T
o really get under the
skin of Finnish boats
you need to visit
Finland. Largely flat,
more undulating than
actually hilly, and featureless in
a very pretty, rolling field and
pine forest kind of way, for miles
and miles the only signs of
habitation are the occasionalSargo 31
The Sargo 31 sits right in the middle of the Finnish firm’s
five-strong range: Nick Burnham takes the helm of a boat
capable of covering ‘serious distances at high speed’
After 20
years as
a yacht
broker,
Nick
Burnham
embarked
on a marine media career,
quickly rising to the
position of boat test editor
for Motor Boats Monthly.
Nick is now a freelance
writer and photographer
covering all things nautical.ABOUT THE AUTHORattractive wooden house or
barn. Traffic is light, but with
barely a sign of conurbation it’s
hard to know where anyone’s
going at all...
What is apparent, however, is
how many of those houses have
a boat in the barn or sitting on the
drive. These are generally small,
trailable, outboard and practical,
so it’s clear that there is a serious
boating culture here. And when
you hit the coastline, you quickly
discover the reason why. Spread
over 5,000 miles and comprising
in excess of 17,000 habitable
islands, Finland boasts the largest
archipelago in the world. There
are about 60,000 permanent
residents, a population which can
double over the summer months.
Stats like this explain why Finland
has the highest percentage of boat
owners per adult in the world. One
in seven owns a boat of some
sort. It also explains the boats that
they build. Fast, capable, tough –
they frequently feature all-weathercapability and are immensely
practical yet seldom utilitarian –
they’re more than simple tools
of transportation. Welcome, then,
to the Sargo 31.
Sarins Båtar Oy Ab (builders of
Sargo, a 2014 rebrand of Minor
Boats) is based on Finland’s
tough west coast, where the often
hostile Gulf of Bothnia separates
it from Sweden, and has been in
business for almost half a century.
It began making small island-
hoppers under the Sarin banner
back in the ’60s, later creating
the Minor range of offshore
powerboats for the world stage.
The 31 has been a stalwart of the
range virtually since the offshore
brand was formed. Today, in
lightly revamped form, it occupies
the dead centre position of a
five-strong range that spans 25
to 36ft. The recent gentle restyle,
mainly concerning the profile
of the wheelhouse roof, hasn’t
altered the fundamental concept
of the craft one jot. It’s still asuperbly functional-looking
beast, from its forward-sloping
windscreens and chunky
black rubbing band to its deep
bulwarks topped by sturdy rails.
Although the sides are low
enough to easily scramble
over, the large bathing platform
(complete with lifting flap to
access the sterndrive) offers
the easiest route on board, via
a transom gate. You’ll find yourself
in an aft cockpit bordered on
three sides by simple bench
seats that contain storage
beneath them. It’s also possible
to have an external helm fitted
against the aft wheelhouse
bulkhead for low-speed fishing
or close-quarters manoeuvring –
limited forward visibility precluding
high speed work from here.
Wide decks sweep past the
wheelhouse on both sides, giving
easy access to the uncluttered
foredeck with its offset anchor
windlass and cradle, and its
walk-through pulpit rails. (In the
archipelago the water is deep
and the terrain rocky, so the
preferred method of access is to
anchor the stern off the island,
nose the bow in and tie it off to
the land. The shore is then
accessed over the bow.)Boats
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