W
Conquering
LOOKING FOR A SPRIGHTLY PERFORMER ACCENTED WITH A FINE FINISH?
THE INVICTUS 370GT IS A WALKAROUND WITH STERN DRIVE POWER THAT MAY RAISE
THE BAR FOR ITS CATEGORY. BY ALAN HARPER
Whether it’s the hull color, the intricate stitching, or the stain-
less steel lettering immaculately inset into the gelcoat, there is
something jewel-like about Invictus’s new 370GT. Sitting there
in bright Mediterranean sunshine, its shapes, tones, and textures
just get better the closer you go. Soft Alcantara lines the interior,
with its wool carpeting and oak fl oors. And then there is all the
leather: adorning door handles and grabrails, lining headboards,
and cladding the retro lockers. Th ere’s soft , stitched vinyl, too, on
the steel frame of the cockpit table and even padding the front of
the superstructure molding. Th e whole boat is a tactile delight.
Th is was at the recent Cannes boat show, which is always full
of gleaming Italian hardware buff ed to a shining brilliance. But
even so, there seemed to be something other-worldly about
the 370’s cosmetic perfection, as if it were too good to be true.
It had an unreal, Photoshop quality. “No, it’s real,” Elisa Corti
from the shipyard’s public relations fi rm, Sand People Commu-
nication, cheerfully assured me.
Th is Invictus is from the design studio of Christian Grande, and,
as well as his assiduous attention to detail, he also displays a robust
focus on the practicalities of onboard life. Th ree secure helm seats
are as many as you could sensibly hope for, while behind them sits
a grill and sink with big lockers beneath. Th ere’s more stowage un-
der the cockpit sole, engine access is very good, and the substantial
swim platform is hydraulic, if you want. Hand-holds abound.
No fewer than four layout options are available below, varia-
tions that involve the choice of one or two berths in the amidships
cabin, and a double berth or a dinette forward. Our test boat had
three berths, all diff erent, but each is a reasonable size, especially
the 6-foot-4-inch-by-5-foot double in the forward sleeping area.
Th ey come with necessarily limited headroom—just 25 inches
over the head of the berths in the amidships cabin, and 28 inches
up forward—but this is no criticism in what is essentially a mid-
size walkaround. Headroom in the central living area is 6 feet
6 inches. Th e head compartment is small, but it works.
For all its manifest visual, sensual, and practical qualities, there
is a limit to how long you can spend admiring a 37-footer in
the marina. Th e crew threw the lines off and we negotiated the
crowded waters of the harbor entrance, pointing that distinctive-
ly sculpted bow towards the open sea. It looked pretty choppy out
there for a small, fast sports machine.
You can specify 300-horsepower Volvo Penta diesels, if you like—
which I suspect would be more than adequate—but our 370 had
370s: the refi ned and torquey VW-based V-8s from MerCruiser,
on twin-prop Bravo Th ree stern drives. It all starts happening once
you push the levers through 2500 rpm. In the sort of lively condi-
tions we had off Cannes, this is the time to hold onto something
solid—preferably the steering wheel—and squint hard into the ris-
ing breeze, because whatever’s out there in front is starting to comeWWW.PMYMAG.COM JUNE 2017 / POWER & MOTORYACHT 51