The Cockwells Duchy 25 will make its debut at the Southampton Boat Show this year
The Cockwells Duchy 25 is a new entry point to the Duchy Motor Launch fleet and in spite of its modest length, it puts safe, sociable open-air space at the top of the priority list.
The cockpit, for instance, is framed between raised side decks so you don’t have to compromise the forward end with a step-through screen. Those side decks run forward to the bow, via handy rails on the screen’s side panels, where elevated guardrails keep things nice and secure.
And if the compact bow seems slightly workmanlike, the cockpit itself is anything but.
It’s good to see the Duchy making its debut at Britain’s premier show
It runs way aft, to the point where the stern bench backrest butts up against the engine well. Those backrests fold forward to allow access to and from the swim platforms, and it looks like the lateral backrests can also be used to rig the space as a sun bed.
There’s a compact galley on the port side of the lower deck so in the absence of a cockpit wet bar, the aft bench projects forward on both sides, forming a peripheral wraparound U-shaped unit for up to six people. You also get a removable table in the centre and a spray hood to help keep the elements at bay.
Stylistically, it’s as classical as you would expect of Cockwells, and in terms of its breadth of applications, they very much tally with its combination of Duchy 27 underpinnings and gentlemanly picnic-boat looks.
Remarkably, there’s a lounge, a galley and a separate heads down here
It’s built to operate both on the inland waterways and at sea so it makes excellent sense that you can spec it with anything from 30hp to 200hp for genteel days on the river or 25-knot coastal passages.
As the smaller, lighter, outboard-powered sister to the Duchy 27, it’s also eminently towable and to further boost its versatility, it looks reasonably well set up for occasional weekending too…
The space beneath the foredeck is very sensibly used for a sheltered V-shaped lounge rather than a permanent bed, which again adds some extra flexibility to the mix. But you can of course convert it into a double berth with a set of simple infills.
There’s also a port galley with a sink, fridge and single electric induction hob, plus a private starboard heads compartment. It’s not big and it’s by no means cheap but it does look like an attractive new introduction to the loveliness of the Cockwells Duchy experience.
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Cockwells Duchy 25 Specifications:
LOA: 25ft 0in (7.62m)
Beam: 9ft 1in (2.76m)
Engines: Outboard from 30-200hp
Top speed: 25 knots
Price: From £162,950 ex VAT
Contact details: www.cockwells.co.uk
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