Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

You can picture lazy days as the adults prop

themselves up on the bar stools and watch as

the kids leap off the balconies into the water

the cockpit dinette also drops down to

create a perch facing out aft so you can

keep an eye on the kids as they swim.

The optional transom grill slides out

on a cassette in passerelle fashion.

The standard cockpit arrangement

includes an aft bench with a spacious

lazarette below that can be fi tted out

as a crew cabin but you can also opt for

the ‘aft dinner mode package’ as seen on

our test boat, or a version with a tender

garage and rotating dinette.

The entire space is so cleverly thought

out and above all, effective. You can

picture lazy days on the hook, the windows

and doors open allowing the breeze to

trickle through the saloon as the adults

prop themselves up on the bar stools and

watch as the kids leap off the balconies into

the water below.

There’s clever thinking going on

forward too, where you fi nd the most

comfortable foredeck seating in the

class. The key is that all three benches

have backrests so there is plenty of support

if you want to spend some time up there

and, by lifting the seat squabs and simply

hinging the backrests down into the locker

below, it’s easy to fold them away and leave

a perfectly clear view forward from the

lower helm. There are a couple of issues

up here, though. The glazing in the deck

is great if you’re in the VIP cabin below

but it gets slippery if the area is damp, and

the white GRP table looks a little plain and

could do with a splash of teak to liven it up.

FOREDECK THINKING

In contrast to the other two outdoor living

spaces, the fl ybridge is more formulaic but

thanks to that generous overhang, it feels

spacious and is endowed with plenty of

seating. Like the foredeck, there is quite a

bit of white GRP on show and some teak

atop the dinette table and wet bar wouldn’t

go amiss.

In comparison to the Transformer-

like exterior, the interior of our test boat

in cream and walnut looked a little fl at.

The quality is not to be sniffed at, but this

particular colour scheme felt a bit dated.

That said, there is a mind-boggling array

of wood and colour choices so most

customers will be able to fi nd something

to suit their taste. The constellation panel

in the ceiling over the dinette will be

considered fun by some, tacky by others.

There’s very little you can do with the

physical layout of the interior, aside from

swapping the reversible bench opposite

the galley for a storage unit, but the living

spaces on the main deck and below work

well as they are.

The full-beam master cabin has standing

headroom for someone of 6ft 1in all the

way around the bed, despite there being

The sofa to starboard

can be replaced with a

storage unit if needed

Huge windows

fi re natural

light in

some intrusions overhead. The yard has

dropped the fl oor in places so although

there may be levels to negotiate, you don’t

have to stoop to get into bed and there’s

plenty of space to sit up and read. There’s

plenty of storage in this cabin in various

different guises and the quality of the

carpentry in here and throughout the

interior is impressive. The woodwork

is thick and sturdy and the doors and

lockers close with a satisfying clunk.

By including a separate shower cubicle

in the master ensuite, the bathroom feels

a bit cramped but it’s nice not to have

a wet room where the sink and toilet

get a soaking during a shower.

The VIP cabin is ensuite to the day heads

and it’s a good size, with plentiful glazing

to boost natural light. The third cabin’s

bunk-bed layout is best suited to kids but

the berths are large enough for an adult

to get a decent night’s kip if needs must.

All of the 460’s engine options are from

Volvo Penta but there is a broad choice of

both shaftdrive and IPS pods to pick from.

IPS 600 and 800 are the two pod drive

options and you can have twin 435s,

600s or 550s on shafts – we had the latter

and topped out at 29.1 knots on test with

minimal stores and around 25% fuel. Our

test boat didn’t have fuel fl ow monitors

so we weren’t able to verify the fuel fi gures

supplied by Galeon (see data panel).

With these engines, the 460 is a relaxing

boat to drive. It cruises most comfortably

BOAT REPORT

The brilliant

bar area on

the port side