The Fairline F//Line 33 has genuine star quality, and its hull is among the best we’ve ever tested
Back in 2019, the traditional ‘Big Three’ UK boat builders all launched what they referred to as ‘superboats’, having never felt the urge in the past (with the notable exception of Sunseeker). Designed as high-performance halo models, they were intended to cast a sporty and desirable glow on the range in general, as well as being exciting and stylish boats in their own right.
Sunseeker’s Hawk 38
Sunseeker’s Hawk 38 was the fastest by dint of having a hull designed by race boat driver and builder Fabio Buzzi, zero accommodation bar a loo under the helm console, oh, and twin Mercury 400R racing outboard engines nailed to the transom. It topped out at a scorching 70mph (over 60 knots) but beyond an admittedly exhilarating ride, it didn’t seem to have a lot else to offer for its predictably premium price.
The Princess R35 and hydrofoiling technology
Princess went a rather different route, collaborating with BAR Technologies to create some very unusual hydrofoiling technology for its sleek V8-powered carbon-fibre R35 superboat. It was unusual in that the foils didn’t actually lift the hull clear of the water.
Instead they were designed to improve its handling and efficiency. Vague claims were made about reduced fuel consumption and improved seakeeping but neither seemed wildly better than many other deep-vee sports boats of a similar size and power. The only obvious benefit was its dramatic cornering ability, which might have been quite useful were there any corners at sea…
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Fairline F//Line 33: The lasting legacy
Then, at the Monaco Yacht Show, Fairline launched the F//line 33. Tellingly, the only one still in production, this is a deeply cool-looking boat. Better yet, underpinning it, is a genuinely brilliant hull.
Powered by twin 430hp V8 petrol engines, top speed approached an appropriately super 50 knots on our test, and Editor Hugo waxed lyrical about the exceptional seakeeping and handling, calling it “the boat every enthusiast has been crying out for, for the past 20 years”. There was even a nicely finished cabin below decks. An improved cockpit layout followed, as did an outboard-engined variant.
The Fairline F//Line 33 has genuine star quality.
The F//Line 33 even has star quality. At the end of Matthew Vaughn’s fabulous spy epic Argylle, our heroes escape aboard a sleek sexy powerboat, and just visible on the back of the helm seat is the legend ‘F//Line 33’. Weirdly, it has a cockpit layout that doesn’t actually exist, but as it disappears into the sunset it’s very clearly a super-cool Fairline F//Line 33.
Fairline F//Line 33 Specifications:
Year: 2019 – present day
LOA: 32ft 9in (2.99m)
Beam: 11ft 6in (3.5m)
Power: Twin Volvo Penta 430hp V8 petrol engines
Speed: 47 knots
Price: From £460,000
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