crew. It’s particularly iffy when I have to bring the fenders and warps in. I usually stop the boat with the engines in neutral, before clambering onto the side decks. The boat usually turns beam-on to the waves and starts wallowing, forcing me to hold on. So I recently decided to make my sailing just that bit safer… NEW ‘USE’ SYSTEM On a previous boat, I installed an Overboard Location Alert System (OLAS) made by Ultimate Sports Engineering (USE). That used a Bluetooth transmitter on the wrist that connected to a mobile phone app and a receiver, both of which had a visual and audible alarm. It also…

BUILT: 2021 PRICE: £299, 700 If you want authenticity to go with your retro-styled boat then you’ve come to the right place. The Spearfish name dates back to the late 1960s when Fairey Marine commissioned Alan Burnard to come up with a GRP boat that followed the concept of its ‘instant classics’ Swordsman and Huntsman. The Spearfish 30 was born, plus a military version called the Spear. Northshore, in Chichester, builds the current version utilising the original Spearfish 30 mould tools. INTERIOR In the same vein as those early boats, this is a vessel designed from the outside in. Make the boat look great (and it really does look great) and fit out whatever is inside as a cabin, a far cry from the modern concept of making a huge…

BUILT: 1944 PRICE: £199, 999 There are, of course, two ways of getting a retro-styled boat with facilities more modern than the exterior might have you believe. The first, as demonstrated on previous pages, is to build a modern boat with retro styling, but the second, as evidenced here, is to start with an old boat and add some modern comforts. This particular vessel started life as one of 14 Battlefield Class high-speed target towing launches built by Thornycroft for the MOD in 1944 and is believed to be the only seagoing vessel left of her class. There is some incredible history behind this boat from her service days with the Royal Army Service Corp as well as her time in commercial use as a survey vessel when she surveyed…

Sunseeker has released renderings of two new models based on the same hull as its top-selling Superhawk 55. The Predator 55 is a sleek coupé sportscruiser while the 55 Sport Yacht adds a discreet upper sportsbridge. The former is slated to make its public debut at next September’s Cannes show, while the latter is pencilled in for the Düsseldorf show in January 2025. Outwardly, the most obvious differences between the open Superhawk model and these new derivatives are the deck and superstructure mouldings. The hull and window shapes of all three versions are virtually identical, although the new models have a very different lower deck cabin arrangement to the Superhawk’s dayboat oriented layout. In fact the Predator and Sport Yacht both share the same foredeck, cockpit, saloon and lower-deck configuration…

Princess Yachts has named former sales director Will Green as its new CEO. Recruited by Princess’s founder David King back in January 2003, Green has over 20 years’ experience working at the British yard and is likely to be a popular appointment with staff and customers. Prior to joining Princess, he spent the first six years of his career with supercar builder Aston Martin, initially as a buyer, before transferring to the commercial department where he ended up being responsible for all UK sales activities. Since moving to the Plymouth-based boatyard, he has helped oversee the introduction of several key new model ranges including the S-class sportsyachts, X-class superflys and the R35 foiling sportsboat. He replaces Antony Sheriff, who had been executive chairman since January 2016.…

You might remember a column I wrote at the beginning of this season all about Operation Afloat, Marianne and my determined bid to get far more use out of the boat than we had been doing. Jobs had been changed for increased flexibility, the marina berth had been switched for access to better cruising grounds, this was going to be The Year Of The Boating. Well, as I sit here at my desk at the beginning of August, looking out across a grey, chilly and windswept Torbay, I’m reminded of the famous Robert Burns quote – “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley.” Which in nautical terms roughly translates, as far as I can tell, to ‘yeah but you can’t control the weather’. The irony that…

LOA: 83ft 8in (25.50m) BEAM: 19ft 11in (6.07m) ENGINES: twin MAN V12 1800-2000s TOP SPEED: 31-35 knots PRICE: from £8.34 million ex VAT CONTACT: www.princessyachts.com When the Cannes Yachting Festival gets particularly hot and frantic, few places feel as restorative as the inside of a Y Class motor yacht. With its sweeping furniture, curved walnut and muted tones, the open-plan saloon is as practical as it is beautiful. The galley and helm station can be closed off, enabling the crew to use the side deck as a discreet route between the two spaces. But even if you do decide you need crew, we would still forego the extra bulkheads, because the way natural light floods through the forward screen, right the way aft to the back end of the saloon,…

LOA: 44ft 11in (13.70m) BEAM: 14ft 0in (4.27m) ENGINES: D6-440-480s on V/stern/IPS drives TOP SPEED: 33-37 knots PRICE: from €974,000 inc VAT CONTACT: www.marex.no While Marex specialises in 30-40ft family cruisers, it was great to see that the new 440 flagship works the space just as hard. It all begins with a swim platform that can sit at water level or dip below for use as a watersports platform or tender lift. Ahead of that, the big cockpit is securely contained and lined on all sides by seating. That enables the central table to open right out, creating an alfresco lounge big enough for ten people. It’s usefully sheltered too, thanks to a manually operated fabric sunroof overhead. The canvasses slide around the aft end and are then tensioned over a…

LOA: 52ft 8in (16.04m) BEAM: 16ft 5in (5.00m) ENGINES: twin Cummins 550s / D11-670s on V-drives TOP SPEED: 23-27 knots PRICE: POA CONTACT: www.sirenayachts.com When you see Sirena’s new 48 in the flesh, it’s clear that it inherits the same underlying concepts as its larger siblings. Like the 88, 78, 68 and 58, it takes the open decks, big volumes and user-friendly ergonomics of a trawler-style platform and delivers them all in a package that feels at once muscular but chic. If stylish all-weather practicality is your thing, this really is quite a cool-looking boat. While external spaces are rarely a highlight on trawler-style yachts, the Sirena 48 again does a really good job. There’s a covered aft cockpit that integrates reasonably well with the internal aft galley. There’s a bow…

LOA: 43ft 11in (13.40m) BEAM: 12ft 6in (3.82m) ENGINES: triple Mercury 350 V10 outboards TOP SPEED: 50 knots PRICE: from €882,000 inc VAT CONTACT: www.wellcraft.com Stepping on board the new Wellcraft 435 at the aft end delivers immediate rewards. In stark contrast to the limited cockpit of the 355, it provides a pair of big drop-down bulwarks, a proper wet bar with electric grill and lots of sociable seating. Extra elevation creates plenty of internal volume, and the integration between saloon and cockpit is a step up. That said, the use of an offset pilothouse and an extended roof means that the port side deck is still quite awkward. On the other side, the skipper’s starboard side door is also much smaller than that on the 355, and the short…

LOA: 41ft 2in (12.55m) BEAM: 12ft 1in (3.69m) ENGINES: inboard/outboard from 800-900hp TOP SPEED: 46 knots PRICE: from £643,811 ex VAT CONTACT: www.windyboats.com Windy’s 40 Camira RS is a much bigger step up from the 39 than you might think. While the styling of the new T-top got a mixed reception at the launch event, there’s no doubting the practicality of the elevated storage rack or the large retractable fabric sunroof. It’s also good to see that the new helm station uses a push-button step that enables you to drive with your head out of the sunroof and a lifting throttle shelf to keep your standing drive comfortable. Elsewhere, a shorter cushion-topped wet bar improves the flow of traffic at the aft end while providing a raised seat so you…

LOA: 44ft 7in (13.60m) BEAM: 13ft 2in (4.00m) ENGINES: Inboard/outboard from 780-1,200hp TOP SPEED: 40 knots PRICE: from €610,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.fimotoscafi.com Though modest and unassuming by Italian standards, this is far and away the most beautiful boat in FIM’s Regina line. Conceived as a luxury walkaround day cruiser, it is designed to carry up to 14 people and to sleep up to four in a convertible forward lounge and a permanent mid cabin. But it’s the details rather than the practicalities that are particularly memorable here. For instance, the starkly modern lower deck features beautiful natural birch bulkheads, coaxed into curves by means of traditional steam treatments. Elements like the copper coloured doors at the lower galley also help elevate the experience. But while there’s loads to talk…

THAMES TROUBLES I am emailing to ask for your help in prompting the Environment Agency to improve its management of the River Thames. Service levels are appalling with numerous lock breakdowns, unmarked hazards, overgrown river banks and a box-ticking culture that doesn’t seem to be serving the needs of its customers. I understand that a new Chief Executive has recently been appointed and that they are working on introducing a balanced score card approach to help service delivery. Let’s hope this results in a marked improvement that allows fellow boat users to enjoy this beautiful river. Donald Cameron I will do my best to help spur them into action, starting with the publication of your letter. Hopefully the knowledge that we are watching will add some weight to your efforts.…

When I was five years old the world was magic. I was certain my father could remove half his thumb and return it into place at will. Colour TV was unimaginably fabulous and my world was full of wonder; bird song, lightning, cars, the cinema – they were all magical experiences to me. As I entered education the magic began to whittle away. I was told not to be childish, to stop daydreaming and be responsible. By the time I was halfway through school the magic had gone, never to return. Sure, there were snippets of it, but the sense of wonder had been educated right out of me. Most people would think this a good thing. Reality is what we live in. To exist any other way would be…

The 2014 Southampton Boat Show glowed with a dazzling array of polished fibre-glass hulls glinting in the sunlight. From the latest sleek sportscruisers to towering gin palaces and even a superyacht or two, it was enough to make even a budding oligarch drool. But incredible as these modern wonders were, none of them grabbed my attention as much as a 113-year-old gentleman’s motor launch called Wise Folly. It was being exhibited by Dennett Boat Builders after a full restoration by the company’s craftsmen. I had no inkling that meeting them would be the start of a life-changing adventure. The reason Wise Folly had caught my eye was because I’d come to the show to look for inspiration and advice on how to restore my own classic boat at the time,…

DOMETIC BREATHE 4500 The Dometic Breathe 4500 is an ioniser that can be installed into an air conditioning or heating system to purify the air and remove foul odours. It creates positive and negatively charged ions to reduce pathogens and mould spores by attacking their core structure. Both odours and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are reduced as ions break them down on a molecular level. It also removes allergens and dust from the air. As ions in the air are attracted to particles, their size is increased and this allows them to be either caught in the filters or causes them to fall out of the air. Dometic says that this is a simpler, less expensive alternative to air purifiers using traditional technology like HEPA filters and UV light treatment.…

SEE MORE mby.com/s31e Surprisingly, many used boats are offered for sale without the degree of preparation most prospective purchasers would reasonably expect. Unpolished hulls, scruffy covers and unloved interiors are all far too common in a marketplace where the asking price is often in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. But not so in the case of the Sargo 31 Explorer featured here, a 2020 model with just 80 hours on the clock, being offered by Sargo Boats UK’s sister company, Marco Marine based in Hamble Point. From its Coppercoated hull, polished prop, freshly antifouled outdrive and stern thrusters to its gleaming anthracite-coloured hull and an interior featuring, among other things, a dining table you would happily eat your dinner off without plates, this boat is in tip-top condition throughout,…

BUILT: 2016 PRICE: £580, 000 If you’ve seen either of the James Bond films Casino Royale or the (treacherous) No Time To Die, you’ll have seen a Spirit yacht in action. It’s what the movie producers put Daniel Craig aboard when they wanted to place the world’s classiest secret agent in the nautical equivalent of his classic Aston Martins. Perhaps best known for its classically styled wood epoxy sailing yachts, the Suffolk-based boat builder also produces a handful of wooden motor launches and cruisers, the largest of which is the utterly beautiful P70. And a little further down the range, this P40 is another exquisite example of master craftsmanship. INTERIOR Intriguingly, the P40 is an open cockpit sportscruiser with a single wood-framed ensuite owner’s cabin beneath the foredeck. Intriguing because…

We often talk about what makes a boat cool. Often it’s simply the way it looks, or perhaps a storied history or an appearance in a notable movie or TV show. But sometimes it’s simply what it can do, and how it does it. For example, the ability to deliver over 250 people from point to point at over 35 knots in surprising style and comfort. If you’ve ever boated in the Southampton area you’ll almost certainly have seen the Red Jet ferries thundering down Southampton Water and across the Solent to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Three fast ferries combine to give a 19-hour-a-day schedule. Operated by Red Funnel, which also runs somewhat more sedate car ferries, the company has been bridging the gap between the mainland and…