What is the point of speed? It can be quite a disarming question for a powerboater but it's one that needs asking. After all, while speed can save time and provide a bit of sporting exhilaration, even those of us with fast planing boats tend to cruise at moderate speeds to save fuel, and the market increasingly reflects that. The continued boom in trawler yachts and sedate but spacious cruising cats suggests that the public sees more value in simply being afloat with friends in sustainable comfort than in charging to the next anchorage at 40 knots. And that's exactly where a boat like Delphia's new 10 Sedan is likely to find its fan base.
Sitting alongside Dutch barges, steel narrowboats and diminutive fibreglass day cruisers at a picturesque pontoon in the Thames and Kennet Marina, it looks nothing like your average inland cruiser. With its low-profile roofline, its inverted screen, its raised hull sides and its tinted glazing, it's far more dynamic than that. You might even say it has the look of a fourseason adventure boat from the likes of Quarken or Wellcraft but there are, of course, some key differences here.
The hull is designed for displacement and the Delphia takes full advantage of that with all kinds of volume, particularly in the forward quarters. The absence of outboard engines also creates a full-beam swim platform aft of the cockpit. And if you look beneath the saloon deck, you'll find that the test boat's engine option is in fact a single Yanmar 110hp diesel. You can opt instead for a 45hp or 75hp diesel or you can go full electric, but here, with the juiciest powerplant, we have about 9 knots to play with- and we're going to play with them right now...
OUT AND ABOUT
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
FERRETTI INFYNITO 90
Ferretti Yachts is diversifying into the long-range fast-displacement market. But can its debut model justify the hype?
