Subscribe
| 16 Issues for the price of 12 - £15 |
||||||
 |
|
|||||
Sign up for our Newsletter
Alternative flash content
You need to upgrade your Flash Player
| Top Of The Boats |
| Thursday, 13 May 2010 14:23 |
|
With so many fantastic boats tested in 2008 it was difficult to pick our favourites, but here are a selection of the best from the past twelve months.
BOAT: Smartwave SW4000 The Smartwave 4000 is a well appointed day fisher or family boat. The impressive 18deg deadrise and twin skinned polyethylene, foamed filled hull create a tough, smooth and safe boat. If you want a sporty little easily trailed and unsinkable small family craft this indestructible Smartwave should fit the bill nicely, oh and it comes in a choice of colours.
For the eXige, Rib-X developed a quite beamy - yet deep - Vee hull, surrounded it with custom made tubes, added new seating, custom-designed stainless steelwork, teak decking throughout and a modern console. Stir into the mix stacks of deck space, safe room to walk around and then complete the ensemble with 225 Suzuki horses and you finish up with a potent machine that oozes panache. The eXige offers a blend of comfort, style, ease of handling and safety with more than sufficient top-end performance to thrill everyone aboard. Internally the 5.8 C offers an amazing amount of space in a relatively short hull. The centrally mounted helm position incorporates a clever console under which nestles a small cuddy offering two seats and space for an optional electric sea toilet. There’s also a mass of open deck space. It is an example of classic Italian design – unassuming yet pleasing to the eye, simple in concept and yet beautifully executed. This is a comfy, pleasant, quick, easy to drive, six seater boat equally suitable for watersports, fishing, swimming or simply as a safe, fun family craft. BOAT: Orkney 592 The 592 is the first model from Orkney for ten years; it is not just a revamp of the old 590 though. There’s plenty of stowage space and a big cockpit and, as you would expect on an Orkney, attention to detail and proper finishing is carefully maintained. The Orkney 592 adds up to a very complete package with practicality, high build quality and handling that together produce a lovely boat. The new hull offers improved stability at rest over the original and owners will enjoy a long and happy boating life with this boat. BOAT: Guernsey 28 She has the lines and proportions of a classic gentleman’s cruiser, complete with tumblehome, plus the accommodation she has been given hasn’t been at the expense of an open cockpit. She isn’t cheap, but when compared to other boats in her class she offers good value for money. She will happily sit alongside the Nelsons and Aquabells of this world without looking inferior or out of place. BOAT: Seamark 490C The 490C, a versatile craft for the family or day angler, has a simulated clinker hull, wide beam, a small but effective keel and a traditional style high bow. The small foredeck is perfectly usable, while the cuddy is surprisingly spacious with plenty of seated headroom and seating for a family of four around a central table (and two berths). As a relaxing means of exploring inland waters, harbours and estuaries this boat will certainly tick many owners’ ‘must have’ boxes. The fact that it will potter on canals and lakes on a mere 8hp, or stomp up rivers and around estuaries with a full passenger load on just 25hp certainly makes for low cost boating. BOAT: Yamarin 68DC Despite being labelled a ‘day cruiser’ this craft has great potential as a weekender, or even a short holiday cruiser for a small family. The forward cuddy provides two Vee berths and a centrally located sea toilet, but as it is not designed to be the primary seating or dining area the headroom has been reduced giving a very usable fore deck and maximising the cockpit size. You will have to go a long way to find higher standards of comfort and finish, ease of handling and ride or overall usability in a family sized craft. OR HOW ABOUT THESE… Pilot 6 (standard boat only): £7,850 from Westport Marine: 01752-772-224 / www.westportmarine.co.uk Cousteau 885 (as tested with Nanni 300hp): £89,300 from E C Leisurecraft: 01702-257-090 / www.ecleisurecraft.co.uk Polar 2300WA (as tested): £47,700 from Cambrian Boat Centre 01792-467-263 / www.cambrianboats.co.uk |
