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92 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016

USED BOAT TEST

Key cruising

features

The backstay

is bifurcated

above the helm

to facilitate

transom access

In-mast or slab

furling was

offered from new

She has a large, quite powerful

genoa that needs to be reefed

before the smallish mainsail

The primary winches are

right beside the helm

making singlehanding easy

Having a plethora of hatches

and portlights means she’s

light and airy below

Shallow, flat forward

sections can induce

slamming in big seas

effective non-slip moulded

into the gelcoat and a cut-

away around the helm. The

helm seat lifts out to access

the wide transom step and

hinge-down boarding ladder.

Her sidedecks are wide and

easy to negotiate with inboard

shrouds and genoa tracks.

The steel coachroof grabrails

are well fixed, and there is

space on the hatch garage to

mount the liferaft on chocks.

In general she’s pretty easy

and safe to get around on,

although the rounded edges

of the coachroof are shiny and

very slippery when wet.

She has six chunky cleats

with open fairleads set within

her solid alloy toerails. There’s

a single anchor roller and

a deep chain locker with a

windlass shelf inside.

Living below

There were two models made, with either

two or three cabins. The latter was a bit

of a squeeze and the heads was moved

forward and made much smaller.

Dream On is the two-cabin model,

which benefits from a deep cockpit locker

to starboard, a larger heads with wet

locker and a much roomier forecabin.

Apart from the patterned upholstery,

which tends to date quite quickly, the

dark woody interior is warm but not

at all dingy, thanks to ample portlights

and hatches, and a white deckhead. The

same goes for ventilation – all the long

portlights in the coachroof can be opened;

there are three hatches in the forecabin

and one above the saloon.

The settees in the saloon are long (1.98 x

0.9m) and straight, with lifting seatbacks.

Leaving the backs in place and adding lee

cloths turns them into excellent sea berths.

In port you can lift the back up to give you

another 30cm width and they’re great for

stuffing bedding behind during the day.

Headroom is also pretty reasonable

throughout – 1.84m (6ft) in the saloon

and galley, dropping slightly to 1.80m (5ft

11in) in the heads and aft cabin. Although

the forecabin is the master cabin, with

its roomy 2.0m-long vee-berth, ample

dressing area, seats and

big clothes lockers, the aft

cabin also boasts a generous

1.83 x 1.72m (6ft x 5ft 8in)

double berth too, although

the bottom of the cockpit

moulding restricts headroom

to 0.48m – and less by the

foot of the inside berth.

The heads is fully moulded,

spacious and even has a wet

locker for your oilskins – a

bonus not often found on

today’s mid-size cruisers.

Chart table

The navigation area is another

plus on this boat, with its

forward-facing chart table

and good stowage for charts

and books as well as drawers

below for the bosun’s stores.

Galley

This is probably the only weak area of the

interior layout. It’s a bit squeezed in, with

the cooker right against the aft bulkhead

and there’s very little work space for food

preparation, other than on the fridge lid.

The fridge is a good size, though, and

stowage is generally adequate for both

food and utensils.

Later models had slightly smaller

forecabin, but a larger galley, as the saloon

was shifted forward several inches.

Maintenance

Engine access is good, either by

removing the steps or through the side

panel. All seacocks are easy to reach, too.

Warm and woody, but not gloomy thanks to large portlights and hatches