Trade-A-Boat's Year In Review (December 2005)

It's been a great year for Australian boating with more new-model launches than we can remeber. Here at Trade-A-Boat, we try hard to fit as many as we can. In case you missed any, this month's issue features a shakedown of the boat test reviews for 2005

Azimut 55
Azimut's 55 is a surprising change from its renowned megayachts.
European boatbuilding giant Azimut's new 55-footer is made with a big boat in mind.

Engine room details such as underwater exhausts, blowers and engine extractors and an emergency engine-room bilge are clearly big-boat stuff.

Add to this contemporary Italian styling, including Azimut's signature shark-fin saloon windows and you have a craft that will appeal to discerning family boaters.

The open-plan saloon ranges from an aft lounging area to a galley with all the mod cons and dinette to a central internal helm station. The sunken family room features a sumptuous circular leather lounge, with nifty swivelling drinks table and flatscreen TV. The Azimut 55 has a five-star finish by way of high-gloss natural cherrywood joinery, burl walnut table tops, cream carpet and matching leather lounges.

HIGHS

Big-boat engineering
Excellent power
Five-star finish

LOWS

Lots of white fibreglass
Low saloon roof

X-Yacht 37
A Danish blue-blooded racing yacht with Euro styling and poise.
The gorgeous X37 from Danish yachtbuilder X-Yachts is eye candy on a well-bred hull with pretty lines and pedigree. Destined to be campaigned in Spain in the IMS 670 Class, the 37 is one of the 'performance cruisers', designed to satisfy owners with racing ambitions. The quest for speed is helped by low stretch, low windage standing rod rigging; light and powerful twin-spreader alloy stick; North sails; weight savings from foam-cored construction; and the amount of sail it can fly.

The X-Yacht is a delight to sail, and is built to operate in seven-metre waves and winds to 55kt.

HIGHS

High-quality production
Classy interior
Predictable handling

LOWS

Premium price
Small hatches in aft cabin

Maxum 3100 Sport Express Cruiser
High-end US cruiser with sporty handling.
The Maxum 3100 Sport Express Cruiser has a moderate deadrise hull for ride and stability, with chines that taper to wide aft sections for lift, and extended running surfaces to support the weight of the twin 5.7lt 350 MAG 300hp MPI petrol MerCruiser V8s.

The 3100 tag refers to length overall, so you might find bigger and more expensive 31ft cruisers. It uses a beam forward design to maximise interior space, but may cause porpoising in a headsea.

Options include a forward sunpad, cockpit icemaker and upgraded JBL sound system.

While very much a production boat, the Maxum boasts excellent finishes, upholstery and fibreglass mouldings. The aft garage is polypropylene lined, with room for stowing fenders and mooring lines, and the walkthrough dash and opening windscreen are coveted by sun-seekers.

HIGHS

Great cornering
Quality finish and engineering
Indoor/outdoor living

LOWS

Slow to hit planing speed
Some loss of vision at WOT
Didn't reach expected top revs
Not much accommodation

Caribbean 32
A comfortable entry-level boat: practical, solid, spacious and affordable.
Caribbean cruisers are like floating homes with decent backyards, and the new 32 is capturing the most imagination.

Priced affordably, it’s capable of accommodating a family, and has a cockpit big enough to tangle with a whopper.

The cruiser comes with a rather excellent hardtop as standard. Add-ons included an invertor, separate battery bank, two-kW Furuno depth sounder, 24nm radar and autopilot; clears, outrigger poles and cockpit fridge.

Seating on the big bridge includes a transverse lounge for two to port and an L-shaped lounge forward of the helm console. The carbon dash panels had twin sets of Cummins engine gauges, a Clarion remote, Furuno flush-mounted 12in screen and a 10in unit on a bracket mounted on top of the dash.

The 6.40sqm cockpit is big enough to swing a gamechair and includes hot/cold handheld shower, cockpit spotlights and sidepockets for mooring lines.

Internal finishes are best described as honest and what you get with the engineering is time-proven.

HIGHS

Big cockpit and twin cabins
Priced well
Smooth-riding hull

LOWS

Very basic standard boat
Lacks engine room bilge pump
A bit noisy at certain speeds

Beneteau Cyclades 43
Simple and affordable entry into large keelboat cruising.
Beneteau's Cyclades 43 is a radical change for the French boatbuilder. Gone are luxury appointments, timber trimmings and go-fast rigs. In their place is a clean-look, low-maintenance boat with an emphasis on ease of sailing and ease of care.

The cockpit is expansive, uncluttered and easy to move around thanks to the twin wheels and walkaround folding table. Wide sidecks provide a virtual highway forward and the expansive foredeck sports a vertical 1000W electric windlass and twin stainless-steel bowrollers with plenty of stowage.

HIGHS

Ease of handling for short-handed sailing
Spacious the cockpit and below
Low purchase price for a 43-footer

LOWS

Interior lacks ambiance
Lack of sail controls will limit performance

Innovation 65
A smart cat with a clever planing hull and an inspired hydrofoil system.
In 50kt wind and whitecaps, there was no white-knuckle ride on this Australian-designed and built Innovation 65. A big-ticket $3 million-plus boat fully-equipped for long-range liveaboard cruising, this power cat has a seemingly invincible ride.

Wit twin 1000hp C18 Caterpillar engines, the 38-tonne (fully laden) boat offers terrific consumption compared with a big, heavy, conventional deep-vee monohull.

Its symmetrical planing hull had the optional ($53,000) hydrofoil system featuring solid stainless-steel wings forward of the tunnel to complement standard-issue aft foils. There was an optional hydraulic submersible swim platform ($33,000) with 600kg lifting capacity. The foils also give two-to-three knots better top end speed and up to 35cm of lateral hull lift for less drag.

As expected with a six-metre beam, the 65-footer is wonderfully stable and big on living space.

HIGHS

Seaworthy and efficient
Clever layout with aft galley
Wonderful cabins and ensuites

LOWS

Unknown resale value
Engine room doors not lockable
Need more grabrails in flybridge

Published : Thursday, 1 December 2005
Issue : December 2005

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Prices and specifications supplied are for the market in Australia only and were correct at time of first publication. BoatPoint Australia makes no warranty as to the accuracy of specifications or prices. Please check with manufacturer or local dealer for current pricing and specifications.