Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

If the Fjord 36 xpress looks familiar,

it’s because it’s a variant of the Fjord

36 Open. So it shares the same

Wally Tender-esque origami-sharp

minimalist profile (no coincidence,

both were designed by Patrick

Banfield) and the same dedication

to decadent outdoor living.

So what’s changed? A stroll around

the aft end soon reveals the key

difference. The twin Volvo Penta D4

sterndrive diesel engines of the 36

Open have been banished in favour

of a pair of Mercury Verado 350hp

supercharged outboard engines. This

completely transforms the nature

of the boat, not least because there’s

no longer a need to accommodate

the motors inside the hull.

The result is phenomenal living

space along the full length of the boat.

Where the 36 Open had a sunpad over

the engines back aft, the 36 xpress

gives you a choice. So you can have

that sunpad, or you could choose to

leave this area open for watersports.

But my favourite option is the cleverly

configured dinette of our test boat.

Two bench seats face each other, split

by a folding wooden table. But the

backrests of the rearmost bench

swivel forward allowing rearward

seating for fishing or just propping

your feet up on a Verado cowling

and watching the world go by.

Meanwhile, the forward row

does the opposite, converting from

rearward seating around the table

to a second row of forward seating

directly behind the helm. Or simply

drop the table, lower the backrests

completely and reinstate the huge

sunpad of the 36 Open, in which

case the forward dinette, accessed

by an easy stroll past the helm station,

offers a further social area. And it’s

not just deck space that’s gained.

You’ve still got what was the rest of

the engineroom beneath, so there’s

a massive locker for inflatable toys,

dive kit or whatever other aquatic

activities take your fancy.

There’s a galley area directly behind

the helm but this is unashamedly

a dayboat, offering a fast commute

between islands or beach coves for

people that live near their boat or

keep a property near their marina

berth. But take a peak through the

sliding door at the helm and you’ll

find a hidden surprise. Two steps

down take you to a small but neatly

trimmed cabin, complete with a

double berth that stretches forward

beneath the bow cockpit. There’s

room to change and a generously

proportioned heads with standing

headroom, the latter every bit

as essential for dayboating as

overnighting. You probably wouldn’t

want to spend a week aboard, but it

does mean weekends away for two

are a real possibility, something you’re

unlikely to find on a similarly sized

RIB, the natural ‘go to’ for anyone

wanting a large, fast boat without

pushing along loads of cabin.

It’s also a far more enveloping boat

underway than a RIB. You sit in it, not

on it, well sheltered by a windscreen

so tall that you can’t see over it even

when you’re stood up (something

to bear in mind if you plan to use the

boat at night, in which case it might

be worth enquiring about the

possibility of a clear screen rather

than the standard tinted version). The

T-top offers a little shade, augmented

by a large bimini that extends aft to sit

on lightweight poles either side of the

transom. Neat detailing includes flat

fenders that tuck into the bulwarks

in stainless-steel racks with the Fjord

logo cut into them.

At idle, those two Verado outboards

slung way back aft are virtually silent,

and incredibly smooth with barely

a shimmer of vibration making its

way through the hull. Grab a fistful of

electronic throttles and even as the

revs build, the vibration stays notably

absent, only the noise ramping up

with revs and speed into a delicious

creamy howl. Suddenly you’re doing

37 knots – it’s a waterborne missile!

And yet, this boat is so well

mannered and so relaxed that it feels

more like 25 knots; it’s genuinely

effortless. If you want to go fast

without scaring the crew, the 36

xpress will certainly do that. Flat

out, you’ll easily punch a hole in the

Fjord 36 xpress

50

STARS OF SOUTHAMPTON

With the engines on the

transom, the full length of

the cockpit can be enjoyed

The aft dinette is one of

three available options

The helm console

also gives access

to the cuddy

Grab a fi stful of electronic throttles

and ramp up the revs to speed into

a delicious creamy howl. Suddenly you’re

doing 37 knots – it’s a waterborne missile!