Every month we take a look at some of the best second hand motor boats on the market. This month we take a look at the best hard top sports cruisers on you can buy now
When you lower the soft top of a 1980s-era Mercedes SL, you insert handles into the windscreen header rail and twist to release the front of the roof. Then get out, reach into the back and pull the lever that releases the rear of the roof. Raising that allows you to lift the deck lid. Carefully fold the roof into the compartment, close the deck lid and you’re done.
Meanwhile, in my own SL several decades later, I press one button.
That manual method wouldn’t be acceptable in a modern luxury car, and the same is becoming true of boats, people simply don’t want to wrangle a canopy on and off anymore. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the difference in value between an open Fairline Targa 38 with a canopy and the hard top sliding-roof version. That being the case, here are four hard top sportscruisers that give you open air thrills and sleek styling but the ability to close the roof at the touch of a button.
Beneteau Gran Turismo 38
Built: 2011
Price: £165,000
Launched in 2011, this model is actually based on Beneteau’s previous MC37, which dates back to 2006, combining an established hull with lessons learned from five years of selling the earlier model. And it proved successful: Beneteau sold 245 of these in four years before replacing it with the Gran Turismo 40.
Plenty of sociable cockpit seating and a rare centreline helm with space for three
Interior
Although the usual owner’s cabin forward, mid cabin aft and saloon opposite the galley in-between, there is one particularly interesting feature of the layout. Rather than putting the cabin door and steps in the centre and then the door to the mid cabin to one side, accessing a double berth that runs transversely, Beneteau put the cabin door to the port side, which allows the mid cabin door to be in the centre, giving access to a cabin that runs lengthways beneath the cockpit. There are a couple of advantages to this. It puts access in the deepest part of the hull, giving headroom without the need to steal it from the base of seating on the deck above. And that allows a deep walkway between two single beds that can be infilled to a double.
Exterior
The benefit of that unusual layout is felt in the cockpit too. Beneteau was able to position the helm on the centreline, and without sideways seating needed to create headroom, there is room for a double helm seat and a further single seat facing forward, which cunningly have a gap between them so everyone can get in and out without causing havoc. A solid sliding roof in the hardtop means the aperture is smaller but more durable.
Performance
Beneteau fitted twin D4 engines in either 260hp or 300hp configuration. Unsurprisingly, 70% went out with the 300s since there’s no size or weight disadvantage, only extra cost when new. Figure on low to mid 30-knot performance.
Offset companionway creates room for a central door into the spacious guest twin/double
Seakeeping
Another unusual facet (this boat is full of them) is Beneteau’s patented AirStep hull. The idea is to draw air under the hull to reduce friction and improve efficiency. We tested the MC37 with this hull, describing it as “very good out on the water. It offers a sporty ride and has the ability to perform incredibly rapid turns.”
Beneteau Gran Turismo 38 specifications
Length: 38ft 7in (11.8m)
Beam: 12ft 2in (3.7m)
Draft: 3ft 7in (1.1m)
Displacement: 7.4 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 650 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D4 300 300hp diesel engines
For sale: One Marine
Azimut Atlantis 34
Built: 2019
Price: £189,950
Italian builder Azimut is one of the most prolific and successful boat builders in the world. From top-end custom superyachts built under the Benetti flag through to production superyachts that fly under the Grande banner, Magellano trawler yachts, flybridge models, Verve dayboats and Seadeck hybrid craft, there’s something to suit everyone’s requirements – provided you’re extremely wealthy of course! Underpinning the fleet is the range of Atlantis entry-level boats. Currently comprising the 51 and the 45, the Atlantis model range once included boats in the 30ft range, such as this Atlantis 34.
The dinette in the open-plan lower saloon converts into a huge double bed
Interior
In the mid 30ft sportscruiser set up, manufacturers can choose to squeeze in a small forward cabin for a two-cabin layout, or opt to just have the mid cabin and use the front of the boat for a large converting dinette. That’s what Azimut did with this model. A large chaise longue next to the helm increases headroom in that mid cabin, making it one of the most spacious in its class – important given it’s the only permanent sleeping space. Convert the dinette to a berth and it’s a huge double, as wide at the aft end as it is long – 6ft 4in! There’s a sense of quality too, with the Azimut parentage elevating the finish.
Exterior
Only ever available as a hard top, the lid is very well integrated into the design; the windscreen frame simply sweeping aft supported by two black pillars that visually disappear. The chaise next to the helm seems an odd place for a sunbed – of course it’s really there to increase headroom below, but in practice it makes a great place to relax underway.
Performance
Only one engine option was offered when this model was born, and it’s the pair of Volvo Penta D3-220 engines fitted to this boat. We hit 30 knots when we tested a brand new example in Italy back in 2013.
The unusual rear-facing chaise longue is needed to create headroom in the cabin below
Seakeeping
“At all speeds it’s very steady across the water, with little tab required,” we reported on that test. “The Atlantis feels utterly solid and rattle-free, helped by the strength and stiffness of the resin-infused hull.”
Azimut Atlantis 34 specifications
Length: 33ft 7in (10.2m)
Beam: 11ft 6in (3.5m)
Draft: 3ft 1in (0.9m)
Displacement: 7 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 650 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D3-220 220hp diesel engines
For sale: Boats.co.uk
Bavaria SR41
Built: 2022
Price: £299,950
Launched in 2020, Bavaria’s SR41 was the blueprint for a new model line of boats that were intended to combine the sportiness of the brand’s S line of open boats with the more upmarket feel of its R line deck saloon cruisers. The SR35 and SR38 have since joined the line-up.
There’s a full beam midship owner’s cabin tucked behind the companionway stairs
Interior
Head downstairs and the lower deck appears entirely conventional – but only for as long as you remain facing forward. You’ll find the usual galley opposite a dinette, there’s a heads forward of that dinette to port and in the bow, a forward cabin with a centreline double bed, so far so ordinary. Turn around and head aft, however, and you’re in for a treat. Instead of the usual compact guest cabin squeezed under the cockpit, there’s a full beam owner’s cabin, complete with hull windows and a double bed that you can access from either side. Incredibly, there is even a private ensuite back here, complete with a separate shower cubicle.
Exterior
There are a couple of interesting features in the cockpit too, the most obvious right aft. Most 40ft sportscruisers have seating that wraps along the transom facing inwards. This does have that but behind it is another section of seating that extends out towards the bathing platform. Rock the aft backrest forward and you have an aft-facing dinette – perfect when at anchor. There was also an option for doors at the aft end of the hard top to make it a coupé.
Performance
When new, options ranged from a pair of petrol V8 Mercruisers to twin Volvo Penta diesels. The latter were more popular with buyers being able to pick from either the four-cylinder D4-300s or six-cylinder D6-380 engines. This boat has the latter, which should push past 35 knots.
The backrest of the aft bench swings over to create a second dinette that faces out to sea
Seakeeping
We described it as tenacious in the turns and enormous fun to throw about, and whilst the conditions were not challenging on our test day, any chop or wash from passing vessels was dispatched confidently. Elevated noise levels were the only fly in the ointment.
Bavaria SR41 specifications
Length: 43ft 3in (13.2m)
Beam: 13ft 1in (4m)
Draft: 3ft 4in (1.0m)
Displacement: 9 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 750 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D6-380 380hp diesel engines
For sale: Argo Yachting
Sealine SC35
Built: 2011
Price: £169,950
It’s hard to overestimate what a seismic shift in style the SC35 was when it hit the water in 2007. Those sharp angles and slab sides were game-changers at the time. This particular boat is a 40th anniversary special edition model celebrating 40 years of Sealine boats, hence the ivory hull and leather upholstery. Interestingly, Sealine also launched an S35 which was this boat, but with an open cockpit. Almost everyone opted for the pricier SC35 version – is this where the shift from open to hard top sportscruisers began?
Wide beam and tall, vertical topsides create room for a very spacious saloon and cabins
Interior
Those tall topsides pay dividends down below, as does its wide beam because whilst this is an entirely conventional layout with a cabin at either end and a saloon/galley in the middle, the room down here, and in particular the sense of space garnered by the headroom, is remarkable. In fact it was so good that it almost single-handedly killed the larger Sealine SC38 that was already in production because it offered almost everything that boat did bar a completely separate shower compartment.
Exterior
The hardtop on this boat stretches right back until it’s level with the transom. This minimises the canopies needed to totally enclose the cockpit, but also means that the fabric roof aperture is vast! Add the fact that you can remove the tops of the side windows and you end up with probably the most open feeling hard-top boat on the market.
Performance
The American Brunswick Corporation owned Sealine Boats between 2001 and 2011, which probably explains the existence of twin Cummins Mercruiser QSD 4.2L 320hp engines on the options list. But the vast majority went out with twin Volvo Penta D4 engines in 260hp or 300hp guise, giving plus or minus 30 knots.
Full-length hard top makes for a very sheltered cockpit with a huge fabric sunroof
Seakeeping
Powerboat racer/designer Ocke Mannerfelt fine-tuned the hull of this one, which probably explains why we enthusiastically described it as “simply one of the best hulls that you will helm.”
Sealine SC35 specifications
Length: 38ft 10in (11.8m)
Beam: 12ft 4in (3.8m)
Draft: 3ft 6in (1.1m)
Displacement: 8 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 750 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D4-260 260hp diesel engines
For sale: Salterns Brokerage
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