Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

inch the low-profile performance

machine, but head downstairs and

you just might be surprised.

Two teak-treaded ‘floating’ steps

drop you into the cabin. It’s no cruiser

in here – at 6ft tall, I can’t quite stand

up straight and there’s no separate

mid cabin as you would find on

the similarly sized (and cheaper)

Jeanneau 30 S, but it is beautifully

finished. Apart from the heads,

there’s not an inch of bare glassfibre

on display, the headlining is soft

cream vinyl and the high-gloss

wooden table features the trademark

embossed Windy star. It’s a work of

art. And while a separate sleeping

cabin is absent, there are two berths

stretching back beneath the cockpit

as part of the open-plan layout. If you

plan regular long cruises with four

adults, you’re going to be saying the

word ‘cosy’ through clenched teeth

before long, but as a weekender for

two it’s brilliant, and that aft-berth

arrangement means you don’t have

to convert the dinette every night (or

have an excuse not to take the kids).

AT THE HELM

But let’s not dwell below, beautifully

appointed though it is. The helm is

the place to be, twin throttle levers

in the palm of your hand. Windy fitted

the 31 Tornado with twin 2.4-litre

170hp Volvo Penta KAD32 engines.

In fact, there was even a rare single

KAD44 260hp option. Choosing

Darrell East

bought his

32 Grand

Tornado four

years ago to

replace a RIB

and keeps it

at Port Solent.

He mostly cruises the Solent

but has plans to cross the

Channel with it later this year.

Marcus Perkins also replaced

a RIB with his boat, finding

it drier and more refined, but

no less fun. He’s owned his

boat for three years and keeps

it in Lymington. Both fell in

love with the GT’s sleek looks,

strong performance and sporty

handling, providing the logical

step up from an open RIB to

a more versatile sportscruiser.

Type Sportscruiser

In build 2005-2011

Designer Hans Jørgen Johnsen

Hull type Planing

RCD category B

Current value from £80,000

LOA 31ft 11in (9.72m)

Beam 9ft 10in (2.99m)

Draught 3ft 0in (0.91m)

Displacement 4.6 tonnes

Fuel capacity

130 gallons (590 litres)

Water capacity

33 gallons (150 litres)

Performance

45 knots with twin Volvo Penta

KAD300 diesel engines

Cruising range 260 miles

at 35 knots with 20% reserve

MY TAKE I have a real hankering for one

of these. It’s small enough to be exciting

to drive and easy to look after but big

enough to cover distance in comfort and stay on

board for a long weekend. And it’s a Windy! Hugo

To protect this boat with Coppercoat

multi-season antifoul

would cost £900

(inc VAT)

these was a little like selecting the

4-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the

new Ford Mustang instead of the

V8 alternative. It makes financial

sense, but it just doesn’t feel quite

right. Most got the twin KAD44

engines and for the 32 Grand Tornado

Windy went full fat only – the smaller

options were ditched altogether.

A couple of early boats went out

with twin Volvo Penta KAD300 285hp

motors, but 2005 was the year of

Volvo’s storming new D4, so the vast

majority got a pair of these in 260hp

or later 300hp format. The result is

a 45-knot top end,

Servicing (inc labour & VAT)

Twin Volvo Penta D4-260

£1,658

Replacement parts (inc VAT)

Drive belt £60.48

Impeller £52.80

Oil filter £58.67

Fuel filter £12.60

Coolant pump £453.60

THE COSTS

DATA FILE

I BOUGHT ONE

BOAT MASTER USEDBOAT

The backrest slides

backwards to extend

the sunpad

Twin 300hp D4s are

the most powerful

option, giving speeds

of up to 45 knots