Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

“This is not a mass-production boat,
it’s a semi-custom build completely
handmade at our shipyard in
Zwartsluis, so there are very many
options,” says Jerry Schuiten.
I’m in Amsterdam, in the cabin of
the new Intercruiser 32 with Jerry,
the owner of Interboat, manufacturer
of the six-strong line of 27-34ft
Intercruisers as well as two lines
of open boats, the Interboat and
Intender ranges. But Jerry is not just
talking about the usual choices of
curtains, carpets and upholstery.
There are two completely different
cabin configurations for a start. You
can opt for an open-plan layout with
a large offset permanent double berth
forward, the head of which forms part
of an L-shaped settee to starboard
opposite a galley – an ideal layout for
a cruising couple. Or choose the

family-friendly version we’re sat in,

which puts traditional vee berths in a

sectioned-off forepeak, leaving room

for a large dinette to port that will

convert into a double berth, doubling

the sleeping count and moving the

well-equipped galley to starboard.

Once you’ve chosen the layout,

you can then decide whether to split

the forepeak off into a separate cabin

with a full-height bulkhead or opt

for the airier half-height bulkhead.

After that, you need to select your

wood (our test boat was in modern

whitewashed satin oak, teak and

walnut are alternatives), then you

can finally get down to choosing

those curtain and upholstery fabrics.

Whichever you go for, you’ll get the

kind of sturdy high-quality build

you’d expect from a Dutch boat,

not to mention over 6ft of headroom.

Head up into the cockpit and those

choices keep on coming. Interboat

offers two completely separate

cockpit layouts. The Lounge layout

is a classic Dutch sloop-style setup:

the helm is aft, the wheel, throttle and

instrumentation fitted to a central

free-standing column a little like a

yacht, the helmsman sitting with his

back to the transom. It’s a fabulously

social layout that lends itself

perfectly to meandering through

the Dutch waterways or down the

River Thames because it puts the

guests around and in front of the

driver rather than staring at his

back as conventional cockpits do.

However, if convention is your

middle name, the Comfort layout

puts the helm at the front of the

cockpit on the starboard side with

a similar seat on the port side for

the navigator, leaving the aft section

for deep comfortable bench seating

around a folding table. Less social

it might be, but it does offer more

protection from the deep windscreen

with its triple pantograph wipers.

INTERCRUISER 32

Words & pictures Nick Burnham

Strong, sturdy and with more customisation than

you’d think, this cruiser is built to last

QUICK SPIN

THE DATA

SPECIFICATIONS

BUILD GRP

RCD B

LOA 32ft 0in 9.75m

BEAM 11ft 0in (3.35m)

ENGINE Volvo Penta D3-

110hp diesel

FUEL 3,300 litres (72 gallons)

WATER 180 litres (39 gallons)

PRICE FROM

€177,500 inc VAT

PRICE AS TESTED

€214,000 inc VAT