Martyn Brake makes a habit of
defying expectations. He builds his
boats by hand on a small industrial
estate in the middle of the Dorset
countryside. Until now, most of his
work has come from experienced
yachties who have commissioned
him to build bespoke sailing yachts
outside the scope of a ‘normal’
production yard. With this project,
he has turned the tables completely
by building a 36ft motor boat on spec,
which he hopes to find a number of
buyers for. It’s an ambitious punt but
if anyone can make it fly, Martyn can.
The Rene 36 (named after his
mother Irene) is not an entirely
unproven concept; the hull was
originally penned by racing car
designer Nigel Bennett for a boat
called the Delphis 10. The hull
performed admirably when we tested
it back in 2001 but the Delphis itself
was not a commercial success.
Martyn hopes to change that by
offering a much more modern design
that will appeal to buyers looking for a
sporty gentleman’s yacht with a hand-crafted custom-built interior that can
be tweaked to suit the owner’s needs.
It certainly looks the part, tucked
in a corner of Dorset Lake Shipyard
awaiting our sea trial. Martyn still likes
to design by eye rather than relying
on computer-aided programmes and
as a result, puts greater emphasis on
a pleasing overall shape than outright
volume or cabin space. The elliptical
transom, with its horseshoe of cockpit
seating and long swooping side
windows, stand out a mile from the
jelly-mould shapes of its production
rivals. The near-vertical bow, practical
cork decking and slender letterbox
hull windows add an air of purpose to
this elegant side profile. The fact that
he has managed to fit in a full-length
hardtop with optional cockpit doors
on a 36ft boat without it looking top
heavy is a testament to his skill.
The most unusual and successful
element of this design are the long
side windows which stretch the full
length of the saloon and out into the
cockpit itself. The glass bulkhead,
which separates the indoor andoutdoor spaces, butts up against
these side windows with only
a small gap to allow for some flex
and additional ventilation. It works
brilliantly, shutting out unwanted
noise and weather while letting
in plenty of light and air.
The helm seat is currently set
a little too high to make the most
of the excellent rear visibility this
allows, but this is something Martyn
can easily rectify. The fabric sunroof
lets even more light and air into
the deck saloon though it’s not quite
wide enough to poke your head
through when standing at the helm.
The galley-up layout with a dinette
opposite makes good sense on what
is designed to be used predominantly
as a dayboat. The only thing lacking
from the current saloon is a second
forward-facing helm seat.
This first boat is fitted with a single
Yanmar 370hp diesel but there is
room in the engine bay for a pair of
smaller Volvo 220hp D3s or possibly
even D4s. Motoring out of Poole
Harbour at the 10-knot speed limit,the big V8 sounds quite busy but it
tracks well enough, and closing the
hinged cockpit door shuts out much
of the engine noise.
Once we’re free of the harbour limit,
it climbs on to the plane and settles
at a nice flat running angle. At speed,
there’s a certain amount of hull roar,
perhaps because the open-plan cabin
layout acts as a sound box, but it rides
nicely over the chop and the steering
is positive and sensibly weighted.
The turning circle isn’t quite as
tight or grippy as I’d expected of
a sterndriven deep-vee hull but I
suspect this might have more to do
with the choice of engine than the hull
itself. I can’t help feeling that the extra
power and drive of a pair of Volvo D4
Duoprops would really help it come
alive. As it stands, we recorded a top
speed of 28 knots on test, slightly
down on the figures Martyn achieved
with a completely clean hull. In reality,
the cruising speed of 20-25 knots
at 3,000-3,500rpm is much more
relevant to the type of owner who’s
going to be attracted to the Rene 36.HIGHLIGHTS
● Striking design
● Custom interior
● Handbuilt in the UKMB Yachts Rene 36
44STARS OF SOUTHAMPTONThe saloon is
wonderfully
bright and airyThe real beauty of choosing a Rene over
its mainstream rivals is that you can
tweak almost every aspect of its design