The SeCond
Coming
Can Paragon’s new 31 build on the appeal of its smaller sibling and
offer more space, agility and a ride that imparts a go-anywhere
confidence Text: Jack Haines Photos: Lester McCarthy
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round Scandinavia, where the how much use you get out of your boat rather than its physical
A
Paragon 31 harks from, boats are presence, there will be very few days in the year when the
used in a completely different way weather prevents you from taking the Paragon out.
to how they are in the UK and the
rest of europe. Boats are seen as On deck and inside
transport, as normal to the average Aside from the obvious size difference, the thing that
Scandinavian family as a Ford separates the Paragon 31 from its smaller 25ft sibling is the
mondeo is over here. For this raised helm position. Calling it a flybridge would be false
reason, locally built boats tend to grandeur but despite the lack of sunpads or even a dinette up
be more functional than flamboyant, an abject lesson in here, the benefits of this extra driving position are plentiful.
fit-for-purpose design. The Paragon 31 is no exception, in fine weather it’s always nice to feel the sun on your
the looks are purposeful rather than fanciful and the hull, face and the wind in your hair and the view is that much
with its 24.5° deadrise, wouldn’t look out of place on an better when it comes to reading the waves or close quarter
offshore race boat. manoeuvring. not that there are any issues with visibility
many of the boating qualities that Scandinavians hold so from the inside helm but the flybridge just makes it that bit
dear apply equally well to British buyers, due to our choppy easier to see the boat’s extremities. There is seating for three
seas and ever-unreliable weather patterns. There’s no escaping up top as well as a large a chart table and a repeat plotter
that this is a 30ft boat though, with a rather hefty price tag. screen, in the case of our test boat, a Raymarine C90 system.
however, one thing is for sure, if you judge value for money by The only issue with the flybridge is how flat the seats are
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