82 Boating New Zealand
somewhere to mount the bait table; there’s a live bait tank set
into the duckboard.
Across the transom, a sink and a built-in rubbish bin are
handy when ishing and there’s a cockpit shower on the port
side for rinsing of after a swim or a dive. he drop-down rod
locker in the cockpit ceiling is a clever idea.
he vessel’s lazarette, accessed through a large hatch in the
cockpit sole, is neatly laid out with plenty of space for dive
bottles, the dinghy outboard and assorted gear. he vessel’s
900-litre fuel tank is accessed from the lazarette and there is
additional storage under the cockpit seats.DESIGNER INTERIOR
Step into the saloon and an abundance of large windows lood
the space with light. hey provide plenty of ventilation too,
with opening side windows, a simple, hinged rear window
on gas stays and large sliding skylights overhead. On a good
day the helmsman can sit on the back of the seat and poke
his head through the hatch for a wind in the face experience.
Sightlines are excellent, sitting or standing, at anchor or
underway.
Liquid Paradise’s galley is well-appointed and tastefully
inished with good quality cabinets, Hi Mac benches, a hetford
four-burner cooktop with oven (installed in NZ), electric
microwave and two-drawer fridge. For its size, the galley boasts
generous storage, including a pullout pantry, an in-bench
freezer and a rubbish bin.
Donna Marie’s choices for the saloon decor are nicely
understated. Vinyl roof lining complements well-chosen
carpets (itted in NZ) and leather upholstery. he lat-screen
TV was sourced in New Zealand but itted in Taiwan, as were
the bow and engine room cameras and Hella LED lighting usedthroughout the vessel.
he overall layout is social and the starboard bench seat can
serve duty as an extra berth if required.
Below decks a two-cabin loor plan afords a luxurious
owners’ cabin and a guest cabin that can be conigured with
three single berths or a double and one single berth. he shared
bathroom is well-appointed and has a separate shower cabinet.
he master cabin in the bow features an island berth
with storage under, four port lights, a sunroof and plenty
of locker space. Interiors are hand-built, just as they would
be in New Zealand, says Dean, so there’s plenty of scope for
customisation, but the vessel’s relatively narrow beam does
limit overall volume.ANYWHERE, ANY TIME
he Euro 44 is powered by a pair of 370hp Yanmar common-
rail diesels. Engine room access is through the companionway
stairs, which hinge up out of the way. here’s reasonable
access to the machinery spaces and everything is neatly
labelled, including skin ittings and sea cocks. Dean reckons
there is still room for improvement in engine room detailing,
but he’s a hard taskmaster. For major engine work, the saloon
loor lifts out.
Twin Yanmars give the Corsair 30-knot-plus performance,
but more importantly – as we found during this review – the
boat can maintain 18 knots, an economical cruise speed, even
in fairly unpleasant seas. We had 25 knots of northeasterly
breeze and an opposing tide, but Liquid Paradise sliced through
the head seas and tracked perfectly straight, suring down the
swells in following seas. As Dean pointed out, that means you
can go anywhere, pretty much any time.
On a recent delivery voyage to Australia, a 49-foot Corsair