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BOAT REPORT


Decent storage in the bright heads compartment


Chris-Craft’s tidy infi ll solution uses existing seat cushions, and is easy to deploy for guests


Three skylights let in a


good amount of light but there are no portholes


sideways, spinning the boat around almost in its own length and performing other berthing manoeuvres an absolute doddle.


DECK DEFINITION Like the 32, the view forward is a delight. That mirror-shine teak might not be the most practical foredeck fi nish, but it looks incredible. Outboard of it are two raised teak grabrails, which are the only concession to safety on a deck where looks are the top priority. Access forward is via a set of steps in front of the navigator’s bench and up through a break in the windscreen that folds back. Both the nav and helm benches are set up for two people to sit abreast and there’s room for another fi ve or six people to sit in the mirrored cockpit seating. Separating these two spaces is a pair of wet-bars – a statement of intent if ever there was one. Unlike the 32, there’s no dedicated sunbathing space, but there is a European version of this boat that comes with a big rear sunpad in place of the ample cockpit seating on our boat. Movement to the bathing platform is uninterrupted thanks to a break in the rear seating, and there’s a nifty cockpit table that rises magically from the sole. This whole rear section also levers up electronically to reveal a massive engine space.


DOWN BELOW A sliding door takes you below – and mercifully air-con was specced on this larger boat. I can’t stand upright at any point down here, but Stephen Julius, who owns Chris-Craft and who has joined me below decks, is unapologetic. The priority with this latest incarnation of the Corsair 36 was to keep the profi le low, and that meant sacrifi cing headroom in the living accommodation.


“The boat business has become about the amount of cubic feet


you can cram inside – it’s a banal game. Space wasn’t our motivation – it’s about producing a gorgeous product,” he explains. It’s a compromise I think most people in the market for a Chris-


Craft would appreciate, but more importantly it’s not a compromise too far – there’s still plenty to commend the interior of the Corsair 36. At the bottom of the companionway is the galley, with two-burner induction hob and deep stainless steel sink. There’s a good amount of countertop space, and ample storage. In fact, storage is good throughout – in eye-level lockers that wrap around the saloon, with deep trays beneath them. All these cupboards are nicely lined and have chunky magnetic catches. The saloon table drops down and Chris-Craft has come up with


a novel infi ll solution using the seat cushions, meaning no extra infi ll pieces need to be stowed elsewhere. Three skylights provide natural light and there are neat LED downlights and reading lights on bendy storks at the front of the cabin. The heads is a really bright space with a big mirror – there’s no porthole, though – another sacrifi ce to the ‘look’. You have to crawl into bed in the midships master cabin, but the berth is very wide and comfortable. You can’t quite sit up at the end of the bed, but there’s a bit more headroom if you shuffl e forward. There’s also a small sofa at the entrance to the cabin for putting on socks and a wood- lined hanging locker.


DISPLACEMENT 7.25 tonnes (light)


TEST ENGINES Twin 430hp Mercury MAG HO ECT


Loads of room for service checks in 36’s engineroom


VERDICT My time is almost up. I reluctantly hand back the controls and settle in the cockpit seats, my eye falling on a couple of details that I had previously overlooked – the wrist-thick handrail that tops the helm bench seat, for instance, and the sheer number of logos Chris-Craft has stitched, engraved and embossed onto this boat. In most cases, you’d turn your nose up at such self-aggrandisement but it works here. This is a Chris-Craft. And if I owned one, I’d want everyone to know that.


SLOW CRUISE 22.1 knots, 3,000rpm, 47.0lph


FAST CRUISE 32.8 knots, 4,000rpm, 89.7lph


TOP SPEED 40.2 knots, 4,980rpm, 142.0lph


PRICE FROM


Approx £426,317 inc UK VAT, delivery & import duty


CONTACT


Bates Wharf. Tel: +44 (0)1932 571141 Web: www.chriscraft.com


THE DATA


SPECIFICATIONS LENGTH 38ft 2in (11.63m) BEAM 12ft 6in (3.81m) DRAUGHT 2ft 7in (0.78m)


FUEL CAPACITY 286 gal (1,083 litres)


WATER CAPACITY 50 gal (189 litres)


FEBRUARY2013 57


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