Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Motor Boat & Yachting

Hybrid seems to be the buzzword of the moment. Everybody is at it from engine manufacturers like Volvo Penta and Scania to boat builders such as Azimut and Sanlorenzo. The logic is that by fitting both electric motors and diesel engines to a boat you get all the benefits of silent, emissions-free cruising in addition to the speed and range of conventional combustion engines (see p88). Not everybody seems to be onboard with that thinking, however, as a conversation with MBY contributor Nick Burnham (aka Aquaholic) revealed. His view is that adding all that extra weight and complexity, that first needs to be manufactured, transported and eventually disposed of, not to mention the additional fuel burn of lugging it all around, more than offsets any marginal reductions in CO2 emissions…

Covid lockdowns, and the infamous “just three weeks to flatten the curve” seem a dim and distant memory now, but what I do remember clearly is the incredible weather that we had during that first lockdown. A nightmare though it was for many people, for those of us with gardens and without children, it was actually rather nice. It’s not often that busy people are forced to stop and just do nothing. I was one of them and it was truly wonderful, until… Two doors down from my modest terraced house in Torquay, the neighbours decided that what would really enhance garden living was a bit of music. All day. Bad enough but then the neighbours two doors up had the same notion. I don’t know whether you’ve ever tried…

LOA: 83ft 6in (25.44m) BEAM: 19ft 11in (6.07m) ENGINES: Twin MAN V12-2000s TOP SPEED: 34 knots PRICE: On application CONTACT: www.princessyachts.com The new S Class flagship treads exactly the line you would expect. It brings together the luxury of the Y Class with the practicality of the F Class and the style and dynamism of the V Class – but thanks to the extra scale that this boat enjoys over the smaller S72 and S65 models, there are some interesting differences, particularly at the aft end. There’s sufficient beam back here to divide the traditional S Class furniture in two, creating a central companionway from the aft platform to the cockpit with the tender garage on one side and the crew cabins on the other. Each is topped with comfy…

LOA: 77ft 9in (23.70m) BEAM: 20ft 10in (6.36m) ENGINES: Twin MAN V8 1200s / V12 1400s TOP SPEED: 20-23 knots PRICE: POA CONTACT: www.ferretti-yachts.com Explorer-style crossover yachts are not famed for their looks. Whether you consider Princess’s X Class or Astondoa’s AX8, it’s clear that making all that elevation and volume look good is a big ask. That’s why the balanced but muscular profile of the Infynito 80 comes as such a pleasant surprise. It’s a great looking boat from almost every angle, and part of the reason for that is the boat’s unusual bow configuration… A moulded structure extends forward from the upper deck level, before dropping down to integrate with the plumb bow. That creates a covered foredeck with a louvred roof for a sense of separation and…

LOA: 32ft 9in (9.99m) BEAM: 12ft 6in (3.80m) ENGINES: Twin 300-450hp outboards TOP SPEED: 58 knots PRICE: from €234,400 ex VAT CONTACT: www.zodiac-nautic.com While this is Zodiac’s first walkaround RIB, it’s actually new in a lot of other ways too. It uses a D-profile collar integrated into raised sports boat-style bulwarks for increased internal space and some welcome extra security for family boaters. Storage, that perennial shortcoming of the traditional RIB, is also a major strength on this boat, thanks to good spaces beneath the aft bench and in the seat bases for the bow lounge, as well as in an enormous cavity beneath the midships bench. There’s a very decent bow cabin for weekending too. In addition to a letter-slot window that looks out onto the foredeck lounge and…

LOA: 52ft 10in (16.1m) BEAM: 14ft 5in (4.4m) ENGINES: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS650-800 TOP SPEED: 35 knots PRICE FROM: €950,000 ex tax CONTACT: www.fimotoscafi.com There were so many glamorous new Med-style sportscruisers lining the quays at Cannes that it took something pretty special to make an impact. Thankfully, FIM’s new flagship, the 500 Regina, has plenty to catch the eye, including a clever convertible seating/sunbathing area in the centre of the cockpit. A bit like Azimut’s ‘Fun Island’ this is flanked on both sides by folding platforms, but thanks to backrests that can either be laid flat to extend the sunbathing area or lifted up to create a three-sided dinette, it’s arguably more versatile. There’s more cleverness upfront where the front half of the sunbed can be slid forward…

LOA: 62ft 2in (18.94m) BEAM: 17ft 10in (5.43m) ENGINES: Twin MAN V8 1300s TOP SPEED: 40 knots PRICE: On application CONTACT: www.wilder-yachts.com Cannes is a great place for nautical exotica and the all-aluminium WiLder 60 (from Wider Yachts) is very much a boat of that ilk. When you inspect this sleek automotive-style missile of a thing, searching for elements where the aluminium betrays itself with lumpy welds or imperfect finish, it’s so clean and smooth, you would swear it’s fibreglass – and the fittings are delightful too. The functional and decorative engine vents at the stern look like they’ve been lifted off a Lamborghini and even the most elementary door or hatch comes with spectacularly over-engineered hinges and thick rubber gaskets for secure, rattle-free operation. As regards the layout, the…

LOA: 41ft 3in (12.60m) BEAM: 15ft 10in (4.85m) ENGINES: Twin Mercury V10 400hp outboards TOP SPEED: 30 knots PRICE: From €695,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.dracanmarine.com Polish newcomer, Dracan, has taken a very interesting approach. As a power cat with a pair of Mercury V10 400hp outboards concealed beneath raised sunpads, the day spaces extend well aft of the transom, very much in the fashion of a De Antonio. Ahead of this, the furniture is split by a central companionway that takes you forward between symmetrical L-shaped dinettes, past a port galley and a starboard storage unit, to a bow lounge that’s kept deliberately narrow to help create the lateral volume for three lower deck arrangements: Supreme (a long ensuite owner’s cabin in each hull); Voyage (a long cabin in one…

Back in June 2021 I went round the UK in 10-and-a-half days in my 18ft NordKapp Enduro 550 called Summer Buoys. You may have read about it in previous issues of this magazine (MBY Jan to June 2024). I certainly learnt a lot from that trip and came back itching to go on more adventures. By that point I’d had Summer Buoys for several seasons and fancied an upgrade, and no, not because I’d just spanked her round the UK! I opted for another Nordkapp – an Enduro 605 with a Mercury 150 XS Pro. I’ve always found it difficult naming boats but eventually I settled on Six 0 Five, as it reminded me of ‘Seven of Nine’ – the character from Star Trek. She had nice lines too! Six…

When testing Azimut’s first new Seadeck 6 we had to wait a little longer than expected, principally because the Italian builder’s last-minute decision to debut the model at Milan Design Week skewed the schedules. But better weather and a more dramatic backdrop were ultimately our reward. We finally caught up with her six weeks later at the Venice Boat Show. Azimut tells us the Seadeck concept is rooted in a ‘back to nature’ philosophy that not only includes ethically sourced and recycled materials wherever possible, but also presents a cleaner, softer aesthetic inside and out with the sea as the primary focus. The 57ft 5in Seadeck 6 is the first of several Seadeck models. A 72ft Seadeck 7 was launched at Cannes last month and an 85ft Seadeck 9 will…

When award-winning west country boat builder, Cockwells, acquired Hardy’s assets back in 2020, it also inherited this boat. It came very much as an unfinished platform with a pair of D13-800s, a wholesale hydraulics system and, like a lot of Hardy boats, a sturdy reputation as an offshore passage maker of genuine calibre. But that wasn’t so much what Cockwells was about. Then, as now, it was better known as a builder of custom and semi-custom motor launches, both as standalone boats for high-value clients and as bespoke tenders for the superyacht sector. Handcrafted elegance was at the heart of what it did – so what can we expect of a boat with such outwardly divergent influences as this? Well to be absolutely honest, we had no idea either so…

Using a tidal current or river flow to move your boat sideways is called ferry-gliding. The term comes from the traditional practice of using the flow of water on a river to move a ferry boat sideways across it. When a good flow of water is present, it provides ‘free’ sideways propulsion with barely any need for oars or an engine. It works by simply pointing the boat, either bow or stern first, into the flow of water (bow first usually works best due to the pointy shape) and then turning it at an angle across the flow so that one side is receiving more flow than the other. This puts more pressure on the up-tide side, creating sideways movement. The steeper the angle the greater the sideways force. Of…

The Targa 34 combines unrivalled speed with integrity in a truly spectacular feat of engineering and interior spatial planning… These are not our words but an extract from More Than Skin Deep, Fairline’s self-published book from 2002. While it’s easy (and fun) to scoff at marketing puff, we have to admit that, in this case, it contains an element of truth. Every owner of one the 295 Targa 34s built between 1996 and 2006 we have spoken to raves about the performance and handling and the sheer practicality of accommodation that Fairline has managed to cram into a package that’s just 34ft 6in long. One such owner is Southampton-based Martin Bridgewater: “What attracted me to the Targa 34? The style and layout,” he replies without hesitation. “I’ve always had sportsboats.…

Dale Motor Yachts is the very epitome of niche boat building. Rather than competing with the mainstream manufacturers, Neyland-based Dale Motor Yachts hand builds attractive, high quality, semi-custom motor boats for clients who want a craft that not only looks the part but also offers an exceptionally sea-kindly ride. INTERIOR A combination of a relatively narrow beam, low profile and shaft drive engines (which positions them further forward in the hull than IPS or vee drives would) inevitably means the interior is smaller than many production 37-footers, but this was never intended to be a floating caravan. That said, although the headroom in the guest cabin is a little tight, the owner’s cabin in the bow is surprisingly good, aided by a tall, full-width foredeck that extends the generous standing…

Photographer Malc Attrill captured this arresting image of the classic Bertram 31 race boat Thunderstreak battling through the overfalls off St Catherine’s Point during the Cowes Powerboat Festival at the end of August. Entered by Team Royal Yacht Squadron, comprising Hugo Peel (owner/driver), Richard Jessel (navigator) and Adrian de Ferranti (throttles/trim), the 61-year old race boat managed a remarkable second place overall in the Cowes-Poole-Cowes race against much younger, faster competition, and first in the 65mph class. This image was taken the following day during the Round-the-Island Race, when strong winds whipped up even more severe sea conditions. “At times we were down to 12mph and still being thrown around like a cork,” reported Jessel. That didn’t stop them averaging an impressive 42.99mpg over the full course of the race…

THE CREEK HASLAR Twelve months ago we travelled to Boatfolk’s Haslar Marina to review its flagship restaurant, The Lightship. While there’s no question this is one of the Solent’s finest dining destinations, in our view its menu and price-point make it more of a special occasion venue than an everyday one. So where do you go if you’re tied up in Haslar and are looking for a less fancy meal out? Well, Boatfolk has that covered too with its second Haslar restaurant, The Creek, offering a range of good value options in a superb shoreside setting. The Creek occupies a long, low building, part of which used to be the marina office and part of which, including its large quayside terrace, was constructed around two years ago. Following this extensive…

LOA: 56ft 2in (17.3m) BEAM: 16ft 2in (4.93m) ENGINES: 2 x 725hp Volvo Penta IPS-900 TOP SPEED: 36 knots PRICE: From £1.675m ex VAT CONTACT: www.sunseeker.com Any concerns that the new Predator 55 might have been compromised by using the same hull and engineering platform as the Superhawk 55 were swept away the minute we stepped aboard the boat in Cannes. The Predator looks and feels like a completely different model with its own unique character that is much better suited to liveaboard cruising than the sportier day-boat-focused Superhawk. As with all current Predators, it has an open aft cockpit with a fully enclosed saloon but thanks to stacking glass doors, which can be pushed over to either side, the connection between inside and outside spaces can be fine-tuned. Push…

LOA: 83ft 0in (25.30m) BEAM: 20ft 10in (6.34m) ENGINES: twin MAN V12 1650-2000s TOP SPEED: 28-33 knots PRICE: from £4.6M ex VAT CONTACT: www.pearlyachts.com Following hot on the heels of the award-winning 72, Pearl was back in Cannes with another absolute beauty. We stepped on board this boat, fresh from a couple of 80ft platforms in exactly the same sector so our context for comparison was extremely lucid, and what really hits home about the 82 is the fact that, aside from a secondary internal helm where a set of structural mullions restricts your visibility, this boat has nothing but strengths. It provides four proper ensuite cabins on the lower deck, while still delivering a superb main deck owner’s suite and some really generous crew accommodation aft. In fact, while…

LOA: 35ft 4in (10.78m) BEAM: 10ft 2in (3.10m) ENGINES: Twin 200-300hp outboards TOP SPEED: 51 knots PRICE: from €169,000 ex VAT CONTACT: www.saxdoryachts.com Full-beam pilothouse boats are not everyone’s cup of tea. By eradicating the side decks, making space-hungry internal companionways obligatory and forcing you to venture through the screen to access the bow, they can make a boat harder to live with – and that makes this new 340 GTWA all the more appealing. It uses a narrower pilothouse and a set of walkaround decks, elevated on the starboard side and deep-set on the port side. They’re not wide but they’re perfectly navigable and they’re opened up by means of a pair of dropdown bulwarks that are neatly positioned to invite the internal pilothouse guests out, through two-part sliding…

LOA: 52ft 5in (15.98m) BEAM: 15ft 3in (4.65m) ENGINES: Twin Volvo Penta IPS-650s TOP SPEED: 25 knots PRICE: TBC CONTACT: www.absoluteyachts.com Those in search of a flybridge motor yacht at around the 50ft mark are ludicrously blessed with all kinds of cool, capable and talented options, so it’s no surprise to see Absolute taking its best-selling 52 and bringing it back into line with the best of the current crop. The internals are largely unchanged, except for some uprated finishes and fittings, which means you still get the diagonal bow cabin, starboard twin and full-beam owner’s suite amidships. But outside, there’s plenty going on. At the aft end, in common with Absolute’s latest modus operandi, there are cutaway bulwarks, facing settees and a glass balustrade to open up the views…

GRAB BAG ADVICE As a first-time boater with a young family, I’ve just bought myself a secondhand Nimbus 3003. It’s in good condition but it’s about 30 years old so I’m keen to put together an emergency grab-bag that will get me out of trouble in the event of a breakdown or a mishap. Any tips? Barnaby Williams Firstly, get to know your boat properly, so you understand how to fix the most basic (and common) problems related to the fluids, filters and electrics. You can supplement that with a one-day RYA Diesel Engine course, which includes restarting in the event of a breakdown, as well as additional RYA training to help minimise the prospect of a mishap. And if you join your local yacht club, that can be a…

When Jeanneau’s DB line was first introduced in 2022, it felt distinctly dynamic. Though “DB” referred to its nominal underpinnings as a Day Boat, it was also designed to take you away for a week at a time in genuine comfort, while still delivering the swept, aggressive lines of a performance machine. That original DB/43 got exactly the reception its broad spread of talents deserved, albeit at a price. Now it has been joined by a smaller 37ft variant that aims to perform the same magic trick on a smaller footprint for a lower price. It’s known as the DB/37, and right from the start, it’s clear that it adopts the same clever form and function as the DB/43. A cool plumb bow leads back to a pair of long,…

Did you think all hybrid powered boats were slow, boring craft with limited range and sea-keeping best suited to plodding along lakes and rivers? Then it’s time to think again because Swedish yard Marell Boats has teamed up with Scania motors to develop a diesel electric hybrid craft that is just as fast, fun and robust as most petrol powered super boats – and we were among the first to experience it. Called the M17, it’s an all-aluminium deep-vee performance craft designed primarily for use as a patrol boat, although a leisure version is available. Power comes from a pair of Scania hybrid diesel electric engines linked to MJP waterjets. Together they are capable of powering the M17 to a top speed of more than 50 knots, yet it will…

Founded by Christopher Columbus Smith, the original Chris-Craft Boats dates back to 1883. The Michigan-based company built elegant wooden runabouts so beautiful that they inspired Carlo Riva to manufacture similar vessels in Italy. Famous Chris-Craft owners included Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. In the 1990s, Chris-Craft was owned by Outboard Marine Corporation and was building generic GRP cruisers before sliding into bankruptcy in 2000. Florida-based Stellican bought them out and returned to making beautiful, and expensive, dayboats and weekenders that harked back to the marque’s golden era, albeit out of fibreglass. INTERIOR The description of the 28 Launch interior is going to be the shortest ever, because there is none, this is a completely open day boat. However there is a small, very useful, heads compartment hidden beneath the helm.…

Launched in 1962, the Riva Aquarama is arguably the coolest boat of all time. So it’s a great relief that Italian builder Riva never lost that magic and has been building beautiful boats ever since. In 2001, a year after the Ferretti Group bought Riva, the Aquariva was launched, a beautiful homage to that first Aquarama. The Rivarama 44 followed, then the Rivale 52 and Virtus 63. Many customers of the Virtus came through the ranks of each of those previous models, upgrading as larger versions became available. INTERIOR Like its smaller sisters, this is very much an open Med-based sportsboat, it just so happens that at over 60ft long, there’s actually very decent accommodation forward on the lower deck. Drop down the companionway and the first thing you’ll find…

Sweden is famous for its flat-packed furniture, sensible estate cars and a certain well-known palindromic pop group. But it is also noted for its high quality boat building. Top of the range Windy and Nimbus models are built in Sweden, as are Hallberg Rassy sailing yachts. It’s also the home of prolific powerboat designer Ocke Mannerfelt. He was responsible for, amongst other things, the stepped hull of the Sealine SC29, but what he’s most famous for is raceboats. The boat that kick-started his long and illustrious career was the super cool B-28. Nicknamed the Batboat, it had wings that echoed those on the fictitious Batmobile. The B-28 prototype was first shown at the Miami Boat Show in 1994, causing an immediate sensation for its looks alone. Nature was the inspiration,…

1 BOAT SHOW BONANZA The autumn boat show season was still in full swing as we went to press but after a wet and windy start to the summer it looked like it would end on a high. Both the Cannes Yachting Festival and the Southampton International Boat Show were bathed in sunshine for much of the time, ensuring a steady influx of visitors eager to see the biggest crop of new model launches we’ve ever witnessed at these two shows. Given Cannes’ reputation as Europe’s premier on-water boat show, the vast majority of these world premiers took place in the South of France but Southampton fought back with a new layout, a handful of big-name launches and a royal visit from Princess Anne. Foremost among these British debuts was the…

LOA: 63ft 8in (19.22m) BEAM: 16ft 8in (5.08m) ENGINES: 2 x Volvo Penta 900hp IPS1200 TOP SPEED: 32 knots PRICE: From €2.4m ex tax CONTACT: www.azimutyachts.com Most of the pages of this Best of Cannes section could be dedicated to all the new Azimut models at the show, but as we’ve already got a sea trial of the Seadeck 6 later in the issue, we’ll stick to this new Fly 62 and cover the larger Seadeck 7 in next month’s magazine. Although there is much to like about the Fly 62, it’s the beach cockpit that really steals the show. At the press of a button, the sofa’s seat base gradually sinks to deck level while the backrest rotates round until they line up to become a sunbed facing out…

LOA: 56ft 6in (17.27m) BEAM: 15ft 3in (4.68m) ENGINES: Twin Volvo IPS800s TOP SPEED: 25 knots PRICE: from £1.15M ex VAT CONTACT: www.prestige-yachts.com Everyone who saw this second of Prestige’s next-generation flybridge cruisers at the Cannes Yachting Festival seemed impressed. Like the original F4.9, it uses a raised bow to create the height for a forward owner’s cabin, which straddles the main and lower decks, reducing hull slap at night and increasing separation from the two guest cabins lower down and further aft. But here, on the new F5.7, that concept gets a bit more space to breathe and that brings all kinds of extra quality to the living environments. The owner’s cabin, for instance, gets a dressing table behind the door, as well as a settee at the foot…

LOA: 66ft 1in (20.15m) BEAM: 16ft 11in (5.15m) ENGINES: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS1350 TOP SPEED: 28 knots CONTACT: www.cranchi.com Cranchi has a reputation for doing things differently and just to make sure we got the message, the first Sessantadue was finished in a very unusual dusky pink colour. Doubtless you can opt for a more sober gelcoat too but it certainly helped the new 62 stand out from the reams of plain white boats at Cannes. This was by no means the only thing that caught our eye, however, as a closer inspection revealed. Firstly, the 62 is one of only a handful of 60ft flybridge boats to have a proper tender garage large enough to take both a Williams 285 Turbojet and a Seabob F5. Then there’s the…

LOA: 75ft 0in (22.85m) BEAM: 19ft 8in (5.99m) ENGINES: Triple IPS-1050s / IPS-1350s TOP SPEED: 38 knots PRICE: On application CONTACT: www.pardoyachts.com When you come across a show exhibit as entertaining as this, it’s tough not to stop and take a closer look. There’s a cascade of steps at the back end of this elegant pilothouse-equipped 75-footer, as the cockpit tumbles freely to the aft platform. With a large central sunbed overlooking proceedings, plus a pair of dropdown terraces and a central aft platform that folds over and down into the water, it’s a really effective Beach Club for a boat of this size. But given Pardo’s reputation for premium day boats, that’s much as you would expect it to be. As you move forward toward the side decks, past…

LOA: 78ft 8in (23.98m) BEAM: 19ft 0in (5.8m) ENGINES: 3 x Volvo Penta IPS-1350s TOP SPEED: 34 knots PRICE: POA CONTACT: www.pershing-yacht.com The GTX range may be Pershing’s attempt at creating a more spacious, user-friendly alternative to its performance focused X-class models but this new 80ft variant still feels like a big, muscular, overtly masculine yacht. Everything about it, from the chunky folding terraces to the lofty helm seats, futuristic finishes and rather dark interior colour scheme of the show boat, seem to shout testosterone. That makes perfect sense, given that it needs to differentiate itself from sister brands Riva and Ferretti, but it might also limit the appeal of what is actually a surprisingly versatile yacht. That versatility starts at the stern, where the lower central section of the…

LOA: 49ft 4in (15.03m) BEAM: 13ft 1in (3.99m) ENGINES: 2 x 440hp Volvo Penta D6 sterndrives or 600hp Mercury V12 outboards TOP SPEED: 42-52 knots PRICE: From €1.25m ex tax CONTACT: www.deltapowerboats.se After all the usual excesses of the Cannes Yachting Festival, the new Delta Powerboats 48 Coupé felt like a breath of fresh air. With its lightweight carbon fibre deep vee hull, purposeful coupé styling and minimalist Scandinavian interior, this was the perfect antidote to the ever expanding size, weight and volume of its mainstream European rivals. Powered by a pair of 440hp Volvo D6 sterndrives and weighing 30% less than a typical 50ft sportscruiser, it’s good for 42 knots and will eke out its 2,000-litre fuel tank over 450nm at a fast cruising speed of 30 knots. If…

PRESTIGE 5.7 First full test of this fascinating new flybridge cruiser. Is this the model that finally lifts Prestige into the running with Princess and Fairline? BEST OF SOUTHAMPTON Exclusive photos, reviews and sea trials of all the hot new model launches from Sunseeker, Rustler, Arksen, Dale and more WATERWAYS OF EUROPE We head inland with a new series on cruising the waterways of Europe and a magical family charter on the lakes of Poland SEND US YOUR LETTERS BY EMAIL AT: mby@futurenet.com…

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Call me old-fashioned but if I wanted to fish out at sea, I’d take a boat. But it seems that many people like to fish from a personal water craft – or perhaps they prefer, or need even, the compact dimensions of a PWC. Whatever the reason, as part of its 2025 jetski line-up, Kawasaki has launched a model with sea angling specifically in mind. Called the Ultra 160LX-S Angler, and powered by a normally aspirated four-cylinder, four-stroke engine delivering 152hp, it comes fitted with a 7in Garmin Echomap UHD2 which includes a fish-finding sonar while offering navigation from recorded routes. Also installed are a large Orca coolbox positioned to the rear of the craft with builtin fishing rod holders, added floats for stability and for use as footrests while…

Escaping the rat race with my husband, Simon, is important to me. We spend as much time on the boat as we can with our dog, Marley and while it takes a bit of organisation to get it right, the freedom it buys us is invaluable. At home, we always seem to be nipping to Tesco for bits and pieces, or getting a takeaway because we don’t fancy cooking. But if you’re on the boat on a mooring or at anchor, that’s not an option so the planning begins with food. FOOD HACKS Although we have quite a big 11m motorboat, we still need to use the space wisely. We have a very small freezer (about 40cm x 30cm x just 10cm high) so we use freezer bags instead of…

There’s no easy way to say this, but the truth is that many recent new models from mainstream production boat manufacturers aren’t very pretty. And, to be fair, with good reason. There is no doubt that space sells – each new model has to offer more room, more facilities and more features than its predecessor, and the only way that can be achieved is by making them taller, fatter and more bloated. It’s simple physics, and it’s no different from the car world where big ugly SUVs are taking over from the svelte saloons and estate cars of the past. But outside of the mainstream there are niche builders who are not chasing volume (in either sales or onboard space). These companies are building modern classics for the buyers who…

A few years ago, and by enormous coincidence, the UK’s three big production power yacht builders simultaneously decided that they needed an image boosting ‘superboat’ in their ranges. Princess launched the R35 in 2018, featuring hydrofoils that gave it incredible cornering abilities, which would have been handy had there been any corners out at sea. A year later Sunseeker launched its 70mph Hawk 38 but omitted to include any sort of cabin in the design. And the same year, Fairline came out with something every bit as cool as its competitors, but cleverly made it rather more useful as a boat too. INTERIOR You expect to find a converting dinette under the foredeck of a mid 30ft sports boat. The R35 had one, the Windy 34 Alizé has one, and…