Motor Boat & Yachting - July 2018

The other big decision the team took was to steer away from the

idea of an out-and-out sportsboat. The dealers asked for a boat

customers could socialise on, not just tear around in at high speed.

That meant a large open cockpit design with room to eat, drink,

sunbathe and move about without tripping over one another.

“We wanted to avoid the corridor effect that so many smaller

boats suffer from,” explains Pope. “Instead of a single narrow

walkway that guides you through the cockpit, we’ve created

a fl exible space with socialising areas, room to walk around

both sides and a better connection with the water.”

With a beam of 11ft 6in (3.5m), it’s actually quite a wide

boat for its length but thanks to a near-vertical bow and a new

two-chine hull shape that lifts the stern higher out of the water

at speed, it should perform and handle like a true sportsboat.

In fact, with the most powerful engine option of twin 430hp

petrol V8s, Fairline is confi dently predicting a top speed of at

least 45 knots. In benign conditions, it might even be knocking

on the door of 50 knots and thanks to an optional sportspack with

a specially tuned exhaust, it will sound every bit as good as it looks.

For those who don’t want the speed or expense of feeding a pair

of petrol engines, there is also a twin 220hp diesel option giving

a still-useful top speed of 33 knots and an estimated range of

200nm from its 700-litre fuel tank. Whichever engine you opt

for, the handling is claimed to be safe, stable and progressive

with plenty of grip and good manoeuvrability from the Volvo

duo-prop sterndrives.

LOW PROFILE

The addition of Italian design consultant Alberto Mancini to the

team has also brought a sharper focus on the purity of line and

the detailing of the F-Line 33. The profi le of the side windows,

heavily sculpted fl anks and rebated transom have a distinctly

automotive feel to them, while fashioning the air inlets, outlets

and drains into an integral part of the design avoids cluttering

up the exterior with fi ttings. Even vital deck gear like the pop-

up cleats and fender eyes are cleverly integrated into the toerails

while the nav lights, horn and aerial are designed to minimise

any visual disruption. Small hinged sections of the sidescreens

The cockpit is designed
to be a fl exible socialising
space with a rear dinette
that converts into a sunpad

The fl ush-fi tting transom

folds down to become an

extended bathing platform

BRIT PACK