Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

BOAT MASTER FINDME A USED...

With over 400 units sold over 24 years

from launch in 1980, the Trader 41 and

latterly 41+2 is a popular and instantly

recognisable boat. Built in the Kha

Shing yard in Taiwan, the boat was

the brainchild of Tony Chappell of

the Emsworth-based Tarquin Boat

Company, who came up with the

concept and designed it with the

yard’s naval architect C Y Chung. While

most are aft-cabin configuration with

a vast raised deck above an aft cabin,

a small number were built with deep

aft cockpits, designated the 41 Sport.

INTERIOR

The big difference in the Sport models

is the loss of the aft cabin. But it still

benefits from the 41’s generous 14ft

beam. With the galley moved up to

the saloon, there’s plenty of space for

a comfortable seating area around

a table and further settee tucked

away on the lower deck. Vee berths in

the fore cabin infill to create a double.

EXTERIOR

The huge sheltered aft cockpit rather

than a windswept raised deck is the

talking point of the exterior. That

beam makes itself felt again via wide

side decks, making progress forward

an easy stroll. Reached by a ladder, up

top, the flybridge helm is augmented

by plenty of seating. A sliding door

next to the lower helm offers easy

egress for the helmsman.

PERFORMANCE

Early Trader 41s got twin WaterMota

Ford engines at 120hp for a fairly

pedestrian 12 knots. By the mid ’90s,

the ante had been upped, and this 41

Sport got engines that were among

the most powerful fitted – a pair of

350hp Caterpillar motors that should

push performance well past 20 knots.

SEAKEEPING

A long keel provides directional

stability, fine entry cleaves the waves

and flattish aft sections provide lift.

Add beam and weight and the result

is the ability to bludgeon big seas,

coping well with heavy weather

although it can punch plenty of

spray into the air in the process.

1994 £93,500

DATA FILE

Length 41ft 2in (12.5m)

Beam 14ft 0in (4.3m)

Draught 4ft 0in (1.2m)

Displacement 15 tonnes

Fuel capacity

280 gallons (1,272 litres)

Engines Twin Caterpillar

350hp diesels

FOR SALE Why Boats.

http://www.whyboats.com

Trader 41 Sport

Overshadowed by

its aft-cabin sibling

Space and solidity

★★★★

RATING

103

MY CHOICE As ever, the Sealine offers a lot of innovation

with its moulded flybridge stairs, clever flybridge seating, twin

heads and neat canopy stowage, as well as a build date well

into the 21st century. The Princess is almost a decade older but trades that

for terrific build quality, an intriguing engine option and a usefully lower price.

But if we’re talking cash, just look at how much fantastic boat the Fairline

41 offers! Yes, it’s the oldest here, but it still looks sharp inside and out and

it’s a quality build again. But the Trader is the one that really stands out this

month. As circa-40ft flybridge boats go, it’s massive, courtesy of beam and

height, and it’s built like a tank with its solid teak interior. With big Cats and

a sub-£100K price tag, it’s simply a huge amount of boat for the money.

★

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★
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★
Freestanding
furniture helps
fi ll the cockpit
Sturdy teak saloon fi tout
complements the timeless
exterior styling
A vee-berth
cabin makes
up to a double